Adam Wallacavage finds joy in the eccentric and bizarre corners of American life — his photographs and sculptures are a testament to that. Coming up in the early 1990s, Wallacavage first got into photography after snapping shots of fellow skateboarders for his zine Wonder Rolling News. And his fascination with documenting skate culture quickly landed his photos in the pages of Thrasher and Transworld. Wallacavage is also a diehard collector of antique oddities, from animal taxidermy and Victorian-era busts to anything sea-related. His fascination with these antiquities led him to sculpture. After renovating the dining room of his Philadelphia home in a nautical/Victorian aesthetic, he began creating grand, octupus-tentacled chandeliers. Last month Wallacavage exhibited a large selection of these creations in his debut solo exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York titled Les Trésors de la Tanière de Neptune (French for: The Treasures of Neptune’s Lair). I caught up with Wallacavage recently. Here's how our conversation played out.
-Matthew Newton
You're a sculptor and a photographer. Can you tell me which of the two came first and how?
I started shooting photos when I was about 16 because of skateboarding. I used to do a small skate zine called Wonder Rolling News. By the early 1990's I was a photographer for Thrasher and then Transworld, Slap, and a bunch of other skate mags. Skateboarding has always had a strong connection to art and artists and eventually I started documenting a bunch of different art scenes such as Shepard Fairey and Fort Thunder in Providence, R.I, the Alleged Gallery scene in New York City, and especially Space 1026 art collective in Philly, which I helped to start. Documenting artists led me to being a contributing photographer for Juxtapoz and I shoot artists portraits and such for them. I love doing those. Sculpture came from an obsession with my old balloon tire bicycle collection which led to me creating crazy customized bikes then I started doing customized fish taxidermy. When I bought my house—a Victorian brownstone in South Philadelphia — I started doing ornamental plaster work and got really into which led to me making a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea style dining room which led to the octopus chandeliers.
You recently had your first solo exhibition at Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York. Can you talk a little bit about the concept of this show and what it was like for you putting together the work?
I had a small show at Jonathan's a couple years ago but it was just a few pieces. For my show in June at Jonathan LeVine gallery, I took what I learned over the years and really had fun making new designs and playing with different color ways. I made about 6 new tentacle molds and designed the chandeliers in a sort of modular way, using the same components on different chandeliers in different ways.
That’s interesting. I was curious how you created the chandeliers. Can you talk a little bit about what you do to make the molds?
I start with threaded pipe and then sculpt the tentacles in clay. I make the molds with latex rubber and cast them with a special kind of plaster that I then paint with epoxy resins.
Since you've been involved with art culture for the past two decades, what are your thoughts on how big outsider art has become — i.e. corporate sponsors' extensive interest/involvement, Google's iGoogle art campaign, and so on.
I don't mind it. This might seem "controversial" but I believe corporate sponsorship of art is way better than government sponsorship of art. Government sponsorship of art leads to too much "personal expression" which — sorry — really sucks most of the time. Corporate sponsorship has filters but gives the artist the challenge to be more subversive and creative with their personal expression in a way that just looks better.
You own a home in Philadelphia. Tell me about what attracted you to the city?
I grew up just outside the city and went to school in Philly. I just never felt the need to leave. My family lives nearby, the ocean is less than two hours away (I'm an avid spearfisherman), NYC is easy to get to, and Philly has a great art scene. I basically make my living from jobs and commissions in NYC and on the West Coast but I don't need to live in those places.
Do you think artists sometimes place too much importance on the idea of living in cities like New York City or Los Angeles?
It's about being in the environment that inspires you. I love New York and Los Angeles. I'd probabaly live in LA if I wasn't so close to my family and didn't have this house here.
The subjects you photograph all seem to embody eccentric qualities of some sort — whether person, place, or thing. Can you tell me what it is that attracts you to a subject?
I like photography to be entertaining. I like the idea of taking a real situation and making it a bit surreal. Sort of a mix of documentary photography and controlled studio photography or embellished non-fiction. I've always been attracted to eccentric people and situations and places to the point that those things are simply common place to me so I just shoot photos of my life. It's second nature to me know.
Many of your photographs really capture the nuances of American life, what is often referred to as Americana. What appeals to you the most about America from a photographer's perspective?
I was heavily influenced by the photographer David Graham who shot a lot of wacky stuff around the United States. I first saw his photos in some newspaper Sunday magazine or something. I didn't even know David was from Philly and I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple years ago. I was also really into old cars and dinosaur parks and collecting weird antiques. Another major influence was spending the summers in Wildwood, New Jersey. Wildwood was a really interesting place to grow up. It once boasted the world's largest collection of 50's era architecture and had a crazy boardwalk of old spook houses and wacky rides. As far as America being appealing, I live here, so that helps. But America changes so rapidly it’s important to document it since whatever you photograph will be gone in 10 years. Europe in many ways looks the same as it did for centuries, except for the unfortunate destruction from the World Wars.
What would be a dream photo shoot for you then — assuming budget was not a constraint?
I'd like to photograph a Sperm Whale battling a Giant Squid.
You have a strong interest in underwater and nautical-themed paraphenalia—which is obviously echoed in your sculpture and sometimes even your photographs. What first attracted you to this aesthetic?
I've always had a strong connection to the sea. I love things with endless possibilities which inspire endless creativity.
What project would you like to tackle that you just haven't gotten around to yet?
I'm working on smaller pieces that I am going to sell in editions so that I can bring the prices down but even the small ones are as time consuming as the larger ones. I make everything myself so it is hard to make anything that is easy. I wish it was as easy as making a painting then having prints made of the painting to sell but it's not at all.
Related links: www.adamwallacavage.com www.space1026.com www.jonathanlevinegallery.com www.davidgrahamphotography.com
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