Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Paul.
Hi Christopher, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My start with art has been an eternal relationship. My Father is a musicophile and painter, my grandmother part of the Gullah Geechee community, and my two elder sisters work in entertainment. I didn’t have a traditional upbringing having prominent Black actors, musicians, and creatives in my household, but this showed me that working within the creative industry was possible, especially for someone who looked like me.
So realizing that at an early age, working as an artist and within the art industry was the only option. I am a jack of all trades. My first love is music, my second was Fashion. I’ve always had a unique relationship with the two. But Fashion engaged all of my senses as a means to express myself fluidly and world-building. I applied and was accepted to Central Saint Martins in London where prominent designers like Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, John Galliano, etc. have graduated, but due to the high expense of this program, I couldn’t attend.
I was here in Houston feeling completely disengaged from the city until I took up Sculpture at the University of Houston. A suggestion from one of my professors at the time. I am forever grateful for that recommendation. Sculpture I found has been a practice that has formulated a plethora of mediums that can be ever-changing. Since then I’ve found my conceptual practice formulating within Sound Art, Installation Art, and Wearable Art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Getting accepted into Central Saint Martins, but not having the means to attend was at the time a big disappointment as I spent so much time and dedication to this dream program of mine.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multidisciplinary conceptual artist that applies the lens of material culture and Black speculative theory to installation art, wearable sculpture, sonic, and movement-based practices. I consider how the refusal of inclusion within social, political, philosophical, and temporal realms opens up nu-methodologies that centralize Black visionary/cultural practices.
My call to action for my work is for people of African descent to decenter from the confines of the human with these methods. Human is a notion upheld by Eurocentric ecologies that Black people have been on the outside of historically and presently. When we untether from the rights, recognitions, and redress of temporality we tap into culturally significant transcendental practices that redefine the study of being, methods of knowledge, and our cosmological positioning.
I’m most proud of the current discourse of Black artists for wanting to be unapologetically Black and understanding the importance of Black space-making. I’m also proud of the work I’ve done around this idea of Black space making and understanding its cultural significance and placement within my work. The way I define ‘human’ sets me apart from others.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is having the space to meditate, create, and engage with family. These things help in the disengagement from the hectic world of city life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @christopherpaulstudio
