Ishi Glinsky is a sculptor, painter and installation artist, who works and resides in Los Angeles, California. Glinsky investigates traditional techniques of his tribe, the Tohono O’odham Nation, as well as other Nations to create contemporary homages to sacred events and practices. Ishi Glinsky’s limited collaboration with Stance embraces performance and technology to create intertribal celebrations, merging the past with the present.
Juxtapoz: What were some of the things growing up that inspired you to be an artist?
Ishi Glinsky: There wasn’t really a “Big Bang” moment. Growing up I was surrounded by very creative people. My Grandmother being from Bohemia has always had an avant-garde way of life. My mother and Father are both creative and artists. If I had to place one moment it would have to be a story of a project that my Dad was working on and asked my Mother for help when they were dating. After my Dad's passing this drawing/print inspired me as a little dude to pay more attention to my drawings. Seeing his work drove me to be just as good or better. I’m a competitive person, ha. I placed that image he made in 1980 on the back of my oversized punk jacket sculpture for a show at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery in 2019.
Your artwork has depth and reasoning behind your native heritage... How important is it to educate your audience through your art?
Extremely. At the root, my work is about visibility and we (Indigenous) got to tell our stories. It has taken a long time for me to work through my approaches and process of navigating through the past with respect to the old ways and stories, while simultaneously juggling a contemporary approach. My work is a visual retelling of the beauty and and at times a horrific side of “history." Moments in time or artifacts are filtered through my work as a concept in hopes to provide a new platform or observation. if you know or don’t know of these histories we can talk, a conversation has been made. I’m continuing to learn and the path ahead is unknown like everyone else.
Where did you first learn about Stance, and what made you agree to work with them?
I was first introduced to Stance 6, 7 years ago when I was gifted my first pair of socks that I wore the bejesus out of. Recently, I was reconnected through a duel introduction, shout out to: artist B. Thom Stevenson & Carlos Muñoz. The timing was perfect and working with Stance was a definite yes for me. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with the Stance team; they were careful to execute my vision and concept behind each design.
Where can people find out more about your artwork?
I tend to keep folks updated via my instagram: @1451 or my website, www.ishiglinsky.com
What is next for Ishi Glinsky?
Currently I am preparing to create a new body of work focusing on a sculptural concept that I've been planning to execute over the last 8 years or so. Moving into 2021 I'm looking forward to creating a Public Artwork for the State of California.