BmoreArt Interview - Art AND: Damon Arhos

As published via BmoreArt on Thursday, August 22, 2019

“Damon Arhos is a little obsessed with a particular shade of lavender. The hue appears again and again in his art, functioning, he explains, as a shorthand for the gayness he is exploring in his work. Walking into his Takoma Park studio, the most eye-catching work, even during the overcast day I visited, is a lavender neon text piece entitled ‘Advice for the Ages.’ The script, which Arhos had made at Lite Bright Neon in Brooklyn, immortalizes something that the artist, friend and mentor René Treviño said to encourage Arhos when he was fretting about making a work that was ‘overtly gay’: ‘Just be your own faggoty self!’ Initially concerned about using the ‘other F-word,’ Arhos has talked at length about it with other members of the LGBTQ+ community and says he feels supported in his decision to adopt the phrase as his personal mantra. He explains that ‘gay people get that it’s about being yourself’ and sees the work as a constant reminder to continue to push himself to accept the artistic decisions he is making, even if they sometimes feel beyond his comfort zone.”
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Read our Art AND interview with @damonarhos by @suzykopf .
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