splatterlink - the beautiful decay

many people fear decay, death, pain, the unknown - perhaps as symbols of our own mortality. xahua, the creator of the beautifuldecay.com, has managed to use these symbols for unique, emotionfilled art, and i am honored to have had a chance to interview this fascinating artist.

What is the beautiful decay?

the beautiful decay.com is my first foray into the world. it is my online gallery, plus some of my poetry, and whatever other projects that i sometimes do. it has been till recently the only place for people around the world to see my works. additionally it has links to other artwork that i deem beautiful, plus a guest artist.

How long have you been painting and sculpting?

i've been painting for a little over four years, i have been sculpting for about 2 years. i have self taught myself how to do both, no art schools for me.

What materials do you use in your creations?

i cannot give away my secrets, i'm sure people will see parts of some material in each painting that they recognize. i can tell you that i use alot of found objects, and textures, and incorporate it all into a relief painting, or a sculpture.

What are your inspirations for your work?

well initially it was mesoamerican influences primarily, but at the same time i had always enjoyed the dark works of certain artists, whom i considered brothers in thought, and art philosophy. duality has always influenced me alot. for awhile now i have all but abandoned the mesoamerican influences. i have broadened out, i always try to convey emotion in all that i do. raw emotion, truth, and never pandering. violence influences me, and above all self hate, and hate/love for all my fellow man, and nature. lately i have begun to bring my mystical searches into my art. and precolumbian thought might make it's way back into my work through that. the reason i started out with mesoamerican themed works is because of my native american background.

What type of reaction does your artwork normally provoke?

i usually get refused by alot of galleries because they say it is too "raw" so i am doing something right, because art shouldn't simply sit there it should seek to expand a persons thought. being raw is being honest. also people think my art is evil, so they are kinda afraid of it and afraid of me. but it isn't meant to be demonic, it is meant to be a mirror alot of the time.

What thoughts do you have while painting/sculpting?

well alot of my older works were full of self hate, and loathing. basically me wanting to smash my face to bits. but lately, actually the past year, i have thought alot more about longing, and yearning for what is lost. and a great sadness for my fellow man, i still hate a great deal of things when i paint though. it is emotions mixed with these thoughts, and deep reflection.

What is "the song that bleeds red (a thousand blackened eyes)"?

i created that with another poet about 2 years ago. it was basically a web based type of trek through our childhoods. i created all the visuals, and half of the poetry. she created the other half. it never turned out the way it was supposed to, it was dragged out too long. so i almost lost interest in it. i was going to include audio as well, but i almost hated it by the time i was finished so i didn't. in the future plan on similar things, but i will do it in the fine art world. great gallery experiences, audio,visual, and poetry.

How can decay be beautiful?

decay can be beautiful when it is done right. i think just a bloody body lying in the street is something horrible, beauty in decay is not horror. to make it beautiful for me i see it on many levels. first on the level of what it is saying. i think using decay to illustrate the fleetingness of life is beautiful, it is like the mystics of old who searched for god in the inner deeper darkness of it all. it is a way to make what the world deems ugly into beauty.

in my work i like to use texture and color to create decay. i find the subtle differences in both to be beautiful. one can almost hear them screaming/rejoicing. decay also illustrates our world it illustrates mankind. horrid little beings running around savagely slashing our wrists, and our neighbors wrists while we spit maggots. and realizing that is truth and truth is beautiful even when it frightens us. decay shouldn't be purposely shocking, or it's a sham. it should expose and draw one in.

Have you thought of using other media, such as video or Macromedia Flash?

yes i have. but i am just a starving artist (plus my computer is currently dead, i see the irony haha) as soon as i get the programs i will rework my website, and make it more of a perfect thing. someday i'll move on to stop motion works as well for video.

What other artists' work do you appreciate?

i appreciate both visual artists, and musical artists. here are a few of the artists who have inspired me in the past and continue to inspire me. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Trent Reznor, the brothers Quay, Joel Peter Witkin, Tom Waits, and Azam Ali. just to name a few well known and lesser known artists. they convey emotion, and the search for perfection.

Tell us something about the creator of thebeautifuldecay.com.

i am not a poser or phony. the work i do is honest.

What are your plans for the future?

for me i plan on seeing the face of god within the perfect mystery of it all haha. for the site i will make it better, and update it with prints and such, plus all the photos from upcoming shows. oh yeah and of course putting tons of new works up as they are done.