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(Not that that would have made much difference to Helms.)
(In 2013, at Lia Gangitanos Lower East SideParticipant Inc.gallery, heled a coursein automatic writing.)
He moved to London for a few years, but is now back in L.A., where hes from.
Welcome back to New York and to the old P.S.
Its great to be premiering a piece here instead of just showing old work like I used to.
Ive never lived in New York.
Now L.A. is an art city and its exciting and a crime at the same time.
I was just evicted from my rent-controlled apartment.
Its getting as bad as here.
So where did the idea for Acephalous Monster come from?Its the secret society that Bataille started.
He posited that they were entering the death-of-God era, which Nietzsche imagined to be 1,000 years of chaos.
Now Christians have aligned with Trumps Republican Party.
I never thought theyd go that low.
George W. Bush at least nodded to decency even while he was destroying the Middle East.
How did this piece evolve?With writing notes about Bataille and that period.
Now were in a post-God moment.
People have been embracing fascism the last few years.
They dont want to vote or think for themselves.
I and everyone I know have been sick to our stomachs, feeling cornered.
These days, millions of people peacefully protesting doesnt even matter anymore.
I think only disruption is effective.
Just going to the little square youre allowed to be in has no impact anymore.
Im not a huge fan of pedantic political work.
I would never mention Trump in my work.
It would lower the tone.
My works also very queer, and Im an embodiment of the queer body.
I go through a lot of wigs and costumes for a 40-minute piece.
That work made itself.
I founda videoof you in the mid-90s where you say, What am I going to leave behind?
Was I just some stupid fag who died of AIDS?
A damaged boy who rebelled and lashed out at himself?
Back then, people who thought theyd never reach 20, 30, or 40 felt that way.
Now Ive lived twice as long as I thought I would.
I havent done that extreme body work in a while.
I fully expressed it.
And I think performance art changed a lot as it got academicized.
So in this new show, there is still some very graphic and beautifully shot!
Im mostly doing stuff onstage, reading Bataille with the videos behind me.
What they call in opera park and bark.
I also play Louis XVI being beheaded, a dandy fascist, and Dracula.
I did want to ask you about your many, many tattoos.
I got them in England.
Id get more, but these days, soccer moms get tattoos.
Its no longer a way of marking yourself away from the pack.
One of the oldest is this spider on my forehead that I got in L.A. in 1982.
At the time I thought,Well, Ill never work in a bank.
Today, I probably could.
But the absolute oldest is this crucifix on my left third finger from 1979.
Hows that one holding up?Better than youd think.
It doesnt get any sunshine, so that helps.
