The Second Coming: Reginald Sylvester II

Februaries in New York can be especially unforgiving—the din of NYFW clamped onto the tail end of a long winter season can take its toll on the average industry dweller trying to keep up with it all. A welcome break came in the form of a trudge through wind and sleet to pay a visit to Reginald Sylvester II, currently making his rounds on the fine art circuit as one of the youngest hands in the industry. And quite a few rounds he has made, despite only having started three years ago, with solo shows in London, New York and Tokyo, showing at the Fondazione Stelline in Milan, and being the youngest artist on record to show at the legendary Lever House in New York City.

We doggedly made our way up the dark, maze-like stairs of a three-floor walk-up, lax breathing and lagging steps, fingers stiff with cold. The dimness lifted as a loping figure—dressed entirely in black except for a bright red cap Sharpied to read “NO GIRLFRIEND WIFE ONLY”—opened the door to a light-filled studio where several unstretched canvases were tacked side-by-side onto a wall. The works-in-progress were large enough that it took a good few seconds to take in every detail: restless brushstrokes which comprised the grinning, grimacing figures rendered in every color, totemic in size, life-giving and fierce in gaze.

We take off our shoes and step onto the paint-flecked floor as Reginald greets us with a wide smile. The familiar bars of a Johnny Coltrane track pulses in the background and as we bask in the warmth of the studio—inhabited by jars of paint, books, programs from a past exhibition In Search of a Wonderful Place, a neatly-made bed on a wooden pallet and stacks on stacks of shoeboxes—we’re not only thankful to be out of the elements, but suddenly really happy that we are here, in the middle of Bedford-Stuyvesant speaking to the painter about his struggles as a freelance designer, his brief foray into fashion and what it’s like to be so young in a traditionally “old” industry, light years away from the fashion mob’s battlecries and into the steady-footed—but no less fickle—world of fine art.

Painting offers me freedom. It offers me a way to confront the things I battle with while growing as a human being on this Earth”

Q&A

Q: Describe the moment when you first wanted to be an artist.

I feel like I was born an artist. I was always peculiar about things and would always be drawing, coloring. I guess I had the actual thought of being an artist in my last year of high school. I got obsessed with typography, graphic design and things like that. However, I decided to be a painter later on. I started to get frustrated working with clients in freelance work. I just wanted to be respected for my hand. My artistic voice. This was around 2013 when I really took painting seriously.

Q: How did you balance your freelance projects with painting personal artworks?

A: When I worked as a designer, that was definitely prior to me becoming an exhibiting artist. After my first show in New York “In Search of a Wonderful Place” there was really no going back. I had finally made that step in the direction to achieve the things I’d wanted as an artist.

Q: You’re something like a modern-day renaissance man—and a young one at that, from designing garments for Rare Panther, to creating large-scale paintings. Why are you so drawn to creativity?

A: Design and typography was my starting point. After studying design, you tend to look at things differently. Then the hunger to change the way we view and experience things starts to grow. I think that’s always been my obsession. Moving into painting, it’s the same passion except the process changes. It’s more of a journey of self, confronting things that you may be battling internally. Using those emotions to project energy through imagery that may resonate with others. If I’m not making or creating something, then life just feels unfulfilled.

Q: What does painting offer you that you can't get in any other creative field?

A: Painting offers me freedom. It offers me a way to confront the things I battle with while growing as a human being on this Earth. I can’t say that I get to do that in any other creative field that I’ve worked in. There’s a sense of time and opportunity to connect with self when painting alone in the studio. While making a painting you can freely go through so many emotions whereas in other creative fields, I don’t believe that I could do this. I’m able to embrace those emotions and confront them head on.

I also feel through painting it allowed me to connect with a deeper side of myself spiritually. These pictures that arise on canvas aren’t planned nor plotted. I become nothing more than a tool during the process of creating a painting. I’m no more important than the brush, paint or canvas. I start to realize that I’m not ultimately in control of what’s going on. My subconscious is at work. In time I may find through working with other mediums that I can too have that type of freedom.

It's inspiring when you see someone push their personal boundaries, no matter the commentary. The artists who weren't afraid to be uncomfortable and risk it all to achieve mastery."

Q: Who are your art heroes and why are they inspirational to you?

A: The art heroes are those who found new ways to do things. The ones who aren’t afraid to try everything just to arrive at something new. It’s inspiring when you see someone push their personal boundaries, no matter the commentary. The artists who weren’t afraid to be uncomfortable and risk it all to achieve mastery.

Q: Religion has a major influence on your artwork. Why are you devoted to injecting Biblical references in your paintings?

God is an important part of my life. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for His grace. I look at the Bible as a history book; it’s more than just a book on prophecy and faith. The reasons why we go through the things we do as humans—whether it’s in the past, present or future—is biblical. James Baldwin said, “The role of the artist is exactly the same role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”

Q: Would you say that your paintings fall under abstract and figurative? What would you call them?

Every painting is different. I usually start making paintings through faces, that's how they usually start. I've always tried to push my understanding of figuration and abstraction. It's me starting with something recognizable and making it abstract as I possibly can. There's a lot of building and taking away as well as getting caught in the moment. Painting is the only place where you can fix your mistakes, or make a mistake look beautiful. I'm literally confronting myself through the process, dealing with insecurities and thinking about shit that I'm going through until a picture starts to arise that I really resonate with.

My journey thus far has been finding a balance between the two that I solely resonate with. More importantly, I want to discover and create new styles and movements. It’s too early to categorize what I’m doing at the moment, I feel. I don’t spend too much time trying to figure that out. I feel like critics do enough of that for me.

Q: From Warhol to Picasso to Matisse, the world of fine art has been a space dominated by white artists. As a young black male, have you experienced any adversities in being a part of this world? How are you challenging the old guard?

It was hard to get into that space. I went through hella shit. I'm really happy where I am at with my work, but being respected for your hand and how you go about making your work is a really tough thing. They compare you directly to the black artists that were before you, mainly Jean-Michel Basquiat. I'm not going to sit here and say that he doesn't influence my journey as an artist, but we are artists that are painting figuratively through abstraction. It's a great reference point, so I'm not mad. My position as a man of color in the art world is no different than my struggles as a man of color in the world itself. The foundation of the new guard still mirrors the old. It’s just an upgraded version, with a few software updates.

Q: Do you feel like success is catching up to you so fast at such a young age?

A: For an artist who’s only been painting for three years at the age of 31, I’ve done a lot. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I don’t believe that success is catching up to me as fast as it may seem. In the world of art I may be young but in the actual world I am not. In art it’s not about what you do in the first five years. It’s about whether you can and will be around creating at the highest level over the next 35 to 40 years. Speaking with my good friend and gallerist Max, we always ask ourselves these questions. Success now means nothing if I can’t go the distance. What matters is longevity.

Q: Do you have any fears or anxieties as an artist? Do you ever feel like you have to uphold a certain reputation?

A: As an artist, no. My fears and anxieties are more spiritually-based than anything. I do feel I have a reputation to uphold, which is to create at the highest level with purpose. I confront my personal battles and struggles through making art. I just hope that others can confront things within themselves when they interact with my work. If anything, I’d want people to open themselves up and be aware of the times on all levels.

Words: Keith Estiler | Photography: Daniel Krusen-Chen & Jesse David Harris