Mike Leavitt is an artist who's homebase is near Seattle, Washington. He has worked on a multitude of pop art, fine art, design and satirical works in various media. Mike is very well known for his "Art Army" series of handmade action figures depicting visual artists, musicians, and entertainers. Leavitt's pieces are one of a kind, though some of his design projects are prototypes reproduced in limited quantity.
Mike's current exhibition is called "King Cuts" and these consist of 18-inch wooden sculptures including his take on sixteen of the world's greatest film directors, such as Katherine Bigelow, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, George Lucas, Tim Burton, and many, many, more. This show is running at Jonathan LeVine Gallery through June 11th and if in the NYC area get yourself down to 529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor (Tues-Sat, 11am to 6pm). I had the great pleasure of having the chance to chat with Leavitt. Here's what he had to say....
1/ Your art pieces are all directors, Do you feel they don't get enough credit for the works they do?
Giving credit where credit's due is the basic crux of my work dating back 13 years to my long running "Art Army" series where I sculpted nearly 400 different visual artists. For this current "King Cuts" show that I started in 2015, I wanted to focus on film directors because it followed the same theme of pulling back the curtain on pop culture. Actors and celebrities get the lion's share of fame and fortune. Film directors make stars into stars then retreat back behind the camera. Maybe they get enough credit. Maybe the actors in front of the camera just get too much credit and it's out of proportion. I don't know. We all know the faces gracing news feeds and magazines at the grocery check out line. The wizards behind those pop culture icons fascinate me more. I'm interested in the silent architects of our culture.
2/ I love the fact that you, morph the directors into their most famous works. What was your thought process on this?
I poured a massive amount of time into researching each director. Yes, most of this "research" included watching movies. Some of the classics I'd never seen. For instance, I had never actually watched "The Godfather". Which was crazy given its stature in our culture. I was completely moved. I'm so happy I finally got the chance to watch it. Unbelievably, it was on the plane flying home from a trip to Africa last December. So I was inspired to make Coppola and his Godfather references. Most specifically, that's why I included his shotgun shells. There was a line in the movie when Pacino was back in Sicily falling in love, while also being guarded by two guys with shotguns and one them said something like, "a women shoots through your heart like a shotgun". I had an epiphany moment like this for just about every other piece. Some of them I imagined more clearly than others. These I'd just start designing and sculpting much quicker. Others I spent a lot more time researching and designing. I actually drew five different designs for James Cameron. I had settled on most of my research for him. It was just a matter of arranging the references into a unified overall design for the piece. Once I finally realized it, Kate Winslet's nude pose was the galvanizing factor.
3/ I see the humor in Jabba Lucas. Did the legions of Star Wars fans, or were they upset?
South Park answered this question well back in 2008's "The China Problem" (Season 12 Episode 8). At the time legions of fans were totally disgusted with Lucas and Spielberg's remaking their classics. South Park's basic premise was that once the film makers had released their work to the public, the films were essentially communal property. I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to say that all fans should be consulted in the production process of any sequel or remake of a mega blockbuster adored by millions. But Lucas legitimately botched SW Episodes 1-3. I still haven't forgiven him for Jar Jar. At least Jabba ruled an empire. He commanded respect whether it was well earned or not. I still respect George. He didn't completely destroy the respect he earned for his early work. I wouldn't go as far to make fun of him as South Park did. At least I sculpted George Lucas as Jabba the Hutt instead of Jar Jar Binks. That would've been a real dig.
4/ Being in an ultra sensitive society that sometimes doesn't get satire, did you ever second guess yourself on any of your pieces (not just King Cuts).
I always have a healthy sense of questioning myself. I'm never fully satisfied with what I do. This can drift into self doubt, especially if I worry too much about what people think of me with the social norm's you're asking about. I'm also a business man. I have to sell my work to make a living. I have no day job. My art is my only income. That being the case, business is also tied at the hip to politics. But it's never straightforward relationship. Sometimes it's good business to be P.C. Sometimes it's not. I sculpted Kathryn Bigelow for this show just to include a woman from the male-dominated network of film directors. I wasn't as confident that the piece would sell as the others but I also felt like it would be good PR to include her in the show. It's so complicated! I've carved a very tight niche for myself. I study culture but I'm not an anthropologist. I make art but people think I only make toys in China. So I'm not an artist. I make 98% of my work by hand by myself so I'm not just a designer. I'm not really an intellectual or academic so most art people don't really think I'm a sculptor. I'm just ReMike. I remake things.
5/ I'm assuming you have a good sense of humor, if you had to make a art piece of yourself (self-portrait) what would it consist of?
I'd make myself as an action figure making an action figure of myself making an action figure of myself. I'd probably have to sculpt the largest figure about 18 inches tall in order to save room to go down three meta layers like that. This was my nephew's idea years ago when he was like 8 years old. He's still a brilliant kid! It was such a good idea that I still remember it. It will be done someday. Oh yes, it will be done.
6/ Anything you'd like to add?
There are still a few very solid "King Cuts" pieces that are currently available to purchase. Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson are the best ones as of yet unsold. Contact Jonathan LeVine Gallery at jonathanlevinegallery.com to ask for prices and purchase info. The "King Cuts" show comes down Saturday June 11.
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