INTHEARTS MAGAZINE 2

1. Briefly describe the work you do.
For 18 years I have lived and maintained a studio
practice in the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico. The
region is still very connected to Mayan traditions,
including the weaving of hammocks, a centuries
old tradition done at stand-up looms in homes
throughout the peninsula. The hammocks are
used ubiquitously throughout the region to siesta,
to sleep, and to escape the heat. Trained as a
furniture designer, I see the hammock as one of
the most elemental forms of furniture. I use the
hammock as a canvas for abstract paintings and
consider these paintings a collaboration between
experimentation and tradition.
2. What or who inspires your work and
how has that influenced both your work
and your identity as an
artist?
I am interested in the teachings and practices of
the artists and faculty that studied and taught
at Black Mountain College in North Carolina,
where I live part of the year. Specifically, the ideas
of chance that John Cage embraced and the
experimentalism that was the guiding philosophy
of the school. I’m also intrigued by the traditional
methods of making that I find throughout Mexico.
3. Making Art traditionally carry cultural,
historical, or personal narratives. How
do you incorporate these narratives in
your contemporary pieces?
In the current body of work, I’m acknowledging
the traditional Mexican weavers and the
legendary Mexican architect Luis Barragan’s use
of color. Barragan was a pioneering architect
who was instrumental in incorporating modernist
principles that I find relevant and transferable
beyond the scope of architecture.
4. Do you aim for a particular
emotional or sensory experience in
audience interaction with your pieces,
considering that textiles or mixed
media artworks can evoke a tactile
response?
The idea of weightlessness is interesting to me,
because the hammock induces that sensation
when it’s in use. I began thinking about how I
might incorporate that feeling into the work.
I thought a lot about this idea and I looked
to nature as a source. I found the butterfly a
compelling inspiration, not only for its weightless
qualities but for its ability to metamorphosize
throughout its life cycle.
5. Given that textiles and mixed media
often generate residuals, how do you
specifically approach sustainability and
work to minimize environmental impact
in your artistic practice?
I aim to help support the small communities that
produce these hammocks by paying fair market
price for hundreds of hammocks every year that
go into the production of my paintings. In the
near future, I will be introducing a hammock
exchange with the people in these small villages. I
will work with a representative of the community
to exchange new hammocks for old ones of
any condition and make a large painting that
can be displayed in a municipal building in their
community.
6. Get inspired!
INSTAGRAM: @shull_randy
WEBSITE: randyshull.com
REPRESENTED BY: Tracey Morgan Gallery ,
Alejandra Topete Gallery (Mexico City)
34 INTHEARTS | WINTER 2024
“I find irreverence to be
a useful tool.”
– Randy Shull