Thugpop Looks Behind The Masc
New York, New York
THUGPOP Looks Behind the Masc
12/10/20
Branching off from his work as part of the disruptive Hood By Air collective, artist Christen Mooney’s carves a more introspective path with his multimedia art practice under the moniker ThugPop- a fantastical exploration of Black masculinity, nostalgia, and eroticism.
How would you describe your work?
I’m a visual artist and all of my work centers around the Black gay psyche. I’m using my own body in terms of my experiences and putting them onto different purposeful items like tapestries, pillows, and other functional items that people can use and not just ordain their walls with but I also have a bigger practice outside of that where I take original photography work and make it into different media digitally. I’m also a collage artist.
How did you arrive at your practice?
I found my art practice through meditation. I was feeling really anxious and overwhelmed living in New York and working in the fashion industry. So I took a sabbatical and went to my mom’s house in Virginia and meditated heavily. I always wanted to make art but never had the courage so I immersed myself in my spiritual practice. My art practice kind of found me there.
For my art practice I make collage work and all the men featured are from Black Inches Magazine. That’s where I archive a lot of Black on Black- Black lens, Black bodies, Black erotica- all in one. It’s important to me, not just as an artist but as a Black person living in America, that I have complete ownership of my body.
When I used to model and work in fashion, I always felt really weird when white people would take my picture. It just always felt like I was a caricature. No matter who it was, it just felt like I was “Shenene”. So now pivoting to my role as an artist, I don’t really collaborate with white people if I can help it just because I want it to be super authentic Black on Black. That’s kind of my artist statement because I’m actively against the white lenses. Not saying all of them are bad, but the ones I address specifically are.
What inspires your work?
My real life experiences inform the thesis of what I’m creating. I have people I’m influenced by like Malcolm X and Huey Newton. Simone Leigh is my favorite artist. Derrick Adams is from Baltimore, he’s Black and gay, and he’s the hardest working artist out. He creates endlessly and has a career that I fuck with. He’s also super nice and humble. Solange obviously: she’s saved my life more than once. I’ve been listening to her since Solo Star, she’s the Supreme. I watch a lot of prominent Black artists to see how to navigate artistry and Blackness so I’m more informed on who I am.
A strong signature of your work is the inclusion of religious iconography and kitschy mementos like bows and glitter that hark back to a stereotypically feminine childhood. What is the significance of these elements?
It’s supposed to be nostalgic but I’m referencing a traumatic experience in my childhood. I was molested as a kid so I’m trying to actively participate in my healing process by creating those collage works specifically. When I’m adorning the Black bodies with glitter it’s an art history reference. Whenever you see a saint, Jesus, a disciple, or Mother Mary they always have a halo over their heads.
The mementos reflect my childhood, where my parents didn’t really embrace me being gay, Black, and different. They would steer me away from what I liked and try to get me into sports or things that just really weren’t me but I would always find those things that were me and keep them to myself. I would hide Sailor Moon shit and if my parents came in while I was playing a video game as a female character I would restart the game so they wouldn’t see me being myself. I’m putting all of those memories onto a canvas.
Is there something you’re looking to claim or reclaim in your work?
I don’t really know if I have to reclaim anything because it’s already mine. I was born so this is mine but I am trying to show different aspects of what it looks like to participate in your spiritual artistic expansion.
Instagram seems to be the home base where you disseminate your work and ideas. It’s also a platform notorious for its censorship, which stands in direct opposition to your subject matter. How has this experience been for you?
I just knew Instagram is where the girls are but it isn't a place where you can be uncensored so I’ve been learning more and more how to use that space and also trying to use other digital outlets. I have an extension to other audiences where I always share the full image uncensored because that’s the point. I know Instagram is a space where everyone’s trying to share their opinion and I always put a disclaimer that “if you don’t like this shit, don’t fucking follow me”. I’m really not with the bullshit. This is my shit and I work really hard on it so I don’t play. I’m actually lucky I don’t really get homophobes commenting on my work.
In terms of selling my work that’s been a tricky thing since I can’t share a full Black dick skateboard. Instagam has also threatened me 5 times to the point that I had to talk to their headquarters about not deleting my page. It’s been crazy but I’m blessed and grateful that my page hasn’t been deleted because the new work I’m sharing on other extensions will be getting more erotic and otherworldly so I’m praying the page stays up. It’s where I communicate my ideas as well as where I make my money.
I’ve also had people sell my collages which is kind of gnarly. At the time I was just testing waters and using my Iphone shots instead of a classy print. I didn’t understand why people would waste their time but it also made me feel like “I made it”.
I take great pride in going the extra mile because I’m able to gain the knowledge to even know what I’m talking about. It’s easy to just throw up an image but I don’t think people understand how insular that is.
Cooning for Cash: Odion (2018)
What is your creative process?
I go 3 days analog, 3 days digital and then I have a day to reset. I’m finding deeper connections within my analog work while my digital work is shifting toward music and performance. I’ve stepped back from projects like Dreamworks and even slowed down on my collaging because I hold these men in high regard and don’t want to cheapen their image. I feel like more white people are starting to get into me so I feel very responsible with what I’m giving.
The digital work has given me an opportunity to promote my analog work. There are haters who are really pissed off that I can do a pop up show at Office Newsstand without going to art school or being in tons of debt. I am blessed that I have collectors and can do all this art world shit without being accredited. I haven’t had a major art world moment but I do feel like I am overlooked in some aspects of culture. I also know that I’m super green so I try not to be so self analytical and understand that whatever I want to do will happen in God’s time.
Tell me more about Dreamworks of an Inferior Mind. How did it come together and how did you go about choosing the models featured?
Dreamworks is my little baby. It’s the first time I did original imagery and created some sort of collection. It was obviously inspired by fashion merch because I really needed to make money to be honest. I needed to keep going and decided to make two pillows, three t-shirts, posters, and white briefs. Just little bitty things people could use and that I could produce myself to fund the fine art shit I want to do. I had to shoot the campaign during fashion week in February 2019 and I thank God I have supporters online. I put something up on Instagram saying I’m going to be in New York and asking who was interested. I already had two of the guys in mind and everyone else found me or I found them. I wanted Dreamworks to be an intimate collaboration with as many other Black gay men as possible. That’s where the models, art director, and the graphic artist who created the collage video come in. I just wanted original imagery that I shot and directed where everyone involved was Black. Even with the Office Magazine story I just did, everyone was Black. I wanted to reach Black people across the board rather than reaching up. Luckily, everyone involved was totally aligned and super down for it. It’s still selling to this day.
It really amplified my Thugpop business but it’s also given me confidence to put shit out when I want. Knowing there’s a demographic who love it, people who want to buy it...that taught me a lot.
What is the future of ThugPop?
Thugpop and Christen Mooney are going to merge. I’m gonna be more in the forefront of my future work I’m also doing a brand collaboration, launching a website. I’m manifesting a solo show, I just need to find the right Black owned space.
I always wanted to have my work on Only Fans where collectors and supporters can go behind the scenes and see what my work actually looks like without the chains and restrictions. I’m excited to release that because it’s me as my work and I think that’s going to be very exciting and fresh. It’s gonna be all encompassing.
I honestly just wanna be happy and make the Thugpop LLC whatever creative business I want it to be whether it be consulting, creative directing, etc. I still want to have a very in depth studio practice where I create original sculpture, performance, all that good shit. I want to be able to do that for the rest of my life and be happy and successful in what I’m meant to do. I feel like I’m on a pretty good start but I want to see how far I can go now that I have the confidence to do so. It’s a dream come true doing what I’m doing.
Images courtesy of Christen Mooney