Gabriel Rivas aka Nerviswr3k‘s art draws the viewer in with it’s intricacy and sense of life, attacks with cyborg weaponry and devours with teeth… LOTS of teeth.
One can imagine Gabriel opening his mouth, and revealing a whole world of wonderful creations bursting out, jailbreak style – chipping teeth, pulling apart lips and forcing their way from his subconscious, to the external world.
Nerviswr3k importantly is an artist not afraid to pass on his knowledge to others, having recently participated as teach in the ‘Suburban Vinyl – Artist Series Workshop’. He is also a willing collaborator, having worked with Bob Conge, Motorbot, Jay 222, TaskOne and many others.
(Picture below of Gabriel playing teach)
With a growing fan base, and a unique visual style gaining lots of attention, now is the perfect time to get up to date with Gabriel Rivas aka Nerviswr3k by reading the Art Talk below…
Name + D.O.B?
Nerviswr3k
2.3.1978 is the date of my birth.
Born as a microchipped clone human baby.
(Picture below of Nerviswr3k holding a newly finished creation)
City, State n Country you’re Repping?
Not really repping a certain city but I ended up in the bowels of the Arizona desert city known as Phoenix, this place is a backwards ass, redneck riddled and racist city that I dont really feel like I should rep, so yeah.
I represent the under the radar, underrated and overlooked artist that doesn’t conform to society’s norm.
Describe – a memory from three stages of yr life ….basically trying to piece together Mr. Nerviswrek’s pivotal moments. Concerts, art, action-figures, women, school, college… ANYTHING man.
* age 10 – pre pubes:
Like most, cartoons where my escape and fueled my young and impressionable brain.
Thundercats, M.A.S.K, Silverhawks, Dennis the Menace, Voltron, He-Man, Inspector Gadget and such were my toons of choice along with those saturday morning lineups!
Toys made me expand my imagination and kept me hungry for more.
I also found out about skateboarding. I got my first skateboard at about 11 years old and focused all my energy into it.
I just loved looking at all the graphics on the boards and wondered who drew them. Studying the designs, I started to draw and I fell in love with it, spending all my time after that, copying comics, movie posters and anything that caught my attention.
* age 15 – pubes-
At this age I was fully immersed into skateboarding, turntablism, graffiti and marijuana.
I lived to skate and fuck up private property.
I hated my high school and everyone in it. I hated being told what to do, when to do it and what was expected of me. I swore never to play by the rules and not follow their standards to becoming accepted.
I eventually dropped outta school and was the best choice I ever did, for reals!!!!
* age 20 – acceptance of pubes:
At this point in my life I had found my wife and was head over heels for her. We had our first born, Gavin.
Working for my dad doing construction, i was making about 140 dollars a week, I realized I needed to leave El Paso, Tx. We packed our few possesions and drove out to Phoenix to try my luck there.
Ever sine I have been on an uphill battle dealing with pricks and assholes.
(Picture below of an Abe’s Odyssey tribute piece by Nerviswr3k)
Personal motto/quote?
“Fuck You”
Favorite band(s)?
As a kid in elementary, I was fully immersed in fucking metal, death metal to be exact….Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Deicide, Sepultura, and some heavy metal, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth to name a few.
Middle school was all about the NY hip hop shit, EPMD, KRS One, Marley Marl, Public Enemy, The Furious Five, Ice T and his thrash metal band Body Count and Gangstarr.
In high school, I fell in love with punk music for a minute, it was all about Bad Religion and Crass for me.
Then came the golden era of hip hop which was it for me, Wutang Clan, Smif n Wessun, Black Moon, Leaders of a New School, Lords of the Underground, das efx, Heiro Emporium, Del, Killarmy and all that good shit.
Never did support that wack ass shit on the radio, if it was on the radio, you can bet I hate it.
Now I still listen to rap, underground hip hop such as 2mex, Shapeshifters, Omd, Deeskee, Psycho Relm, Visionaries, Living Legends, El P, Can Ox, Rob Sonic, Aesop Rock, Dark Time Sunshine, Oldominion, Grayskul, Busdriver, Darkleaf, Bigg Jus, Anticon, Alias and Mike Ladd to name a few.
I love skratch music as well….Qbert, Dstyles, Babu, Skratch Perverts and instrumental music as well.
Another band that I consider my favorite and the only indie band that matters is Modest Mouse, nuff said.
Favorite TV show(s)?
Hmm, I don’t really have a favorite show.
(Picture below of some ‘Suburban Vinyl‘ exclusive mini’s by Nerviswr3k)
Favorite sport(s) + teams?
Fuck sports, I hate em with a passion.
Although I did use to love and wanted to be like Michael Jordan back in the golden era of bball. I had game but never was one for organized sports.
I love playing handball too, one of the only things my dad taught me.
Favorite movie(s)?
The Warriors, They Live, anything by Quentin Tarantino
Favorite books and comics?
The Anarchist Cookbook
Specifics on Art
Do you consider what you are making to be ‘art’, ‘design’, re-hashed crap?
I wouldn’t go that far as to call it art, I leave it up to the people to call it what they want.
I know that in some subconscious level, its rehashed from some part of my childhood.
(Pictures below of some paintings by Nerviswr3k)
When and why did you first start making ‘art’ (toys, drawings, paintings, anything)?
I was drawing as a young boy and loved that I could create what I pictured in my head. It never went away.
As far as the toy hustle goes, I started like in 06-07. Fell in love with it and been doing it ever since.
Why + when did you decide to go in on the art hustle?
About 3 years ago when I kept losing my jobs because I hated being told what to do and I had assholes for bosses, but mainly it was my attitude haha!
Don’t get me wrong, I will work laps around any motherfucker, that wasn’t the problem.
Any formal art training? Or pivotal moment/influence?
I did the art school thing but that was a big mistake, it took me 40 thousand dollars to figure that out, one of the worst decisions I ever made.
Company motto?
Awaken the sheeple…
Favorite ‘other’ artist(s)?
Not many……
Task One, Plaseebo Toys, Ian Ziabrowski, Artmymind, ViseOne, Eric Scarecrow, Rsin, Kris Dulfer, Motorbot, Fafi, Craola, Jermy Fish, Alex Pardee, Jeff Soto, Luke Chueh, David Choe and Dave Correia to name a few……
Worst aspect of the contemporary art-hustle?
The uncertainty.
Best aspect of the contemporary art hustle?
The freedom
Toy Questions
Is the rise of ‘art’ toys an indication of the changing nature of ‘art’? OR just a bunch of nerds with too much $$$ and time?
I think its just people with too much money.
Favorite toy/figure? (I’ll allow self promotion)
Luke Cheuh’s ‘Possesed Bear’.
(Picture below of Nerviswr3k’s most loved toy, ‘Possessed Bear’ by Luke Cheuh)
What are your thoughts of the toy forum scene as a way for fans and artists to communicate? Is it a real ‘community’ or just a virtual locker-room shit talk?
I don’t even pay no mind to that shit no more, at first it was a great tool for me to get my work seen and critiqued by hundreds.
But lately its just a bunch of kids with no money shit talking and wanting free shit.
What does your wife/girl/woman/family make of the whole perpetual adolescence/Peter-Pan/man-child aspect of toy art + toy collecting?
I don’t think she really cares, she used to be a toy collector herself, haha. She just lets me do my thing.
Plus I don’t really collect…too poor for that.
What are your thoughts on the NagNagNag – I ask as I know you have sculpted two tribute pieces?
I’ve sculpted one only! I really don’t know much about it other than its super limited and pricey.
(Pictures below of Nerviswr3k’s NagNagNag tribute – Wife of Nag Nag Nag)
What was the process – artistic and design – involved in collaborating on the Frankie Resin piece with TaskOne and Milikkle?
It was a long process just because I was new at producing 50 figures.
But once I came to my buddy Task, and told him what I needed, he fucking rocked it and casted 50 of those bad boys and sent em my way.
Bamf Extracts pretty much told me what he wanted and left the vision to me, great client and so patient.
(Picture below of the TaskOne x Nerviswr3k x Milikkle Frankie)
What are your thoughts on ‘KidRobot’s‘ position and role in the toy-art scene? They seem to be a very polarizing company…
*no comment*
What was it like collaborating with Bob Conge AKA ‘Plaseebo’ back in 2010 for your Night Gamers release?
Bob was a pleasure working with Bob Conge, he’s a master and for him to buy one of my figures and ask if id like to collab with him was a big deal for me, it was a learning experience and the advice he would share was gold!
Plus seeing those figures sell out in minutes was great for me 😉
(Picture below of the ‘Plaseebo’ x ‘Nerviswr3k’ Night Gamers)
Nerviswrek Art Questions
Describe the method of making a Nerviswrek piece? (dot point all o.k.)
– your sculpted works…
Nothing special, just start at the teeth and work from there out. I never really have a sketched idea.
– your custom work…
Same as if I’m sculpting other than that I really try to hide the platform I’m using.
Making toys is but a small part of your artistic life… What do you get out of making toys that you don’t get through 2D art such as your paintings?
I have more fun when I sculpt, it is a lot easier to translate what’s in my head.
Are all your works hand made by yourself? If you use collaborators/producers; whom and in what capacity?
I do everything from the sculpt to the paint, the only time use outside help is when I need resin.
Usually I go to Task One, he’s a machine and responsible for the Nibirian Drones series which he produced.
I’ve also used Motorbot when he produced my Prototype X Resin figure.
You and ‘Suburban Vinyl‘ outta New Jersey have a solid artist n gallery relationship going…. How and why did that start?
Robert Lumino was a customer supporting my work. He’s been there since the beginning as far as I can remember.
He then approached me and offered to let me do a show and invited me to NY CC. He’s been one of the only ones whos backed my art, without trying to get shit outta me.
I’m very grateful for his constant support. There are few people that I consider friends and Robert Lumino and Robert Losito are among those.
What was it like playing teach as part of the ‘Suburban Vinyl – Artist Series Workshop’?
It was so fun but at the same time I was so nervous. I don’t really do well around crowds let alone when the attention was on me.
But Sub Urban Vinyl was so cool and made it a day of fun along with all the awesome people who showed up and participated in the workshop…..
…defenitely looking forward to doing more in the future.
(Picture below of the flyer for Nerviswr3k’s Artist Series Workshop )
You and ‘Motorbot‘ not only share a fetishistic love of teeth – his chompers, yours pinchers – and have also collaborated…
Yes we did a resin figure which he produced and I scuplted….he so good at what he does and I looked up to him when I got on the scene.
– what do you gain from your collaborative work with ‘Motorbot’?
I think I gained a more broader audience with the amount of followers he has.
(Picture below of the Nibiru Prototype X by ‘Motorbot’ x ‘Nerviswr3k’)
The Future
Any collaborations on the horizon?
I got some Plaseebo mummies that I got to get done for Bob Conge, Some androids for Tenacious Toys and a whole lot of resin pieces for my series which is released by Wearenottoys.com
Any major projects you want to hype man?
Well i’m planning on getting ready for NY CC 2014 and get a ton of pieces for Suburban Vinyls booth. Other than that im just trying to stay busy.
———-
Thanks to ArtWhore for this opp and to those who supported my and continue to, I thank you and know that all the shit I do is made possible by you, I will keep doing it till the wheels fall off.
To Suburban Vinyl, thanks again for the constant motivation.
Task one, thanks for everything.
Thanks to all the blogs that posted my work, to my ig followers, fb fans, fellow toymakers, art heads and overlooked artists…..our time will come.
My wife, your support thru the years means a lot.
My sons’ Gavin and Isaac, you boys inspire me, hope you guys know what you three mean to me.
Links
- Nerviswr3k – site
- Nerviswr3k – online store
- Nerviswr3k – Facebook
- Nerviswr3k – Instagram
- Nerviswr3k – Twitter
