Art Whore

Article – Shane Bugbee Discusses His Two Portland Art Shows Happening on October 5th 2018

20 September 2018

Shane Bugbee is an American artist, writer, publisher, curator, journalist, salesman, manager and even for a brief period – successful soda-pop purveyor. Indeed in our varied and sordid career running Art Whore, Shane is the closest we have come to finding the very aspect of ART encompassed in human form. Art is Shane, and Shane is art.

Recently Shane moved to Oregon and has quickly embedded himself in the State’s culture scene, and this coming October 5th in the city of Portland, Oregon; Shane is holding two art shows – to present to the world the fruits of his many years of artistic creation, celebrate his upcoming 50th birthday, and to showcase to the world artists that Shane loves. Pure ego, meets selfless scene builder. Pure Shane. Pure ART.

(The flyers for both of Shane’s October 5th shows, below)

Both shows will feature art, music, performances, food and other surprises and are not to be missed experiences! To that end we sat down with Shane to find out more about the upcoming shows, as well as to discuss what Shane loves about the great city of Portland, and the local artists he admires.

Read it all below…

(i) So you have two art shows coming up on 5th October 2018 in Portland. For those reading at home – please explain the why, what and when of both shows?

Both shows will feature my art, The art of the Guillotine art show will be new work that represents the scary vibe of America, the ugly, horrific america, Americans are feeling right now.
As the US vote is under attack both by foreign powers & domestic politicians. The Guillotine is a fine reminder of what some might consider a reasonable response to unfair voting laws or simply not having a vote that is actually counted.
It also gives those with way too much, a reminder of the alternatives to sharing.
The second show at FUTURE SHOCK is all about the fun side of the Halloween season for me… And it serves my ego. A typical look at what I did, I am cool, give me money and let’s smoke weed, art party.
I’ll show off my design work and the art that has worked well on trinkets and talismans.
For the future shock propaganda show, I’ve also invited some local artist to collab, fuck with and fuck up a piece of propaganda I made into an art print… Some of the artist I know, love, respect and am honored to have involved… Others, I haven’t a clue as to who they are or what they might throw my way so it should be fun.
So the Guillotine show at AFRU GALLERY is me giving, a sacrifice, painful and hard to create… Dealing with heavy issues… And yet, cake and foot fetish!!!
The propaganda of art show is just that, my war, my propaganda… with weed instead of wine and chicken wings over cheese.

(Photos below of some of Shane’s art)

(ii) And we gotta know – why on earth are both shows being held on the same night?

Hahaha…. Well, it just works out that way… It’s a “first Friday” deal where a chunk of town does art openings on a Friday afternoon the upper crust areas keep the standard mid week opening, at least an art opening standard from my youth.
Also I didn’t see it as much of a challenge when I decided to do it… I only thought square footage and that I could cover all that.
The promo, the mechanics of being in two places at one time wasn’t thought about… But it truly does represent my manic process… I stack the plate high and shit falls all around and it’s chaos and people are pissed and fighting and drunk and love making.
Hehehe… The chaos of these openings is true to my every day battle with art making and dish washing.

(iii) What to you, makes a good art show and why?

The art. That’s it. The art. The show can fuck off. Totally fuck off. It’s usually an excuse for a party and I need no excuse…
Just come over, we will drink green tea, eat dark chocolate make art and maybe even make out if it’s a awesome night… Dance for sure.
So a decent art show is the art.
Second, the best art shows are in alley ways… Street art is it. Well, old school street art… Not sticker art, not aerosol art, street fucking art… Poor peoples art… That’s it.
All art is derived from brute art, from poor peoples art.

(Photo below of Shane in front of the Future Shock gallery in Portland)

(iv) Both of these shows are being held in Portland… So we figure we should ask you some Portland specific questions:

– what’s the current state of the Portland art scene?
PDX art scene… Well, I wish I could compare it with a contemporary art scene… I feel like it’s full of fake progressives and folks who can’t see their privilege.
Some of the art that has interested me, when I look into it, has been fraudulent… Lack of intent or feeling and more a mime/mimic of other art.
I miss Chicago, growing up there… The museum’s are second to none… Our public art was of Miro and Picasso… As a kid a climbed and tried to skateboard off of a Picasso… So I find I’ve been spoiled and most art scenes are lacking.
Might be my age and experience too.
There are four PDX artists that come to mind…
1. SKAM – A street artist who’s art, was something I noticed and felt safe, like there was someone like me here… So I think his art represents an older Portland and one that seems to be on the move due to gentrification.
2. Wokeface – the second artist I noticed on the street, though I wouldn’t call her a street artist, as that term I reserve for poor folks who make art for the streets of the poor… Wokeface is my PDX art alter ego to my SKAM side.
I want joy, happiness and strive for inner peace… And I have enjoyed many a mushroom trip so woke, and woke again and I wake to be re-woke over and over again… Wokeface reminds me that you can not be woke enough.

(Photo below of Shane and artist Wokeface)

3. Sincanvas – a true blue fine artist who give all, everything… He leaves his life force behind in every move… And I mean like smoking or a bad habit that eats you away… Sincanvas and his art kills him at times and you can feel it, it’s like he leaves “spirit” behind when he posts his art on the walls and polls of the city.
4. Kayela J – a young hip-hop artist… First witnessed her force of nature when she opened up for Bushwick Bill at a strip club.
I was taken by her energy, but her unrepentant self was what really grabbed me… She does her with no remorse and force… But it’s a smile kind of thing… Her will slants towards beauty and Justice and joy, yes joy… She is a great representation of personal joy and a positive will.
She is what I want to be.
She reminds me of me, my young self… Running at it and just being me…
And the older me looks back to the younger me and thinks, if you only knew how courageous being myself could be.
KAYELA J is my president.
– what are some of your favourite Portland places / venues / sights?
Ooohhh … Late night Sizzle Pie, Devil’s Point Strip Club, Voodoo Doughnuts, the Clinton Street Theater and anything on 82nd Street.
– and what about the people?
Wild deal in PDX… You have a solid group of political progressives, like they take no shit, girls here will fuck you up for the slightest disrespect… So, it’s on here and be ready to be corrected and actually wrong.
I dig that part of PDX. I like to be proven wrong or challenged so I can be correct next time… So I can grow.
The other side of PDX are this thing that I call a liberal-libertarianism, they will smile at the homeless and not want them hurt, just removed out of sight so that might be out of mind.
They will buy a carton of organic, magic fed chicken eggs at 5x the cost of what a working stiff would pay and they will smile at the homeless they step over and never drop $ 1 in the person’s please help jar.
(v) How did you come to connect with each of the artists involved in your group show – and please tell us a bit about each of them.
Ahhhh, mostly IG. It seems it will be a surprise as to who will turn in work and who will not.
One thing is for sure… Politics are thick in the PDX art scene and that isn’t familiar from what I know an art scene to be… United front and shit like that is what I recall.
Anyway, anyone I invited upfront I really respect… Here’s a few PDX artist I dig and have promised work… Asinine and No.wrth. they are both stellar artists and very prolific… I like there work both together and separate and hope their art makes the show.

(Photo below of the entrance way to AFRU Gallery – were one of Shane’s two shows will be held)

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