Interview by Jimon

1-Your artist name is Moncho, what is the origin of this name?  Moncho was my grandfather’s nickname. He never got a chance to see my work in person, so it’s my own way of him being a part my career as an artist. In a perfect world, your work gets to speak to more people than you do and travel more than you do.

2-How would you describe Moncho?  Someone with integrity. The few things we have are the things we earn, so I try to maintain integrity in my every day life.

3-Originally you are from Bronx. You have lived in a few cities around the world, what made you want to live in Los Angeles?  To be honest, initially it was the weather and a change of location. I moved out to LA in 2001, my grandfather had passed, and I was volunteering during 9/11 support for first responders. I was beat up emotionally and trying to help people and I needed a reset button. Fast forward to now it’s been home base for me, but I still travel around.  I do miss NYC every day and I’m actually headed back to do a project for the city so I’m pretty excited to spend some time back home.

4-Your first experience with art as a child:  Stealing paint to experiment with (thanks Pearl Paint) and after meeting some early graff guys (Crash, Devo, some others) my cousin used to run with before he passed away I realized I wanted to be an artist. I owe them all a massive debt for inspiring me to push into contemporary art and grow. I ended up trying as many forms of art as I could, I apprenticing sculpture at St. John the Divine Cathedral, almost apprenticed metal sculpture with Anthony Caro in the UK and also apprenticed tattooing in Queens and on and on.

5-What book/film/work of art most recently captured your attention and why?  “The Subtle Art of not giving a fuck”. A great book for an introvert.

6-The future is _________.  Open to interpretation.

7-What is your proudest moment as an artist so far?  Upon my first show in Tribeca, New York. I used to walk around Canal street with my mom and wish I could go into the galleries in lower Manhattan but always felt intimidated because we were poor and I was 11. I remember telling her I’d be in one day and she humored me. Fast forward years later and she got to walk in and see my show. Getting acquired by the Figge Museum of Art for the permanent collection is a close second.

8-You have a million dollars to spend on art, you buy…  Anything Cy Twombly I could afford.

9-Least favorite part of your day:  Realizing it only has 24 hours.

10-Did you have any training for art or is it inherent?  I think everyone has the ability to create something.  Whether it’s good or bad is up for debate. Why it exists and the intention behind it are more important. If someone is making work that says something or is it just overindulgent ego stroking, ect.

11-You have a distinct style. What is the origin of this style?  I stopped making work that would “sell”.  I started making work that I felt had a reason and made me excited. Artists fight to stay outside of constraints and boxes, but when it’s 5 years later and you’re doing the same work, you’ve placed yourself right back in a box. I recently had a gallerist tell me the series I’m doing now is so different from the first series I had done, hinting that it was a bad thing. The confusion of whether I was in an art gallery or a department store was strong.

12-Your work is a combination of street art and traditional way of painting. Was this planned or accidental?  A little of both. My studios and galleries growing up were crack era south Bronx walls. I saw huge pieces that made me want to do something meaningful and that ended up evolving into public art being more about looking outside myself and studio work looking inside.

13-How would you like to be seen as an artist years from now?  Someone who never really fit in, and somehow did.

14-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration?  That changes from time to time.

15-If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table?  Johns, Rauschenberg and Twombly. It would be art history and reality TV all in one.

16-Name three things you can’t live without in your studio?  Audio books, an organized mess and my Ric Flair robe.

17-How would someone find you on social media?  @Moncho1929