Interview
Anthony Cole
Anthony is an artist based in Philadelphia, PA. His style of art is Contemporary Pop, and he pulls inspiration from Hip-Hop, graffiti, and anime. Anthony enjoys telling stories in his artwork for people to relate to and pull inspiration from.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I'm an artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I've been an artist my entire life and always found myself indulging in art-related activities since I was a kid. From sketching cartoon characters in my notebook in class, to drawing at home in my leisure time, to participating in different art classes and camps; I found myself doing art so much that it became second nature to me. These experiences not only shaped my perception of art and create my own definition of what it means to be an artist, but it also helped develop my skills to where they are now.”
What inspires you?
“My style is heavily based around Hip-Hop music, graffiti art, and Japanese character designs. Hip-Hop is my favorite genre of music and the lyrics of the MCs inspire me to speak on the many different perceptions of what people have looking into black culture. Hip-Hop music is extremely versatile and speaks on many different subject matters in the world - whether it relates to street life and hustle mentalities, urban youth empowerment, telling stories that others can relate to, love, etc. Seeing what that genre of music can do is what inspires me to do the same with my artwork. I want to be able to tell stories and portray messages in different ways the same way MCs in Hip-Hop do with their songs. With this form of inspiration, I also try to tell my own personal stories in different ways whether I've been through them or not, and also try to put myself in the perspective of other people too, and see what life is like looking through their lens.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“A common theme I go for in my pieces is ‘royalty.’ In most of my pieces I put a crown on my characters to represent royalty, which ties into my art name ‘King Cole.’ The reason I adapted both the name and the theme is due to how I perceive myself, the quality traits that I have, and how I want people around me to view themselves too. I believe everybody has the ability to see themself in a high regard, whether that's walking around with your head held high, exuding confidence, knowing your worth/value, and adapting a ‘winner mentality. I want people to see this in my work and adapt that mentality into their lives. I want people to understand that no matter what your situation in life is or however you're feeling, that you can always have a sense of ‘royalty’ in whatever you do.”
How would you describe your work?
“I would describe my work as Contemporary Pop Art. I always use figures in my artwork because that's what I'm accustomed to, and it's easier for people to relate to my art in that sense. The style of the figures I use are inspired by a show called ‘The Boondocks’ which takes on the appearance of Japanese characters, even though it's an American cartoon, but still keep the core elements and values of graffiti in my artwork.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I can see myself answering this question in two ways, from a visual arts standpoint and from a Hip-Hop standpoint.
In terms of visual artists that influence me, I would say: Al-Baseer Holly and Cristina Martinez because they've instilled the art of storytelling into me. They taught me that for people to connect with your works, you have to be able to tell stories, while also staying true to yourself and your artwork. Don't try to be other people or go outside of your line. Just stick to what works for you and create work that you enjoy. I also like that they both use figures in their artworks too, so it's a similarity there.
For Hip-Hop artists, I would go with: Nas, Tupac, Notorious BIG because of their abilities to tell stories and paint vivid pictures in people's minds with their lyrics. They are most versatile when it comes to looking at life either in their own perspective or how other people see it, which influences me to do the same thing with my own artwork. Other Hip-Hop artists that influence my work are Prodigy, Cam'ron, 50 Cent, DMX and Jadakiss because they talk about the ruggedness of street life and how growing up their respective environments can effect how someone views life and the activities they indulge in. They speak more on the bad parts of these communities that people either are unaware of or choose to ignore, but they also talk about working hard to get out of these bad environments for personal growth and true success. This goes back to my previous point about how I want people to see themselves as ‘royalty’ no matter the circumstances they face in their daily lives.
Everyone is dealt a certain hand in life, but it's all about what you do with it that will determine where you will end up in the future. Take matters into your own hands, cannel your inner royalty and show the world what you're capable of. That's the message I want to portray in my artwork so other people can be inspired to do great things.”
“I would describe my work as Contemporary Pop Art. I always use figures in my artwork because that's what I'm accustomed to, and it's easier for people to relate to my art in that sense.”
What is your creative process like?
“I normally plan all of my paintings out in advance. It relates to something I used to do when I was younger, which was looking at things around me that inspired me to draw, so I would use them as a reference. What I do now is I draw things up from scratch using my iPad, and then I transition it over to a canvas to paint that same drawing. It saves me the time of figuring out what to draw on the canvas, how to scale it, what colors to use, etc. Most of my time spent brainstorming is with my iPad because there are times where I'm drawing and my ideas may change to something else. I don't start painting until that drawing is done, when I know I'm sure that's the piece I want to create. It seems like a weird process to some when I describe it, but that's what works for me and why I'm so successful in creating the pieces that are in my catalogue.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist's role in society is not only displaying their talent, but to create pieces that are fulfilling to their creative nature while also using that to tell stories and influence other people who see it. There are some people in the world who aren't even into art or don't fully understand it, and I think it's every artists' job to bridge that gap for them. Art plays a huge role in how the world works and people don't even realize it. It's all around us in the form of music, cartoons, videos/photos, dancing, film, theater/acting, video games, fashion, etc. Our job is to bring people together through entertainment, relatability, and creativity.
I can see this evolving in many different ways such as people taking up an interest for art, creating more communities and creative outlets for artists to express and display their talents, and finding ways to implement art into everyday life for people.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Last year I had various exhibitions including at: Gallery 600, ‘American Made’ Art Exhibit in Chester, PA; Gallery 600, ‘Art Life’ in Chester, PA; Art Unframed, ‘Women Who Inspire’, in Chester, PA; Art Unframed, ‘Men of Honor’, Chester, PA and Art Unframed, ‘Masterpiece Markdown Exhibit’ in Chester, PA. I also have an upcoming exhibition this year at the Harlem Fine Arts Show, ‘African Diaspora’ in New York, NY.”
