I want them all to be the best they can be, so I give each one everything that I can. Even if it means that I won’t sleep, or eat, it’s kind of a crazy/beautiful/wonderful obsession.
StarfighterA
interview by Jorge Perezchica
Angelina Christina (b. Christina Angelina) grew up in Los Angeles and has been creating artwork since the age of 4. She describes her style as, “reflective of street art — art is a way to create communication between people.” Her education ranges from a BFA in Art from UCLA to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She currently owns and operates StarFighter Studios, a gallery and production studio in Venice, CA. Her love for travel, people and places keeps Angelina’s artistic journey moving throughout the globe. Between painting murals off the beaten paths and in remote locations, commissioned work, live painting and gallery exhibitions — Angelina is pushing her art, including collaborations forward, both aesthetically and thematically at an accelerating pace.
Angelina’s allurement to the desert extends back to her childhood, “I grew up traveling all over the Southern California desert including: Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, Indio, Salton Sea, Mojave, etc.” In September 2013 on a road trip up Hwy 40 to Salton Sea, CA., Angelina searched for a beautiful wall to paint to the brink of exhaustion. Her luck changed in a chance encounter with a local resident who recommended the 86 Meat & Liquor Market. The result was: “Shesha Sandstorm,” an imposing black and white mural painted in collaboration with artist FinDac, on the market’s long, exterior wall. The artwork rendering resembled a goddess-like figure at the center scene with hands to her face, and a second set of hands holding up animal skulls — flanked by two other female figures adorned with punkrock-spiked hair, each holding up a rattlesnake fearlessly in their palms. The mural is befitting for the desert landscape at Salton Sea, yet has a stylistic, urban approach nearly unseen in Coachella Valley. A year later the market was destroyed in a fire — but the mural remarkably remains unscathed.
The indelible, “Shesha Sandstorm,” was only the beginning of more iconic works to follow in and around the Coachella Valley. Most notably is the mural titled, “Mountain Charmers,” (another collaboration with artist FinDac) painted on the facade of Bar in Palm Springs, which depicts two women in war paint holding a giant snake rendered in bold colors: black/red/white. “Art throughout the world is going through a new phase —[the murals are] bringing a whole new level of youth atmosphere to the Coachella Valley,” Angelina states. One reason the mural is influential was because it broke away from city’s well-established aesthetic and appealed to a younger demographic — on the other hand, it also caused a controversy, inciting both praise and criticism in the community. Ultimately, “Mountain Charmers,” punctuated the youthful resurgence of downtown Palm Springs, and burnished her reputation in the Coachella Valley.
What attracts you to the Coachella Valley?
It’s a beautiful part of the California desert, it’s like a little vortex of gorgeousness. There are so many different parts of the Coachella Valley too, and they’re all beautiful.
Can you tell us about the first mural you painted in the Coachella Valley and how that came about?
I had just finished the Shesha Sandstorm mural with FinDac, out at the Salton Sea. To celebrate what we thought was our last night in the desert, we went to visit my friend Cash at Bar in Palm Springs. He introduced us to the owners of Bar and within twenty minutes they had decided that Fin and I were going to be painting a mural on the front of Bar, three days later it was complete.
What is the main difference between outdoor murals and art within a gallery or museum space?
BIG DIFFERENCE. Artwork outside is for everyone, its inclusive… work in a gallery is extremely exclusive – it’s for a specific audience; only the people that frequent that gallery or museum will be likely to ever experience it. It is also unlikely that an individual would stumble upon a piece of artwork inside of a gallery but you can drive past, walk past or turn a corner and see a wall you didn’t expect to see and it can change you or move you, it can change the path and mindset of your entire day.
What is the creative process that goes into choosing a location, collaborator, and theme?
It’s very organic for me. Each situation is unique. Many of my murals are collaborative, however, I’ve only collaborated with a few select artists. The impetus to collaborate with them always develops serendipitously. The theme/subject matter always develops on-site. It is a careful and intuitive process. I have to get a feel for the aesthetics of the place and a sense of the community there before I can really decide what belongs in each specific environment.
What keeps you motivated each day as an artist?
It has just basically become my whole life, full time. Wanting to put everything that I have to give into each painting, keeps me motivated. I know what I am capable of, and I don’t want any of the works to fall short. I want them all to be the best they can be, so I give each one everything that I can. Even if it means that I won’t sleep, or eat, it’s kind of a crazy/beautiful/wonderful obsession. And I just go from one project to the next, and with each project I have a kind of tunnel vision; all that matters is giving that painting all that I can, until I hit my deadline and then onto the next and so on. I love it.
What is your fascination with animals in your work?
I like animals because I feel, like as humans, we can identify with aspects of the nature of other living things. If we, for example, really imagine what it is to fly and ride the waves of the wind, we connect to something that is in us, but at the same time outside of us…
What keeps you grounded and focused as an artist?
All of the amazing people that I meet along the way. Whether it is someone that I collaborate with that becomes a close friend or someone that I meet for ten minutes at a wall.
How do you sustain such a busy schedule between traveling and painting murals?
It’s crazy, I basically run/drive/fly from one project to next, no breaks, no vacations 😉
What are your plans for 2015?
I’ll be painting in Germany in March and I’ll be painting at Coachella in April. Overall, I’m planning to travel off the beaten path and paint murals in remote locations that I’m drawn to.
ARTIST: ANGELINA CHRISTINA
HOMETOWN: LOS ANGELES, CA
INSTAGRAM: STARFIGHTERA