Artist Ari Pinto’s Tell All Interview
“Knowing how to harness fame will get you money, knowing how to harness talent will get you anything.” – Ari Pinto
I met up with artist Ari Pinto to talk with him about the opening of his new gallery space in downtown Tallahassee. In this interview, he tells Strike Magazine about his past, present and future and lets us in on the inner workings of his creative mind.
Image Courtesy: Kiana Govind
Strike Magazine (SM): Opening this gallery was a big move, what inspired you to do so?
Ari Pinto (AP): In my lease in my house I can’t paint and run a business. It’s more of a studio than a gallery since most of my stuff is done on request. My art sells the minute it’s made so when I have free time, I enjoy having this space to make my own stuff and that’s the actually the stuff that sells the best.
SM: Are you self-taught or have you had some artistic training?
AP: If you consider 2-D studio art that you were forced to take in high school self-taught then yes. No self-taught one hundred percent, what really goes into it the most is color and the way I play with colors. It is all done with oil. I mess up on every single piece, but it’s not considered a mess up unless it’s the final product. I’ve never wasted a canvas, even if it’s done by accident you can still find a purpose for it and turn it into what you want.
SM: What’s your major and how are you planning on incorporating that into being an artist?
AP: My major is Hospitality, Events and Tourism so being trilingual I would like to use that to travel to people and make my art on request.
SM: Where are you from.
AP: I’m from a small town called Formello outside of Rome, even though I was born in London and lived in New York and Jacksonville, I’m from Formello.
SM: What other styles are you experimenting with?
AP: Drip and action painting- Jackson Pollack style. But I like to incorporate happy face, hearts, and money signs because that’s what the world revolves around: smiles, money and love.
SM: Is art some sort of escape for you? If it is how so.
AP: Yes, it’s actually therapeutic. I swear I wouldn’t have found art if it wasn’t for the fact that I literally wanted to end my life this last summer. I was so depressed so upset, I didn’t try to end my life, but I was at the point where I would just think ‘I’m going to walk in front of a bus in LA, if it kills me it kills me, and if it doesn’t, I’ll make a lot of money.’ I called my mom up and was like ‘mom I’m so miserable’. I was having a 20-year life crisis. Lots of changes and insecurities going on in my life. One of which was the end of my first real relationship with this girl I was deeply in love with. It took so long to shake that feeling. I didn’t believe in heart break until I was that depressed, I couldn’t even fathom why I was feeling that way. It really shook my world. Honestly though we mutually didn’t work anymore, I was emotionally unstable because of family issues and it hurt our relationship. I always believed, right person wrong time, we’ll end up being close again one day. But I realized there’s a big difference between being a boy and being a man. I’m going to be done with school in two years. I bought my first car with my own money. I’m an adult now, I’m a man now, I’m 19 and I feel good.
SM: So, you’re looking towards the future?
AP: Looking towards the future, living in the present and remembering the past. That’s my moto.
SM: Do you believe you’re educating people through your art in some way?
AP: One hundred percent. Maybe not even directly educating but emotionally educating. People see the art and they feel some type of way, they relate to it. People really like to learn and some people really like art that much. I didn’t even really realize but I have people at FSU - guys who love my art and they’re like “we want more, we want to buy your pieces.” The tattoo guy who’s in the space next to me even said to me “Ari I plan on owning more pieces of yours than you even have of your own.” I wouldn’t sell my art to someone who really didn’t like it.
SM: What would you say to someone who wants to tap into their artistic side but doesn’t really know how?
AP: You’re going to get to the furthest place you possibly can if you commit, you can work hard and you love what you do. You might not become a famous artist, but you might end up being a great personal artist for yourself. If you look at my art from 7 months ago the development and the change and the evolution is stupid. Now my art sells for thousands of dollars before it would only sell for a hundred.
SM: Do you think you’re challenging stereo types here? Being in a fraternity but also being an artist and opening up your own gallery?
AP: I got kicked out of the fraternity for some fighting when I was inebriated. Which thank you to Scott Meskin cause if not I wouldn’t be here right now, I wouldn’t have made it this far. Losing friends and people I loved fueled me, motivated me. But it was only my initial motivation. I wouldn’t have lasted on spite and trying to prove myself to someone else. Now I’ve found deeper more important driving forces. I got kicked out of the fraternity right before the summer started. I had the chance to probably make amends but no, I secluded myself. I started painting August 22, the first painting I made was of Gucci Mane. From there I was then invited to a Swisher Sweets concert because that is who I was painting for. My mom gave me the opportunity to paint for them because they represent Gucci Mane, Machine Gun Kelly, Designer and Fetty Wap. I painted for Gucci, shook his hand, and I was just blown away because in those 10 seconds I was able to say “I appreciate you as an artist and you’ve motivated me to do things I never thought I could do.” I’m just moved by everything because I believe in the universe bringing people together. People will be like “Ari you’re so lucky” but it wasn’t really luck, I think it was just the universe putting me in the right place at the right time. Then I realized, shit this is what I need to be doing, this is what I need to focus on and I’ve been doing that ever since.
SM: What is one of the greatest lessons you’ve learned in your life?
AP: All the energy you can muster, put it into yourself not anyone else. The minute you start putting your energy into yourself the world will start putting its energy into you.
SM: What about modern culture scares you the most?
AP: Social Media, twitter, the fact that our president uses it. To each their own about politics but I just think that social media is such a double edge sword; it can elevate you and destroy you.
SM: What about modern culture gets you most excited?
AP: Technology, I love and hate technology, it’s the death and the evolution of the world. I don’t want to give anything away, but I’m actually developing an app as we speak and it’s going to be on your phone and all over the world very soon.
SM: What is your favorite place to go when you want down time?
AP: In the world?
SM: Yeah.
AP: The Spanish Steps in Rome.
SM: Oh man that’s a good one.
AP: When I was younger, I would sit there and people watch and there a lot of beautiful stores to go into as you walk away.
SM: As a painter how do you feel about the emergence of digital art?
AP: I love it, I’m using it to my advance, if you don’t move with the world the world will move on you.
Image Courtesy: Kiana Govind
SM: Tallahassee isn’t necessarily a cultural hot spot so what about it gets you in the creative zone?
AP: That’s actually wrong Tallahassee is full of culture. There are so many different people here that’s why I love it. It is a place of culture. You were speaking to me in Italian in my gallery and you’re Cuban. So, at the end of the day this IS culture. I was blown away and so happy to come to a place where there’s people from all over. When I go to UF sure there’s different people but they don’t interact and socially mix the same way. That’s why being a party school and having that clout isn’t a bad thing, this school is going to overtake every school in Florida.
SM: Your work consists mostly of portraits of pop culture figures. What is it about these individuals that you find alluring?
AP: Oh nothing, I don’t paint them because I want them, I do it because other people want them, I don’t necessarily care about these artists. I’m making it for the person who want a relationship and a connection with these artists.
SM: If you could display your work in one museum anywhere in the world which one would it be?
AP: The Guggenheim… or if it could be any museum it would probably be the Vatican.
SM: In those modern rooms towards the back?
AP: Yeah at the end of the tour. But that’s history and my art isn’t history yet, so I’d have to say the Guggenheim. My mom always forced me to go to museums when I was a kid, now I glad she did because now I’ll go out of my way for them on my own.
SM: The same thing happened with me, I always say that. So, is there someone in your Tallahassee community that has been specifically supportive when it comes to this dream?
AP: My best friend Owen Winter.
SM: Where are you thinking of going after you graduate?
AP: Right now, it seems like Atlanta, it’s the new Hollywood there’s so many more films being made there, it is growing outwards and upwards. I imagine having an open concept apartment in Buckhead. Or maybe Miami because of the art scene there.
Image Courtesy: Kiana Govind
SM: How do you see yourself and your art evolving?
AP: I can’t predict the future but if I stay true to myself and I do what I think is beautiful it will evolve; it has already evolved drastically in the last 6 months.
SM: Alright that’s all, thank you so much.
AP: You’re welcome, woah it’s already 5:30 time flies.
You can find more of Ari’s work on his website, Instagram and at his gallery space in downtown Tallahassee.
Strike Out,
Writer: Alessandra Cruz
Editor: Savannah Tindall
Tallahassee