kalup linzy
by Halee Sommer
Producing the Art of Living
Florida Queen, photography. Image courtesy of the artist
Kalup Linzy stays busy. Between a professorship appointment at SVA,
multiple residencies on the horizon, creating new artwork, exercis-
ing his social prowess within the art world, and opening exhibitions,
it’s hard to believe that the New York City-based video and perfor-
mance artist has time to sleep at night. Linzy is easily one of the most
sought-after artists of the decade, with an unparalleled career trajecto-
ry that is continuously moving onward and upward. A few weeks ago,
I had the pleasure of speaking with Linzy via Skype while he was in
Florida installing his latest exhibition James Franco and Kalup Linzy:
Collaborations at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Florida Southwest-
ern State University in Fort Myers.
Watching his fi lms, it doesn’t take much to understand why the world
has become enamored with Linzy. There is a direct intentionality to
his work—not much is left to chance. Linzy seeks a lo-fi aesthetic
in his fi lms, which he writes, produces, directs, scores, and acts in.
Linzy pushes the bounds even further by voicing over the entire script.
When you watch Linzy’s fi lms, you are being invited into a space that
is uniquely his own. Relying on stereotypes, Linzy provides a satirical
Orlando Arts & Culture, v. 2.4
look at the entertainment industry and the art world. We also watch
his characters navigate the complexities of societal systems and con-
front issues concerning sexuality, gender, and race through the lens of
a soap opera. Using serial storytelling as a platform of expression, Linzy
creates a parallel universe of drama, satire, and intrigue which anyone
can dive into with a simple click of a YouTube link.
Linzy was born in Clermont and raised in Stuckey, FL by his grand-
mother, Georgianna Linzy. In our conversation, Linzy told me his
grandmother was a quilter, who was in turn taught by her grand-
mother. “I used to watch her quilt all during my childhood,” says
Linzy, adding that he considers his grandmother and great-great-grand-
mother to be the fi rst artists in the family. “I look at some of her work
and I think ‘Oh my gosh, the collage patterns I work with must come
from that!’”
In 2003, Linzy moved to New York City after receiving his MFA from
the University of South Florida that same year. While still in school,
Linzy’s support from USF faculty, as well as an intensive residency at
34