Huffman, above by Connie Kurtew (IG: @kurtew)
Eugene Huffman works in abstract expressionism, creating pieces that he says have been described as “expressionism with non-repeating patterns that reference life through a lens of survivial… an outlet for his brave and powerful openness of his out status of an HIV-Positive artist.”
With that description in mind, one of the first things Huffman wants you to know is that “I am a Queer, HIV+ Los Angeles artist.”
His dense and beautiful work frequently incorporates the use of metallics, referencing Klimt and the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi.
Noting that Kintsugi repairs broken items with gold and silver, treating breakage and repair in a way to make an object’s history more valuable, Huffman says “I very much relate to that in my own experience as a person; I’ve embraced and worked through what was broken, and because of that, I value myself and my history. That will always be part of my work.”
His current work is both an outgrowth and a new direction for Huffman. “The last few paintings in my series Khrisos are very personal…a visual, abstract representation of my life up until now, or an artistic memoir up to this point, if you will. The topics they address are the circumstances surrounding my birth, domestic violence and abuse, an abusive father and abused/broken mother, my HIV diagnosis – all culminating to the person and artist I am now.” Huffman plans to work with his partner, fimmaker director, designer, and costumer Fredrick Faith “to make a film to be looped for the exhibition set to music, each segment of the film being a surreal/expressionist narrative of each piece.” Having fully realized his artistic voice, he adds that “It’s time to challenge where I am and take it further.”
His personal challenges are an intrinsic part of his work. According to Huffman, “I see my work as a reflection of myself; taking everything I have within, and translating that to the language of paint on canvas. I would think this would be the same for any artist, as what you create has to be colored by your state of self and what you are feeling in the moment you create any piece. Sometimes those challenges are intentionally part of the work; other times they bleed through, and you realize that while creating the piece – or even after you have completed it.”
Huffman explains that he has not always worked in abstract expressionism. “When I first started painting, my works had a more graphic/illustrative quality to them…part of that I attribute to going to school for graphic design,” which he notes comes into play when creating promotional pieces for exhibitions. “My switch to abstract expressionism I attribute to a person who I’d been a fan of for a long time, and who became the muse for that change – Cosey Fanni Tutti, an English performance artist, musician, and writer, best known for her time in the avant garde bands Throbbing Gristle and Chris and Cosey.”
Huffman correspoded with the performance artist and found her open to the idea of creating a project to apply toward his finals and portfolio in art school. He created the final poster for the re-release of an album titled Music Fantastique!
“Since I admired her as an artist, I thought I would show her my work and see what she thought. Her response was that it had a ‘naïve’ quality to it. I was mortified and stunned – mind you, I was in my late 20s, and at the time, I had no idea what she meant. Then an epiphany came to me one day – she was right… the inspiration hit to ‘just paint’ – trust myself, and let the process happen. It felt organic, it felt right doing that. Looking back, I can see the progress in my work, and where I found my ‘voice’ in what I was doing… abstract expressionism was truly where I felt at home.”
Huffman’s colors and textures are riveting, and he relates that he’s particularly drawn to darker colors, especially hues of blue. “I will start with a color palette in mind, and then find something that draws contrast to paint with it. Even though the darker hues are what I’m drawn to, I also find it very limiting to stay in that range, and like to challenge myself.”
Huffman curates as well as creates art; he says curating came about simply because he discovered he was good at it, and reall enjoyed doing it, although it means a lot of work behind the scenes. “On some occasions, if it fits and is appropriate, I can show a piece or two in a show. What I find is beneficial from doing both is that I can change things up for myself. When I am focusing on painting, that tends to be what I am doing. Curating provides a way for me to switch gears, take a break from painting, but have new thoughts, inspirations and ideas in the back of my head brewing for the next project on the horizon.”
Coming up November 23rd at TAG gallery (some images from the exhibition shown above), Huffman is co-curating My Youth, with K. Ryan Henisey. The project began as an open call to artists. “Our goal was to amplify queer artists and their expression – and the topic ‘My Youth’ was intended as a vehicle to harness that expression as a focus on the experience of growing up queer. When Ryan and I were reviewing the works, the theme of triumph through fragmentation became the clear thread through all of the pieces, and we made our selections based on that story.”
The multi-faceted Huffman says all of his roles intertwine and complement each other: visual artist, curator, advocate. To that list he adds a passion for music, as well. “While I definitely have the creative/artist brain, I also have the understanding of marketing, sales, strategy and the like that is usually difficult for creatives. Music is something that, while the time hasn’t presented itself to be on the creative end of that for some time – it still finds its way into my work. I am friends with several musicians, and am working with one on a future project to incorporate video and music that will accompany my paintings.” He adds “I also listen to music when I am painting, and it’s important to me to match what I am listening to, to the feel and mood that I am in that moment. One recent work I have – “Mirrors on the Nile” – was created from listening to ‘Circle Ov Air’ by the Gitane Demone Quartet. I was actually honored to have Gitane Demone come to a show to view the piece, and she loved it and my work. That is a beautiful feeling.”
The Huffman/Henisey curated My Youth opens this Saturday with a reception from 6-9 p.m., and runs through December 14th. Over 30 queer artists explore the concept of their youth and what it means to them. Exhibiting artists include:
Amy Smith | Aubrey Longley-Cook | Brandon Kyle Rizzuto | Brian Kelly Harwick | Candice Dalsing | chohng | Claire Pupo | Connie Kurtew | David Jester | David Puck | Derek Pentz | Enrique Castrejon | Floyd Frazier | Americano Arts | Gwyneth Bulawsky | Jacob Anderson-Minshall | Jason Jenn | Joe Klaus | John Waiblinger | Katie Ki Tten | Kayla Cloonan | Mary Margaret Groves | Nelson Munares | Patrick Mizumoto | Peter Kalisch | Scott Lewallen | Steven Rahbany | Tom Lasley | Veronica Dimitrov | Vojislav Radovanovic
TAG Gallery is located at 5458 Wilshire Blvd. in mid-city.
- Genie Davis; photos provided by the artist