Hype by Joe Hayes
Article on Hype by Joe in Lola magazine.
Artist and Bronx-native, Joe Hayes, aka “Joe By Joe”, makes his international debut.
The journey from the Bronx to Berlin has been a process as Joe partnered with PremArts to participate in a summer residency – turning the gallery into an open working artist studio. He landed in Berlin on June 6th with nothing but his paint brushes, passion and ideas.
Almost two months into his residency he has produced a truly powerful body of work that is alive with spirit. His latest subject, HYPE, is something close to his heart as Joe is a product of the NYC underground scene and has seen how the idea of fame and power has shifted the focus of the young creatives. With this exhibit Joe discusses how “hype” has affected culture both positively and negatively.
HYPE reflects on the fact that we live in a time of rapid change where we need the wild thinking and making of artists. Images of pictures, language, videos, stories, and bodies inundate us daily. Artists are responsible for that sliver of images that are made only for cultural, spiritual, political, and emotional rather than commercial reasons – art and entertainment do different things: entertainment distracts our attention and art focuses, highlights, and questions it.
HYPE will address youth and media culture. The overwhelming need to be popular on social media, to “be cool” and buy the trendiest clothing has a serious impact on youth and taken commercialism into new realms. Hypebeasts are people who obsess about the latest brand or trend in fashion, and will do whatever it takes to obtain that desired hype. However, not everyone that wears these brands are hypebeasts. HYPE addresses the impact of this trend on youth culture, while hyperbolizing the fine line between being a slave to the brand and the brand abusing hype-culture.
Joe Hayes is a Bronx born painter, chef, creative consultant, and cultural provocateur. Hayes has made a name for himself displaying public art throughout Manhattan and curating shows, as well as using the culinary world as a vehicle for his raw and authentic form of expressionism.
The Bronx native turned heads with his solo show “WHITE” in 2015 at Caelum Gallery, “Untitled” at Rogue Space, and “Don’t Die”. Whether it is his past history with Interscope Records, being brand manager for fashion designer Brian Wood, or his extensive work in the culinary arts, Hayes has his hand in a variety of artistic mediums which fuels his primary focus in the fusion of painting, street art, and cooking. All mediums reveal his deep understanding of love, struggle, pain, intense emotion and human experience. JoebyJoe.com