Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Max Presneill. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Max, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Well, like any artist, it is the next painting or curatorial project coming up! But in terms of the past, that is a very difficult question to answer, partly because it depends on meaningful to whom. If I can separate two strands – the artistic practice as a painter and the curatorial role – it allows for 2 answers.
As an artist the dilemma is how to present to the viewer, on one canvas, a multi-layered set of interests. These include a dialogue with the history of painting, an autobiographical narrative, and a cultural/sociological examination of visual codes and information. The content covers aspects of masculinity, tribalism/subcultures, power, race and class. This is meaningful to me as an artist and hopefully stretches some of the perimeters of current artistic practice if it contributes some new ways of thinking about how this might be achieved.

As a curator I am looking at how meaningful and relevant art objects can be brought together to explore a central theme in a variety of directions to give voice to disparate positions. But if I think of the curatorial project that seems important to me it is the NOMAD project. It was a pop-up exhibition in 2021 featuring 450 artists showing in a 87,000 sq foot building in Torrance. Via my position running the Torrance Art Museum it was an attempt to situate the Museum in a more direct and open access way for the public. It was tasked with showing a more diverse range of art and artists and to add to the sense of community for these artists who had been under Covid lockdown for a couple of years previously.
These type of events are never associated with museums and we felt that that should change. Taking an active part in supporting the community of artists in real and meaningful ways – getting them to show again, meet others, make friends and realize that they are not alone – was an important factor in our desire to stage this event. 5000 visitors turned up. The atmosphere was joyous. No professional competitiveness or anxiety of selling was evident which had a healing effect on those participating. We included international artists, emerging artists, some students, some established artists. The mix was really conducive to a sense of fellowship. Concentrating on the social value of the project, to artists and audience alike, rather than its ‘importance’ made it one of the biggest projects I have done but more than that it seemed to function at a base level as a supportive and collegiate encouragement with some great art and an even better social interaction. The next one is October 27-29 this year in the same Torrance building as the first one!

Alongside NOMAD II, we are introducing the inaugural edition of a new art fair that is for artist-run, alternative galleries, artist cooperatives and collectives, called TRYST, in the same building/same dates as NOMAD II will be. It is international and will mix SoCal groups with their peers from around the world. It is free for them to participate and is free to visit. We expect 70+ sculptors to make up NOMAD II and 70+ spaces to join in TRYST. It is a non-commercial project that focuses on independent spaces and experimental projects, run by artists themselves, as an alternative to the established commercial art scene and institutional frameworks; to allow for risk, experiment, and a support system which continues my interest in these areas. My hope is that these artists will interact with each other, form friendships and future partnerships that lead to increased international exchange projects for LA artists and bringing the world to LA. This might be the most important curatorial thing I ever do. I hope to see EVERYONE there!!! :-)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well, I grew up in the UK, went to school there, started teaching at a University and showing my paintings regularly. An opportunity to come to California arose and I took it. Since then I have taught at a few universities, written art criticism for magazines and catalogs, presented lectures and talks at universities and professional conferences, ran a couple of commercial galleries, started a couple of artist-run spaces (including Durden and Ray) and then took over the Torrance Art Museum as Director and Head Curator.

I have grown my professional painting practice and continue to exhibit my paintings all over the world. I enjoy being both an artist and a curator. They fulfill me in different but connected ways…. the selection of ideas and images, the organization challenges and a real concern with my audiences.

I have continued my curatorial activities outside the TAM with Durden and Ray as well as putting together international exchanges all over the world ensuring LA gets a taste of art from around the globe and that LA based artists have opportunities to be shown in other countries. These projects have covered London, Berlin, Tokyo and other cities over the years and I am currently part of a team building the BLAM project which is establishing a 3 year exchange with artist-run galleries from Berlin, Mexico City and Los Angeles – the first stage has 17 of these galleries from each city showing in 17 art spaces in Berlin next year and then moving on to Mexico City in 2025 and LA in 2026.

My hope is to see a synchronicity and interaction between art centers worldwide and LA. To see future partnerships grow and increase the supportive role of institutions in all levels of the art world from the grass roots up.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I would ask a question first. What does ‘non-creative’ mean? I feel that everyone is creative in some way. For anyone reading this I would encourage them to be actively creative as it is an emotional, mental and socially rewarding path. The problem might be in just finding where your own creative path starts. Recognizing there there is something you like doing and then thinking about how to express that interest to other people is the core of any artistic practice, regardless of the materials you choose to use to do this. And never ignore these impulses because you do not have some kind of technical skill you think is necessary. It is rarely the case. You can learn to draw better. You can learn to do most things better. But that is not the necessary aspect. The thing is to just do it. There is no such thing as doing it right in art. How you do it is how you have done it. That will change over time but it is the act of doing it that is most important. Directions, talent and skill will probably come in direct proportion to how much time, effort and attention you put into it. Don’t wait for inspiration, just get on it and make something. Activate your mind and let the hand do whatever it does. Play. Enjoy.

For my journey and that of most artists the biggest fallacy that many outside the artistic circle take is this:
They think it is all about technical skill. That is sometimes part of it but it is the myriad ways of expressing our humanity, regardless of some super-human technical talent, that makes art an important part in life and the history of civilization. They assume the role of natural talent as the defining element in success. They don’t see the years and years of hard work grappling with how to do this thing that can only be learned through trial and error and intense thinking over prolonged periods.

Most people see art on the walls of some expensive space and think it is all about the money. They don’t understand that for some us, coming from working class families, that we had to overcome many financial hardships and extended poverty to get here. It takes sacrifice to make it.

When someone comes to an exhibition of my own work or an exhibition I have curated there are a couple of things that I wish they could do when approaching the work:

1. Look at what is in front of them and make some guesses about what you are seeing and how these things relate to each other. Trust your instincts and see where they take you. Do not expect to ‘get’ them right away. They take time, after all it has taken me 30 years to get them here and I am still on a learning curve.
2. Open your mind up to possibilities of meaning – this is one of the most important things about art. It will help make you more creative in the future, more critically astute and add to your enjoyment of the experience. Take the time looking to reciprocate the time and effort the artist has taken to present these things to you.

My personal journey was a full one, albeit very difficult at times and with many stories that I cannot recount here – you can ask me about them over a beer!! For those that do not know me personally it probably doesn’t matter, really. My life’s work is in my paintings and curatorial projects. The rest is my private life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I suppose that most people might expect me to reply to this question by talking about how rich (intellectually rather than monetarily in most cases!) and emotionally rewarding an artists life can be through the exploration of content in the practice of making art. True enough. But a greater joy for me has been in the ability to travel the world to do exhibitions, see things that inspire me, and meet so many interesting people. I have dear friends all over the world, brought together through a shared love of this activity. But the fulfillment aspect in art has less power for me than the inquisitive nature that keeps me at it year after year. True engagement with intellectual issues and the physical action of painting is part of the examined life that is worth living. It gives meaning to my life and a direction that keeps me grounded. Finding ways to rewrite ones own practice is confounding and occasionally leads to moments of exuberance. This can be immensely frustrating at times. All the hard work leads to something worthwhile, or at least sometimes! If I wasn’t an artist I do not know where I would have landed, but I am convinced that it would not have been pretty :-)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maxpresneill.com
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