Still Life with Kurt Swinghammer

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Kurt Swinghammer’s artwork became synonymous with the city Toronto as well as the Canadian hip hop scene. Art critics dubbed it  neo-primitive and his abstract work could be found on radio station logos, business signs and in music videos. His bold improvised artwork eventually  became ubiquitous and a go to stile in the advertising world.

 Kurt Swinghammer has had an extraordinary creative career that has encompassed both the visual arts and music. The artwork he first gained recognition for took visual clues from folk art from around the world and Saturday morning cartoons of the sixties. Over the past decade he has developed a more mannered graphic of painting that began with his Red Canoe series. 

 Kurt was kind enough to invite me to interview him in his downtown Toronto studio which is where we sat surrounded by paint splattered easels and original works of art, paintings of melting icebergs, canoes floating by forests, a psychedelic portrait of Scotty, the mascot from the Canadian Tire hardware store, a painting from his Red Canoe series and his latest work of wood carvings hung on the wall. Over the course of our wide ranging interview Kurt shared stories of his sister taking his cardboard sculpture of a telephone to school for show and tell when Kurt was 4. He also shares the story of selling his first work when he was 15 and why art and music became his salvations.

If you would like to check out Kurt Swinghammer’s art, I’ve posted photos of a number of pieces discussed in this episode on The Creationists Podcast page on Facebook and Instagram. You can purchase his work through inabstracto.com or you can visit his website kurtswinghammer.bigcartel.com. Also, Kurt’s music can be heard on all streaming platforms.

Read the transcript of this interview at imstevewaxman.com

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The Creationists is mastered in post production by Paul Farrant.

The Creationists is recorded and edited by Steve Waxman. Theme music performed by Steve Waxman.