Sneaker Freakers will remember
Insa from Issue 5 as the
runner-up in our Custom Sneaker comp. Since then, the London artist’s
career has been steadily on the rise, mostly thanks to his provocative
explorations of the female form, many of which have made even the
staunchest of ladies go weak at the knees! With such a subjective
fine-line between interpretation, Insa’s obsessions will always provoke
strong opinions. Indeed, the artist’s mysterious presence coupled with
an androgynous non de plume has meant that many have often mistaken him
for a woman! We posed some hard-hitting questions on the eve of the
launch of the beautiful ‘Insa Heels’, made in conjunction with shoe
designer, Ruth Shaw. Get you freak on – we certainly did!
How did these two themes come to overtake a lot of your work
and how do curators and purveyors take to you, being so unabashedly
upfront?Well, it’s just kind of continued naturally as I
experience living my life as an artist. As for the reaction from
curators and purveyors, yes I do sometimes get the response that it is
too sexual or possibly offensive, but I find that very surprising as I
never made my work any more explicit than anything you would see on a
billboard or fashion magazine or on daytime MTV. I think this is
because when the image isn’t selling you something it’s more shocking,
we actually notice the sexuality and not the product being sold to us.
Like we have been programmed to accept this form of consumer sexuality
as a different thing to the sexuality in our real lives.
Your
high heels theme has been utilised in a lot of your past artwork from
the sneakers that you customised for us way back in Issue 5 to your
apparel lines. Did it never occur to you before to actually design a
pair of high heels?Well I have done custom high heels for
a number of years, but I always originally wanted them to be treated as
art pieces and not product. I have always shown them in my art shows.
But after several years of requests day-in, day-out to buy them to
wear, and as my personal interest in product as art and the crossover
between art and design has grown, it felt like the right time to take
these art heels and produce them for a wider audience.
Tell us about hooking up with shoe designer Ruth Shaw. How did you chance upon working together to create the Insa Heels?
Well
we actually met several years back when she was working at Kickers and
they had commissioned me to do a 30th anniversary edition. We got
chatting about kicks we like and did a few swaps. I actually swapped
her a pair of custom heels for a bunch of Nikes she had just picked up
from a buying trip to Japan. And from then on, I had always thought
that if I was gonna go into developing a shoe range I would contact
Ruth and get her involved.
How did these two themes come to overtake a lot of your work
and how do curators and purveyors take to you, being so unabashedly
upfront?
Well, it’s just kind of continued naturally as I
experience living my life as an artist. As for the reaction from
curators and purveyors, yes I do sometimes get the response that it is
too sexual or possibly offensive, but I find that very surprising as I
never made my work any more explicit than anything you would see on a
billboard or fashion magazine or on daytime MTV. I think this is
because when the image isn’t selling you something it’s more shocking,
we actually notice the sexuality and not the product being sold to us.
Like we have been programmed to accept this form of consumer sexuality
as a different thing to the sexuality in our real lives.
Your
high heels theme has been utilised in a lot of your past artwork from
the sneakers that you customised for us way back in Issue 5 to your
apparel lines. Did it never occur to you before to actually design a
pair of high heels?
Well I have done custom high heels for
a number of years, but I always originally wanted them to be treated as
art pieces and not product. I have always shown them in my art shows.
But after several years of requests day-in, day-out to buy them to
wear, and as my personal interest in product as art and the crossover
between art and design has grown, it felt like the right time to take
these art heels and produce them for a wider audience.
Tell us about hooking up with shoe designer Ruth Shaw. How did you chance upon working together to create the Insa Heels?
Well
we actually met several years back when she was working at Kickers and
they had commissioned me to do a 30th anniversary edition. We got
chatting about kicks we like and did a few swaps. I actually swapped
her a pair of custom heels for a bunch of Nikes she had just picked up
from a buying trip to Japan. And from then on, I had always thought
that if I was gonna go into developing a shoe range I would contact
Ruth and get her involved.
Do you see a distinct parallel with men's obsession with
trainers as you do with women’s heels? There is a running debate within
the male sneaker collectors over which they prefer; a lady in heels or
a chick that rocks sneakers. Why do you think such a debate exists?
I
think the debate exists because men are always gonna ‘debate’ about
what they prefer when it comes to women, tits or ass, blondes or
brunettes. Although you could say the footwear discussion is a little
more interesting because it shows so much about an individual. Do you
like a lady in sneakers who shows she can do whatever you can and isn’t
restricted by her sex, or a lady in heels who is clearly showing her
difference sexually and using that to her advantage. I personally think
a lady that can rock both is the best.
Has it been difficult as a male artist to approach your work with the female form as the dominating force?
The
funniest thing is that I get so many people presuming I’m female
because of the content of my work, strange I know. I see this as a
compliment, as one of my fears is being seen as a misogynist as I feel
I’m not, rather I am using the sexual imagery that is all around to
understand our position in a consumer obsessed society.
We
were lucky enough to score one of your insane calendars that you
produced in conjunction with the Fuel Girls. Obviously cars and
sexualised women go hand in hand, but as a woman I can definitely
appreciate the eye you have for your artwork. How do women generally
respond to your work and how easy is it to find the amazingly beautiful
models and inspirations for your art?
Women generally
respond very well to my work, and I would even go so far to say I think
I have a larger female following of my work than male, judging on the
emails I receive. As for models, we find them all over the place. I get
loads of email/MySpace requests to model, which is good, as for me it’s
quite important to work with models who know the work and are into the
whole idea.
Do you have a foot fetish or a footwear fetish?It
has to be a footwear fetish. It started with sneakers as I never
originally had a thing for heels but now as my work has developed all I
spot when out and about are nice heels.
What do the Insa heels say about you as a man?
I’m
not sure, what do you think it says about me as a man? Perhaps that I
have an unhealthy obsession with female clothing and I’m a perv
obsessed with the power of female sexuality. Or perhaps that due to
growing up with very strong female role models (my mother and sister)
and being in a committed relationship for 10 years, I am in touch with
the femininity that surrounds me. I’m not sure... Crikey! I thought
this was just a site for people that liked sneakers a little bit too
much and not a psychiatrist’s couch!
Hahaha! So when will the Insa heels be dropping and how can the ladies (and lady boys) get a hold of a pair?
INSA HEELS are dropping sometime September and will be available exclusively from www.insa-heels.com. There are only 100 pairs available in this first range so be quick.