Hungry Eyeball is excited to be featuring prints by bijijoo in the Hungry Eyeball Gallery. We will also be printing his “Def Leppard in a Buffet” limited edition art print.

We emailed bijijoo some questions and this is what he had to say…

Bijijoo is your artist name, how did that come about and when?

A friend gave me the name Biji about 20 years ago by writing a little story and giving it to me. The name bijijoo is based on that (came up with bijijoo about 11 years ago during a period of avoiding all social interactions). I prefer to be called B in real life.

What is your mission as an artist?

Making ugly things beautiful and beautiful things ugly. Making someone laugh while simultaneously being disturbed by an image.

You seem to be attracted to painting portraits of well known people… Why?

I love pop culture and cultural icons. There is so much material there to comment on with images. Also, it’s a common language that most people can relate to in some way.

What are your thoughts on fame?

It’s a good musical though it has been a long while since I’ve seen it.

I can see your art, conjure up many different reactions, can you share some?

Generally, reactions are combinations of laughter and disgust, to varying degrees. I have offended vegans as well.

What kind of art are you attracted and bored by?

Particularly fond of painters of the Quattrocento. Bored by most abstract art (though there are most certainly many many exceptions).

If you were an artist superhero, what special powers do you have?

To make it impossible for anyone to paint their home beige.

Tell me about your show titled “The Celebrity Still Life” at Good: a gallery in Portland ? (opening Friday, September 30, 2011 7-10 pm)

The show will include selected paintings from the Celebrity Still Life series which is just a bunch of paintings of celebrity heads in still life settings.  I have a collection of 250 baby dolls acquired with a friend during an expedition to all the thrift stores from Portland to Seattle about 6 years ago. All the babies will be hanging from the ceiling in the gallery. Also, Scott Foster (the owner of the gallery) is an amazing man.

Any future plans?

I don’t paint for the joy of moving a brush across a surface but instead use it to execute ideas. So I’m always trying to think ahead. I’ve got a backlog of ideas extending through the next 5 years or so. All top secret of course.