Shana Nys DambrotSenon Williams, familiar to fans of Cambodian psych-rock outfit Dengue Fever as the band’s bassist, is also an accomplished visual artist. His ink and watercolor/acrylic drawings and a newly released zine share an edgy folkloric quality, with axiomatic bits of observational text and evocative existential commentary embedded in the organic color washes and visual puns of his ethereal images.
L.A. WEEKLY: When did you first know you were an artist?
SENON WILLIAMS: I don’t have recollection of becoming an artist. From my earliest memories I had the desire to make or destroy things.
What is your short answer to people who ask what your work is about?
Humanity.
What would you be doing if you weren’t an artist?
Does being a musician count?
Did you go to art school? Why/Why not?
I did not go to art school. When I was a child at punk shows and backyard parties I didn’t believe school was the education I needed to create art. Later after working as an art preparator for some amazing galleries and large art moving companies I labored as an artist’s assistant — not art school, but an art education.
Art by Senon Williams
When was your first show?
It was 2002, a group show at Matrushka Construction clothing boutique in Silver Lake.
When is/was your current/most recent/next show?
Current is a solo show in Greenpoint Brooklyn at Auxiliary Projects (extended through summer by appointment only). Upcoming in October 2019 is a solo show in Siem Reap Cambodia at One Eleven Gallery.
What artist living or dead would you most like to show with?
Alfred Jensen and Kerry James Marshall, both are long-time idols. Jenson assured I am what I do, and Marshall told me it is alright to be who I am.
Art by Senon Williams
Do you listen to music while you work? If so what?
Yes, mostly ’70s country rock, ’70s African soul, psych and jazz, and older American jazz.
Website and social media handles, please!
Website: senonwilliams.com
Insta: @senonwill
Zine by Senon Williams
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