Daily Inspiration: Meet Andre Miripolsky

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Miripolsky.

Hi Andre, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
L.A. is my beat! Los Angeles is definitely now my home, but I have traveled far and wide to get here.

After being born in France then living in Austria, Thailand, Iran and South Korea, I arrived in LA in June of 1969 and was instantly in love with and inspired by this amazing city. They say that some things only get better with age – Los Angeles is no exception!

Thanks to my father – an abstract expressionist painter – and his position as a post-war cultural attaché for the American Foreign Service – from the day I was born, I was exposed to both the traditional and extremely dynamic non objective abstract art all over the world. My father was an obsessive and fiercely experimental non-objective abstract expressionist painter who made his own paints with crushed eggshells, linseed oil and pigment. I have always felt extremely fortunate for his inspiring me to play with the plethora of ever-present art supplies.

I’ve always loathed the traditional, serious and often depressing religious art which I forced to experience while living in Europe and Asia – and have always been more attracted to colorful abstract works – like those done by my father – and the genius of Picasso, Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. But the light in my head really ‘switched on’ when we went to see the new American “Pop Art” show at the 1964 Venice Biennale and discovered that art can be fun, colorful, relevant and humorous!

Since that pivotal day in 1964, I have been obsessed with using pop iconography, color, humor, words, and any material I can get my hands on to convey the message I want to tell in my work. I was always creating art in my early days but It was while studying at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles that I truly found my artistic voice.

For an overview of my career, please visit the online gallery of the works included in my “Viva LA! 50 Year Retrospective” curated by BIX Art Group and exhibited at Google Venice Beach in 2019 to mark my 50th Anniversary in Los Angeles. It was a fantastic show and gives a great overview of the styles, subjects, and media which I’ve explored – and exploited – over the past 50 years! https://www.bixartgroup.com/vivala50years

The online retrospective includes everything from my Picasso inspired drawings of the 1970’s to the monumental “Lance Loud Series” in 1986 – all the way to the lightbox and cardboard construction pieces of the 1990s – and finally to the “Viva LA Sharks” series in the new millennium!

Coming to Los Angeles was essentially an extension of the world I came from being that LA is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the US. I loved the weather, the light, the glamor and of course the Hollywood mystic. I wanted to feel a belonging, I wanted to rise to the top, and I wanted to make a mark! Through my creative talents, I have long been collaborating with the essence of Los Angeles ever since, taking it in, interpreting the energy and finally sending LA inspired art back out into the world.

Artistic collaboration has always been a very important factor in my career and been the catalyst for some of my most favorite projects and work. It’s pretty clear that some of the most creative people in the world live or work in LA and I’m so grateful to be able to work with many of them! I’ve done projects with musicians like Elton John, Bette Midler, and Quincy Jones, ad campaigns with Absolut Vodka, designed Artist Barbie prototypes for Mattel, Murals for a wide range of museums and schools, and artwork for non-profits like KCRW / NPR and Steven Spielberg’s Artists Rights Foundation. The thing they all have in common is a clear understanding and appreciation that art is a powerful way to excite, educate and engage.

Over the last 15 years, my destiny has seemingly been melding with Los Angeles more each day and it’s become the most exciting collaboration of my life! I’ve always been inspired by the creativity of this city and it is with great humility and gratitude that we have created “Viva LA” for the great people of Los Angeles.

“Viva LA” was born in 2005 when I coined the phrase as part of an LA CityScape sculpture commissioned by one of the largest business associations in Los Angeles to be used in their plans to market the city. I’ve been using the phrase since then in all kinds of projects from paintings and prints to LA inspired products.,

“Viva LA” really hit the gas in 2018 upon meeting Christian Mitman of BIX Art Group and Ron Robinson, the iconic LA retail guru, when we decided to develop “Viva LA” into the brand for the city of LA with the help of Bruce Mau Design and launch the first products at the iconic RonRobinson at Fred Segal on Melrose.

VIVA LA’s mission is to celebrate Los Angeles at home and around the world!

Viva LA is here to unify the people of Los Angeles as a reminder that no matter if you’re from Beverly Hills, DTLA or Santa Monica – we are all from Los Angeles and now have at least one thing in common with everyone who loves LA.

So whether you live in LA, visit or just love LA from afar, Viva LA is the brand everyone who loves LA can embrace to show how much they love this amazing city!

One of the most important aspects of Viva LA is that 100% of profits generated by the worldwide sale of merchandise, sponsorship or licensing is invested back into the creative culture of Los Angeles through events and initiatives focused on making sure LA remains the most creative city in the world! We are just now getting off the ground with our first events over Memorial Day but it’s loud and clear that Angeleno’s are craving a message of hope and optimism – and love Viva LA!

I am so grateful to live in the most amazing creative city in the world and “Viva LA” is simply my way of giving back to the people and city which has given me everything.

If you love Los Angeles please Join the Movement, Share the Love and Make a Difference!

For more information about his life, career and Viva LA you can watch Andre Miripolsky’s Google Talk aptly entitled “Viva LA!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGkHV5hSgdc

3min Viva LA overview video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/105k8YhvnfVdiVrpUeO-LExsPZpC4ilPW/view?usp=sharing

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being dedicated to making sure I could be a totally self-employed multimedia artist for the majority of my life has overall been a profound, challenging yet healing pleasure – it hasn’t been easy but it’s been a pleasure so far! Anyone working in a creative field knows that our passion is a double-edged sword. It’s not always easy to pay the bills and many times, we must do without the luxuries…. but we absolutely wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is simply too much joy in the process of creating something new – or telling a story I a new way – or finding an innovative solution to an old problem – that dwarfs the challenges in comparison.

For example, I created the concept of “Viva LA” over 15 years ago but it’s only now that it finally finds its purpose and gets its HeartWings! No one could have predicted my meeting Christian Mitman by happenstance on that fateful Valentine’s Day in 2018 or the horrors of a global Coronavirus health pandemic or the centuries old traumas released by the killing of George Floyd, yet all of these things combined led to my being able to help my fellow Angelinos – at least in my small way – in our struggle to understand each other, find common ground, remember that there is such a thing as hope, and that joy and creativity are always inside us even when we can’t access it.

No one is immune from challenges – it’s what we do with them that matters.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m addicted to my creative process. Creating art that makes you think and laugh is my passion and I feel blessed that my work is not a job – it’s my life! I have always been inspired by the power of art to communicate, heal and enjoy and believe that authenticity is the key to any successful project. Even when the goal is humor, it will only work if the work comes from my innermost soul.

In school, I think you may learn about art history, how to think more critically or techniques for working with materials, but I don’t think you can learn to become “an artist” in school. It’s either in you or it isn’t. And for me, the most important source of energy and creativity is that I’m eternally grateful for the opportunities that come my way and always pause and to acknowledge how all things line up in my life.

My goal is always to create work with vigor that uplifts, that has a punch, but at the same time can help you crack a smile. Its been my very good fortune to have had many amazing opportunities to collaborate with other like-minded artists and creative people over the years and the results are nothing short of spectacular. Sometimes these project happen by sheer luck and wouldn’t trade them for the world.

To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, just a few examples of these “Once in a Lifetime” opportunities include being the only artist hired by the Tonight Show to create monumental painted sets used in 200+ Tonight Shows between 1997 – 2004, meeting Elton John in 1980 at my first solo LA show at a converted shoe store on Melrose Ave and then a few weeks later designing his costumes for his epic concert in Central Park, channeling the experience of a near-fatal car crash in 1984 to create “Fear No Art”, being part of the first ever live streaming event on the Internet (“Ant Farm” live painting event sponsored by Absolut Vodka), answering a knock at my studio door and learning from the executor of Vincent Price’s estate that Mr. Price insisted that whoever designed the “Fear No Art” button he wore on his robe in his final years until his death should be given a solo exhibition at the Vincent Price Museum after his death (yes, that’s me), winning a contest for a new wardrobe at Fred Segal in 1969 and then launching the first Viva LA apparel with RonRobinson at the same Fred Segal exactly 50 years later ( 2019) and of course being commissioned by a variety of city organizations to create LA inspired artwork which has led to the most exciting project of my life – Viva LA and the opportunity to celebrate the creative city which I love – Los Angeles!

In the end, I will feel that I’ve done my job as an artist when the art I create reflects my experience of life here in LA – exuberant, grateful and colorful – with side of humor!

FEAR NO ART!

Viva LA!
SEE 50 Years of Andre Miripolsky’s work: Link to Miripolsky’s 50YEAR RETROSPECTIVE @ Google HQ in Venice ONLINE: https://www.bixartgroup.com/vivala50years

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The future is bright that’s all I know! My only hope for the future is that the leaders of the world begin to understand that creativity of all kinds is where the joy in all of us lives.

And it’s only once we begin to nurture the creative wellspring in our communities that we will be able to create the happiest, most productive, and most peaceful societies possible.

My hope is that “Viva LA” will bring awareness and real change to LA – and ideally inspire others around the world to honor and celebrate their own creative cultures at home and around the world.

I can’t wait to learn about them!

Pricing:

• Viva LA Tees $ 34 – 48
• Viva LA Sweats $ 58 – 78
• Viva LA Wall Art $ 198
• Miripolsky Original Artwork available by appt only $ 10,000 +
• Miripolsky Prints available by appt. only $ 5000 – $ 5000

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@VivaLA.us
• Website: www.VivaLA.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivalaofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivalaofficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl5zsZZ1h7pMiDQ6shF7u7Q/videos

Image Credits:
Personal Photo: Andre Miripolsky in his DTLA Studio, photo by Jimmy Dzijura , overlay of Viva LA icons by Viva LA. Add Image 1: Viva LA “Celebrate LA, Every day” exhibition at Perishing Square, DTLA, Feb – April 2021 Photo by Viva LA https://www.vivala.us/pages/viva-la-pershing-square-exhibition Add Image 2: Viva LA Local apparel, photo courtesy of Viva LA Add Image 3: Isiah Hilt (@Isiahhilt) skating with Viva LA HeartWings flag at Venice Skate Park, Memorial Day 2021, Photo by Luis Chavez Add Image 4: Viva LA HeartWings in Hollywood, Photo by Viva LA