Man Accidently Sets Own Head On Fire With Cigarette Painting

Defining the work of artist JESSE DISS simply as pop art is something of a simplification. He uses a variety of materials and mixed media in line with his own unique perspective. Akin to many of the great artists of this genre before him, he has an impish loathing of today’s mainstream popular culture – and, as such, enjoys commenting on the society in which he lives. He brings an irreverent but acutely observed edge of humour to all his work, and embraces a neo-modernist kitsch - but genuine - love of colour to express himself. He’s a true polymath - his mediums are far-ranging (music, animation, mixed media, wood or metal) and his influences as diverse as a vivid dream he had or an advertisement he may have seen. Jesse has a passion for vintage cars and a strong love of the aesthetics from the ‘50s & ‘60s in general - particularly the fashion, the music and the cocktails (!), which seep into his work: "I get a kick out of educating people about underground music, culture and other parameters from different eras. My very immodest hope is to influence others with my art, adding a new element to their lives and their environment - something that might make them question their perception of reality" - says Jesse. Fun and authenticity are at the heart of everything he does, and his genuinely underground take on the world has little time for pretension: for Jesse, art is always “the thing: You do it if you believe it. I don’t want to hide my work behind unintelligible concepts to try and make it saleable - once I’ve made it, it exists.” That is the very real alchemy of Jesse Diss’s charm - he lives in almost a Carrollean Wonderland of the beautiful, the absurd and the grotesque; and his view of the world really is his own... it’s just fortunate he chose to share it with us. Inspiration “I’ve often wondered how my head contains the millions of things that stimulate it - I love cinema and can sit and stare, often in bewildered awe, at the beauty of films by Stanley Kubrick or Michael Gondry - theirs is an imagination that knows no bounds. I love comics and science fiction in general, as it’s so unfettered by boundaries; punk rock and rock & roll too, because they changed so many things. .html .html