Meet Marty Schnapf: Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marty Schnapf and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marty, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?

I think it’s more important to decide about whether to keep going or change course. For example, when an artwork becomes too predictable or one-dimensional, I try to make a mark that will force me to take an unexpected turn.  I feel like art should be as enigmatic as it is alluring. In this way, it shows respect for the viewer’s capacity to participate in its meaning. Imagine going to a party and the host tells you, “Welcome to the party. You can stand here and eat this and converse with person X about the following list of approved topics…” You probably won’t stay long. To make an artwork that people will spend time with, you have to make room for their decisions (even bad ones) while offering all the elements of surprise that go along with a great night.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In recent years, I’ve primarily focused on paintings and drawings, but I have worked in a number of other media along the way, including sculpture, installation, and performance (particularly contemporary dance). Each discipline influences the others, and I am always seeking new avenues for cross-pollination. Over the last year, in addition to painting,  I wrote a screenplay in which this process is distilled into four primary characters — a writer, a painter, a composer, and a conceptual artist. Each is engaged in the articulation of their own private work, but in combination, their works form the film.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

My goal would be to spend as little time in the car as possible. Nothing kills a day in L.A. like a traffic jam. With that in mind, I’ll limit myself to the east side of downtown. Within a few blocks of Santa Fe, you can take in a number of LA’s art gallery gems, including (South to North) Francois Ghebally, Night, Wilding Cran, Suzanne Vielmetter, the ICA, and Hauser and Wirth. I also love books and in pre-pandemic times, spent at least one day a week browsing the shelves of Hennessy + Ingalls. There are plenty of great food options in the area too. I love an almond croissant from the Bread Lounge and a cappuccino from Maru. For lunch, just across the L.A. River on Olympic, the food cart, Mariscos Jalisco, is not to be missed, but if you want to stay on foot, the punk vibes of Pizzanista always satisfy. For dinner, Zinc’s olive tree-filled garden is utterly serene, but for fancier dining, Bestia will knock your socks off.  After dinner, the hi-fi lounge, In Sheep’s Clothing, is the perfect place to have an evening cocktail and go deep with your best friend.

To break my own rules, I’ll mention one spot outside of this neighborhood that I try to share with every visitor to L.A. The Underground Museum on Washington Blvd. is my absolute favorite art space in the city. Its exhibitions and programs are reshaping art history and broadening the art community in a way no other place I’ve experienced has done.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

The number of people who deserve recognition is so vast I don’t know how to begin.  Above all, I can’t say enough about how important it has been to have parents, a partner, and a wide group of friends who have supported my decision to be an artist. Even the most successful artists would not be where they are without an extensive network of community support. Most of us spend most of our lives quite poor, living in questionable housing, and eking out a living through bartering and odd jobs, but it is a choice we are making, and for that, we are extremely fortunate.

Website: www.martyschnapf@gmail.com

Instagram: marty_schnapf