Meet Deb Leal | Artist & Director

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

Hi Deb, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I found that time and trust are keys to better understanding the personal risks I take for my practice. It takes time to know yourself and the goals you have at large, which informs decision-making when considering risks both big and small. Much of my risk-taking involves diving into new environments: The same way I dove into living and working in the San Francisco-Bay Area was the same way I dove into New York City ten years later– with two checked bags, a carry-on, and a very loud belief that whatever is to unfold will only benefit the photo work I set out to do. Change is good to stay curious and always find your way back with new eyes and experiences.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work observes contemporary life in the U.S. through a stylistic world of “Baroque Pop,” drawing inspiration from familial experiences of roadside Americana & Chicano devotion. As far as genre, I learned about Post-Documentary last year, which gave me a much better understanding of work that felt hard to describe.

Art is an incredible and intimate method to communicate your devotion to life and everything in it. It’s a beautiful, scary, and weird language to practice, but it helps inform introspection about inner and outer worlds. It’s as much of a gift to yourself as it is to others. As mentioned in my dedication, all roads lead back to my parents. Their courage to leave our South Texas hometown, paired with the yearly ritual of driving back from the opposite side of the country, shaped my way of seeing. They were tenacious in their journey and would take turns sleeping in the passenger seat to lessen the stops. Excuse my urge to lean on a metaphor here, but I feel that the artist’s path is long and treacherous on purpose; building community is key in this regard. One parent would feed the other french fries while their hands were on the steering wheel. Feed your friends french fries.

In the Bay, I worked full-time in the service industry while attaining technical skills in the camera, lighting, and art departments on motion sets and passion projects. Over the years, I also took up hand-embroidering denim jackets for fun and would apply to photo opportunities online even when I knew it would be incredibly slim chances. Creative curiosities that appear unrelated eventually make sense to new directions in the work, and I can’t stress open calls enough– especially the free ones. It’s practice for investigating the “whys” behind your work, writing about it in relatable ways, and learning how to be strict with editing. You also never know who your work will impact among the teams reviewing these entries, so be considerate of those who arrange these opportunities. Kindness goes a long way; rejection is a chance to try something new.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The buzz of exploring all that New York City has to offer is unmatched. Now, I’m still relatively new – but attending gallery openings made landing in a new city much warmer, so let’s work backward. I reserve Thursdays and Fridays for the latest show openings (always free) with the help of an app called See Saw and IG accounts like MAD54 & Thirsty Gallerina. Usually, shows are concentrated in Chelsea, Tribeca, and Chinatown, so it’s not much of a jump to make a book signing at Dashwood Books, Il Posto Accanto for dinner, and Paradise Lost for drinks in the East Village. This kind of night can go in many directions, so it’s best to consider the speed. Weekend performances generally warrant a visit to the Russian Vodka Room. If the night is long, though, then it’s karaoke (Up Stairs in LES) or dancing; I look to Selva, Union Pool, or Bossa Nova calendars, while Migos Events serves corridos and community resources, like local Mexican restaurants that are a must-visit. This may be a counterintuitive recommendation coming from someone who can’t do gluten, but I’ve seen the way my friends eat Chrissy’s Pizza in Green Point — I wouldn’t knock a stop on the way to a museum, park day, or ferry ride earlier in the week. You cannot miss the free music in the summer across parks in all five boroughs, either. Daytime goes without an itinerary; the best things can be found when you’re a little lost.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents! They are incredible people who chose love as the theme for their lives. They are perfectly stubborn and curious. They are cycle-breakers. I owe everything to them <3

Friendships between artists, especially across disciplines, are also wildly unique. I’ve learned so much by sharing meals and trading skills over time– The chance to grow alongside your peers is invaluable! Eternally grateful for the Bay and NYC film/photo/painting communities, my creative development carries its essence.

Website: https://debleal.com

Instagram: @st.cine

Other: I work with and am incredibly inspired by the artists of @legendsofdrag; Creative Director Harry James Hanson with Writer & Florist Devin Antheus give elder Drag Queens their flowers

Image Credits
Aida Valdez