Los Angeles-based Elliott Hundley – whose distinct billboard collages are drawn from elaborate photo shoots in which his friends and family become the performative subjects and incorporate paint, encaustic, collage, fabric and other materials, and whose works are found in museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art – plumbs his own psychological depths only to discover what makes him love work and life.
What historical art figure would you like to have lunch with and why? I would host a banquet-style dinner with the entire Muppets cast to finally find out whether I am an order Muppet or a chaos Muppet.
What did you purchase with the proceeds from your first sale? In the summer of 2003, I bought gas to drive to Omaha, Nebraska, to attend a residency program at the Bemis Center, and of course, I also purchased more straight pins.
What words or phrases do you overuse? I ask, “You happy?” to my parrot Echo at least 20 times a day!
How do you know when a work is finished? I hardly believe in the idea of complete works of art. I believe in objects that show evidence of thought. Is there evidence of the thinking? If you keep going, are you destroying that evidence? I admire vulnerability in art.
The Plague 2016 Paper, oil, pins, plastic, foam, and linen on panel
When and where were you happiest? When I’m in my studio with my pets without a deadline—doing what my family calls “piddling.”
What is your most treasured possession? My family gave me my grandfather’s watch after he died. I wear it every day, and it reminds me of the dependable, responsible, creative, intelligent, and sensitive man I aspire to be.
Palette (Charred Palm 2025) 2025 Concrete, metal, plastic, wire, rope, yarn, feathers, synthetic fur, fabric, styrofoam, tile, glass, ink
Where is your ideal escape destination? Regal Cinema Pasadena; I have an unlimited Pass!
What’s the worst survival job you’ve ever had? It wasn’t the worst job in the world, but it was comically unsuited for me. I worked as a grocery store cashier at the commissary in the basement of the American Embassy in Rome for five years before graduate school. I oddly learned quite a lot about American foreign policy and soft power at the turn of the century. I also got to keep all the unsold magazines!
Mask 2016 Plastic, pins, metal, neon, and cork
What TV series from your youth best describes your approach to life? Sesame Street for politics, Mr. Rogers for ethos, and The Muppet Show for creativity. I recently went to a theatrical screening of the original Muppet Movie (1979) for its 45th anniversary. While watching it, I realized the film is the template for my entire creative philosophy and understanding of the function of the artifice of art. The film also emboldened me as a child to imagine a life beyond the segregated South of my childhood, as Kermit escapes Doc Hopper and heads to Hollywood!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Mortality—any vampires out there? Let’s talk.
The Crawling Eye, 2015 Inkjet print on kitakata, paper, parabolic reflector, metal, gouache, string, photographs, pins, plastic, sound board, and wood
What is your most treasured memory? The bus ride from Fiumicino Airport to the Centro Storico the first time I moved to live in Rome in 1994. I had never been out of the country. I felt like I had just arrived on an incredible, ancient alien planet. My unconscious mind chases that feeling in my dreams all the time.
What makes you smile? I recently heard my niece say “Uncle El” for the first time.
Face and form, 2013 Oil on linen
What makes you cry? I almost teared up at the latest No Kings march downtown. It was so beautiful to see crowds of people show consideration and kindness toward others. I rarely cry, though; the last time was when my dear old cat Spike went to parts beyond. RIP.
What is your go-to drink when you toast to a sale? Prosecco, grapefruit juice, and an episode of Reno 911.
After an all-nighter, what’s your breakfast of champions? Pancakes across the street at Chimney Cafe.
White Dot Variation (28.5.25.1) 2025 Encaustic, paper, pins, polymer clay, fabric, and plastic on linen over panel
Who inspires you? I recently began teaching at UCLA, and often think of one of my own teachers, John Baldessari.
What’s your best quality? Though I am an introvert by nature, I make friends easily. I love people, and it makes for a happy life.
17.3.25.2, 2025 Ink, encaustic, gesso, paper, fabric, pins, porcupine quill, and soundboard on panel
What’s your biggest flaw? My partner says I trust too easily. I can be quite naive.
What is your current state of mind? I am disturbed by current events; I’m visiting many artist studios every week to keep my spirit afloat.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? I have a foster son whom I am very proud to have in my life. He is now a young, independent, charming man.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be? Like I said before, a vampire. Maybe then I could eventually harness the power of annualized compound interest I’ve heard so much about!
Proscenium: Elliott Hundley, is on view at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art through August 31, 2025. Visit the artist at IG.
Cover image: Portrait of the artist in his studio by Max Knight; All images: © Elliott Hundley, Courtesy Regen Projects.
