Takin' It to the Streets: Chor Boogie Colors Our World

I first noticed Chor Boogie's art four years ago when I was in San Francisco. I didn't know who the artist was at the time. It was simply a striking display of street art on a wall in the Tenderloin District. Last year I found out that it wasn't just any street artist. The artist had a name: Chor Boogie. He also had built something of a following and was doing work all over the world. In September I shared some of his amazing creations here at Ennyman's Territory.

A few weeks ago I learned that Chor had been sidetracked by heroin at one point in his career. This caught my attention because I'm concerned about the widespread problems we're seeing here in the U.S. at this time, in both large cities and small ones like Duluth, due to a spreading wave of heroin use. According to this BBC story a half million Americans are addicted to heroin.

Chor agreed to answer a few questions on this topic as well as provide more information about himself and his real passion, which is bathed in color.

EN: How long have you been making a living as an artist?
Chor Boogie: I have been living my LOVE since I was born... but technically speaking I have been making a living off my work for about 10 to 15 years.

EN: What was your path from young creative person to international commissions?
CB: To have fun with what I love to do, that was my path… just love what I do and everything else fell into place with a little of Making-things-happen.

EN: How did drugs side-track you from your work?
CB: They just side track you period… and consume your heart mind body and soul.

EN: When did you first realize that drugs were getting in the way of what you really wanted to do?
CB: When I was on them... I felt I was disrespecting my talent that I was blessed with so I just would not create or paint.

EN: How did you kick your heroin habit?
CB: LOVE saved my life... www.ibogahouse.com my participation with the medicine Iboga and retraining my heart, mind, body and soul on a daily basis.

EN: Who handles the business end of your creative life? Are you flying solo or do you have an agent or manager?
CB: Me and my team. The players on my team help handle and work with me… my family, which consists of friends... loved ones that love me and my work and I love them and their work... my wife, agent, PR team, graphic designers, web designers, photographer/video, production, apparel, and toys, collectors and investors. Iboga consists of my team.. love them so much.

EN: Where can we see more of your work?
CB: www.chorboogie.com for more up to date... Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.. all @chorboogie... stay tuned.

EN: We will.

Chor Boogie: Ushering Color to the World

This is part of a wall I saw in San Francisco 3 years ago on Market Street.

Street art is a pretty exciting phenomenon in many respects. Some of it is quite spectacular. With the exception of Banksy, most of it is unassociated with any specific artist. It's just out there being shared with the world.

A couple weeks ago I had an email forwarded to me about a street artist named Chor Boogie. His work looked interesting, but became moreso when I noticed a certain similarity between the pattern on this elephant's trunk and some pictures I took of a wall in San Francisco in the Tenderloin District. A little digging and I found his website, Modern Hieroglyphics of Chor Boogie. Sure enough, he was a west coast guy and did some time in San Francisco.

He was born Jason Hailey, and first held a paint brush at age five, a nice early age to get acquainted with the medium. When you think "street artist" you don't immediately connect this person to the formal study of art history, but in Chor Boogie's case he states that his inspiration has come from Da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Rembrandt as much as Van Gogh, Dali and the moderns. He then went on to take this sensibility into his encounter with the street arts, learning enough from his mentors Phase2 and Vulcan that he has been able now to make a name for himself.

His resume includes doing work for the China Olympics among other things. In addition to many locations in the U.S., his commissioned murals include locations in Mexico, Dubai, Australia, Brazil and Canada. He's produced work for a variety of high profile people including Jay-Z and Rage Against The Machine, among others.

He appears to be a young man on the move. And it's apparent from the image (above right) that he's interested in sticking around awhile. I used to wear a gas mask like that for certain jobs when I painted apartments years ago. Those paint fumes can fry brain cells.

It was this picture of a Singapore elephant that confirmed for me the connection between the wall in San Francisco I'd taken pictures of and Chor Boogie. Note the pattern at the wide part of the elephant's trunk. Note the Escheresque manner in which the various patterns morph. Keep it going, Chor.  

To see more of Chor Boogie's work, visit www.chorboogie.com