BUTTER Artist Series: Q+A with Kyng Rhodes
As a self-described modern-day hippie, Indy artist Kyng Rhodes incorporates themes of authenticity, vibrant color, and symbolic expression into his work. He’s been creating art full-time since 2020 when he worked up the courage to leave the workforce and immerse himself in creativity. It’s obvious he made the right choice—his love for art seeps into every facet of his life, allowing him to gain inspiration from the world around him. This past weekend at GANGGANG’s BUTTER 2, he even matched his outfits to the paintings he had on display. Cool, right? Check out the Q+A below to find out more about Kyng, his work, and his experience as a featured artist at Indy’s vibiest art fair.
To keep up with Kyng, give him a follow on Instagram or visit his website.
Katie Freeman: Describe your art in three words.
Kyng Rhodes: Vibrant, expressive, imaginative.
KF: What goals do you hope to achieve through your art?
KR: Depending on the piece, it could be me wanting the viewer to look deeper into themselves. It could be me wanting to share something from within me. It can be trying to get me and the viewer to reach a mutual understanding of the painting. Sometimes I’m asking a question to the viewer. It’s another way to satisfy my own creative curiosity. I can create a painting asking [a question], and then that opens up the conversation to strangers at my art event I might not otherwise be able to see.
KF: Who or what inspires you to create art?
KR: Everyone has a favorite artist. I am a huge admirer of Basquiat, not just because of his art but him as a person, some of the other interests he had, the way he hid, and the way he went about gaining his notoriety. I’m also an admirer because he got to enjoy some of his celebrity before he passed away. He got to enjoy some of the money. The work he’s selling now—he never got to see that price. But he did get to enjoy more than most artists.
I get a lot of influence from musical performers, too. When they’re performing, they have this energy. And my painting is expressive. It’s about the brushstrokes and feeling. There’s art all around you. Think of those little jolts of dopamine your brain gets from looking at certain colors or certain patterns. That’s what artists bring to the world. That’s why it’s so important. That kind of stuff influences my work. How can I tell this story [in a way that is] so visually pleasing, they get some type of feeling just from looking? It is really incredible when people come out to see your show—that’s why I’m always grateful. So I have to make sure that they’re coming in.
KF: What is the biggest barrier to you as an artist, and how do you address it?
KR: My lack of knowledge to get my work exhibited in different spaces that I might not have been introduced to or invited [to]. I’ve been doing art since the age of three, drawing and creating, but still not going to school for fine art. I didn’t want any outside influence on the way my art was created. But there was no one that said “This is how you reach out to a gallery.” [Exposure] was one of the biggest barriers because I am in the Midwest. It’s access, exposure, resources, networking. But GANGGANG is starting to be that segue between artists of color and what they need to know.
KF: What does BUTTER mean to you as an artist?
KR: BUTTER is one of the most important things to me as an artist from Indianapolis. It gives me something to look forward to and be proud of every year as a member of the community. It’s a huge opportunity to not only sell work but to receive 100% of the profit back. The marketing of the artists and the way the artwork is presented [is supportive]. The curators—Braydee Euliss is an angel. She made sure I was okay through the process, even after my artwork was dropped off. We had conversations on the phone like, “Are you comfortable with your pricing still? Do you like the way [the paintings] look on the wall?” BUTTER takes care of all of that for the artists, and it takes a huge weight off our shoulders.
GANGGANG has made it known to [participating artists] that as long as they’re consistent in their work and engaging with the community, they have a chance to be in BUTTER annually. [I appreciate] their strategy of bringing artists that have built a name for themselves in other cities and putting them on a platform with the Indy artists to show that we’re on the same level. [When] those artists bring their networks and supporters, they are going to see the Indy artists and go back and talk about it in their cities. The networking opportunities are massive.
KF: How do you see BUTTER impacting the Indianapolis creative community?
KR: The creative energy that still exists here has been smothered by architecture and whatever the city felt like it needed to get more money to not fix potholes. There are a ton of institutions that showcase art that artists don’t get a chance to be a part of. BUTTER is a new way for the arts community to look at supporting artists, reimbursing them, and making sure they’re okay. Ashley Nora, who is my best friend, worked on the Keepers of Culture mural. We were talking about GANGGANG and the staff at BUTTER, how they were making sure she had everything she needed to make sure that collaboration was done and she was as comfortable as she possibly could be during the process. All of that stuff is what the Indianapolis art community was lacking. So even though the BUTTER Art Fair is just one weekend once a year, if we take those strategies and implement them into other events, other galleries, and other ways to approach artists, it’s so many ways to make an artist feel more fulfilled.
