A Vacation with Adam Himebauch
Early January, I was at the crowded opening for SPRING/BREAK Art Show alumni Noah Kloster’s first solo exhibition at the experimental artist-run space MoonCalf NYC. While looking around and trying not to bump into anyone, I see Adam Himbauch. He was talking to a friend, and I go up to him, telling him how much I enjoy his work and seeing it on social media. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how he would react as I was a complete stranger to him, but he was kind and friendly. Somehow, the three-way conversation with Himebauch and his friend, another artist ironically named Adam, turned to one aspect of what I do: writing. I mentioned I interview artists, and his friend, Adam, said something along the lines of ‘you should interview Adam before his solo show [at Jupiter in Miami] opens’ and that he couldn’t wait to read this potential piece. How could I resist?
Rewind: I first discovered Himebauch’s work on my Instagram feed of his now infamous meditation performance work at his solo exhibition Never Ever Land at Ceysson & Bénétière early last year. Who was this artist who radiated calm yet was blowing up my feed? During the run of the show, images, and clips of his face haloed by his bleach blonde hair would sporadically enter my interest page. It wasn’t until that summer in June that I finally took a more engaged look at his practice. During this deep dive, I saw Himebauch, a single joyous but focused male figure all in white dancing with sunglasses on, his movements reminding me of what I would see when watching 1950s-60s teen movies like Gidget (1959-1963) with beach dance parties, surrounded by a crowd installing his art. The paintings he was installing were bright and neon, geometric. Perfectly echoing his performance. This merger of visual work and performance really impressed me.
I set up a studio visit a couple of weeks after our chance meeting and followed up with some questions. Enjoy my small peak into the mind of the artist.
Alexandria Deters: As I teasingly mentioned to you during our studio visit, one question I love to ask all artists: What is the one question you wish someone would ask you about your art practice or yourself, and what is your answer?
Adam Himebauch: If someone were to ask me, “What are three fun facts about Adam Himebauch?”
- I grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin, the 19th-century circus capital of America.
- One of my biggest inspirations is the artist Chris Burden. I only found out recently that we share a birthday.
- I once drove a car in Michelle Obama’s motorcade.
The colors of your new paintings are so tropical and lush. I couldn’t help but think of how they would look in some wealthy individual’s vacation home. When you told me they were inspired by photos you took of your visit to Jamaica last year, it made perfect sense. Do you often use your photos for reference? Or better yet, what drew you to depicting your vacation in this grand way?
I absorb inspiration from everyday life, past experiences, and whatever is happening at the moment. I’m a sponge that way. Last summer, after wrapping up an exhibit in Korea at Gana Art, I knew I had to dive into a new body of work for Miami. At the same time, I was going through a breakup, so I took a self-care trip to visit a friend in Jamaica. He had just renovated a stunning house in the mountains, and I spent a week in the jungle. Very cinematic—it felt like a movie. Diplo lives next door. I didn’t go there intending to gather inspiration or to meet Diplo, but both happened. When I returned to New York and started sketching, this is what came through. And, from a marketing perspective, bright, bold colors in Miami made sense.
The pieces have this wonderful assemblage/collage element. This is partially because the paintings were inspired by the collages that you made while at home but also by the small bits of canvas that can be found in some of the works. What drew you to add these elements?
My studio practice is one ongoing conversation. I create playful, childlike collages which then inspire my paintings. The two constantly interact. I love it when my paintings resemble my collages and vice versa. It’s a cyclical process. A big part of my work, both in the studio and conceptually, is making viewers question what they are seeing. I want them to ask, “What exactly am I looking at?” For this exhibition, the paintings are 99% paint, but I added a small collage element to a few, sometimes running off the edge. It makes people step closer, trying to figure out if it’s painted or collaged. Their perception flips, and they are forced to look again. It’s subtle, but I love that. I love keeping people on their toes.
I had so much fun visiting your studio! You are such a fantastic artist and kind human being, and the way you play with art history, social media, and your persona fascinates me. During our visit, we concluded and agreed that performance art is a way of exaggerating and amplifying parts of oneself. Can you tell me more about that?
I think we are all playing characters, whether we realize it or not. Social media is all about manipulating perception and framing yourself in a specific way for an audience. You can expand that idea to the world as a stage; when you put on a red shirt, you’re choosing to be seen in a red shirt, or when you tie your hair a certain way, you’re shaping how people perceive you. To me, performance art is just an exaggeration and amplification of parts of oneself. It’s about being intentional with how you present yourself. My performance art, whether in a formal setting or on social media, takes aspects of who I am and turns up the volume.
Agreed, as artists, social media is a way of promoting and showing one’s work, but also a way of letting others take part in our lives and seeing themselves in our vulnerability. Yet, at the same time, it is honestly the spectacle and often dark chaos that engages followers and gets views on posts. How do you balance that reality with your art practice and personal life?
My close friends, my family, and my inner circle get the unfiltered Adam. But in the public realm, I take those same truths and ramp them up. I balance my art practice and personal life by recognizing that social media is an illusion. Once you understand that, you can have fun with it. When I promote a project or an exhibition, I like to tell a story, and every good story has an arc. There’s always a moment of drama or a pivotal shift that grabs attention. People crave that because it breaks them out of the ordinary and wakes them up a bit. That’s just human nature. I reconcile all of this because I believe my work comes from a place of sincere love and creative intuition. I know that my friends know that, and my family knows that. And I’d say most of my audience knows that, too. Whether they fully believe it or not, they understand that part of my practice is meant to make people question things. Ultimately, the big abstract gesture of my art is to raise consciousness.
One of the things I loved discussing with you is how once an artwork is shown and sold, in reality, the artist no longer has a say on how a work is displayed and especially interpreted. Even with that knowledge, though, you created your latest body of work with a certain aesthetic and presentation in mind. Tell me more about this idealized presentation of this new series for your upcoming solo show, “Serenity Now,” at Jupiter, Inc.
For my show at Jupiter, I created twelve paintings resembling arched stained glass windows. Displayed together in the gallery’s stark white space, they’ll form a kind of cathedral effect, connected by a continuous horizon line. So when the viewer stands in the gallery, they’ll have this subtle inside-looking-out experience. And although each painting stands on its own, I see them as one unified work where the whole is greater than its parts. I know they’ll be sold individually, which I greatly appreciate, but to me the work isn’t truly complete unless they exist together. That’s the push and pull I navigate as an artist. Balancing creative autonomy with the reality of the art market.
For this “vacation” series of works, you drew inspiration from the music you were listening to while working, can you tell me more about that process and how music informs this body of work?
I listen to a wide range of music in the studio. When I first started these paintings, I’d meditate for 30 minutes to clear my mind, then put on Brian Eno’s Music for Airports. It’s an ambient album that’s easy on the mind and body. In that lucid state, I’d go straight into painting. As the paintings became more structured, my music choices were more varied. It’s basically whatever’s in my recently liked songs on Spotify. I wasn’t too particular about the names of these paintings either. Since each one’s based on a color, I searched my playlist for songs with that color in the title and used those as the names.
The phrase that I keep going back to when thinking of your upcoming show is ‘palate cleanser.’ Each painting focuses on one main color in different shades and tones. I feel refreshed. How did it feel for you to make these works? And now that this series is complete, where is your artistic curiosity going next?
This body of work was definitely a palate cleanser for me. 2024 had a lot of success but also a handful of humbling moments. Some expected returns didn’t come in, and a few significant relationships ended rather abruptly. So, as I started this series, I gravitated toward monochromatic paintings. Color contains so much feeling. I was thinking about how each color represents one of the seven chakras, and I painted them in order, from lower to higher, focusing on the emotions tied to each chakra. As I moved through each painting, I worked through my own emotions. It was a real reset, tbh.
I don’t know what’s next. I’ve been at this crossroads before, and I always choose my next move based on excitement. This is no different. I want to collaborate more and create just for the sake of creating. And I need to travel more soak up some new inspiration. I’ve been in NYC for 14 years. Life is long and full of different chapters, and I’m excited to see what’s beyond the next horizon.
Adam Himebauch Serenity Now is open February 16 through March 20, 2025, at Jupiter 1217 71st St, Miami Beach, FL 33141.
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