I came to Los Angeles via San Francisco in ’97 to study film at Calarts, It served the double purpose of staying in America and expanding beyond bizarre under the table jobs and bouncing bars and clubs. My teachers at that period were Nancy Buchanan, Hartmut Bitomsky, and Bill Jones.

Friends from SF, los super elegantes, said they knew a gym buddy for me, Ron Athey. Ron exposed me to his LA and eventually I shot a thesis piece documenting one of his performances. At the same time I met my future neighbor Roger Herman at the silver lake gym we went to and he encouraged me to paint.

Being from a Swiss family of painters, I felt compelled to take a painting class with Derek Boshier. Painting felt good and natural.
Growing up I witnessed my grandfather’s beautiful, simple art life rhythm and my mother’s passion for painting. In this way painting snuck back into my life.

Los Angeles happened to be the perfect space for my painter’s journey. A reoccurring station for this journey was Chinatown where I was part of c-level(a media collective with Eddo Stern and others) in ’99. I also participated across the street in shows at Roger Herman’s and Hubert Schmalix’s Black Dragon society and later was represented at Tom Jancar’s gallery (2006-2016).

Cyril Kuhn