Jan Gatewood Talks Art, Skating, and Fashion

Photography by Ricardo Gomes

Styled by Rita Melssen and Jordan Beckett

Jan Gatewood, a mixed-media artist based in Los Angeles, has a wide range of talents and pursuits, spending most days quietly working in his studio, and others modeling for brands like Calvin Klein.

L'OFFICIEL: Were you always an artist?

JAN GATEWOOD: I grew up having an interest in the arts but not really creating anything, primarily because I wasn’t good at drawing, and that was very discouraging for me. I was just into skateboarding and fashion. I then moved to LA without a plan, and ended up working in fashion for a few years. On a trip to New York, I happened to meet some artists who I was really attracted to because of their demeanor and how they lived. Then I interned at a gallery when I got back to LA, called Morán Morán. The first show I worked on with them was with an artist named Terence Koh, who expanded my view of what art could be. He wasn’t really selling anything; he was living in the gallery for the duration of the show. I stayed on at Morán Morán for six months, trying to meet artists and get acclimated with the art world, and then I was able to get a studio in my friend’s backyard. I split that space with a good friend of mine, and he and I made a ton of work there. I didn’t grow up drawing or anything. I took photos in high school, and then I tried to go to college for it, but I dropped out after two months; it wasn’t for me. I’m still interested in learning, just not in a traditional format. 

L'O: Do skateboarding and art inspire you in the same way?

JG: A lot of people think there’s some correlation between the two, but there isn’t for me. The only way skating has affected my approach to art and art making is maybe developing a side of myself that can try the same thing over and over again, relentlessly. Just looking at objects and realizing that they have a different potential than their given function. With skating, you are walking down a sidewalk and you might see something on some property that would be a great skate spot, but someone who doesn’t skate wouldn’t think anything of it.

L'O: How has the pandemic influenced you and your work?

JG: The past two years have definitely changed me as a person, but I’ve also been extremely lucky in that I’ve been able to just make work. This is actually the first time that I’ve been able to sustain myself as an artist. I made a negotiation with myself early on that I was going to work as hard as I could, because I didn’t have anything else to do, and fortunately I was able to be included in shows and at my own solo. I’ve almost been able to be invested in my practice exclusively, and that’s kept me afloat mentally and financially.