Sam Paolini is a visual artist, clothing designer, community organizer, curator, publisher, and teacher. She is a force putting eyes on unconventional art.
In 2010, she founded Wrong Brain as a zine with local art and writing, and it became an artist collective generating art fairs, gallery shows, poetry readings, audio compilations, and more. Recently, it became a registered nonprofit, and membership has tripled.
Paolini talked to The Sound about overcoming loss, following through with big ideas, and drawing her vivid dreams, even if those drawings give other people nightmares.
a drawing from the Bad Winter zine, by Sam Paolini
As an artist collective, what’s Wrong Brain’s mission and why is it needed?
Wrong Brain formed to provide an outlet and venue for emerging and unconventional arts, an alternative to the traditional gallery, craft fair or concert scene. Our goal is to give the weirdos and outsiders a place to shine and share their art; to let them know it’s just as valid as any other painting, song, or story. We’re happy to fill the gaps and help bring to life whatever ideas people present to us.
Now that it’s a nonprofit, are there plans to expand its reach?
Our co-director, Cody (John Laplante), passed away last month, and he was in the process of researching how to become a nonprofit. It was one of his goals for 2015. Cody was loved and inspired so many people, and when he died, Wrong Brain was flooded with emails and messages. … So many people want to help Wrong Brain thrive in Cody’s honor. So, that’s the real reason we’re expanding. In less than a week, we went from a committee of six to 25-plus. Plus, there were generous monetary donations from friends and family.
It’s been a really emotional and stressful month for all of us, but we know we’re going in the right direction, and Wrong Brain is going to kick ass for Cody. We have plans to fund independent publications; book monthly music gigs, multi-media events with live music, art, video, and poetry readings, eventually to give scholarships, have a venue and shared equipment, and classes. We have big plans.
Porthole, acrylic on canvas, by Sam Paolini
What’s the Circus Project?
The Circus Project was Cody’s big idea. I think it’s been over a year now that we’ve been planning it. The idea is that it’s a huge, multi-media art event, with a circus theme … or some sort of demented, psychedelic circus. The front doors lead you into a traditional gallery, with circus-themed art and tables with our zines. One of the walls is instead a great red curtain. You walk through the curtain and enter a mural maze: two curved hallways made of free-standing panels, each painted with a portrait by a different artist. Turn right and you’re at the interactive poetry projection corner. Turn left and you’re at the popcorn and snack table. Both paths eventually lead to the stage, featuring hours of live music, clowns, acrobats, performance art, a drag show, burlesque, comedy. There will be a background painted by local artists, hanging mirrors, and circus memorabilia filling the place. It’s a huge event and we haven’t been able to nail down the perfect venue. We are determined to have it in October, though.
After losing Cody John Laplante, you started working on a zine dealing with the heroin epidemic. What message do you want to send?
The idea with the zine is to give insight and resources to someone struggling with addiction, or a family member or friend, and to reach a different demographic. We want to publish real, raw, uncensored art and writing, along with resources to get help. We hope that it will shake reality into people who may be naive, like I was, and offer stories of hope and recovery to those who feel helpless. We’ll distribute them for free and leave them for anyone to pick up and read in privacy. This epidemic is claiming too many young lives. I didn’t know what else I could do to help besides what we do best — publish zines.
You draw some disturbing things. Where does that imagery come from?
I work off my inner demons and I try to think as little as possible. A lot of it is anxiety, worry, depression, anger, helplessness, and fear. Different moods will produce different styles, though, like my sad self is the pen on paper; inspired and dreamy is colorful. If I’m ambitious and need a change of pace, I’ll paint. I can’t say really where the images come from, but I do find patterns, like intestines, eyes, bones, drips, holes, ghosts, hands, aliens, brain machines, and collapsible tables. I really like television and I dream pretty vividly, so the images could come subconsciously from that.
a drawing by Sam Paolini
Who’s more afraid of your artwork, children or their parents?
The reactions of children and adults are different. If an adult is bothered by my art, they’ll mostly just walk away, or maybe make a comment and grimace, and walk away. But when children are bothered by it, they continue to look. They study it and will say, “That’s scary” or “That’s weird,” and ask questions, like, “Why is it bloody?” and “Why is he so angry?” I can actually have a conversation with a kid about a scary work and they’re genuinely interested in why the image is scary, and I can explain, like, “I was very sad when I made this drawing, and this is what came out of my pen when I put it to paper.”
Do you sew too?
I silkscreen my designs onto recycled garments. I also do dyeing and bleaching. My mom does the sewing. I print patches and match them up with clothes, and she sews them on. My mom, Laurie Todd Paolini, also restructures clothes. She’ll take four old T-shirts and make one cute crop top, or skirt, or pants. If I mess up a print, she makes it into something else! It’s awesome teamwork.
What do you like about eyes?
I never really wanted to like eyes. They just continue to appear in my work. I mean, it’s a pretty common symbol, and I don’t want to be common. I suppose they’re the window to the soul or something, but to me they mean enlightenment, God/self, and vulva/vagina, without being obvious.
I Did This for You, by Sam Paolini
Why did you choose to move to Dover, over any other place on the Seacoast?
I just am always here anyway for shows, meetings with clients, my clothes in stores, and a lot of my friends and Wrong Brain members live here. It didn’t make sense to move anywhere else. I love it already. In less than a week I’ve walked to two shows, painted a mural at the (Henry Law) Skatepark, had meetings, and played limb ball. It’s great.
What’s limb ball?
Limb ball is home run derby except we play with fake arms and legs instead of bats, and use a squishy SpongeBob ball. And drink beers instead of fielding.
For a list of places to find Sam Paolini’s art and clothing, see sampaoliniart.com. Wrong Brain paints the Dover skate park on Saturday, May 23 at 9 a.