Random Robot Attacks! – Gadfly ONLINE

“Rubber and roboted, all a control lotted, not one decides “it” for itself,” writes Chicago-based artist CJ Hungerman in a poetic description of his Random Robot Attacks, an ongoing collection of vibrant paintings and sculptures that feature small, cartoonish bombs—robotic projectiles—that Hungerman uses to represent the primal core of humanity.

The attacks may be random, but for Hungerman, the message is clear: humanity is on the verge of self-destruction, or is, at the very least, facing an existential crisis of apocalyptic proportions.

Your work imagines a world void of humanity, but rather than offering a bleak, dystopian worldview, your paintings are alive and vibrant. In many ways, it feels as if you’ve successfully merged the wry aesthetics of animator Chuck Jones with the satire of Stanley Kubrick. The viewer finds humor in the face of destruction. Did you intentionally seek to provoke that kind of ironic response?

I think of us humans and the many paths that life makes us take while I create my art. I feel that there is more struggle than relief in life (hope that changes!). No matter how many set backs, mentally or financial, I experience, I do believe life is a colorful and exciting experience, every day, mixed with despair, fatigue, monotony, and waiting. But I believe even the bad experiences are bright and vibrant—maybe the most vivid.

And funny enough, I so enjoy the clarity of Kubrick movies. There is no shadow or blurry imagery—simply in your face, “here it is!” feeling which is the same thing I like about my work. It is violently happy, screaming back at you, and everyone can make their own story from the art.

Would you care to discuss the sexual imagery of the robots? Is sex humanity’s endgame, or merely the catalyst for violence? Maybe both?

These icons I created are to represent humans and human emotion. I wanted each to have some kind of human form in them and nothing says human better than the illusion or implication of sexual organs. I think humanity’s endgame is humans. It is in our nature to have a constant hunger for more and when we as a whole have pushed too far… game over.

We can see this happening to individuals we know or run into during life. Self-destruction is like a new accessory for the rich and famous, as it has always been for us poor. But no one thinks it looks glamorous on us, and the police are the only ones who want a picture.

But what these pieces [Random Robot Attacks] are—after six years of no job, no heat or air, no windows, no ventilation, 50 to 100 hours a week in an environment as such—is my morning and my night, all of my laughter, screaming, violence, daily disappointments, sacrifices, physical and mental pain. It has bent my philosophical and moral fibers. These pieces have become all I am. I think reality is a luxury for artists. If the paintings are a statement or reminder of this time, I look forward to selling them.

How would you best categorize your art? Pop art, post-modern, or something else entirely?

I am originally from Pittsburgh so I have the Warhol and Haring influence directly related to pop art. Surrealism plays a major roll as well, loving artists like Rene Magritte and Dali. The artists that influence me daily are friends in the art field creating art such as Dominic Sansone, Rory Coyne, Hebru Brantley, B.C. MacEachran, Cesar Conde. The psychotic layers are directly related to my enduring love for Terry Winters.

What is your preferred medium?

I create my work on canvas and paper separately with a multitude of techniques that cover many different disciplines.

Do you begin each piece with a clear, deliberate vision in mind? Or is it a more random process?

This series of art I have been working on for a few years with hundreds of variations. The art forms itself with me as a director. I have general ideas of what I would like to see and that is how I start. It is like putting a puzzle together but you cannot see any of the pieces. I enjoy doing art like this because it surprises me in the end as well as the viewer—or so I hope!

Creating art work and spending time in the studio is an addiction for me, and since I have had no job for the last six years it has been a wonderful roller coaster ride with extreme lows and highs (speaking monetarily since my family and I live on very little money). I hope that soon I can stabilize my life and find a fitting and rewarding venue for my art that supports me and my family along with as many other poor artists I can help. So the entire process of creating art is filled with joy, anger, sorrow, gratification, and waiting—outstanding amounts of waiting—for something to happen.

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