Interlocutor Interviews PODCAST ~ JMikal Davis aka Hellbent discusses his unique approach to creating abstract art in public spaces

Jaan Pehechaan Ho (Mohammed Rafi), Jersey City, New Jersey, in India Square. Inspired by Indian block prints and textiles

LISTEN VIA THE PLAYER BELOW courtesy of Acast (the episode is also available on the Apple podcast app, Spotify, iHeart, and YouTube).

JMikal Davis, aka Hellbent, is a muralist, painter, and street artist who lives and works in Brooklyn.

Davis began making street-based artwork in the late 1990s while still in art school at the University of Georgia. Upon graduating and moving to Brooklyn in 2000, he took up the nom de plume Hellbent, experimenting with various media and becoming known for his hand-carved plaques that he pulled throughout New York City and eventually across the globe. 

Since 2011, the backgrounds that started on these plaques became the focal point of his work both on and off the street. The abstract configurations of multiple patterns layered on top of each other are derived from American quilt-making and folk art traditions, inspirations not typically associated within murals and street art. 

In his public work, he aims to include elements from different textiles associated with the citizens of the community and weave them together harmoniously.

This conversation expands on our magazine interview with JMikal recently conducted by Isabel Hou.

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