Interviews
About Gavin Meeler
Gavin Meeler is a self-taught artist based in rural Georgia, USA, working across both physical and digital media. Recognized for his distinctive "Meeler Hand", exaggerated, oversized limbs that dominate his compositions, his figures are often marked by frenzied eyes and bared teeth, channeling the raw, untamed energy of the human subconscious. Meeler’s work delves into the psychological battles of daily life, interwoven with echoes of contemporary global events. With a bold and expressive visual language, he invites viewers into a vivid universe of inner turmoil and social commentary.
An interview with Gavin Meeler led by Carlo Borloni
Who are the “Lunatics” to you?
How do they reflect the nuances of the human mind, and what sets them apart from your previous characters?
Lunatics are the unhinged part of ourselves. We all have that part of us, and any pioneer has to be a bit of a Lunatic. These characters talk to our innerselves and grant permission to be a Lunatic on the outside. :) What sets them apart is that they are 69 separate identities portrayed whereas I typically host all 69 of those identities into 1 painting.
Your style is highly expressive and almost brutal.
What draws you to the aesthetics of discomfort and excess, and why do you choose to express them through oversized hands, frantic eyes, and bared teeth?
Life feels highly expressive and almost brutal. Life brings discomfort and excess. Life is overwhelming like an oversized absurd hand over you with frantic eyes and bared teeth. My art is reflective of that.
You often talk about inner conflict.
How much of your work is autobiographical? Do your “Lunatics” speak more about you, or about the world around you?
Lunatics are both my inner conflict and the world around me. Plus an identity we all feel as digital pioneers. In 2021 many people took to the internet to say people who buy or make digital art are completely out of their mind. So here's an identity to show how much of a Lunatic we are.
Your characters balance humor and seriousness.
How do you find that balance, and why is it important for you to keep both elements alive in your practice?
For me it comes so naturally to present those emotions together. A sense of horror with humor is the muse I follow. I enjoy contradicting thoughts and ideas.
Gesture plays a central role in your art, especially through the hands.
What do these exaggerated hands symbolize to you? Are they tools of communication, violence, or raw expression?
They symbolize life and death but also nothing at all. Your greatest indicator that time is passing is a state of change that's right in front of you, and your hands will always be at your POV. They do all the above the communicate, they can be violent, raw and very expressive. Anything that life is, the hands are as well.
Your characters seem to live in their own world, tense, grotesque, and ironic.
Have you ever imagined them as part of a coherent universe, with an underlying narrative? Or do you prefer them as isolated apparitions, like sudden visions?
They have always been an expression on how I feel or how we as humans feel living in this world. I suppose they could be seen as both/either one.
Your characters often seem to scream even when silent.
What kind of reaction do you hope their presence provokes in the viewer? Nervous laughter? A disturbing mirror?
I hope they bring out whatever Lunatic the viewer is. It could be nervous laughter, a disturbing mirror, or even no emotions at all, and those are some of the scariest Lunatics.
Your work is rooted in the rural South of the U.S.
How does your homeland shape your aesthetic, your subjects, and your worldview?
It may all be subconsciously inspiring me but I live and grew up in an area where it's heavily wooded. You would hear bugs and could just look out at nature all day. At night you can see the stars and it's peaceful. It's all very inspiring and relaxing when you get the chance to enjoy it. This mainly comes out in the form of color in some of my work, especially greens and blues.
We live in a historically unstable moment.
How do the collective anxieties of our time manifest in your “Lunatics”? Do you see art as a form of escape, or as a cruel mirror?
I definitely enjoy capturing the absurdity I see in the world. I like to think my art captures it all, especially in Lunatics.
If there were one message you hope this collection leaves behind, what would it be?
What do you hope people might recognize, if only for a moment, in their own inner “Lunatic”?
Lean into the unhinged side of yourself with your Lunatic, this digital space we have can be absolutely crazy! The communities, people, and passion is like no other. I've never seen such dedication to art irl, but here we have a whole new revolution. And to do anything new and be a pioneer, you have to be an absolute Lunatic.
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