In a previous life, Lauren Mayberry was a journalist, which often involves a driving need to talk to people you admire, and in this life and in all prior lives, she is and was a fan. She loves a number of artists in all disciplines, and is never afraid to signal-boost them and direct her followers to their work. That generosity brings visibility and builds community. Her Instagram has become an homage to a number of artists: Barbara Kruger, David Lynch, Nam June Paik. When I asked her if she might like to interview a visual artist, Devan Shimoyama was top of our minds, because he too, as evinced by this interview, is a fan of a variety of creatives in a variety of media. His work is both a celebration and an inquiry. It tells a different kind of history, a different kind of truth about the world we are already in. And above all it does not shy away from beauty or a love of beauty. Devan and Lauren, it seems to me, constantly work through what it means to love, which is a form of fandom, and from love emerges every question we could ever ask.
Lauren Mayberry and Devan Shimoyama Discuss Writer’s Block and Its Antidotes
Last fall, Lauren Mayberry, the lead vocalist of CHVRCHES, spoke with artist Devan Shimoyama about creating in a pandemic, technology’s influence on experiencing art and drawing inspiration from literature, poetry, music and more.