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“I’m not an artist except on Monday morning, and it’s something that is beyond my control and I need to do to feel balanced. So you could say it’s a psychological problem that doesn’t cause anyone else too much mischief. When I make my pictures, I don’t try to make anybody feel anything… If I insert myself into the picture and do what I want, then I cause a lot of disturbance. So actually, I get out of the way of the picture, and allow it to become.” — Billy Childish

Swinging hammers, painting shirtless, and an endless stream of witty and deceptively profound insights characterize this studio visit with the painter Billy Childish (b. December 1, 1959). For the latest in their great series the ‘Future of Art,’ Artsy has turned to filmmaker Poppy de Villeneuve to produce this mini-documentary on this iconic writer, punk-rocker, and founding member of the Stuckist art movement, visiting with him at his studio in Kent, England.

From Artsy:

In Artsy’s latest ‘Future of Art’ film—presented in partnership with BMW—British punk-rock, artist and writer Billy Childish talks about his practice and philosophy on art, from his painting studio located on a historic dockyard in Kent, UK.

Billy Childish has worked defiantly and prolifically outside of the mainstream since his expulsion from art school in the early 1980s. To the polymath—whose paintings, poems, novels and music draw heavily from his autobiography—art is a deeply personal experience that should not rely on external validation whether from critics or audiences.

“The art world is the same as the rest of the world” says British artist writer and punk-rocker Billy Childish. “What it requires is new more and now.”

Childish also speaks passionately about the freedom that comes with self-validation. When asked about his perspective on the future of art he demurs. “People think we’re continually ascending a mountain to success or to enlightenment ” he says. “It’s here and now and this is it.”