Paul Insect

Metamorphosis

- Sasha Bogojev

It was 12 years ago when Paul Insect landed on our pages, and a follow-up conversation was long overdue and much needed. Back in 2007, he was already a big name in the UK and a rising star worldwide, his graphic design work marking an era of a party and club scene in London, and his street works piloting the street art phenomenon that spread from Shoreditch throughout the globe. Around that time, he became one of the key figures at the legendary Pictures On Walls, the influential print house which shepherded a host of artists.

Within this decade-plus of time, Paul Insect has made a massive turn as a full-time painter, creating seminal works, garnering recognition and popularity with each new piece and exhibition. Aside from the studio practice, he is still up for a cheeky project on the side, most notable being the marionette-like puppets he has been creating from trash with his friend Bäst, as well as large sculptural installations for festivals and public events.

Finally meeting up with Paul at his London studio back in March, just ahead of a Paris solo show, we got to scratch the surface of his career while he elaborated on his current studio practice and life.

Sasha Bogojev: You probably don’t remember, but you ended the 2007 interview by remarking how good you felt about what was happening, and your confidence about being in the right place at the right time. How does it feel to reflect on that, compared to what has happened in the meantime, and where you are now?

Paul Insect: A lot has happened in the last 11 years. I really wouldn’t know where to start, as things have moved on since our last interview back then. I’ve aged a bit and now tend to focus on studio work, paintings, sculpture pieces and puppets, which, in turn, has meant less time to do things outside. I still do, but maybe in a different form to how it was back then.