NYC Artist Sean Go Opens Perspective On Pop Appropriation Art

In the modern western world, one might say that the Romans were the most effective “pop artists.” Essentially, they took culture from the Greeks, who they valued for their progressive culture, history, and storytelling, and infused these ideas into their own society. So much so, that they worshiped the same gods but with different names. We see cultural appropriation in every area of life – in art and culture, cuisine and clothing. One definition of cultural appropriation is the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, often used in a way without showing that you understand or respect this culture.

There are many examples of this which, in recent years, have been used by businesses and celebrities alike for the gain of profit or popularity. We’ve seen Victoria’s Secret – a company earning $6.79 billion last year alone – send a model down the runway in a Native American headdress, turquoise jewelry, and fringed lingerie. Leading modern pop singers like Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift have been accused of appropriation in their music videos, using costumes or designs to ‘act’ elements of a culture with no deeper understanding.

This phenomenon is intensified with social media as millions of people from different cultures communicate with each other daily. Though, what is not talked about as often is the positive or radical change social media – as a platform and community – can encourage. Many artists are using their online presence to create waves of momentum, not only for business, but also as an expanding space to connect with others. It is also being used to widen perspectives.

Sean Go, New York City artist and young creative, is targeting appropriation through his image of pop appropriation art. Think Jeff Koons, Neo from the Matrix, and Kylo Ren from Star Wars. Combine all three and you’ll start to get a clearer picture of the types of art Go creates. Reflective and colorful a la Koons, rebellious like Neo, but also conflicted like Kylo Ren. Meet Go in person, and you might even feel his menacing exterior presence, a cloak for his soft heart inside.

With seven degrees and a successful background in finance, Go has experience from all over the professional world and a creative vision to go alongside it. His bold color palettes and collages of characters, cartoons, and people create a depth of ideas for the viewer. Using layers, textures, and other aspects of form, his work aims to elicit nostalgia, create illusions, and play with varying perspectives. While one might think his journey is unconventional, these magical pivots often lead to some of the most creative storytellers including Lisa Joy of Westworld, who came from consulting and law, and House of Dragon Showrunner Ryan Condal, who studied accounting. Simu Liu even went from Deloitte to become Shang Chi. Go has plenty of precedent in these creative pivots, and his intelligent art is catalyzing his pace to mainstream.

So, what is pop appropriation art? It is essentially ‘the intentional borrowing, copying, and alteration of existing images and objects’ to create a work of art. With the surge of consumerism and media from the mid-20th century, artists found new ways to equally apply and distort meanings to their work. Adding to this tradition, Go balances dynamic construction with interpretive style, encouraging his audience to make up their minds. After all, Go believes that art should be open to criticism.

‘Art is the mindset of questioning the status quo and experimenting even if the outcomes will never be perfect,’ he says.

Go’s technique consists of globally familiar images of Disney princesses, superheroes, and childhood cartoon ‘throwbacks’ collaged, or merged, with varying socio-cultural-economic issues. Through this juxtaposition, his works resonate with a wide audience via accessible materials, forming commentaries. Re-imagining interpretations of iconic images, often tied to culture and childhood, for the modern era, Go flips them on their heads.

Pop art appropriation, for Sean Go, is a thought-provoking mechanism that can take any material and make it an original piece. His striking work cannot help but grab the attention of anyone who lays eyes on it. Part of the reason why Go’s works are electrifying is that he studied art history extensively at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Go studied under curator Alexandra Schwartz, Paul Melton, and art critic Natasha Degen, who helped inform his understanding of art’s rise from the Dutch art markets in the 17th century to the contemporary art scene. After his art journey began, Go was picked up by art dealer Derek Flores of DF Agency, who has supported a range of successful artists.

Typically, an artist’s background is uniquely tied to their art. In the case of Sean Go, spending the first eighteen years of his life in the Philippines, he always felt the country was connected to his creativity. His grandfather is an art investor, who over time, exposed him to multiple Filipino expressionist artists and their masterpieces. As a Filipino immigrant, Go’s work speaks to his indigenous culture and experiences with being marginalized as an immigrant.

Go didn’t immediately commit to art in his life. Later in adulthood, after diversifying his interests and experience, he found art to be the way forward. After completing his qualifications and working at various finance firms, including Ernst Young and HSBC, Go had multiple successes in establishing his own education company, and a hedge fund. However, he ultimately decided to change his path, combining his art and business abilities. Go understands that art as a career will take at least 20 years to reach historical provenance, and fitting of his track record, Go is always in it for the long-term.

Paying homage to his influences, which include Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, Go became set on creating art that speaks to him. Some of Go’s series’ include the Disney series, such as ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘Neverland’ and ‘Under the Sea’. Each is playfully developed to be ambiguous and suggestive. He says his goal is to ‘tackle themes of corporate cannibalization, innocent greed, and a culture of over-glamorizing picturesque situations that are completely unrealistic.’ Go recognizes the importance of variation in art, applying this with style and bold editing techniques.

Also unique is Go’s ‘Bittersweet Memories’ series, which – through experimental collage and color, presents the strangeness of nostalgia and grief. He intends to portray how ‘Our loved ones are never really gone because they live on through us.’ Depicting the death of fictional characters, Go’s work engages the modern world. In ‘Mama Coco,’ Mama Coco is illustrated to pay homage to Felix Gonzalez Torres, ‘who noted the transcendental yet ephemeral quality of candy in representing the loss of a loved one.’ The background of the piece is brightly coated in candy.

One article reviews Go’s work as, ‘a paradigm of the modern artist’s interplay between capitalist norms, questions of identity, and the transformative power of art.’

Go has been featured in multiple media outlets and magazines – some including Esquire Magazine, CNN, and Art Plus Magazine. His extensive business background and wide set of experiences not only put him at an advantage as an artistic entrepreneur, but also help him develop his contribution to the art community. While flipping the script is one of Go’s common themes in his art, he believes it is a metaphor for life too. Life can be unfair, tragic, and languishing, but hope is never meager, and all our life’s chapters are still being written. You can keep up to date with Go’s work by visiting his website or Instagram.