Guy Gerber is not your typical artist. He’s spent the bulk of his career not painting or chiseling, but creating beats behind a DJ booth for Ibizan partygoers to enjoy all night long. But as the electronic music scene began to change, so did his interests. No longer “intrigued to push the boundaries” in music, Gerber decided to foray into photography.
We meet at a studio space in Tribeca on Sept. 9, where in just a few hours he’ll debut his first U.S. art exhibition titled Separate Ways, curated and produced by Katie Lister. He had a busy morning, but now he’s feeling calm and ready to prove himself to people who might have some doubts about his unorthodox background, he tells NYLON. “This is a playground I love. I thrive in that playground.”
Inspired by self-reflection, each piece in the 21-photo exhibition features a subject whose face has been obscured by a mirror. Some images have been modified with sprinkles of paint, others contain hidden quotes and messages on the canvas, and all were taken on one camera setting. But as he takes me through the gallery, it’s clear that the final product is only part of the thrill. “The real art piece is me creating art,” he says. “It means that [I did it] with no skills, not too much education.”
Later that evening, Gerber welcomed VIPs like Sergey Brin, Antoine Verglas, Scott Lipps, Noa Wynn, Rob Wiesenthal, Carmen D'Alessio and many more to experience the momentous exhibition first-hand. Riding the high of a successful opening, Gerber then treated guests to an unforgettable DJ set at NYLON Membership’s NYFW kickoff party at Gospel on Sept. 11. To celebrate the burgeoning artist’s big week, we caught up with Gerber to learn more about the exhibition and his process.
How did this transition from DJ to fine artist first come about?
The most important thing to me is to stay original. That's the number one rule. Sometimes I [make a song], I'm like, "Oh my God, I love this." And I wake up in the morning and I realize this sounds like The Cure, and I'm like, "Oh, f*ck." A lot of people would just put it up. I'm like, "No, that sounds exactly like that. OK, I can't." So I try to stay original.
This exhibition is all about self-reflection. What is it about self-reflection that you find so fascinating?
It's something I'm definitely lacking. I'm going to say something very honest: I've got a lot of love in my life, from my parents, from my friends, from women. And it only emphasizes how much I have problems with my own validation. So the more I got, it has actually made the hole feel bigger. And this year I decided to work on it. And wow, I had some crazy moments. I was dealing with grief, and I decided I'm not going to run away from the grief. I'm going to stay with it. It is not easy. But I learned and I did improve.
Your photos all feature the same mirror. Do you carry the mirror around with you?
Yes. Tonight, I'm going to take pictures of some Polaroids of people so they can take it home. And this will be the beginning of a new journey. I'm very proud of [the exhibition] — I’m not emotionally ready to have a lot of people coming here and saying, "Ah." But it's part of like, let's do it.
What kind of camera do you shoot on?
This is a bit of a secret. One of the cameras I use is a Leica Q2. [And] one setting in that camera is all those photos. When people are too focused on the technique, they lose the charm and the magic. When you're limited, it actually brings up more creativity. There are fewer questions. You just go with what you have and then you focus on what's in front of you rather than the settings and things and try this and the like. Of course, you can do crazy things if you are an expert. But for me, I'm more liberated when I'm limited.
What do you hope people take away from this exhibition?
Inspiration that you can do it. That anybody can do it. I can imagine one girl, I hope she's not going to read [this], about two years ago she said, "Who's going to want to buy a picture of a DJ?” I said, "Let's see." And my first art piece that sold, I'm in the picture. Obviously, it's not an ego thing. In the end, it's a journey of energy. Those doubts, they fuel me in a very positive way. When people doubt me, I don't take it personally. I'm like, "Wow, thank you. Thank you." Because now [it gives me] some energy.
Does your music inspire or influence your artwork at all? Or do you keep those separate?
Absolutely. [Tonight] I'm going to put a guitar amp with a looper and I'm going to play a guitar riff, a bass guitar riff, and that's going to be the soundtrack of the exhibition. It's going to stay the entire night. So I have to think of something that can go on for hours. And it's coming soon. Still getting the amp.
I try to touch people. It's harder to touch people with pictures... but I knew what I do with music and I said, "OK, these have to touch people." It's hard like this, but if you read the titles of the pictures, I would say they do touch.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
