Artist Interviews 2021

Cotton Candy  
By Johnny Otto



Youโ€™re an Artist who seems to have their hands in a lot of different things. You Paint, do Live Performances, and, would you say, a Story Teller? Which came first and when did you realize, โ€œFuck, Iโ€™m an Artist?โ€.

Isa: Candy can't actually talk. She's like a freak and emoticons just spill on the screen automatically. She's like super numb and has no emotional attachment to anything 95% of the time. She kinda just floats around in her psychedelic dreamworld. Since I am the closest to Candy, The Contaminator assigned that I translate her emoti-speech for all the tiny brains out there, gross... C0c: "๐Ÿ–Œ๐Ÿšซโœ" " ๐Ÿค”๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ‘พ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿ“ฝ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ”ฎ๐Ÿ˜ต๐Ÿ‘ฏ๐Ÿ—ฟ"

Isa: Cotton Candy doesn't paint, honestly the only one who does (watercolor) is Delliah-Eww. Cotton Candy doesn't know what an artist is. She just does whatever gives her good feelings (dopamine) and somehow becomes walking art and everyone goes shitballs crazy for it. Like her shoes have ended up in photoshoots at events. Yeah, just her shoes. It's a gift that gets under The Contaminators skin because she doesn't even have to try. But T.C puts so much effort to reach and just ends up creeping people out half the time. It's hilarious. I don't like to tell her I said that. Keep it on the low ok? T.C. is scary when mad, but so am I. This gives me wrinkles just thinking about it -gross.




Sometimes we, as Artists and Performers, donโ€™t realize where our inspiration truly comes from until later in life, when we have time for self-examination and reflection. Are you conscious of where your inspiration comes from? Is there one moment that really sparked your fire?

C0c:" ๐ŸŒ ๐ŸŒœ๐Ÿ—ฃ๐Ÿšซ๐Ÿ’Š๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ‘น๐Ÿšจ๐ŸŒ‹๐Ÿ‘ฏ"

Isa: Cotton Candy has absolutely no emotional attachment to anything she just lives her life in the moment like an alien constantly exploring with no rules. She's too numb to understand that question. She gets her fire when someone tell's her no, or she "can't". She will fucking show you she can without ivin two fucks. Whoever turned her into this freak set her free in a way to not have any need to live her life by societals functions but unfortunately it's extremley fucking sad of what had to be erased for her to reach this point of freedom. Cotton Candy can't be constrained once her fires has been lit. She's an ultimate force, the only of her kind. Her life is like a nonstop psychedelic trainwreck covered in glitter and shes the only person on this freakin planet that doesn't bore me.




You work with Mia Orozco at Performative PopUps, is that right? What was that like and how did that come about?

C0c: "๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฃ๐ŸŒผ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿ˜ต๐Ÿ›Œ๐Ÿ›Œโ˜๐Ÿ‘ธ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ‘พ๐Ÿ’ฃ" "๐Ÿ’‚๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿ”ฎโณ๐ŸŒ™๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ–๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿท๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ‘ญ๐Ÿš€๐ŸŽช๐ŸŒฑ ๐Ÿ›" Isa: Ok apparently she says she got to smell MIa's feet and they smelled like flowers. The music was groovy, while she wiggled live but people kept like following her around the whole time and she didn't know why and it was bothersome, so she hopped like a bunny until they left her alone. She apparently ate 6 candys at another performance and got dizzy as fuck and fell asleep durin her performance and the next thin she knew she woke up wth a cloud on her freakin' head on in Queen Laurie Shapiro colorful alient teleporting portal and shit was lit. And on the low, I know why she was a bit messed up, she ate 6 cbd gummies that night, haha what a weirdo wreck. "Cotton Candy says The Contaminator ran into Mia alot or was led to her like magic (this was happening since 2018) then after some time apparently T.C. ended up with Mia and Laurie and some other ladies talking with tears, wine,fake meat, snacks then ot closer and Cotton Candy was assigned to twerk and drool around at "Take me to the color" and she got a bag of stuff."

Iโ€™d like to focus this question on just your painting. When did you start? Who are your influences for that? Whatโ€™s your style and medium?

"๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿšซ๐Ÿ–Œ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿค”โณ๐Ÿ’ฃ" "๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽท๐ŸŽธ๐ŸŽน๐ŸŽบ" "๐Ÿ‘พ๐Ÿ‘พ๐Ÿ‘พ๐Ÿฆ„๐ŸŽ ๐Ÿ–"

Isa: Bro you blind? None of us paint. The Crew members have 16 years of oil pastel and 6 or so of Oil Stick, Candy only uses huge oil sticks and Grand Sennelier OIl Pastels so she can toss and throw them life because she's a fucking maniac. She's saying she doesn't know what time is. Music is honestly all that influences any of us. The Contaminator calls her style "Psycho-Expressionsim" Raw subconscious live drawing paired with fast paced music and high pigmented psychedelic colors. Candy only draws live unless bribed with pink vegan macaroons for a gallery show or something. She can go from 0 to 100 and it's terrifying. I'd honestly don't try to force her into sht she doesn't want to do. Like,she's extremely dangerous and doesn't know or understand her own strength. She's completely unaware she is a weapon. Fucking W.A.R.P coroporaton did this to her, I will end those savages.

Any favorite Artists that youโ€™d like to collaborate with? Living ones?

C0c:"๐Ÿ‘‘+ ๐ŸŽ™๐Ÿ‘,๐Ÿข๐Ÿœ,๐Ÿต๐Ÿ‘Š,๐ŸŽข,๐Ÿ "

Isa: Oh this ones easy to translate. She's obviously saying Andy C and his MC Tonn Piper, Flume, Slow Thai, James Blake,The Prodigy, JOYRYDE, and the house music producer from Detroit, MK. See, like all the egos are triggered by music, we aren't really influenced by other fine artists because most of our ideas are channels and we get our syncs from music. You ever heard of Synesthesia? Yeah, that's how we operate. That's why we collaborate with musicians so much our craft, a lot of us would be pretty useless without it. Plus our energy is fucking fire and we have an ability to bring out the best out of artist's live. The Contaminator is such a freak, one good sync and she can have a full performance down to every last detail in a minute or two of food music. Usually for Candy though, the more chaotic the better. High energy all the time.



What else inspires your work or makes it easier for you to create? Do you listen to music when you work? Who is on your playlist? What does music do for your subconscious? Does it help stir up old memories?

C0c: "๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿ—บ๐Ÿ‘ฌ๐Ÿ‘ซ๐Ÿ‘ญ๐ŸŒˆ๐ŸŒˆ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ„๐Ÿญ" "๐Ÿ’ธ๐Ÿ’ธ๐Ÿ’ธ๐Ÿ’ธ" "โ“โ“โ“โ“โ“๐Ÿ’Ž"

Isa: Yeah so like stated before we use music. Candy is an individual that is so numb from trauma she's barely there, in her own world. But she has a fire soul so her technique is to take in the energy around her and from the musicians and come in fast,raw, and hard. Cotton Candy's art is completely subconscious nothing is planned it just depends on what the crowd and music is giving but its a bit creepy because it has a fortune telling aspect to it that's about 2 years early. Besides music from what she said color and dessert, even if she's numb 95 % of the time what's left is very chidlike and playful. Specutrum colors and especally hott pink helps calm her down so what i'm saying if you got a pink donut your'ure fucking set. You'l have her attention for about 5 seconds, if she doesn't fuck your dick off and then turn you into pink goo. You do know she is the world's most deadly chemical-warfare weapon right?

We all have different music tastes, so The Contaminator made separate playlists for us and shit so we can focus. Here is some music from Cotton Candy's spotify:

Justin Martin, Dalilah, Tchami- Stay Tchami Remix
CamePhat, LOWES, MK-Easier (Feat. LOWES)-MK Remix
Moe Shop -Maisou- Love Sick
Jack Stauberโ€™s Micropop- Coffee
Pariah-Prism
VIZE,ImaBek, Dieter Bohlen, Leony- Brother Louie (feat. Lenny)
Disclosure,Slowthai- My High
JOYRYDE- BROOKLYN
The Prodigy -Time Bomb Zone


Her next sentence says: "Wings". Music is her wings" That's too complex of a question for CC she doesn't understand what memories are, but between you and me,according to The Contaminator's research what is left of Cotton Candys memory isn't opened by music. She won't fucking tell me what it is, but I say out of all the Ego's she's more alive than ever but that's probably cause I'm Isa.


What is coming up for you in the Spring/Summer or Fall of this year? Any shows? Collaborations? General mischief?

C0c: "๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ๐Ÿ–ผ"

Isa: The Contaminator has instructed us to lay low to save or energy. We are like supernatural I guess so we attract a lot of bullshit that slows down our process and abundance. So The Contaminator and I have been working on clearing negative energy and blockages that go way back to help open energy us get to the next tier. We are in a waiting period, careful to not exhaust ourselves until the energy shifts and we get to the next level or a big opportunity. Cotton Candy and The Contaminator also just started training season for live performances. Those two are athletes, they are crazy. Sweat-gross. The Contaminator is trying to manifest a manager, agent/art consultant and shit like that to make our lives easier. On the low, I think running The Crew without the help she needs from a team,vehicle, healing etc, is wearing down her body but she has too much pride to admit it. She just needs ike a hired team for her own arat, honestly.
But for now when it comes to Candy she's just finishing iant 6-9 foot tall drawings from the last 3 years of live shows at various venues. It's easy for them to stack up unfinished especially when she has a lot of gigs lined up because there's a point where she gets bored and stops because they get too busy and it's better to perform with less drawing on the paper so it doesn't look gross. She really gets loose with a fresh drawing . The Contaminator is currently networking and trying to find a gallery that will host Cotton Candy for a solo show of those drawings with footage/art processes to let you into her world but thus far no luck. We are still building gallery contacts out here and have been ran around a lot so she's trying to find a way in and to do this during a pandemic-horrific. But yeah if you're lucky you can see her practicing at parks around LA, I wouldn't be surprised if more video performance art pops up on our Youtube and Instagrams in the meantime. Whoever this vouyer creep is that keeps capturing our lives and putting it online better send us a check. Shit is rough AF right now!





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