I’m totally stoked to be sharing my discussion with Missy Munster this week, for so many reasons. She’s intense AF, in literally every aspect of her life. Her creations inhabit a realm of monsters, demons, and anything you can think of that leans towards the blasphemous. Her attention to detail makes her work feel real enough that it can be unnerving.
Personally, I got to know her through the world of body suspension; I had ordered a few of her pieces for a show we were doing, and ended up adopting her masks into a number of our performances and installation pieces over the years. Getting to work with her in person on a casual shoot during the pandemic was also a bonus, because we got to know each other on a closer level.
Prior to that, our mutual friend and muse Jeanelle had been the primary tether between us. Be sure to check out my podcast episode with her!
When it comes to darker performance, and unapologetically raw art, we share some unique commonalities. We are not afraid to explore pain, discomfort, and the darker recesses of the mind, and this brings a quality that differentiates our multidisciplinary works from everything else out there.
In Missy’s case, her work stands out across multiple genres spanning performance art, installation art, sculpting, music video scenes, and more. Fuck, she even makes mic stands. There is a world of scary fantasy out there that most people don’t question when they see it in metal videos, or on Halloween postcards. For folks like Missy, this isn’t a seasonal thing; she lives and breathes her art.
Her life prior to establishing herself as an artist, was pretty rough. A traumatic childhood, and a rough trip into her industry all contributed to where she is now, and I respect how she has faced it all down and come out on top. It’s a success story that exposes how fucked up the world really is, and how we have to really look out for ourselves.
But it’s also a story about building your own community, and living your life the way you want to live it. It’s about pouring your intention into your work and your life honestly, and without holding back. I can’t imagine the stress of being a minority female in an industry dominated by loud white men.
Talking about some of the themes and influences in her work, Missy breaks down the symbology of certain animals, and how she harnesses the personalities and significance of the people she works with, to create the characters and scenes she is known for. Furthermore, she dives a bit into the occult aspects of her life, and she is quick to clear up any misconceptions about how that shit works: you’re either living it, or you’re faking it. Everything she does is 100% full bore commitment.
What’s really amazing to me about her no-BS approach, is how well she thrives in pure chaos. As a person who reduces designs down to crisp minimal aesthetics for the most part, it is really impressive to me when I see work like hers presented so cleanly. There is so much going on with it, from textures and colors, to subject matter and environmental elements. And yet, the final products are always so easy to perceive, and pick out.
Talking with Missy is very casual for me not just because we’ve worked together and are friends, but also because we share a baseline disdain for the structures that make up the world around us. We have a very deep relationship with pain; physical, emotional, and mental suffering is a tool for us. And on top of that, I think there is a healthy lack of fucks to give about what people think about our work.
In her case though, Missy leans into some of the most terrifying aspects of humanity, and the mythologies we have created around our existence. Specifically with religion and spirituality. Blasphemy is only offensive if you’re really uptight about your beliefs. And to be honest, if you’re fragile enough to be offended by work like hers, maybe your belief systems are not all that strong now are they?
When I ask Missy to tell a fucked up story or two, she does not disappoint. Listen in for some really crazy shit towards the end of our discussion - or don’t, if you want to avoid hearing some absolutely batshit crazy performance art stories. Needles, hooks, blood, and really obscure scenarios we find ourselves in are not for everybody. But they are certainly for those who can see how infinitely dark, and fucked up we can be as humans.
The only thing you can do to survive this world in one piece, is find ways to have fun. And while fun looks different for all walks of life, I personally find that higher intensity scenarios tend to give back more than societal baselines of “normal.”
Check out Missy’s work on Instagram, and let me know what you thought of our conversation! I will continue sharing these discussions with artists that are both into, and not into NFTs, and I hope it serves to introduce you to all different facets of the art world.
Join me next week for my episode with Mendezmendez!! Check him out on Twitter.
Transmission #31 - Missy Munster