Photo Issue Interview – Jaimie Warren

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Hey! Our annual Photo Issue is online today, and there are white horses in the street baring banners and court attendants in full regalia and poofy-knickered trumpet players blaring the VICE anthem and there is this interview we did with Jaimie Warren. She so kindly gave us her gorgeous , the first of a new series where she takes Photoshopped collages she finds on the internet that have a bit of art history and a bit of pop culture (see above) and recreates them as self-portraits. She’s loving the project so much that she’s considering it just may be what she ends up doing every day for the rest of her life: “Just wait till you see my ‘Lasagna Del Rey’ mask!” This series exhibits in September at the Miami Dade College, where the Art Gallery System is transitioning into the Museum of Art and Design. 

VICE: Who are these babes you got around you, dressed all mythical, while you’re a grizzled green outer space toad guru?
Jaimie Warren: These are my roommates! I get to just hang out all day looking like a disgusting yoda, while they get dolled up and beautiful. It’s amazing. This photo is actually like a portrait of my life. 

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And what was this occasion?
I was so happy because I was awarded a brand new free studio through Studios, Inc. in Kansas City from my amazing sponsors Mike and Linda Lyon. I have a rent- and utility-free studio for three years that’s about 3,000 square feet. I am so excitedthe new studio has totally given me the opportunity to make a giant, insane mess at any hour of the day with all of my friends! And they will do ANYTHING for pizza, even get nude! This was the house-warming photo. Immediately following this, we had a Waka Flocka dance party and then watched Kindergarten Cop together.

Why are all of your self-portraits so flattering?
Why, THANK YOU!

How do you feel about being our new DOs & DON’Ts Book Two cover girl?
I feel sexy, spicy, sultry, sassy! Just like a cover girl should!

What else have you been up to lately?
My new series of photos are creating self-portraits from the diptychs created by anonymous uploaders from www.totallylookslike.com. Here’s me as Tan Mom to give you an idea:


Ha! You’re in Kentucky right nowwhat’re you doing there?
Whoop Dee Doo, the kids show I work on with co-director Matt Roche and more than a dozen other artists, was invited to create an installation for a music festival, but it didn’t fall under our mission as a non-profit. But we thought it would be super fun and weird to make a giant underwater ghost ship-themed installation with this crazy synth music soundtrack, so we started a new organization called CREAMPALS!! Hire CREAMPALS to make all of your nonsensical cardboard dreams come true!

What’s up these days with Whoop Dee Doo?
Whoop Dee Doo always takes over my life because I love working with kids and making the show better. We just finished up some huge projects in San Antonio, Portland, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and have an upcoming project or two in Miami. We are getting better with every show and everyone who helps with the project is incredible. It is seriously a group of people who are totally generous, interesting, and so creative I cant believe it! And we are always working with different youth groups and community groups, and the show gets weirder and more amazing every time.

Prove it!
Here are some images from our recent Baltimore show, curated by the amazing Deana Haggag.

We had Saman dancers with giant eyeballs, Nepali superstar Prem Raja Mahat, a youth polka duo, the Baltimore Police Honor Guard doing a “presentation of our unit’s colors,” meaning a display of Whoop Dee Doo’s flags to the sound of an original national anthem composed by Whoop Dee Doo artists, professional wrestlers, Grim Reapers, pageant queens (even Miss Baltimore and Miss Washington DC!), Charm City Cakes as alien bakers, and tons of dancing! All with the help of kids from Muse 360 and 901 Arts. It blew our minds.

It’s blowing my mind, and I wasn’t even there.
Besides the new photos and Whoop Dee Doo, mostly hanging out with a really cool bulldog named Louise and swimming at the Marriott because it’s the only thing to do here. I love it!

You have a dream life. What are some of your tips for success?
Ha, well, I think you might have that wrong, since my new tip for success is to watch Say Yes to the Dress in order to become a good salesperson. Reality television is my real excitement. Plus my amazing friends—artists like Matt and Lee, Erin Zona, Natalie Myers, Katie Vaughters, too many to count. I have a dream life only because of these guys. But we are all doing awesome things because there is nothing here to distract us. Who would have thought that would be the key: Live in a cheap, ugly, dangerous city, and the ideas will just flow right in because you stay locked indoors in the air conditioning! Making giant artichoke masks and Ivana Trump costumes while watching Flavor of Love—it really is a dream life!

@lizzyarmstrong