THE MAN BEHIND "WEIRD LADY": An interview with john vochatzer
“WEIRD LADY IS WATCHING YOU.”
It’s an echoed warning on the streets of San Francisco.
No need to stare. You’ll see her again—
L'Oréal lips. Pink intestinal tangle. precarious ooze.
Three gray-blue eyeballs, glassy yet insistent.
I wondered about Weird Lady each time I saw her, leering from storefronts and street corners.
Smile or sneer? Politics or prank?
Given San Francisco's status as one of the most heavily surveilled cities in America, Weird Lady seemed an apt, if sinister, mascot. The opacity of her message meant it reflected new meaning day to day, signaling Silicon Valley voyeurism or simply inspiring self-consciousness.
Earlier this year, long after my first Weird Lady sighting, an artist friend of mine introduced me to Moth Belly Gallery, an art gallery in the SF Tenderloin owned and operated by KT Seibert and John Vochatzer.
“John is the artist ‘Calamity Fair,’” she informed me. “You know, ‘Weird lady is watching…’”
I had found him. The man behind the street specter.
The Weird Lady herself. (Courtesy John Vochatzer)
What follows is an exchange about Vochatzer’s early influences, life as an artist and gallery owner in San Francisco, and the origins of Weird Lady.
Naturally, I'm curious about Weird Lady's tagline.
John vochatzer: The Weird Lady poster was really just kind of a joke, but I don't mind the surveillance state connotations because I 100% think we live in that type of society now. San Francisco as this tech megalopolis is the embodiment of it. Originally, I had read a comment online that assumed the eyeball collage (not yet named “Weird Lady”) had something to do with the Illuminati. I thought that was hilarious. I had also never really looked at it that way. Hence, the “Weird lady is watching you” in the style of the old 1984 posters was born.
You've said that your street art is meant to express “grievances with private property.” Can you speak to that a little bit?
JV: I think I was alluding to the sentiment that our entire urban landscapes, especially in cities like San Francisco, are dominated by those with wealth and power. The average individual and artist have virtually no say in the intrusive advertising that's force fed to us at every bus stop and street corner, nor a say in the expensive condos or office buildings that the city we love is being demolished to make way for. Things like street art and graffiti take back a little bit of the city by giving voice and exposure to those who would otherwise have none.
Tell me about your earliest influences as an artist.
JV: I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been drawn to imagery that has a lot of activity… I think this began with Where's Waldo books and the cover art for Green Day’s “Dookie” album. Later, as a teenager, that led to a fascination with Hieronymus Bosch and Dutch Renaissance art. I think 90’s Nickelodeon—particularly Ren & Stimpy and Rocko’s Modern Life—probably had a pretty lasting effect as an artist with an affinity for the colorfully, humorously disturbing. Oh, and the Scary Stories To Tell in Dark illustrations probably fucked my head up more than I even realize, like they did with a lot of kids who grew up in the 90’s.
"Naked Except for Shoes On" by John Vochatzer.
What are your thoughts on the art scene in San Francisco right now?
JV: I think we’re living in a very transitional period for San Francisco as an artist city. A lot of artists considered the pandemic to have a silver lining in that it created opportunities for them to get a foot up and reevaluate their lives. For the first time in a long time, I started seeing artists move back to San Francisco. Thanks to the tech boom, it was always the opposite. In the past year that’s been starting to change, but I think it’s definitely still a trying time. It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out in the next few years, especially heading into a recession.
How do you respond to artists who dismiss San Francisco as a tech city?
JV: I can identify, but at the same time it doesn’t paint a full picture. It’s a little bit insulting to the people like me who have stayed here and are still putting in the work to make San Francisco a vibrant and creative city. That said, there’s also a lot of animosity towards the tech folks and the kind of city they’ve turned San Francisco into. The city has a lot of problems and that’s undeniable, but it’s still a great city for skateboarding, tattoos, lowbrow art and graffiti. There’s a lot of different subcultures and creative outlets in the city that haven’t gone anywhere, and they’re not going anywhere.
Moth Belly Gallery opened on Larkin Street in October 2021. (Photo by John Vochatzer)
Moth Belly Gallery launched Moth Belly Magazine in October. Tell me about your vision for it.
JV: I’ve always been a fan of Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose. The more I’ve been writing about artists, interviewing artists and delving into that world, the more practical publishing a magazine seemed.
We’re actually featuring Daniel “Atta Boy” Seifert, the co-founder of Hi-Fructose Magazine. He’s doing a solo show here in May, which I’m excited about. I’ve always looked up to him.
What does Moth Belly Gallery have in store for 2023?
JV: We’re definitely going to maintain the programming we currently have. As far as Moth Belly shows go, I want to start branching out into hosting other types of events. I think I might let some kids have a little punk show here in March, for example. As far as the media project goes, I’m looking forward to expanding and finding more contributors.
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