Excellence in all its forms – from the masterful paintings of Michaelangelo, to an ivy league education to Olympic gold medals, is meant to inspire and socialize aspirations of improving oneself in order to push societal achievement and legacy to the next level. Artist Sean Go, who has 8 degrees from UC Berkeley, Columbia, Emory, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Parsons School of Design, is not confined to a single discipline and uses his diverse perspectives to spark intellectual discourse on what it means to retain childlike optimism and to walk a unique path despite societal pressure and expectation. 

Go’s visual smorgasbord of icy-sweet Disney Princesses and puppy-like Pokémon come in the form of imperfection, abstracted and grungy. However, they are also charged with immense movement and life, with the carefree brushstrokes mimicking fire, water, and howling winds when viewed up close. With sloppy impastos which may trigger the art historical lover, the clumping of paint in the most innocent way communicates to the viewers that if you cannot have a curious spirit in artistic creativity, then perhaps the judgement of others is too weighty in your minds. Go’s unchained methodology comes at a particular apt time, when the pressure to follow convention is considered the dutiful approach to life.

For Go, his whole artistic process is about breaking rules and finding solace in what makes someone happy. In playing with paints, we ought to discover joy and fulfill our visual callings in whatever form they may appear, even if the result may create choppy waves instead of calm ones, and the flames appear unpredictable rather than controlled. Go’s pieces offer an emotional and accurate depiction of the human condition, abundant with examples that call to themes that are universal as well as themes that are specific to an individual’s human experience. In choosing narratives that make the viewer the protagonist of the art, Go’s visual iconography directly alludes to artists like Jeff Koons and James Turrell. 

In Go’s more recent work, that debuts gods and monsters, a child-like sense of wonder is ever present and contagious. The use of multiple medias which range from acrylic, spray, recycled rubber, leather paint, and grease pencil create layers of multiplicity in Go’s work. Go aims to use art as a means of cultivating creativity while balancing art as a tool to connect with past and future times. In expressing a youthful approach to art, Go’s art plays with nostalgia and romanticizing lost treasures that can only be found and stimulated by the colors, impastos, and triggers of art. Through Go’s art, we are able to preserve time in a way, when we are momentarily drawn to memories of our younger years.

Go’s work too, is constantly in conversations with artists of the past, which include those in ancient Hellenic times like Praxiteles, to more recent artists like Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. In creating new art, dialogues with past artists enhance the meaning of Go’s work – in his Triple Hulk Elvis, he features the Marvel character as a zesty guardian of culture fashioned as a terra cotta warrior, one that celebrates tradition while expanding global reach, and timely commentary on the ubiquity of global capitalism. Go’s work Venomouse, has a similar cultural critique of large corporations that can violate antitrust laws, yet have a mixed positive influence on shaping society’s happiness. For an artist with art historical training such as Go, his art seeks to inform and provide guidance on societal beliefs in our current century.

In being a renaissance man of elite intellectual caliber, Go’s collector base appeals to the sophisticated Ivy League graduates and those with a finer appreciation of art history, discerning enough to separate brash strokes with the significance of doing so. At the same time, Go’s work is accessible to everyone, even those without an appreciation for art history. Through symbols that are deeply personal and nostalgic in the form of cartoon characters, Go’s art is a joy for those beginning their journey in art too. For Go, his pedigreed intelligence is cemented by his gallery shows across 3 continents and his ability to express deeper meanings to spark connections to people in vastly different countries and cultures. With an array of allusions in his art and as someone who paints across multiple cultural meanings, Go is reviving the definition of a renaissance man, when specialization seems to be the popular path forced upon by societal consensus among professions. The fear in being too specialized is that one can become one-dimensional, and flat stories without complexity lack the power to inspire others. Go’s work provides a viable alternative – he invites viewers to reconnect with their own childlike imagination and curiosity. 

Go’s career in essence is summed up as a renaissance revival – both in action, spirit, and messaging. It takes an extreme level of commitment to chart diverse fields like Go, but in exploring comes the ability to tell memorable stories, sometimes through picturesque anime characters and other times through unbridled superheroes. The next time you visit a museum, you might find yourself wondering if the displayed renaissance artists embody the spirit of mastering multiple subjects, and if perhaps they too have 8 degrees.

ITP Media Group newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.