Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Erykah Townsend of Cleveland

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Erykah Townsend. Check out our conversation below.

Erykah, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
What makes me lose track of time is my perfectionism, which leads to overthinking or waiting for a simple task to be completed before I can start something else. An example of this struggle is when I settle into a new art studio space. Even if the space is nice and ready to go, I find it hard to jump straight into making art. I always feel the need to build something or renovate the space to make it functional and feel like my own. As a result, I often end up not focusing on creating art and end up with too many projects on my plate. This has even happened to me during my undergraduate studies. Eventually, I understand the importance of making my space to my liking, but I always wish I could force myself to just focus on making art. I guess my studio is an art installation in itself.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Erykah Townsend, and I’m a conceptual artist from Cleveland, Ohio. My art boldly confronts and questions the role of pop culture in our lives. I use pop culture as a medium itself —exploring the spaces it occupies in our lives and inquiring how real the imaginary is. Through reflective and humorous narratives, I employs characters, cultural icons, and objects as allegories for her criticism. Additionally, my work incorporates elements from their original sources, providing the audience with a fresh and sentimental experience. My art is firmly grounded in the concept of extremism. Where I boldly explores a range of subjects within Western culture, pop culture, and human relationships, delivering sharp social commentary on the significant challenges that emerge when things are taken too far.

I am currently working on a group show titled “New Work,” which is part of my FRONT Fellowship and will be held at the Transformer Station in Cleveland, Ohio on October 2nd, 2015. My body of work for this show is inspired by the book “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats. It celebrates joy and critiques the constraints imposed by identity politics within the art world.

Additionally, I have an exhibition at MOCA Cleveland called “Happy Holidays.” This show offers a social commentary on how consumerism has overshadowed the true spirit of Christmas. It will be up until January 4th, 2026.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory is when I wanted an Incredible Hulk-themed birthday party for my 5th birthday. It might seem like a small thing, but as a girl, some people in my family thought it was too “boyish” and silly, as if girls couldn’t like the Hulk. My mother didn’t care and still threw me the party and she was also a Hulk fan. During the party, there were still some naysayers, but I didn’t care. I was being myself, and that was maybe the first time I rebelled against societal standards. Yes, it all started with wanting a Hulk-themed birthday party as a little girl—hilarious, right?

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I believe that suffering is a form of teaching; it is a way of learning the hard way. It prepares you for life and makes you wiser. It gives you the experience to become stronger and helps you understand different routes you can take to avoid making the same bad decisions. I think it pushes you to strive for what you want, driving you to improve and set goals. Without suffering or dealing with frustration, I don’t believe you can grow as a person. What is life if everything is handed to you?

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
I really rely on Matt Stone’s and Trey Parker’s philosophy for their South Park show. Sometimes I don’t think people understand how important the show is and how it has built its reputation by making fun of everyone, providing both comedy and social commentary without bias. Everyone can be make fun of. Their use of contemporary topics makes the show refreshing and prevents it from becoming stale like many other shows that fail to adapt their content. Their approach to storytelling has always inspired me. They also don’t hold back and are true to themselves, which is another source of inspiration for me. So, I guess their ideas about criticizing society, exposing extremism, calling out hypocrisy, and being unapologetically themselves resonate with me deeply.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes! Living in Cleveland, Ohio, my style of art doesn’t conform to social norms here and can sometimes be considered unimportant. I believe this struggle isn’t just a Cleveland issue; many artists face their work being dismissed as “bad art” because it doesn’t follow a visual or conceptual approach that is easily appreciated by the average person. I do receive a good amount of negative comments about my work, especially since it often incorporates elements of pop culture. However, I don’t really let it stop me from creating. Sometimes it does get to me, but DADA fought for us to be here, and I’m not going anywhere, haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Erykahtownsend.com
• Instagram: @Erykahtownsend

Image Credits
Tim Safranek