Artist Decoded by Yoshino

Ray Barbee is an American skateboarder, musician, and photographer originally from San Jose, California. He started skateboarding in 1984, when he was in seventh grade, and has grown to become one of the most iconic skateboarders of his generation. His passion and do-it-yourself attitude, which distinguish him as a musician and as a skateboarder, also define his photography. He has been developing his own photos for the last sixteen years. Rarely without his Leica M6, Ray brings the same unique perspective to the art of black and white film photography that he has brought to skateboarding. His pictures manage to capture both the loud and soft sounds of life. They document explorations, discoveries and experiences, while casually speaking of his own life at the same time. Ray’s seamless approach to capturing a moment while nurturing the image through the development process and bringing it to fruition in the darkroom make his photographs as humble and honest as the man behind the lens. He is also a recipient of the Transworld Skateboarding “LEGEND” Award and in 2020 was inducted into The Skateboard Hall of Fame. Topics Discussed In This Episode: * How Yoshino and Ray both grew up in the Bay Area (00:02:36) * Yoshino and Ray share stories about professional skateboarder Jerry Hsu (00:05:36) * The origins of Ray’s journey into the world of skateboarding (00:10:00) * How skateboarding can transform your creative mindset 00:17:24) * The art of trial and error (00:22:03) * Ray’s journey into becoming a musician (00:27:02) * Naivety as a powerful tool, and how it has shifted due to advances in technology (00:31:06) * Building resilience (00:38:09) * “The gym of life” and building character through experience (00:43:39) * How Ray’s location influenced his skateboarding and opportunities (00:51:45) * Ray’s approach to photography (00:58:17) * Ray’s newest photography book: The Joy is in Capturing the Journey (01:10:03) * Staying curious (01:20:56) artistdecoded.com [http://www.artistdecoded.com] instagram.com/r.barbee [http://www.instagram.com/r.barbee]

Yulia Bas’s artwork explores the fragmentation of contemporary individuality, healing, and the body as a somatic memory tool. Across her paintings, sculptures, and installations, equilibrating between figuration and abstraction, Yulia employs unconventional materials to explore her perception of physical and mental thresholds, transitional states, and subjective wholeness. Guided by her personal journey of transformation through body therapy and meditation as well as her immigrant background, Yulia's work embodies her experience of multiplicity of self. She searches for ways to show the tension that comes from the necessity of coexisting with different identity faucets, real, digital, and imagined ones. Topics Discussed In This Episode: * Yulia and Yoshino discuss creative struggles (00:03:05) * How Yulia got her start in the arts (00:06:57) * The importance of micro and macro decisions in life (00:10:15) * Structuring and creating order, and knowing when to break out of it (00:15:02) * Negative stereotypes of being an artist (00:17:44) * Allowing vulnerabilities to inform us, and tapping back into a childlike mindset (00:24:53) * Questioning what art is and expressing oneself honestly (00:37:05)  * Taking time for rest and contemplation, and trying not to overwork the process (00:43:11)  * Yulia talks about her painting process (00:49:28) * Yulia speaks about experimentation and stepping into performance art (01:05:13) * Yoshino speaks about studying martial arts and observing false narratives around masculinity and femininity (01:11:47)  * Advice Yulia would give to her younger self (01:36:57) artistdecoded.com [http://www.artistdecoded.com] yuliabas.com [http://www.yuliabas.com/] instagram.com/yulia__bas [http://www.instagram.com/yulia__bas/]

Iranian-American director and writer Saman Kesh has the most Vimeo staff picks, ever. He attributes this accolade to excessive consumption of rocket fuel and a knack for combining the human experience with a healthy dose of controlled chaos. Saman gained recognition with popular music videos like Cinnamon Chasers: Luv Deluxe (which won ‘Best Video’ at SXSW), Kygo: Stole The Show and Basement Jaxx: Never Say Never, along with videos for Calvin Harris, Ed Sheeran, and Placebo. He has also directed award-winning commercials for major brands like Zoom, Google, Uber, Toyota and Nintendo. Saman has written and directed industry-hailed short films, CONTROLLER and HIT TV, and is currently developing several feature films. On his off hours, he plays video games and trolls racists. Topics Discussed In This Episode: * Yoshino and Saman catching up (00:02:14) * Imbuing authenticity into commercial creations (00:05:54) * Saman speaks about his experience shooting the “Azizam” music video for Ed Sheeran (00:20:38) * Saman reflects on 15 years in the film and commercial industry (00:29:43) * Saman discusses dealing with triggering moments on set, and how he has learned to comport himself appropriately in those situations (00:39:04) * Yoshino asks about romantic relationships and finding a shared rhythm with a partner (00:43:44) * Knowing how to make the most truthful decisions for our lives (00:49:56) * Getting out of analysis paralysis (00:56:24) * Saman reflects on how his past self might perceive who he is today (00:59:00) artistdecoded.com [http://www.artistdecoded.com] samankesh.com [http://www.samankesh.com/] instagram.com/saman_kesh [http://www.instagram.com/saman_kesh]

Tomas Watson (b.1971) is a British artist who has lived and worked in Greece since 1994. He studied at the Slade School of Art in London. In 1998, he won the BP Portrait Award and was subsequently commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint the author John Fowles. This portrait is in their permanent collection. He is represented by the Jill George Gallery in London (www.jillgeorgegallery.co.uk [http://www.jillgeorgegallery.co.uk]) and Accesso Galleria in Tuscany (www.accessogalleria.com [http://www.accessogalleria.com]) Topics Discussed In This Episode: * Tomas recounts where his artistic journey began (00:02:11)  * The importance of mentorship (00:07:46)  * Tomas's experiences at Slade University in London from 1990 - 1994 (00:09:28)  * Discussing mark-making (00:14:42)  * Having the courage to trust your artistic vision and perspective (00:26:22)  * Tomas winning the BP Portrait Award in 1998 (00:35:33)  * Cultivating a creative community and creating collective dialogue (00:43:35)  * Tomas discusses his process of creating carborundum etchings and using various other mediums (00:54:01)  * Tomas speaks about the Sigri Arts Retreat, the artist retreat he co-founded with his partner, Cindy Camatsos, in Lesvos, Greece (01:10:56) * Living alternative lifestyles, staying patient, and allowing oneself to grow over time (01:18:36) www.artistdecoded.com [http://www.artistdecoded.com] www.tomaswatson.com [http://www.tomaswatson.com/] www.sigriartsretreat.com [http://www.sigriartsretreat.com/]

Pasqual Gutierrez is a writer, director and actor. Sundance 2025 Comedy “Serious People” was his debut into feature filmmaking alongside veteran documentary filmmaker Ben Mullinkosson who co-wrote and directed. Gutierrez is also 1/2 of music video directing duo CLIQUA who has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Rosalia, Madonna, and more. Gutierrez is developing his second feature, a sequel to Serious People. Ben Mullinkosson was raised in the suburbs of Chicago and trained in directing at Chapman University. After graduating Ben spent 15 years directing commercial work and documentary films between Los Angeles and Shanghai. Ben's newest film, SERIOUS PEOPLE, directed with Pasqual Gutierrez premiered at Sundance 2025 Film Festival. The film is sold by 2AM. He is most well known for his feature length film DON'T BE A DICK ABOUT IT which won the Audience Award at the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam in 2018 and is currently distributed in North America by Oscilloscope Laboratories. en also recently premiered his five-year project, THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS, which won the Special Jury Mention prize at CPH:DOX in March 2023 and was sold to MUBI. The film was represented for sales by CAA and a is co-production between Kindred Spirit (Executive producer of THE FAREWELL and HONEY BOY) and /avelength (Executive producer of CUSP and WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR). Among Ben's advertisements, SAMSUNG: VOICES OF LIFE with Agency Leo Burnett won a silver lion at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival in 2016. His UNESCO World Heritage Ad with agency TBWA, THE LEFT HAND, was nominated for the ADC awards in 2020. His other clients include Facebook, Beats, Vivo, Yelp, The Home Depot, VANS, Converse, Apple, Red Bull, VICE and Nowness. His short film, GNARLY IN PINK, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 and premiered online as a NYT Op-Doc. A number of his other short films have received Vimeo Staff Picks and others have millions of views. Ben is repped for commercials by Florence in Los Angeles. He also speaks Chinese fluently and is an X Games gold medalist for halfpipe skateboard competition in China.  Topics Discussed In This Episode: * How the idea for Serious People came to Pasqual in a dream (00:03:15) * Pasqual and Ben’s writing process for Serious People (00:08:26) * Developing the film’s narrative and structure (00:11:38) * Casting Miguel Huerta as the doppelgänger (00:16:17) * Pasqual’s reflections on parenting (00:23:46) * Friendship, the creative process, and working with friends (00:29:23) * Being authentic and leaning into one’s childlike sensibilities (00:45:32) * Shifting our perspective and opening ourselves up for magic to be observed (00:59:36) * Final thoughts and future plans (01:09:26) artistdecoded.com [http://artistdecoded.com] Ben’s Links: benmullinkosson.com [https://benmullinkosson.com/] instagram.com/benmullinkosson [http://www.instagram.com/benmullinkosson] Pasqual’s Links: pasqualgutierrez.com [http://www.pasqualgutierrez.com/] instagram.com/pasqualgutierrez [http://www.instagram.com/pasqualgutierrez/] instagram.com/cliquamundo [http://www.instagram.com/cliquamundo/?hl=en]