About John Santerineross
Introduction
John Santerineross (born John Douglas Hernandez; April 19th 1955) is an American photographer with a background in ceramics and painting. He is considered a "neo-symbolist" or a Black symbolist as he refers to himself, an artist that continues or reinterprets the 19th century art movement Symbolism. Like its predecessor, neo-symbolism focuses on the spiritual, the subconscious, and dreams. Santerineross’ unique style and content has inspired an entire new generation of artists. His complex aesthetic is derived from a combination of his exposure to Catholicism and Santeria, his fascination with Greek mythology, and the subconscious ramifications of childhood trauma, world religions, and iconography.
Born in 1955 in New York City, he lived most of this life in the northeast and now works out of Athens, Georgia. He is known for his dark, erotic images and has been shown both nationally and internationally. Santerineross’ art has been in exhibitions in nearly every major city in the United States, including events such as the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival in which he was inducted into the prestigious Masters of Erotic Art in 2018. His art has been exhibited in cities around the world including Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Rome, London, Quebec, Prague, Lima, Bondeno (Italy), and Lugo Galicia (Spain). His largest New York City show took place at KFMK Gallery in June 2006, showing 22 of his 28” x 32” photographic images. In 2014 he showed at Vanilla Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, and featured 58 of his images, making it his largest solo exhibition to date.
Throughout John’s artistic career, his refusal to be limited by any one medium has led him to master multiple artistic disciplines; he has been a ceramist, sculptor, painter, and mixed media artist. He has recently delved into the world of moving images and has already directed several short art films. Currently, Santerineross is in the preproduction phase of an adaptation of an avant-garde short story entitled “Ningyoushi”.
Ceramics 1979- 1989
Santerineross was a ceramist from 1979 to 1989 and received acclaim for his extremely large stoneware "canteens", as well as other works. He was represented by 12 major galleries, including Unlimited Gallery in NYC and Elaine Potter Gallery in San Francisco. Many of his pieces, airbrushed with intricate and colorful geometric designs, were extremely well received in the press (as reported in the New York Times) and by collectors.
The end of the ceramics era was twofold. An earthquake in San Francisco destroyed a substantial portion of his work and, congruently, a lime contamination in the clay body resulted in lime popping. This, in turn, ruined 80% of the pieces of his master's thesis, leading John to believe it may be time to yet again switch mediums. Turning away from ceramics completely, he delved into painting - his first love.
Painting and Artfux 1989-1992
The next phase of evolution for John was Artfux, an activist art group of which Santerineross was a founding member. Artfux was one of the pioneers of “Culture Jamming”, the practice of parodying ads and hijacking billboards to drastically alter their messages. They developed socially-charged street and gallery actions and performances that received international coverage, the most famous being “The Trial of Senator Jesse Helms” performed on the steps of Capital Hill in Washington DC in 1990. The motto of the group was “Art pushes, art provokes, Artfux”.
While Artfux both illegally altered billboards and staged street actions and performances, it was their billboard alterations that had the most distinct social impact. By altering these billboards, they hoped to draw attention to the issue of the disproportionate number of advertisements for tobacco and liquor in poor black and Latino neighborhoods. Other social issues that they confronted included gay rights, AIDS, corporate greed, environmental causes, racism, homelessness, and women’s rights. Artfux worked alongside fellow artists such as Ron English and activist groups such as ACT UP.
It, as well its offshoot Cicada Core of Artists, were active from 1989 to 1992. During this time, Santerineross was creating very large (8 to 10 ft) acrylic paintings as part of Artfux installation pieces. He began using photographic images from newspapers and other reference materials within his paintings, but when he could not find the images he desired, he decided to pick up a camera himself. ArtFux and Cicada Core of Artists ran their course and John decided to move his focus to photography.
Photography 1994-present
Santerineross has been influenced and inspired by image-makers such as Irina Ionesco and Jan Saudek. He started taking photographs in 1994; his first 5 years of work resulted in the 1999 release of his first book, Fruit of the Secret God. Published in a limited number and filled with the dark, erotic images that would become his signature, it is now a collector's item. His second book, Dream, was published in 2004 and serves as an exploration of John's dream imagery and iconography through the use of the photographic medium. He then spent some time concentrating on photographing his miniature tableaux creations, with which he began to experiment in 1999 and continues to explore.
While all of his early photographs were taken with a medium format Mamiya RB67 traditional film camera, John now shoots digital images.
Moving Image Art Films 2005-present
“Child, Doll or Bone” was John’s first experiment with moving images; produced in 2005, it is a disturbingly beautiful look into the mind of a “cutter”. In it, a young girl shows the inspiration she finds in her somewhat bizarre ritual, sharing with us the beauty found in an act that most would consider disquieting. After completing this first film, John went on to create several short art films that capture his aesthetic in not just a single photograph, but in complex, emotive, moving images that tell wordless tales of the human condition. From “In a Dream”, a short film inspired by the photograph of the same title, to “You Are Not Alone”, a visual exploration of depression, mental illness, and the universal sense of isolation and loneliness that serves as a reminder that we are not alone in this world, his stories remain simultaneously haunting and beautiful.
To date, Santerineross has created a total of 12 short films, including a music video for the band “Vast” and a collaboration with renowned Japanese photographer Daikichi Amano, which is his latest striking visual tale. As this migration from still images to moving images continues, John Santerineross has found his voice yet again. While his photographs captured a powerful and meaningful message in a single moment, his films draw the viewer in to watch his sets come to life as his tales are told through his iconic imagery, often paired with original music by composer Vincent Andelmoth (INsCissorS).
Santerineross feels that, as he once seamlessly migrated from ceramics to painting and from painting to photography, his transition from still images to moving images is the next incarnation of his creative outlet.
Summary
John Santerineross’ artistic career is based on commitment, integrity, passion, and dedication. He is an artist who does not like to be classified or categorized, preferring to let the viewer decide and define. This openness has allowed viewers to interpret his work in every manner imaginable. Hailed “the world’s leading Neo-symbolist photographer” by PROFIFOTO, Germany’s leading photography magazine, John has also been called an “artistic assassin who wants to artistically assassinate Christianity, especially Catholicism” in Bill Donohue’s book “Secular Sabotage: How Liberals Are Destroying Religion and Culture in America”. In this, Santerineross is mentioned along with several other groundbreaking artists, including Andres Serrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Cindy Sherman.
Despite the wide range of responses to his art, John never elucidates his imagery for fear of limiting viewers’ personal interpretations. He is influenced by the early symbolists’ belief that “the creation of a mood is as important as the transmission of information; (it must also) seek to engage the entire mind and personality of the viewer by appealing to the viewer’s emotions and unconscious mind, as well as to their intellect”.
