Landry Butler
Nashville, Tennessee
Multidisciplinary Artist
Landry Butler is a multidisciplinary American artist known for his visual art, spoken word and music. He was born in Memphis, Tenn., and identifies as a cis-het Large Black GuyTM who is very comfortable expressing both “masculine” and “feminine” traits, which probably makes him a bit queer in the eyes of traditional society. A keen observer of life, Butler’s genre-crossing work deals with themes of change, personal growth and self-actualization in a society that encourages alienation, fear and self-consumption. His primary inspiration is chronic depression which creates a compulsive need to document important periods and events in his life. Butler combines different genres and styles in his work, drawing from psychdelia, experimental film and music, poetry, mysticism, and science. His work deals with themes of change, the nature of time and reality, personal growth and self-actualization in an enviroment that encourages alienation, fear and self- consumption. His work can be deceptively simple and minimal, but full of allusions, knowing glances and subtle nods. Each piece is a signal, an encoded signpost to mark the journey and point the way. He is a founding member and master wordsmith with the underground art music collective, Inglewood Social Club. He also has been a founding member of many other local art groups in Nashville, the most successful of which was untitled, which lasted 25 years and used the model of a one-night pop-up show in a non-traditional space. Butler has confused, bewildered and occasionally upset audiences with his paintings, photographs and music. His largest impact however is mostly behind the scenes in the way he is able to draw disparate groups of people together for a common goal. Those enduring connections will continue to have positive repercussions well into the future.
“I think a lot. I think about weird things. For example, I’m aware that all of us will die at some point. My goal has always been to create art and interact with others in a way that at the very least does no harm, and at best can engender a feeling of caring community in others. We’re all in this together.”