Art Tits Lily & The World’s Best Littlest Kiosk
Interview and Kiosk Visit By John Vochatzer
A few months ago, when I got a random text from Lily informing me that she “got a kiosk,” my initial reaction was “what in the fuck are you talking about?” Had the dregs of life in modern day San Francisco finally gotten to my dear friend and was she now losing it? Well, perhaps, but apparently the city had also initiated some program to activate all of those long out-of-use newsstand kiosks in and around the financial district by giving them to artists on short-term trial leases. Lily, being the industrious go-getter that she is, pounced on the application process and next thing you know, voila, she is now the proud tenant of what some (namely Lily and a few friends) are hailing as the best littlest kiosk in the world.
Located smack dab on the corner of 4th and Mission, right across the street from The Metreon, the kiosk is just about as centrally located as you can get within the consumer epicenter of downtown SF. Now stuffed to the brim with a huge selection of different art prints, fanzines, t-shirts, and other handmade goods by Lily & friends, this 3-foot-wide, avocado green newsstand is now one fully equipped booth to be reckoned with. Recently Lily held the closest thing to what might be considered a grand opening; a couple weekends ago a mixture of friends, family, and occasional passersby gathered on a sunny afternoon and enjoyed coffees or beers outside the kiosk and just kinda stood there in awe for a couple hours. There was never anything quite like it and it’s a moment we’ll all probably remember for the rest of our lives.
Friends and family members gathering at the kiosk.
With the aspiration of gradually getting around to doing features on all of my artist friends, and in celebration of the opening of the kiosk, I decided what better time to do an interview with Lily who is someone that has most certainly come to be one of my closest friends and accomplices. This also happens to be Lily’s very first interview and in it we delved into a lot of questions that I, for one, was curious to know the answers to and had surprisingly never asked. Join us as we learn about her life growing up as an artist in San Francisco, whether or not this really is the “best” littlest kiosk, and lastly about the mystery surrounding her beloved and now ubiquitous “Takosan Wiener” icon seen widely wheat-pasted throughout the city. Enjoy.
Interview
Yo Lily, what's up! Lets just get this question out of the way: where'd the handle "Art Tits" come from? What's the story? Everybody is dying to know...
My first handle was “Slumpnut” and I deleted it on a whim one day. When I was ready to rejoin Instagram the Slumpnut handle had been swooped. It was a hot commodity. At the time I had acquired a large amount of old Playboy magazines from one of SF's oldest bars (I won't name it because an old man yelled at me when I was taking them, I think he definitely had been utilizing them in the toilets for many years). The bartender, who was a woman, had told me it was okay to take them. I imagine the owner coming in and yelling "what happened to the old titty mags!?” and her being like "I have no idea.”
Anyways, I had a lot of images of boobs so i made a lot of boob collages. Then everyone thought I was obsessed with boobs, they'd be like “hey, Lily look, boobs!" And I’d be like “why are you telling me this?” But alas I realized I was now the boob woman. So with Slumpnut being taken, Art Tits just made sense. The boob life chose me. Not to mention “art tits” also sounds like “artist" and I think that's funny.
I'd consider you a multidisciplinary artist if there ever was one. Since I've known you I've seen you work with beads, photography, tie-dye and printmaking just to name a few. What mediums have you enjoyed working in most lately?
Handmade t-shirt design by Lily.
I think most artists are multidisciplinary. Whether it's the work we show or not, I think we're always dabbling in different things, which includes dance and music. Right now I've been trying to get back into photography. I think I have brain damage though because I always forget how to do things I know I knew how to do at one point. Which could be a reason why my work is always so varied. I just keep forgetting what I am supposed to be and I keep making new things. Why do I think I have brain damage? Great question. In college I really liked smoking weed but when I studied abroad in Japan, weed is very illegal there. They do sell synthetic weed however, which I smoked with some classmates and I feel like it changed my personality for like 10 years. That's the short story. I've told a few people this and they think it's all in my head and I'm like: exactly. Currently I'm working on two different projects; one is a series of linocut prints based on photos I take of discarded electronics in the street, titled "The Upgrade " and the second project I've been doing concurrently is a series of oversized abstract Perler bead pieces. I put the beads on the pegboard, over and over again. It helps me with my anxiety.
You were born and raised here in SF, which seems to be more and more a rarity amongst artists I meet. Can you tell me what it was like growing up as an artist in San Francisco?
When you grow up in San Francisco you're not really aware that it's rare, it's just all you've ever known. For example there's 18 high schools in SF (I know that because I just looked it up) and when you're growing up every kid your age is from SF. You're surrounded by SF natives, that's all you know. Although I do think there's always an inherent pride in the city you come from. Like I felt bad for people who were born on a corn farm in Nebraska but now that I'm older I think the idea of living on a farm is pretty special. I also never planned on living here as an adult. I feel like when you are from here it's very dangerous to stay too long, you have to at least leave for a bit and then come back, otherwise you risk developing drug and alcohol problems. It’s like the hometown curse. Maybe it's because you have to watch people move into your city, tear up your favorite spots and make it so you can't even afford an apartment here. I definitely felt that and was really angry for a long time, but it didn't change anything, it just kind of destroyed me, so I figured I could get stuck in a moment in time or I could just keep moving. But it took me a long time to reach that point. I mean I still can't afford an apartment here. Although I don’t sleep in the kiosk, I’ve thought about it.
Tell me about this kiosk. How the hell did it come about? Is it really the “best” littlest kiosk? And what makes it so special?
My good friend sent me an article in SF Gate about the opportunity, it sounded like a lot of fun plus it was free, which was a huge motivator for me. I’m really tired of paying for things. I poked around and got the application and applied. My dad has always said to me that I’m his favorite youngest daughter. I have only one sister, and I'm sure he tells my sister she’s his favorite oldest daughter. So in that same line of logic, that's how my kiosk is the best littlest kiosk in SF.
You have all kinds of cool stuff from our artist friends for sale in the kiosk. Everything from t-shirts, to zines, to "Holy Snacks" communion wafers. What are some of your personal faves? What would you recommend to a customer looking for suggestions?
I'm not trying to run a successful business, ha! I just want to take up space and be seen. I'm still here, SF, lingering in your vacant spaces, sucking up your air. I'll take your money if you give it to me, that's kind of my store motto. And I'm excited to include other artists in on that (now that they read this, they might be questioning their involvement). I want to make money from my art, I'm not saying that's a bad thing but I'm just figuring it out in my own way, and in the meantime I have a day job. I've been really lucky and have had some amazing artists drop off work to contribute: @looksnatcher, @dffoakland @ianthemeow, @yourfacecreations, @emilylfromm, @brandonjosephbaker, @birdsnatch, @saviida, @__braxx__, @SFOGnorthbeach, @janetrosenkrantz, @softtimesgallery, and ZEKE. So for people looking to buy things, I suggest just poking around and picking out whatever speaks to you.
I know you haven't been open for very long, but any memorable experiences at the kiosk yet? Make any cool new friends or see any crazy shit or anything like that?
Loads of friendly people. I had a man recite poetry to me, it was really good! Meeting all kinds of different artists. It’s funny, the people in suits don’t even turn their heads to see me as they walk an inch from my store front. But I’ll catch the eye of someone half a block away and I’ll know “oh, that’s a creative person.” We’re seeking each other out. It’s cool.
Tell me a little bit about your street art. Your paste-up styles are a little all-over-the-place and look like they could have been made by several different artists. I've grown to appreciate this more and more and find it very refreshing in a scene that is most often dominated by repetition and self-branding. What are your motives behind this?
No motive. I just can't help it. You know when you’ve got a bunch of toys and you didn't know what to bring to show-and-tell so you brought them all? Me neither. I think I brought my 3-ring-binder in for a show-and-tell once. I'm just excited to share my work. Takosan Wiener is what my friend JP likes to call "party garbage.” It's silly, it doesn't really mean anything, but people like it. Candy doesn't have to have a point, that's why it's candy. But to balance that out I might make a more political piece to accompany it. I just need everything all at once. I like variety. I try to satisfy all the aspects of my personality and if I do just one thing too much I'll feel unbalanced.
And what's the story behind the enigmatic Takosan Wiener? Is it a octopus? Is it a hotdog? WE NEED TO KNOW.
“Takosan Wiener,” Lily’s iconic hotdog image that is regularly mistaken for an octopus.
I was watching “Midnight Diner” which is an awesome series from Japan on Netflix. In one of the episodes a Yakuza member comes into the diner and asks the chef “do you have wieners? Red wieners?" And the chef says "I do, would you like me to cut it into the shape of an octopus?" This exchange of words was mind altering for me. Takosan has been my friend ever since. Yeah he's a hotdog. My great Aunt Helen came to my kiosk recently and wanted to buy something but asked me if I had anything “not X-rated" referring to my cat licking itself t-shirts and my titty collages. I was like yeah “I have these Takosan Wiener patches.” She looked at me and laughed. She said "I may be old, but I know what that is.” I was like "Helen! its a hotdawg!" But she didn't believe me. Great Aunt Helen thought it was a penis, so that's a first.
Who are some of your favorite artists right now? Who inspires you?
Page out of a xerox zine made by our friend Zeke.
I really am inspired by all the people I follow on IG. The world is full of incredible artists who are doing big things. But at the end of the day I think I'm most inspired by my peers and other artists in the Bay because I know how hard it is to continue to follow your passions here and I really relate to and am inspired by those who are able to make it work. Especially the ones that have to work multiple jobs just to pull rent. If you're still making art through all that, you're my hero. The documentary “Tell Them We Were Here" was really sweet. I enjoyed that.
Last question: any words of advice for the kids out there that dream of running their own art kiosk one day?
Chop chop, plenty of worms for all the birds. Don’t worry about what they ask you to have - just say you'll get it. You never said when. You’ll know what I’m talking about. I admit to nothing.
