Radical Iconography Productions / Jesse Draxler

Interview with Jesse Draxler

In an exclusive video interview, we dive into the artist’s latest ventures, including two major new launches. After nearly four years of inactivity, his creative lab, RIP, which focuses on the fusion of art and music, is emerging as a lifestyle brand. Leading this revival is the release of a limited-edition drop of interactive t-shirts—four distinct designs, each with a first edition limited to just 48 pieces. Additionally, for the first time, the artist’s album Reigning Cement will be available on cassette, further enhancing the sense of nostalgia and collectible culture. The core of the project revolves around interaction and community engagement. Each product, whether it’s a t-shirt or a cassette, comes paired with a unique NFT, offering buyers exclusive access to special benefits and future experiences.

RIP., short for Radical Iconography Productions, the new label founded by visual artist Jesse Draxler, stakes it’s position with a new exclusive drop: a collection of artist print tshirts and the re-release of Draxler’s 2020 experimental album Reigning Cement on cassette for the first time. But to truly understand the vibrant heart of the project, one must first grasp its roots.

“RIP. isn’t just a term,” the artist explains. “It’s sharp, it’s precise. Everything for me is sharp.”Born from a spontaneous expression by a colleague and friend who declared: “Jesse Draxler is the best artist of radical iconography in the world,” it became a status, a vision.

Growing up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, the artist could explore different styles and types of music freely, without the pressure to conform to any subculture. Jesse recounts his ongoing metamorphosis, or rather, his self-definition, which refuses to be confined to a single identity or classification. “there was nothing,” he explains. “I’ve had to create my own perspective, I guess my own subculture,” Through research and interaction, his connection to the music world began—a love that has accompanied his entire career. “I use music. Like a drug.”

Jesse has always worked between the art and music scenes, creating a direct bridge between the two. A fertile, synergistic communication that translates visually what the musician expresses through sound, while also giving visual artists the recognition they deserve.As he says: “even though those visuals are more meaningful than they’ve ever been, really, the emphasis on the artist behind it hasn’t taken any sort of heightened significance.”

“RIP isn’t just a term; It’s sharp, and everything for me is sharp.”

“I’ve created my own perspective”

What distinguishes RIP. from other labels is this core principle of elevating the role visual aesthetics within any creative projects, couple with a focus on interaction with the public. The brand encourages the active participation of those who would normally remain in the role of spectators.RIP. aims at the active involvement of the fan because it is through participation that creative progress occurs.

This fundamental ambition will be reflected in all the projects and collaboration that RIP. will offer to the market, starting with a first release of exclusive limited edition t-shirts. Creating fashion items, particularly band shirts, have always been a distinctive element for the artist, as they encapsulate his past, his connection to the music scene, and serve as an alternative medium for artistic expression.

While Jesse has been making shirts for years now, they generally revolved around small temporary runs, always selling out quickly. However, as the artist states, it was tough to keep it consistent, especially as a one-person operation, explaining why no such products have been made available to the public in over four year. RIP. has now built a team to make this a consistent endeavour, answering the ongoing demand of his followers and creatives worldwide, and building a true lifestyle brand that encompasses the values Jesse Draxler represents.

The latest campaign, shot by photographer AJ Wilson, features model Drake Brown with Art Direction by Jesse Draxler. This release not only marks the beginning of a continuously evolving project but also solidifies RIP’s position as a unique intersection of fashion, music, and art.

This time, under his creative direction, he has aimed to create a pure interactive investigation, choosing the strongest graphics, keeping it bold and simple, but done in the best way possible: “this first capsule collection was our experiment, and just kind of get this first run I’ve inherently wanted to do out of the way. I wanted to make my version of the best band t-shirt possible in terms of strong one color graphic, then throw the best tags on it that we can in terms of quality but also their functionality as a portal to the digital ecosystem of RIP.” This is not merely a commercial operation, but rather a multifunctional experience.

The innovative aspect lies in the inclusion of NFTs, which will also play a role in the following drop, namely the album Reigning Cement, which will be released shortly after the T-shirts for the first time on cassette with a new cover and design. The new limited edition Reigning Cement cassettes will also include a certificate of authenticity NFT that gives access to the complete open source sound library Draxler supplied to each musician he collaborated with on the album, plus a slew of behind the scenes content and imagery. This creates a call for participation, offering the public the chance to become active participants rather than passive observers of the art.

In every detail, Jesse calls for a relationship and interaction. “RIP. supports fearless creators.” This dual drop, and his entire vision, are directed towards dynamic, prolific identities—those eager to experiment. Draxler wants an interactive community to which he can continuously offer new and original experiments. As for the prints and graphics of the tshirts, beautifully represented in a photoshoot realised by photographer AJ Wilson and model Drake Brown under the art direction of Jesse, there are four options to choose from: three graphics that he has always wanted to see printed on fabric, of which only four pieces each will be available to purchase in this first edition, and one text-based design.

The latter, “Good artists do bad things,” he explains, “started really simple and has kind of taken on a lot of meaning over the years.” It’s a prolific nucleus of interpretations for a society that isn’t ready to hear the truth. It normalises and emphasises human nature. “Everyone does bad things. Even if your favorite artist did something that you don’t like, you don’t have to throw away their artwork. You don’t have to not like their artwork anymore.” True art is made to unsettle, provoke, and spark critique.

Radical Iconography Productions / Jesse Draxler

Credits:

Artist and photoshoot Art Director : Jesse Draxler / @jessedraxler
Label: Radical Iconography / @radicaliconography
Website: RIP-Radical Iconography Production / http://radicaliconography.com
Words: Annalisa Fabbrucci / @annalisa_fabbrucci
Editor: Maria Abramenko  / @mariabramenko

Photographer: AJ Wilson / @_a_j___w
Model: Drake Brown / @66shadows

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