If you live in Manly, you’re about to see a whole lot of Jeremyville…

You might not know Sydney-born, NYC-based Jeremyville by name, but chances are you’ve stumbled across his murals, paintings or installations before. Swaying between surrealism, absurdism and psychedelia, with an overarching tenderness, the pastel-heavy world he’s visually built is something we could ogle for days on end, with each piece lingering in your mind long after that first glance.

And now, those of us in and around Manly will have the opportunity to do exactly that, with a collection of his larger-than-life characters popping up across the Northern Beaches as part of Surf & Sound Festival. Curated by Arts-Matter, the outdoor art program will see a handful of Jeremyville’s creations brought to life as giant sculptures and inflatables, taking over everything from the wharf to the waters of Manly Cove.

There’s Jethro, the slightly mysterious flower-loving character setting up shop at Manly Wharf, alongside Feel Freedom. Out on the water, you’ll find Valentino and Raymundo, two colourful optimists floating around Manly Cove, while Flower Man will be hanging out at Felons Manly, reminding everyone to slow down and smell the roses.

Running from October 16th to November 1st, the free outdoor art trail is a pretty fitting homecoming for an artist who grew up around Sydney’s beaches before taking his work to galleries, streets and public spaces across the globe. It’s also the first time he’s brought together a collection of giant inflatables in a single installation, something he admits he’s been dreaming about since his teenage years.

We caught up with Jeremyville ahead of the takeover to talk about seeing his drawings come to life in 3D, his relationship with Sydney’s beaches, building a creative life in New York and why, despite everything he’s achieved, he still reckons his best project is just around the corner. Check it out below along with an intro to some the characters who’ll be popping up in Manly…

You’ve lived and worked between Sydney and New York for years. How have those two cities shaped you differently as an artist?

I grew up at Bondi Beach in Sydney, and Tamarama (Wonderland Avenue), and that really shaped me as an artist, and my love of the outdoors and the colours of the sky, land and water. I take that everywhere I go, and living in New York, my thoughts often turn to an early morning run on the beach, or a swim in the surf. That keeps my mind alive during hard and busy times in New York.

The entrepreneurial spirit and freedom of Sydney really shaped me growing up, and allowed me to follow my dream of what art could be. I think if it weren’t for growing up in Sydney, I wouldn’t have that ‘can do’ Aussie spirit, which is really invaluable here in New York. Aussies have really shown the New Yorkers how to improvise, solve problems laterally, and keep a healthy mind and positive spirit while doing it.

That’s why a lot of Aussies have done very well with this can-do, problem-solving attitude. It’s a very real Australian thing here in New York. A lot of my Aussie mates have done great things here in New York, like Stephen Ormandy and Louise Olsen with Dinosaur Designs, Zimmermann, Andy and Nick Stone, who founded Bluestone Lane Cafes and Old Mates pub, or Nick Palumbo, founder of Gelato Messina, who we’ve just partnered with to launch Softville on the Lower East Side. So many successful Aussies in New York!

Your style is instantly recognisable now. Do you remember the point where you felt like you’d actually found your own visual language?

Yes, at age 24 when I started drawing about 400 Minties wrappers that were on Minties for years, I really found my illustration style. Also, from around age 20, I drew for the Sydney Morning Herald as a cartoonist while studying architecture at Sydney Uni.

The long-term freelance gig at the Herald afforded me the opportunity to grow, and each night I’d walk down to the Fairfax printing presses and see my drawings in the paper. That instant feedback loop really gave me a chance to grow artistically.

Where did the Jeremyville characters originally come from? Are they versions of people you know, parts of yourself, or completely imagined?

They’re all a part of my own psyche, and added up, they form a self-portrait of me. They’re like atoms within myself, and represent a small part of me. I also just enjoy drawing them. It all comes very naturally, I never overthink anything.

I also try and keep my characters very simple, and take out lines rather than add them in. It’s all an exercise in restraint and reduction, to a particular essence of a feeling.

Your work often looks playful on the surface, but there’s usually something more thoughtful underneath it. Has that balance always been intentional?

Yes, thank you for noticing. There is always a level of struggle in my work, but the resolution is positive and comes to a natural conclusion. I use my art as a way of coming to terms with problems or issues in my world, and visual art, or any form of art, can be used in that cathartic way, like music, for example.

The best songs often refer to a tension or problem, then solve it within the song’s conclusion. I approach my art in a similar way.

It’s not intentional, it’s just the way I approach my art. It’s more intuitive and instinctive, rather than planned or intentional. Great question, thank you.

Was there ever a moment where you realised, ‘Fuck, I can actually make a life doing this’? You’ve exhibited everywhere from New York and Tokyo to Beijing and Madrid. Does bringing a project of this scale back to Sydney feel different?

I always feel my best project is just around the corner. I never really look back on what I’ve done. It’s often a case of having so much on that when one project ends, there are eight to ten already in the works, and my efforts simply shift to them, without really taking much time to breathe or reflect.

For example, while we were developing inflatables for this Manly Surf & Sound Festival, we were deep in the launch of Softville, our joint venture dessert/art/community concept with Messina. Then right after Softville launched, I jumped back into finishing the drawings for the festival, then painting a giant mural tomorrow, finishing off a big book project, doing press for Softville, and new ceramic designs with UAP Foundry.

So there’s often so much on at any one time. I really try and structure my day a lot, and always try and find time for fitness and art.

The joy of bringing a large-scale project to Sydney really thrilled me, as I’ve always really wanted to do something like this in my hometown. Thanks so much to Michelle Grey Campion and Susan Armstrong from Arts-Matter for asking me to be involved. I really love the project. Thank you!

Growing up, I remember seeing the Maria Kozic ‘Blue Boy’ giant inflatable sculpture on the roof of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, and I remember in my teens dreaming that one day I’d definitely do giant sculptures around the world, and that’s exactly what we do now.

Sydney has always been a place where I can make my dreams a reality. This is my first collection of giant inflatables in one installation. I can’t wait to see them!

Arts-Matter is curating the Surf & Sound art program, with you coming on board as lead artist to create the inflatables and graphics. What excited you about being involved, and working alongside the other artists?

It’s great that an artist can have a voice as to the other artists involved, as I think it creates a solidarity among us, and acknowledgement from peers is always a great thing.

There’s a certain camaraderie between artists, as we have a pretty solitary pursuit, and it’s not an easy path to choose. So a nod from another artist who has generally shared a similar creative path means a lot. At least to me it does.

You grew up around Sydney’s beaches. What was your relationship with surfing and surf culture when you were younger?

Yes! Bondi Beach, and especially Tamarama in the early days. I still have a place on Campbell Parade and Lamrock Ave, south end of Bondi, and the waves are great. The water’s much cleaner now than when I grew up!

I’ve been caught in my fair share of rips over the years, and I really respect the surf rescue teams. They do such a great job. I grew up boogie boarding, and while I don’t surf much in New York, the memory of Bondi is always with me.

I try and make it back each year and catch some waves, as once you’ve grown up so close to the water, it’s always a part of you, and keeps calling you back.

Surf & Sound brings surfing, music and art together in Manly. Do those three worlds feel naturally connected to you?

YES!! Great statement, totally agree. Well, those things are really my life, and music is always on while I create art, and I’m always drawing at my Bondi Beach studio, overlooking the waves from my window, playing great Australian music as I draw.

It really is the best life, and I’ve worked hard with my life and creative partner Megan Mair (Creative Director of Studio Jeremyville) to make it a reality.

Imagine your future then make it real. That’s one of my messages in my artwork. I try and live that each day. You can too!

As I type this from New York, on the Lower East Side, corner of Suffolk and Broome Street, I’m feeling the call of the waves again, and watching the 5:30am sunrise from my Lamrock Ave window, running along the beach and jumping into the surf. I can’t wait to head back home soon.

And to the great Australian early morning latte! Shout out to Birichina Cafe under my studio, Lamrock Ave, South Bondi! See you soon Max!

Jethro, Valentino, Raymundo and Flower Man are going to be taking over Manly in some pretty massive forms, including inflatables floating on the water. What’s it like seeing characters that started as drawings suddenly existing at that scale in the real world?

It’s funny, once I draw a 2D character now, I can’t help but see it in a 3D form. When I draw characters now, I’m often conceiving them in my mind as 3D. So it feels like a natural progression when they appear in the built form. As if it were meant to be.

I actually made inflatables when I was about 25, early on in my career, the Air Puppy, and I’ve always loved translating 2D into 3D. When I draw now, the 2D shapes have a quasi-3D feeling to them, so the giant sculptures have, over the years, informed my other practice.

Studio Jeremyville recently had 25 giant sculptures installed on the West Bund in Shanghai, outside the Long Museum, and it was a trip to see them in the flesh when we went there for the big opening.

They were really giant, about nine metres tall in fibreglass, and we had activations around them each day.

A big part of the project is taking art outside the gallery and putting it somewhere anyone can stumble across it for free. What do you hope someone walking through Manly takes away from encountering your work?

To feel totally inspired, that anything you dream of can become a reality. If a weird kid making drawings in his bedroom in Wonderland Avenue, Tamarama, can do it, anyone can.

Just dream it, plan it, build a great team around you (shout out Neil and Megan!) and keep going till you GET IT DONE.

Have a lot of fun along the way, and definitely make sure to catch some waves!