One of my most strong memories was studying with Mel Bochner, one of the, I think, high water marks of American conceptual art.

What's interesting about my project recently is that I'm going out into broader global spaces but then isolating at the same time - sort of pushing out but then pulling in.

What it is is a type of editorialization, you know? This is self-portraiture. This is what you think about the world we live in.

[My parents] met in university back in the '70s. And I didn't grow up with my father. He - they separated before I was born.

In the end I'm in love with it [Western European easel painting]. And that's where a lot of the influence from the work comes from.

I grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where people are in cars.

There's a team of filmmakers who follow me in the streets when I'm finding these models, to give me a sense of legitimacy to a casual stranger. This is New York City. No one's going to follow you back to your studio.