Android Oi
"Android is something created by man and told what to do. … Android is the program of how you are made… to do certain things. You are expected to do certain things: with family, friends, socially, everything. The Oi... is a rebellion.”
Born in Manhattan and raised in Yonkers, Android comes from an Irish-American family. He has an older sister and a younger brother. Android joked that he suffered from “middle child syndrome.” Shy and quiet, Android is a lifelong introvert.
His family left a deep impression on him. Android was heavily influenced by his “five Irish uncles,” (American, but very proud of their heritage) who inculcated in him their love of music, art, and literature. His mother, too, made a distinctive impact on his aesthetic outlook.
“With my mom, we would drive, and she would say things like ‘oh, look at the fall colors’ and I would notice them, and be like ‘you’re right ma.’"
Android began drawing as a kid, learning by imitation. He would copy comics, Batman, Spiderman, even Garfield. Later, as a teenager he took up the spray can, tagging up Yonkers with burners, and throws under the name ‘Nope.’ As he matured, he moved to stencils, and with the shift took on the name Android Oi. He joked about being in the game so long that “Android Oi had a MySpace.”
Android attended SVA, where he majored in illustration. Several of his professors recommended he pursue fine art, but he rejected the idea.
"I’m not a fine artist. On the streets, maybe you could consider me a folk artist, that is fine, but me personally, I consider myself an illustrator. I’m always trying to tell you a story."
The pieces he creates now are composed of intricate layers. Android begins by painting the base, then pasting printed Photoshop images on top, and layered once more with paint. Hidden within the body of the canvas are bits of poetry, often riddled in anagrams, and coded metaphors.
“My style is a mesh of things together. It is a mash-up.” He explained. "I love bodies... the human form. Especially woman. Women are the most beautiful creations in this world.”
Best known by his iconic image of a vacant-eyed android mistress surrounded by a rose, he chose the piece to represent himself after getting feedback from his peers, mostly women. Influenced by H. R. Giger, much of Android’s imagery focuses on physical sensuality. He renders feminine figurines, often in semi-tragic form, constructed via cropped body parts.
"Behind every painting, there is a story. I’m trying to tell you who I am. I’ve got love in my heart, and I just want to be remembered for that love.”
He is on Instagram @android_oi