Kalup Linzy is a contemporary artist who uses new media in a primitive, but thorough way. Many of his works can be found on his YouTube site, making them accessible to viewers. Linzy is best known for his soap operas, which he produces in a very low-budget, gritty way; he acts out the parts of many of the characters, and uses his own voice for voice-overs, varying the pitch using a modulator. Voice-overs and cuts between scenes are often poorly edited, which adds to his general aesthetic.
Linzy grew up watching soap operas such as Guiding Light with his grandmother and aunts; he says that soap operas were a part of social life in Stuckey, Florida, the small community that he grew up in. His soap operas have some similar qualities to the soaps he grew up with, such as themes of family and drama and sexuality. He often uses and builds upon the stereotypes and archetypes of these traditional shows. However, his soap operas take it to the next level by integrating more serious themes of homosexuality and culture and the art world. For instance, characters struggle with “coming out” in a community that is not supportive of homosexuality. Other characters deal with the struggle to “make it” in the art world. Linzy's use of drag and stereotypes of "black culture" are the most obvious aspects of his art that sets it apart from traditional soap operas. At the same time, Linzy uses soap operas and music videos to blur the line between pop culture and contemporary art.
Importantly, Linzy uses humor in all of his works, which makes the serious topics more approachable, as does the gritty, low-tech quality of his work. As Ralph Rugoff puts it, "if something feels homemade, you associate it more with a particular person and less with a general statement. you can see through the low-tech. You're not awed by the sophistication of either the language or the production. So, in a way, you're able to deal more freely with the ideas" (Wolff, Rachel. "Carry a Big Shtick." Artnews 107, no. 8 (September 2008): 128-131. Art Abstracts (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost.)
