When we last spoke to Sonny Hall, he told us he was trying to draw more because “to draw takes patience and humility and an external observation.” The model, actor, and author of three books—The Blues Comes with Good News (2019), On the Soft Edge (2024), and Double Double, which is due out this year—is now also working as an artist. “I chose to paint because I had become too analytical,” he explains. Unlike Hall, whose experience of writing helped him to unfold and order the “madness” in his mind, artist Jan Melka finds words an improbable medium of expression. In the conversation that follows, the French-American artist—whose gestural works deconstruct and choreograph bodies—and Hall discuss the necessity of art and the many connections they see between painting and poetry.
hube: How did the two of you meet, and how long have you been friends?
Sonny Hall: It is the beginning.
h: Have you worked on any projects together, or do you have plans to do so in the future?
Jan Melka: This shoot will be a collaborative project. I like your work, Sonny, and I think you like mine too. We’ve wanted to do something together for a long time. We’re going to explore lots of new ideas. There might be some surprises, too. In painting, I love it when you don’t really know what you’re going to do, and this project will be especially nice because we will bring fresh ideas to life and create something that only exists in pictures.
SH: Like an interesting game.
SONNY: shirt, trousers, and sneakers IM MEN, socks FALKE
