This article is about the artist. For the album, see Seth Bogart (album).
Seth Bogart
Birth nameSeth Davis Bogard
Birth dateFebruary 28, 1980 (age 46)[1][2]
Birth placeTucson, Arizona, U.S.[3]
OccupationArtist · musician
Years active1995–present
Known forMusic, painting, ceramics
Websitesethbogart.com
Seth Bogart
GenreGarage punk, queercore, indie rock, electroclash
AliasHunx
Associated acts

Seth Bogart, born Seth Davis Bogard[4] (February 28, 1980), is an American multidisciplinary artist.[5][6] As a musician, he is known for his solo work and as a member of the bands Hunx and His Punx and Gravy Train!!!!. As a visual artist, Bogart's paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries across the United States. He created the World of Wonder web series Feelin' Fruity and operates the streetwear label Wacky Wacko.

Pitchfork named Bogart the "New King of Camp" in 2016.[7]

Early life and career

Bogart grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where his father was a lawyer and his mother was a nurse.[8] In high school, he started playing the guitar[9][10] and created the punk zine Puberty Strike.[11][12][13][14] He later produced the zine Psycho No. 1 Fan.[15][16][17]

When Bogart was 17, his father committed suicide.[18][19] He moved to Oakland, California shortly thereafter.[8] At 19, he studied cosmetology at Laney College,[3][20][21][22] and later, in 2006, he co-founded the salon and vintage clothing store Down at Lulu's on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.[5][22][23]

Music

Main articles: Gravy Train!!!! and Hunx and His Punx

As a teenager in the mid-1990s, Bogart created the record label Heroes for Today, which put out albums by indie bands and distributed zines.[24][25] In the late 1990s, Bogart created the record label Super Eight Underground, which put out albums both by and featuring indie bands such as The Causey Way, Deep Lust, The Mooney Suzuki, The Rondelles, Scared of Chaka, and Skinned Teen.[26] He closed the label in 2000.[26]

Bogart joined Oakland-based electroclash band Gravy Train!!!! as a backup dancer under the name Hunx shortly after its inception in the early 2000s. He soon began writing songs for the band and performing as the band's singer and guitarist.[10]

In 2008, he founded Hunx and His Punx,[27] a garage punk band,[28] which changed its lineup in 2010 and was renamed to Hunx and His Punkettes. After this lineup disbanded in 2011, Bogart sold Down at Lulu's.[29]

In 2012, Bogart released a solo album as Hunx titled Hairdresser Blues,[30] and, in 2015, Bogart came out with an eponymous solo album under his own name.[31] 2020 saw the release of his "Boys Who Don't Wanna Be Boys"[32] and a remix version of the same album.

Clothing

Bogart relocated to Los Angeles in 2013,[29] and, in 2014, he started streetwear label Wacky Wacko.[5] Initially, it was to be a record label, until he lost interest in that idea.[11][30] The line grew in popularity, and could be seen on Miley Cyrus, Tavi Gevinson, and Kathleen Hanna.[33] From 2014 to 2017, the label had a store on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park.[11][34][35] During this time, his work was imitated by fast fashion retailer Zara.[36]

Bogart has also collaborated with fashion house Saint Laurent.[3][37] Director Hedi Slimane was a fan of Bogart's work,[33] and used his drawings in a Saint Laurent fabric pattern[37] entitled "Hunx notebook,"[3] and a song by Hunx and His Punx in a promotional video.[38]

Video

In 2011, Bogart and collaborator Brande Bytheway launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a TV show.[39][40] Hollywood Nailz launched as a web series in November 2012,[41] and was likened to a "bizarro '80s Public Access-style variety show".[42]

In May 2018, World of Wonder launched the web series Feelin' Fruity, a variety show which starred Bogart,[5] and was inspired by Disneyland's Toontown and Pee-wee's Playhouse.[43] It featured such guests as Alice Bag, Kate Berlant, Tammie Brown, John Early, Cole Escola, Manila Luzon, and Allison Wolfe.[43][44][45]

Bogart has also worked on music videos for other musicians. He directed Tegan and Sara's "U-Turn" (2016)[46] and was the set designer for Trixie Mattel's "Yellow Cloud" (2019).[47]

Sculpture and paintings

Bogart began taking classes at ArtCenter College of Design in 2013,[30] and began selling ceramic versions of familiar objects—including perfume bottles and grooming supplies—at the Wacky Wacko store shortly thereafter.[48]

In 2014, Los Angeles art gallery 365 Mission included a painting by Bogart in a group show,[49] and, in 2015, 365 Mission gave him a solo show, in which he transformed the gallery space into The Seth Bogart Show, an immersive experience that displayed sculpture, paintings, ceramics, and video, as well as served as a performance venue.[50][51]

Nino Mier gave Bogart a show in their Los Angeles gallery in 2018. Entitled Lick, it transformed the space into a sex shop, and included paintings and ceramic pieces by Bogart.[1]

In 2019, Chicago's Soccer Club Club gallery hosted 100 Toothbrushes, a solo exhibit of 100 ceramic toothbrushes by Bogart.[52]

In 2020 and 2021, he crafted ceramic sculptures of books with significance in the LGBTQ+ community.[53][54] These works were exhibited at New York City's Fierman Gallery[53] and Jeffrey Deitch Gallery,[55] and received international press.[54]

Personal life

Bogart is openly gay.[8][27] He came out to his friends while in high school, and to his mother when he was age 18.[8] In the early 2010s, Bogart dated fellow musician Daniel Pitout of Nü Sensae,[56][57] the suspected true identity of country star Orville Peck.

Discography

As Hunx and His Punx

Studio albums

Compilations

  • Gay Singles (2010)

As Hunx

Studio albums

  • Hairdresser Blues (2012)

As H.U.N.X.

Singles

  • I Vant to Suck (2012)

As Seth Bogart

Studio albums

Singles

  • "Eating Makeup" (2015) featuring Kathleen Hanna
  • "Club with Me" (2016)
  • "Boys Who Don't Wanna Be Boys" (2020)[32]
  • "Boys Who Don't Wanna Be Boys – The Remixes" (2020)

As S.L.I.N.K.

Singles

  • "Pink Christmas" (2014)[58]

Published works

Zines

  • Puberty Strike. Heroes for Today. (c. 1996–98)[12][13][14]
  • Psycho No. 1 Fan (undated; after Puberty Strike)
  • Wacky Wacko Magazine. Vol. 1. Youth in Decline. 2015. OCLC 950976487
  • Wacky Wacko Magazine. Vol. 2. Youth in Decline. 2016.

Books

  • Seth Bogart: Ceramics 2014–2016. Brain Dead Books. 2017.
  • 100 Toothbrushes. Drag City. 2019.

Exhibitions

Solo

  • 2015 – The Seth Bogart Show, 356 Mission, Los Angeles[50]
  • 2018 – LICK, Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles[1]
  • 2019 – 100 Toothbrushes, Soccer Club Club, Chicago[52]
  • 2021 – Library Fantasy Volume 1, Fierman Gallery, New York City[59]
  • 2023 – Mondo Blondo Ceramica Sculptura, Fierman Gallery, New York City[59]

Group

  • 2010 – Total Trash, A440 Gallery, San Francisco[60]
  • 2014 – Another Cats Show, 356 Mission, Los Angeles[49]
  • 2014 – You're My Playground Love, KK Gallery, Los Angeles[61]
  • 2014 – Perfume Mania Installation, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles
  • 2016 – Volatile! A Poetry and Scent Exhibition, Poetry Foundation, Chicago[62]
  • 2016 – THINGS: A Queer Legacy of Graphic Art & Play, ONE Archives, Los Angeles[63]
  • 2016 – THINGS: A Queer Legacy of Graphic Art & Play, Participant Inc., New York City[64]
  • 2017 – Last, Artist Curated Projects, Los Angeles
  • 2018 – Tom House, Mike Kelley Mobile Homestead, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit[65]
  • 2019 – Circus of Books, Fierman Gallery, New York City[66]
  • 2020 – Heaven and Hell, Tom of Finland Foundation, Los Angeles[67]
  • 2020 – Circus of Books: Blowout, Fierman Gallery, New York City[68]
  • 2021 – Clay Pop, Jeffrey Deitch, New York City[55]
  • 2023 – Clay Pop Los Angeles, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles[55]
  • 2023 – WARES! Extraordinary Ceramics and the Ordinary Home, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara[69]
  • 2025 – 2025 California Biennial: Desperate, Scared, But Social, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach[70]

Curator

  • 2021 – Wild Frontiers, The Pit, Los Angeles[71]

References

  1. ^ "Seth Bogart – Lick". Nino Mier Gallery
  2. ^ @sethbogartofficial (February 28, 2020). "It's my bday...". Instagram. Archived December 26, 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Read, Bridget (February 5, 2019). "Don't Ever Call Seth Bogart an Influencer". Vogue
  4. ^ "BAD SKIN". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  5. ^ George, Cassidy (May 8, 2018). "Feelin' Fruity with Seth Bogart". Office Magazine
  6. ^ Tuite, John (October 2, 2015). "Hunx and His Punx Frontman Seth Bogart Closes His L.A. Art Show with a Bang". I-D
  7. ^ Moreland, Quinn (February 17, 2016). "New King of Camp Seth Bogart on Turning Pop Music Into Pop Art". Pitchfork
  8. ^ Gopalan, Nisha (2010-06-16). "Need to Know: Seth Bogart". www.out.com. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  9. ^ Sandberg, Patrik (March 10, 2016). "City of Angels: Seth Bogart". V. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Strachota, Dan (July 4, 2007). "All the Sweet Stuff". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  11. ^ Brown, August (March 11, 2016). "Seth Bogart is poised to make a splash with his new album and Wacky Wacko pop-up store". Los Angeles Times
  12. ^ "Puberty strike". SAIC Digital Collections
  13. ^ ""Puberty Strike," January 1997". Smith College Libraries
  14. ^ "selling this collectors item from 1998 to raise money for the fest". DEAR DIARY. January 28, 2019.
  15. ^ Rypl, Khrista (November 4, 2015). "Your Angst-Ridden Youth is Now in a Library". WNYC
  16. ^ "Individual: Seth Bogart". Queer Zine Archive Project
  17. ^ Bogart, Seth. "Psycho No. 1 Fan". Queer Zine Archive Project. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  18. ^ Jones, Kerosene (8 September 2025). "Permanent Vacation: Hunx and His Punx's Seth Bogart on Daydreams, Death Trips, and the Urge to 'Walk Out on This World'". WUSSY Mag. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  19. ^ @sethbogartofficial (December 2, 2017). "20 years ago I️ found my father's suicide note locked inside his desk, in an unusually dark and quiet house". Instagram. Archived December 26, 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ^ Pelly, Jenn (October 22, 2020). "The Artist and Musician Conjuring a World of Queer Fantasy". New York Times
  21. ^ Flanders, Kai (March 15, 2012). "Seth Bogart of Hunx and His Punx on Being a Gay Punk and Jay Reatard Giving Him a Foot Massage". LA Weekly
  22. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (February 14, 2011). "Quit Your Day Job: Hunx And His Punx". Stereogum
  23. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (March 25, 2011). "Seth Bogart of Hunx and His Punx". San Francisco Chronicle
  24. ^ "100% Fret Free Records"
  25. ^ "Roctober #18". 1997.
  26. ^ "Thank You". www.thesuper8.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2000. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  27. ^ Gray, Kristina (August 31, 2011). "A Bubblegum Twist: Hunx and His Punx". The Washington Post
  28. ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Hunx & His Punx". AllMusic. All Media Network
  29. ^ Carroll, Elle (June 27, 2018). "Second coming of Hunx and His Punx". Bay Area Reporter
  30. ^ Ohanesian, Liz (September 2, 2015). "The Leader of Hunx and His Punx, Seth Bogart, Has a Wacky New Art Show". LA Weekly
  31. ^ McGarry, Kevin (March 7, 2016). "A Queer Pop-Punk Cult Hero Strikes Out on His Own". New York Times
  32. ^ Ruttenberg, Jay. "Night Life". The New Yorker
  33. ^ Hyland, Véronique (August 18, 2014). "Saint Laurent's Latest Collaborator Loves Miley, Designs Tampon Tees". The Cut. New York magazine
  34. ^ @wackywacko (August 22, 2014). "OPENING TOMORROW". Instagram
  35. ^ @wackywacko (June 15, 2017). "BIG NEWS: Wacky Wacko's LA SHOP is closing on June 26 2017 (new location might happen later this year – if anyone has any dream spots get in touch )". Instagram
  36. ^ Colon, Ana (October 31, 2016). "Two Artists Opened a Pop-Up Shop Filled with Fast-Fashion Rip-Offs". Refinery29
  37. ^ Williamson, Sue (August 28, 2014). "Hunx Goes High-End". W
  38. ^ "Spring/Summer 2014". Saint Laurent. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  39. ^ "Hollywood Nails TV Show – Make Your Dreams Come True!". Kickstarter
  40. ^ "King Tuff vs. Hunx". Hardly Art Magazine. 3: 10. 2012.
  41. ^ "Check Out Seth Bogart and Brande Bytheway's Hollywood Nailz (Paper Premiere)". Paper. November 14, 2012. Archived January 16, 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  42. ^ Schreiber, Abby (January 5, 2016). "Premiere: Listen to Seth Bogart's New Track, "Forgotten Fantazy"". Paper
  43. ^ d'Avignon, Angella (July 20, 2018). "Seth Bogart's Feelin' Fruity Is Bringing a Punk Aesthetic to TV". Vulture. New York magazine
  44. ^ "Feelin' Fruity". WOW Presents Plus. World of Wonder.
  45. ^ "Are you Feeling Fruity?!? Coming to WOW Presents Plus tomorrow is our new show with @SethBogartOK featuring guest stars like @thetammiebrown, @bejohnce, @kateberlant, @manilaluzon, @ColeEscola & a bunch of others! Watch the trailer on @them!". No. 993642935471124481. May 7, 2018.
  46. ^ "Watch Tegan & Sara's new 'U-Turn' music video". Entertainment Weekly
  47. ^ "Trixie Mattel - Yellow Cloud (Official Music Video)". YouTube. May 17, 2019.
  48. ^ Muraben, Billie (February 2, 2015). "Seth Bogart's sleazy ceramic homages to salon life". It's Nice That
  49. ^ "Another Cats Show – August 16 – September 14, 2014". 356 Mission
  50. ^ "The Seth Bogart Show – September 3 – October 2, 2015". 356 Mission
  51. ^ Guth, Dana (February 22, 2016). "Seth Bogart Makes Pop Where Life Imitates Art". Nylon
  52. ^ "Soccer Club Club". Archived May 22, 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
  53. ^ Romack, Coco (October 29, 2020). "Artist Seth Bogart's Smutty Punk Reading List". Interview magazine
  54. ^ Fisher, Alice (7 Nov 2020). "Counterculture books modelled in clay – in pictures". The Guardian
  55. ^ "Clay Pop". Jeffrey Deitch
  56. ^ "Hunx : Hairdresser Blues". April 3, 2012.
  57. ^ "The Interview Show with Nu Sensae #77"
  58. ^ Saxelby, Ruth (December 10, 2014). "SSION, Hunx and His Punx, and Samantha Urbani Wish You a 'Pink Christmas'". Fader
  59. ^ "Seth Bogart". Fierman Gallery
  60. ^ "Total Trash @ A440 Gallery, San Francisco:August September 2010". YouTube. Aug 24, 2010.
  61. ^ "You're My Playground Love". KK Gallery. Archived January 27, 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  62. ^ "Volatile! A Poetry and Scent Exhibition". Poetry Foundation. April 14, 2022.
  63. ^ "THINGS: A Queer Legacy of Graphic Art & Play – September 17, 2016 to December 11, 2016". ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
  64. ^ "Curt McDowell, Tom Rubnitz, Robert Ford, Seth Bogart, Rafa Esparza, Aimee Goguen, Brontez Purnell – THINGS – Curated by Bradford Nordeen – Jul 17–Aug 21, 2016". PARTICIPANT INC
  65. ^ "Mike Kelley's Mobile Homestead – Tom House: The Life and Work of Tom of Finland". Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
  66. ^ "Circus of Books". Fierman Gallery
  67. ^ "Heaven and Hell". Tom of Finland Foundation
  68. ^ "Circus of Books: Blowout". Fierman Gallery
  69. ^ "WARES! Extraordinary Ceramics and the Ordinary Home". Santa Barbara Museum of Art
  70. ^ "2025 California Biennial: Desperate, Scared, But Social". Orange County Museum of Art
  71. ^ "Wild Frontiers". The Pit