What is the best thing that I love about my work? That it has held my interest for more than 50 years. My work has helped me to focus my eyes and mind on something of real value. I see all life as art and so I feel empathy for the poor workers who know much of what they are forced to produce is meaningless. All human work is art. It’s up to us to make it good art!

What is my idea of perfect happiness? Perfect happiness is available to anyone at any moment. For me, it is also the happiness I have achieved after living a long life.

What is my greatest fear? I am an old man, closer to death than to birth. I don’t have any fear.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? My obsessive-compulsive approach to the inanimate objects in the phenomenal world.

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? Ashley Bickerton, Damien Hirst, Frank Stella

What is my greatest extravagance? New Technology. Keeping up with new technology is overwhelming. Knowing that, I still do whatever it takes to keep current.

On what occasion would I lie? To achieve a greater good for humanity.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? I like everything about my work – that’s what makes it my work.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work? The older I get the happier I am.

If I could, what would I change about myself? My entire tragic past

What is my greatest achievement in work? That I have continued to find meaning in it for over 50 years. And that it has provided a platform for aesthetic collaboration with artists with whom I share a common vision.

What do the words ‘The Financial Freedom to Create’ mean to me? The phrase means nothing to me. It is erroneous thinking – a nonsensical concept. I have been prolific in creating art in times of both poverty and wealth.

Where would I most like to live? One more move to a tropical latitude – Florida Keys, Thailand… One of these winters will be my last.

What is my most treasured possession? A collection of works received from artist friends as a result of trading work.

What is my most marked characteristic? An interest in working underground and networking for the greater percentage of time, only surfacing when necessary. This mimics the way of the mushroom.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? I live on a farm in the country away from towns and neighbors. My home in the wooded hills is my most inspirational place

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? A small local family restaurant that remains nameless because I like it not busy

What books influenced my life and how?

“The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greatest Philosophers” by Will Durant

“Venus Plus X” Theodore Sturgeon “Book of the Dead” “On the Road”, Kerouac “Howl”, Ginsberg The entire encyclopedia Britannica and dictionary – both of which I had read by junior high.

“The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are” Alan Watts

“The Visceral Tear” Sue Fox

Who are my favorite writers? Jorge Luis Borges, Franz Kafka

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? Sometimes I make music. I listen to music only rarely and would not be listening to anything on my last day. I would like to hear the birds and bees and to hear the wind blowing through the trees

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Dante of The Divine Comedy, Venus, the goddess of love

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My partners in art, life, work, and love.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? Koyaanisqatsi

What role plays art in my life and work? Art is my life and it has been for 50 years.

Art allows me to construct and maintain a totally personal version of reality – and art allows me to live in this solipsistic life-is-art mode very naturally.

I make major life decisions aesthetically. This blurring of the line between art and life is a blessing and a curse.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My partners in art, work, life, and love.

Whom would I like to work with in 2017? The group of artists and writers I’m now collaborating with

Which people in my profession would i love to meet in 2017? Ashley Bickerton, Jeff Koons, Ray Kurzweil

What project, in 2017, am I looking forward to work on? I am working on a large international museum exhibition to include my work and some NYC friends from the ‘80s. Technologically, I’m working on a brainwave EEG device with a partner.

Where can you see me or my work in 2017? My studio, http://www.tulliodesantis.com , Point.B Studio at http://www.memory.org The New Arts Program in Kutztown, PA, USA

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? I agree that passion never retires. It gets old and dies.

Which creative heroes should Peter invite to tell their story?

Eric Grimespike – writer and artist

George Blaha – artist

(You can find them on Facebook)

How can you contact me?

tullio@tulliodesantis.com