Gary Simmons unravels the influence that hi-tops, boom boxes and Public Enemy have had over his work in the latest installment of Matt Black’s Reflections series. Whether depicting the Hollywood sign ablaze or using watercolor varnish on large-scale, apocalyptic landscapes, Simmons twists American iconography with poetic vigor. First gaining art-world fame in the 90s with his “erasure drawings,” using chalkboards found in an abandoned school as canvases, Simmons smudged Disney cartoons with his fingertips to probe misconceptions of class and racial identity. Director Black sat down with him in his Chelsea gallery Metro Pictures—which also represents the likes of Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo and Andy Hope 1930—and was struck by both the intensity of Simmons and the breadth of his work that has shown at MoMA and the Whitney. “We spent the afternoon talking about New York, music, boxing and tattoos,” he says, citing Simmons’ installations “Fuck Hollywood” and “Line Up” as his favorite works, before adding: “In both he uses sneakers to tell a story of America. The result is always both subtle and powerful, with a haunting quality.”