A Talk with Buffalo Painter, Rapper and Designer Nick Mass

Nick Mass stands before parts of "The Puzzle Project" shown at the Great 238 Art Fest. (Photo credit Alden Noel.)

Painter, rapper and clothing designer Nick Mass started his creative journey after taking some bad acid and ending up in the Erie County Medical Center psych ward in 2017.

Upon his release, he was told he needed to do something — something other than work, because jobs come and go, and something other than acid. So, what he opted to do was something that became known as “The Puzzle Project.”

“I planned on that being a decade-long thing,” Mass said of his first painting project which remains ongoing. “It’s about how life pieces together, and I haven’t experienced all of that. So, I should go experience more.”

In doing so, Mass has become a presence on the Buffalo creative scene. In fact, it seems he’s everywhere.

TONIGHT, for instance, he’ll be performing his music and sharing the stage with Soyfruit. (DM HERE for the address). His art will then be featured at Tri-Mania on March 29, displayed as part of the Hunt Gallery Residencies. His pieces were also featured recently at Timeless Babez as part of its “Salvaged” show, featuring upcycled works. And he’s scheduled to rap later this year at the Toybox in Fredonia.

Meanwhile, Mass is also making inroads into fashion, selling his own clothing line known as “NM.” One of his signature pieces is hooded sweatshirts with chest pockets stitched into the fabric, featured as part of an ongoing social media campaign highlighting his line.

“You definitely make art for yourself, but you also make art for other people. I say this without shame, and I think people may say it is shameful, but you want other people to look at you,” Mass said. “You want people to see what you’ve done, and I think that’s part of being an artist or musician or whatever. I mean, you want to share yourself with the world.”

While not widely apparent, Mass said a big part of his artistic journey is a combination of overcoming social anxiety coupled with the desire to find friends who are also interested in creative collaborations, music, art and culture. Nearly everything on his resume, in fact, has been a product of his willingness to step out of his comfort zone.

Mass’s first exposure to the Buffalo scene was at the Great 238 Art Fest, an initiative started by UB students at a house near South Campus, where he was invited to show his work. Previously to that local initiation, he was part of an art opening in New York City at a show in which he was offered over $3,000 for a painting that was a part of the Puzzle Project. He refused on the grounds the project was personal and continuing — a decision he still feels was right.

“I think that rich people — and you can take this as you like — just buy art and it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good art.”

Since then, Mass has released two music videos — 5:32 and Rice Noodles — to support his album Cigarette Vending Machine. He also plans to drop a new song, ‘Flowers,’ which was recorded in August.

Meanwhile, he has come to hold dear his affiliation with the Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art, with which during his first interaction he recalls making a “shameless” attempt to highlight himself.

“It happens so much to gallery owners because everybody wants to show you their art,” he said. “I mean you should probably go to openings in that gallery to appreciate other people’s art and then be like, ‘Hey, I also do art,’ instead of trying to be immediately, ‘Me! Me, Me!’”

The move, however, seemed to work in the end, and he is now a facility manager at the group’s lab.

Mass — whose father was a professional bowler — was raised by his mother in a single-parent home. He described himself as a “quiet” kid who wasn’t involved in anything growing up — nor was he encouraged to get involved in anything, he said.

Now 27, he takes stock of what he’s become. And perhaps, ironically, that bad acid trip that landed him at ECMC proved to be the defining moment of his life. Afterward, he started going to comedy improvs and learned to be funny. The experience taught him how to approach people, build relationships and get his art “out there.”

Still, despite his growth as an artist and the many projects he has in development, Mass doesn’t necessarily look toward the future. In fact, when asked where he sees himself in five years, he quickly said, “Dead.”

“I don’t think it’s because I’m going to overdose or because of health issues,” said Mass. “It’s Trump’s America. It’s this thing where I’ve thought every year. Since 2016! This is the end of the world.

“I’m very much a nihilist and a doomer,” he added. “Go enjoy your life, do what you want to do, because it’s not going to be here as long as you think.”