By Siany Harts | OBSERVER Staff Writer
What does it take to transport an audience into a new world every time they attend an art gala, experience a live performance, or catch the premiere of one’s latest short film? For 23-year-old Sacramento State University graduate Chino Mez, more commonly known as Sleepychi, the recipe calls for an equal amount of independence and pure authenticity.
Sleepychi is a multimedia artist who combines various art genres to elicit an otherworldly feeling from his viewers. He creates comics, films, music, clothes and events for his brand Ninetysevenworld which he founded in 2020.
Always knowing in the back of his mind that he wanted to work for himself one day and take charge of his own creative freedom, Sleepychi began experimenting with various art forms back in his early high school days.
“Basically I was just practicing in class while the teacher was talking [I was drawing] doodles. That’s really what started it first. I would say with film I always loved theater and acting, just being a goofball for real, being expressive,” Sleepychi said.
Sleepychi’s doodles began to trickle their way into other areas of his self-expression, developing his projects into multifaceted pieces. Combining different methods of art is nothing new to him as a multimedia artist, as plenty of his first songs debuted with hand-drawn album covers.
Solidifying the growth of Ninetysevenworld, Sleepychi has made his mark all across Sacramento making appearances at World’s Worst Expo, Concerts in the Park, HOF DAY, and Crest Theater. Attendees of his recent performance at Sac State’s Union Ballroom can recall the feeling of walking through a dimly lit gallery filled with soft serenades and paintings available for purchase on-site.
“I’ve been doing the art shows along with the concert. Combining those two kind of brings the world to life,” Sleepychi said.
Portraying real-life situations with a whimsical touch is a specialty that Sleepychi’s latest short film has on display. Inspired by some of his lived experiences, “The Comedian” is a short film depicting strange encounters between groups of friends hanging out in Sacramento. The film’s more lighthearted scenes take a nosedive when an awfully curious white male who enjoys interrupting conversations tests his luck at provoking Black strangers.
Getting as hands-on as a creator can be for this project, Sleepychi directed the film, wrote the script, hand-sketched art for the film, assisted in the editing process, and even played his own character.
“A lot of my friends, my Black friends, related to that movie because it’s just so real we could be minding our own business and get bothered for no reason just because of the color of our skin so I wanted to highlight those interactions between two different cultures at a hyperrealistic point. With films in my style, I want to kind of traumatize people in a way,” Sleepychi said.
Stay updated with Sleepychi’s artistry by following his Instagram platforms @sleepychi and @ninetysevenwrld. Catch his latest performance and see his art on display on Aug. 31 at Exotic Plants for Skurby’s Exotic Gala.