Sam McKinniss Paints Troye Sivan for CULTURED Magazine's Artist Cover

Painter Sam McKinniss created a limited-edition artist cover for CULTURED magazine featuring pop star Troye Sivan. McKinniss first noticed Sivan on Instagram when the Australian musician, then 20, released his debut album 'Blue Neighbourhood'; a mutual friend, artist Chloe Wise, posted from a Sivan concert. Later, McKinniss was impressed by Sivan's role in the 2018 film 'Boy Erased', a conversion-therapy drama directed by Joel Edgerton. For the cover, McKinniss interviewed Sivan over Zoom, noting his sincerity, and then painted the portrait in his Connecticut studio. The cover accompanies CULTURED's 'Cult of Personality' issue, which also features stories on 'The Shards' cast, age diversity in fashion, photographer Jerry Hsu, and an interview with Sivan about his new music. McKinniss is known for his pop-cultural pastiche, including Lorde's 'Melodrama' album cover, and has exhibited across the U.S. and Europe.