What do you feel is crucial to your growth as an artist?

As an artist, I think it is important to be exposed to different things, experiences, people etc. I think it allows for the growth of new ideas and perspectives that helps you evolve not only as an artist, but as a person. I think a good dose of discipline is also needed!

 

You use different medium-traditional but also computer-generated…How would you describe your artistic style? 

Until very recently, I was only using traditional medium, oil paint on canvas. I would always describe my style as figurative. Now, I’m really not sure! When someone asks me what I do, I tend to describe the whole method but I would love to find that one word that would really pin point what my paintings are. I don’t know what that word is yet. I am open to suggestions!

 

What are you trying to communicate with your art? 

I think oddity and beauty are recurring themes in my art and even if my methods are now shifting to less figurative works, I still try to evoke a certain balance between these two contrasting characteristics. Just like my playing and bringing together the digital and the oil paint on canvas.

I think harmony exists between seemingly very different, opposite elements and such, in everything we encounter that is around us. I enjoy trying to bring these elements together and go “See! They are perhaps more alike than we thought”!

 

To what extent has your everyday life as an artist changed during pandemics? 

It changed everything! I had more time to produce work and it created this shift in the artworks I do today. I don’t know that without the pandemic, I would have been interested in looking into the digital and AI spaces to help and shape the works I now do. My work is also about people… well, it is all about people! And I would have never had the chance to meet so many people from across the globe if it wasn’t for this pandemic. It definitely had its high points for myself as an artist.

 

How do you feel about being involved in an online residency program? How important is it to stay connected with the international art community?

This is my first residency ever and I was extremely excited to do it! With my family and lifestyle, I wouldn’t be able to do something like this in person, at this point in my life. Like I mentioned in the first question, I think trying new things and living different experiences definitely helps you grow, both as a person and as an artist and being connected with people, especially with people from different parts of the globe, living different lives, sharing different perspectives really does help and feed my thoughts and ideas. More so than I ever imagined.

 

What are your thoughts about the theme ‘artist on standby’? Tell us a bit more about your project…

I’m interested in exploring this theme through portraits, something I love to do. I want to know more about what it felt like to be this person in this time and place. How did we perceived ourselves, how did it felt like to be there, living this once in a life time (hopefully) event. I want to explore the perception of the self, the identity of individuals through the creation of portraits using shared portrait photographs, descriptive texts, AI text to image generator and AR (augmented reality) components to the final works.

 

What do you want to achieve before things return to normal?

Any future plans/projects?

I want to continue creating the works that I do, exploring more possibilities with AI and AR and keep connecting with people from across the globe!

And of course, I want to keep “Zooming” with all the participants from this residency.