What made you want to become an artist? What motivates you to create?

Besides the logical deductions and reasons behind why I chose to go down this path, what got me so emotionally entangled to this idea of becoming an artist is storytelling and the incredibly profound impact it leaves on us. When I look back, storytelling is what has really moved, shaped, and comforted me. I still recall the first instance when I felt comfortable with my queerness- it was after watching Levan Akin’s film ‘And Then We Danced’. Similarly, so much of my moral compass and beliefs are shaped by my journey and love for ‘Naruto Shippuden’. Storytelling, be it through any medium, is what connects us and makes us more human. It has been extremely prevalent and significant throughout my life. This is what pushed me to be an artist, and what motivates me into staying one. I have stories to tell, stories of worth and meaning, and this fervent desire to actualize and share them is what keeps me going.

Your work covers several mediums, which do you prefer to work in?

It’s difficult to say, really. I try not to be bogged down by media specificity. If I ideate something in a certain media, I do not try to force it into another medium with which I might have more experience. Nonetheless, if I had to boil it down, most of my works tend to be installations, and a majority of my ideas are sculptural in form. Though I have nowhere near the experience I would want in this area, I am also really allured to video and film as means of storytelling.

How do you thematically plan a piece of work? What are the steps involved (ie. finding materials, research)…

I venture into and experiment with new media or different styles very often, so I do like to do some prior reading to understand the qualities of the material I am utilizing, though I do most of this learning while actually playing around with the substance. My process is a little unusual though. I tend to do significant art reading generally, but I never go out of my way to research an idea I am working on in one of my projects. I feel exposing myself to the way other artists have explored and examined a similar idea, visually or conceptually, adds subconscious filters in your way of thinking and almost changes and limits the trajectory of your thoughts. I find my process is better when I am ‘unaware’, it allows me to think in uninfluenced, original manners.

…and where do these fascinating ideas come from?

Everywhere, quite literally. I find that I am highly observant so I end up seeing or creating stories in everyday sights. So besides my ideas being extensions of my own experiences and vulnerabilities, the symbology and narratives are so often inspired by poetry, literature, music, and cinema. I also feel that the natural world has infinite concealed narratives, and that is why it is often a source of inspiration and starting point for many of my works.

The main project I am working on in my time here at the BAS residency is also inspired by one seemingly insignificant and overlooked line from Henrik Ibsen’s play ‘A Doll’s House’. Inspiration can strike you anywhere and anything can be made your muse!

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

Very significantly. This prolonged period of pause has allowed me to better reflect on my intentions in this field and has brought me closer to my original motivations and purpose. In a way, a global health crisis like the one we are experiencing entered us in a barter of sorts- it gave us in excess something as precious as time, but space and opportunities were lost in the exchange. And even still, not always did this excess of time result in increased productivity. The confines of space, both physical and mental, can interfere with creativity and free-thinking. Similarly, as someone who works in large scale installations, a lack of space and available sites did deter me. Nonetheless, on the brighter side, I was able to spend some much required time returning to basics such as drawing, as well as 2D media and photography, honing my skills further. The resilience of the art world and artists has still allowed many platforms and opportunities to sustain and enabled me to put myself and my work out there, just in a different format.

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

It’s such an incredible experience. Being around people with different cultures, experiences, beliefs, purviews, and knowledge; all of us working together in this collaborative space. You truly get such fresh and individual insight from everyone around you.

As artists and creators, we often task ourselves with connecting people through emotions, stories, and visuals. I think it is equally as important for artists to stay connected with one another. It creates this tight network of support and community, and with it, I feel like you not only get further in life but value it and art itself more.

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

When I read the theme of this residency, it didn’t take me long to question if an artist ever can be/should be on standby. Yes, the changes and chaos of the world is undeniably morphing and potentially hindering the art world as we know it, but it is precisely times of crisis and difficulties that I feel artists and art are essential in; essential because they play a role I don’t think anything else can.

The same chaos and difficulties I talk about have created a largely prevailing air of loss and grief, and I wanted to create a space in which one could escape, one of hope and positivity. The lives we have lost to this crisis have also made human mortality and the transience of life very visible. As a synthesis of all of these thoughts, I am creating and designing ‘the alive project’. It is intended as an interactive social media platform acting as a global diary of what makes us feel the most alive. It hopes to make visible the distinction between living and aliveness, prod us to strive for the latter, and live this short life to its fullest and till its every last second. Akin to how this online residency is connecting those from across the world, this project too hopes to use the internet to study and communicate the connectivity which underlies our bonds as humans.

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

I have some projects which work with and respond to the current climate and I want to put them out while they are the most relevant and have the most kairos. I have wanted to delve into art writing for a while, so starting that blog would be something else I hope to finish in this period.

Any future plans/projects?

Focusing on refining my abilities and skill is kind of at the forefront of my goals, along with gaining more exposure and experience. I do have works in a few upcoming group exhibitions and art festivals which I’m looking forward to. I will be starting university soon so just want to keep my head down, and keep grinding and learning!