Abhishek Tuiwala
Based in New York
Instagram:
@abhishek.tuiwala
What do you aim to say by the themes in your art?
The theme of my art is Human Behavior. Human life is the continuous processing of culture, ethics, gender and identity, which helps us understand people. Every human being is different yet the same. My work is my perspective of how I see the world/people, including me. I give physical forms to my personal feelings and intuition, as simple as that. My keen observation teaches me many things, like how a person deals and behaves with a situation or person. In my compositions, I aim to make my artwork more engaging and expressive by using humour.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Well, it comes from me only. Sounds a bit funny. But I think no one can inspire you better than you. I was in the science stream before stepping into this field. I tried a lot by watching inspirational movies, listening to motivational speeches etc. But, I couldn't able to concentrate on my studies. Then, I heard my inner voice by avoiding everyone in the surroundings and jumped into this art field. Now I don't seek any inspiration.
Do you have any experiences that have impacted your art?
I think getting an MFA here in The United States has impacted a lot in my art. A pretty positive impact, I would say. I was very rigid about my ideas during my undergrad. The New York exposure has helped me to think more broadly. Now, I am more confident about my thoughts and the way of their execution.
Do you feel your art challenges existing barriers?
I am not sure which kind of barriers you're asking about. But, if it is about the execution of art, I think we are the only barriers between our artwork. Where there is a will, there is a way! I work in a metal medium, which is impossible for me to work with here in the United States at this stage of my career. So, during my MFA, I did a part-time job in my college, saved some money and went to India before my last semester to cast my works. It worked out pretty well, and I ended up having a very successful thesis show.
What are your long-term artistic goals?
My long-term artistic goal is to set up my metal foundry and my studio to continue my experimentation and execution of my metal works. Because the foundries I gave my artwork to cast take a lot of time to cast a single piece as they have commercial commitments. Once I get a reputed gallery that shows interest in exhibiting my work regularly, I will start working on my foundry goal with my team.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
I would say, don't think about the result. Because generally, people start thinking about the result first before executing it. In this field, this kind of thinking never works. I have seen many students who were doing great as fine artists in academics. But, overthinking about the future breaks their fluidity of work and shifts them towards something else. Just believe in yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone whenever possible.