Galeria Hanbell
B.A. Wikoff
What do you aim to say by the themes in your art?
I thrive on this collaboration concept, where I collaborate by combining materials and concepts or retrieving information from individuals firsthand by engaging with them through surveys and interviews. These collaborative practices are used as a way to stimulate a response in people who experience my work. My objective is to be as inclusive as possible when implementing my process.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I strive to create art that speaks to the realm of having compassion. The word “compassion” is derived from the Latin root word “compati” meaning “to suffer with.” With that, to fully understand the act of having compassion, an individual must first understand the role of suffering. That is to say, to alleviate suffering, one must learn what suffering is. I want to grace my audience with an opportunity to reform their understanding of what their role is. My purpose for creating is to bring awareness of humanity’s suffering - my goal is to eventually make it possible to lift this burden off our shoulders together.
Do you have any experiences that have impacted your art?
I am constantly experiencing new aspects of the world around me. I am constantly listening and communicating with the people around me. I use these experiences to learn how to implement people into my artistic process.
Do you feel your art challenges existing barriers?
I believe art exists because it needs to be made. Making art can be a very personal process, but there is an immense power outside of that. I invite individuals to interact with my pieces, hold them, plant them, eat them... I make art to allow people to experience it.
What are your long-term artistic goals?
Yes, I hope to run my own artists’ Maker-space, where artists can come and collaborate to explore and experience different avenues of art-making.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
I can’t stress this enough: TRUST THE PROCESS!
That means to keep creating work. No matter what, even if you feel like you can’t. Go into your studio and work on something every day.