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Curriculum
Vitae
Studio
development and artist statement
I opened my studio and started giving classes in
2009, after
pursuing my studies in art history
and working in business, I wanted to create my
own little place where people could relax and
enjoy learning about art as well as work in the
area I had studied – this for me was how I could
feel most fulfilled, give something back to
others, as well as earning an income.
When
working in business – in the finance and
administration department of a well know
international software company – I remember
coming across an opportunity to internally
pursue studies to became a qualified accountant
– probably the safest path to a career and safe
income, but not my heart's calling.
I then
decided that if I was going to invest in a
university qualification - I was 22/23 years old
- I was going to do it in something I really
enjoyed studying, so I enrolled in an evening
degree program and kept my day job in business;
a part from helping me fund my studies, it has
given me plenty of experience in finance and
administration, and the day to day running of a
business.
After
a couple of years into my degree, I moved to
England, there I completed my studies and continued with
postgraduate
education in one of the most well known and
established research university in the UK;
studying there was an eye opening experience. I
enjoyed the interdisciplinary approach, as well
as the fact that we were made to question and
approach our studies from sociological and
political point of view, rather than learn dates
and the aesthetics of beautiful art: we
studied the context and historical background in
which artwork were created, and saw how art can
be a revolutional practice that serves democracy
and questions the status quo, as well as at
times also the tool of the oppressor.
Once
I moved to Switzerland, I decided I didn’t want
to go back to business but instead dedicate
my efforts in working at what I had studied, and
what suited my personality the most: the arts.
In the
last 11 years, the studio has focused mainly on
art classes for adults as well as children,
rather than the purely commercial side of art -
although I have sold artwork and taken
commissions as well, my focus has been mainly in
art classes - in the last four years, after
becoming a mother, I have been trying to manage
and juggle running my classes while also taking
care of my daughter, at times not an easy
endeavour, as most working parents know.
Nevertheless, motherhood has been a blessing and
a wonderful experience and being able to be
both, a mother and a teacher, and to bring my
daughter to the studio while teaching, has been
an enriching experience, which I am sure, we
will both remember. Looking after my daughter
while working, has also given me the opportunity
to hire and work with other teachers, exposed me
to new challenges and taught me new things about
myself.
When
it comes to my own art, the work I prefer to do is
political, social and philosophical rather than
market driven, yet, while a do not believe that
“making money is art” I also do not support the
“starving artist” idea either, and do believe
that artworks should be fairly paid for and artists remunerated according to skills and
qualifications, and, as in any other field,
there are opportunities for making a living and
receiving an adequate income - the fact that you
cannot make money with art is as much as a myth
as the fact that artist, to be successful,
should become famous and only sell to rich
collectors.
By
work that is political, social and philosophical, I mean feminist, anti-racist, anti- classist; open to interpretation
and not fixed. When I do work that is static
such as paintings, I keep it fluid through
different methods such as the use of mirrors. The mirror pieces that I attach to
my work are also reminiscent of mosaic and thus
craft – with all that this also implies from a
political and sociological perspective. I also
enjoy experimenting with different mediums such
as photography and video art, and whatever
medium suits a particular project.
I am
particularly interested in the feminine, and how
to embrace it and embody it. I am interested in
celebrating “feminine art” (flower paintings,
craft, domestic art) and “feminine qualities”
such as femininity, nurturing, caring,
compassion and love, rather than turning the
feminine into a masculine archetype of strength,
market and competition - not that the feminine
does not possess these qualities, I just feel we
have been celebrating the latter and tramping
overt the former, instead of appreciating both
sides of the spectrum; Thus for me, a house wife
or a stay at home mother can be as much as a
feminist as a working woman.
But
what is feminine and femininity? Is it connected
to biology, or can men posses these qualities as
well? By all means femininity is a broad
category which does not belong to a specific
gender or biological properties, but to whomever
relates to it and would like to embrace it.
In my
work I also explore issues of race as well as class,
contemporary politics, nature and nurture,
individuation, feminism, spirituality, Marxism,
science and any other disciplines/theme/subjects
that may inspire me.
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