Issue 21 – In Conversation with .. 10!

Now my process of creation is less
about deconstructing the old and more
about re-constructing its narrative to
reflect contemporary issues of our
society. Drawing inspiration from my own
experiences as a Queer Asian navigating
life in the West, I attempt to unravel
unspoken social norms and values,
challenging the very essence of Western
definitions of culture.
As an artist deeply involved in Web3,
how do you believe blockchain technology
is reshaping the art landscape, especially
for digital creators?
Blockchain is such a fascinating and
multifaceted technology. The digital art
side of it is only a tiny fraction of all the
applications it enables. Regardless, and
even though following the turbulence of
2022 the on-chain art market is facing
challenges, I am a strong admirer of
the ethos it entails. For many creators,
especially digital natives, the traditional
art canon has been an exclusive and
highly
alienating industry. With the advent
of Web3 and NFTs in 2020 and 2021
we experienced, as people tend to call,
a ‘democratization’ of the industry.
I don’t find this term exact. Web3
remains heavily attached to Web2
platforms and practices. Large social
media followings reflect good sales,
pushing creators into an endless act
of balancing between developing their
visions and feeding what the algorithms
want. It might have allowed a rise in
direct relationships between collectors
and creators but that is not too different
from what social media marketing and
influencers did to traditional marketing
a decade ago. The ways of
communication are changing rapidly
and we see adjustments in almost every
facet of society.
Where blockchain becomes particularly
interesting in terms of digital art, is
that it provides the foundation for
digital ownership, a concept that has
long existed but was impossible to
implement. Through encryption and
the blockchain, digital assets provide
a unique, verifiable, and immutable
record of ownership, granting individuals
unprecedented control and freedom over
their digital possessions.
There is a growing interest in this
technology from large cultural institutions
across the globe and I am sure we will
witness big shifts in how audiences
perceive digital art in the years to follow.
What role do you feel race inclusion and
gender representation play in your work,
and why do you feel these themes are
important to explore in today’s society?
Representation and inclusion drove me
to create and communicate. Their lack
to be more exact. I used my work as
a way to explore those terms further
than the often tokenistic and superficial
definitions we attribute to them. You
see, in my eyes, representation and
inclusion have to do with getting a seat
on the table, being heard, and being
able to contribute to the shaping of the
society you are part of. My work is a
visualization of my voice and thoughts,
and through it, I can examine the societal
boundaries in which I operate.
Amidst a new era of populism,
polarization, and capital-induced
authoritarianism, civil liberties and
hard-earned achievements of progress
are being questioned. To put it simply,
our bubble is bursting. We raise more
walls than we tear down and that makes
us forget all the things that bring us
closer. The reason I began to create
artworks has always been closely
intertwined with my perception of the
society I lived in, and for that reason,
the conceptual commentary they entail
reflects what I consider important for
a more equitable future.
The nude form has historically been
both celebrated and stigmatized in art.
How do you navigate this dichotomy in
your pieces, and what message do you
hope to convey?
The nude form has indeed been
historically such a dividing topic. It has
also been extremely sided. The very vast
majority of imagery created throughout
the millennia of human existence
has been from the perspective of the
dominant gender –male. That has led to
stereotypical depictions that saw men in
the positions of warriors or heroes while
women held passive roles as objects of
admiration and sexual stimulation. Add
to that the prudish teachings of religions
across the globe and you get a very
twisted perception of the most natural
thing about us –our very form.
In my work, I use the body as a vessel
to carry a message. It is not nude for
the sake of being nude. In most cases,
it’s not even sexual. It is just a body,
with any connotations that it may
carry. It is interesting though to explore
this dichotomy in terms of audience
perception.
71