Arteles Creative Centre is situated in a location surrounded by nature. Haukijaarvi, a part of the countryside city of Hämeenkyrö in Finland, is a region filled with forests and lakes. Together with 11 other artists, we are living in a restored timber house built in 1897 with open-area loft spaces for creative collaboration, and not to mention a sauna from 1961.
So far, the experience has been amazing, the authentic Finnish landscape provides me a rare pleasure for finding refuge in a natural getaway. Will be putting up more posts soon.
I'm so excited and looking forward to the artist residency program by Artleles starting in June 2017. So in a couple of days I will starting my journey there from Singapore. So more updates soon!
This is a reposting of an interview that I did for an online art website Glossom.com which has now renamed as Arthewall.com Since it is now no longer found on the revamped website, I wanted to post it here for my own blog.
1. Let’s start with a soundtrack. Which song would you be?
Space Oddity by David Bowie . It speaks to me as I often identify myself as an observer in this world.
2. The word “creativity” has been overused and diluted a lot. What does it mean to you?
Creativity to me is about turning my daydreams into a reality.
3. Where and how do you get inspiration? Do you have some kind of creative pattern or routine?
I get a lot of inspirations from listening to music, especially from indie and alternative music. Sometimes just reading and listening to other people’s stories can also sparks an interesting idea for a work. There is no creative pattern or routine for me, I just have to get my hands dirty and get something started in the studio.
4. Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone and discovered a different genre of art? How did it turn out?
I think I did most of that in art schools, naturally it turns out all confused. Now I am interested in honing my painting skill, and that requires a lot of practises. But eventually I hope to explore another genre when the time comes.
5. What is your favorite project, that you’ve worked on? What is your dream project, something you haven’t done yet but would love to?
I am still excited about my current project, it involves a lot of communications and collaboration with real people to make the works. I have dreamt about turning my paintings into moving pictures, but I am not very good with lighting set ups, maybe that is something be excited about next.