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What is the place of art? Let me say that art has no place, it has no definite space, but creeps in the spaces in between fixed realities. This is what I have discovered in Jonathan Avinash Victor’s art. His art seems a continuous transition, a journey between sketch and final product, between lines and broken figures, between color and non-color. In between this non-determinacies pockets of meaning appear that both accentuate the discontinuity between the various lines and non-lines as well as bring them all together. These flowing lines intertwined around exploding pockets of meaning are surprisingly simplistic, they do not overstrain the overall structure but invite us to float with them in between forms. This makes Avinash’ art very attractive, giving the nepantla state a peaceful, creative, pleasurable dimension in contrast to the angst of indeterminacy described by Emilio Uranga regarding the same state.
Follow Jonathan on Instagram to see more of his art
I have had the pleasure of chatting with Jonathan Avinash Victor about his art. Here are the questions he was kind enough to answer.
FN: Dear Jonathan, thank you for this opportunity to explore the space of art together. Could you tell us more about yourself and your art concept in general?
JAV: In terms of my foray into the artworld, I have been collecting art for over 10 years. This led me to have many discussions and meetings with artists. One of them, Jeganathan Ramachandram, really saw something in me and urged me to try my hand at being an artist. He claimed that thus far, I had used art collecting as a means of expressing my love of art but that really, I was an artist. It’s only that the idea had never occurred to me before. I then decided to apprentice under him from March 2019 until sometime in December 2019. These art classes were more philosophical than traditional. Most classes were merely conversations in art, religion, life and many other subjects. These were then used as my inspiration to draw and paint. I enjoyed this method of apprenticeship, although it is a very much slower way of learning art, and obviously isn’t everyones cup of tea.
My art concept seems to center around my fascination of how the human mind works. I use the phrase “seems to” because when I first started drawing, I didn’t define it as such. The pattern started emerging in my art and I then linked it back to my fascination in understanding this thing we called our mind. One of the most recurring images in my art is the human face. I use it as a way of expressing and exploring emotions/thoughts which I feel the English language (or at least my grasp of it) is inadequate of doing. It isn’t so important to me to give definition to these emotions or the reasons behind a certain state of mind but more to just describe it in my art and leave it up to the viewer to form her/his own opinion. Sometimes I do tell a fixed story with clearly defined emotive conclusions through a particular drawing. But the human experience is so varied that I am sure even these can be interpreted in many ways by the viewer. At the end of the day, I’m really interested in creating art that gives the viewer (and myself) a language or aid in expressing and perhaps understanding her/his own emotions and thoughts.
FN: You mentioned in our short chat, that nepantla feels close to your art. Could you tell us more about that?
JAV: Before coming across Forum Nepantla’s Instagram page I wasn’t aware of the word nepantla. Reading your website and then doing subsequent research really made me feel that it resonated with me as an artist and human. The in-between states of being an artist or human take on a more beautiful meaning with nepantla. It is an acceptance of the journey between A-B. It is a recognition that in as much as the destination is important, it is the journey (the in between space) that defines, teaches and ultimately molds one. In between-ness is something to be cherished and enjoyed. An example I had mentioned in my short chat with you was questions I get asked often as an artist, “why not use colour? why not try paints? Why not acrylics on canvas?” These are well meaning questions, I admit. Still, for me what is more important is to be comfortable with the in-between-ness, the nepantla. This does not mean one will stay in this space indefinitely or be happy with neither being here nor there but an acknowledgement of the process of being in-between. Another example is how my wife and I live and work between Malaysia and Singapore. Many times, we feel stretched or torn between juggling various elements such as career, money, family and our relationship. It definitely is a state of nepantla! We do try to feel comfortable with this in-between state as much as it is difficult.
FN: Do you think art has a specific space? Or does art create new spaces? Or is it spaceless so to say?
JAV: This is how it think of art in relation to space. Art originates from the mind of humans, as a thought impulse brought to life in many different forms, be it visual arts, or performing arts or something else. Thus, it already took up a certain indeterminate space in the mind, its subsequent expression gave it a physicality. Art then is really a thought impulse finding its physical space. In that sense, I do think it finds a space to exist every time it comes into being in terms of its physicality. In that sense art almost has to find a space to exist in fixed reality. The art produced is definitely influenced by the particular space the artist is in, and that’s why we see a certain geography or society produces a certain type of art. Still with the internet and travel being so cheap this seems to be a boundary that will constantly erode. In as much as art finds a space to exist in reality, in the first place, reality itself has such a big influence on the thoughts of an artist and thus her/his art.
FN: What is your personal creative process?
JAV: I usually get sparks of ideas from pictures (Instagram), movies and the people around me. I am constantly watching faces. I then start thinking about some emotion or a cocktail of emotions that they are feeling and try to mirror that in my mind. Because there are so many impulses in any given day, a particular work of art is usually an amalgamation of these impulses rather than one particular observation. Though, sometimes, it is. I just let these ideas brew in my mind. After this, the process gets a little less defined. When I pick up my pen or pencil to draw, I trust that something of these thoughts will guide me. I then start with just a line and see where it takes me. Usually, after the first few minutes the ideas start solidifying and images start appearing. Once I get hooked onto a certain concept for that piece, I make a more conscious effort to define the work. I do think this creative process has its limitations especially when it comes to painting big pieces of art. More deliberate planning will have to come into play, especially with the images I want to create.
FN: Who are your greatest influences?
JAV: If I had to pick one artist that I have researched and draw a lot of inspiration from it is Picasso. He went through many phases in his art life, wasn’t afraid of experimenting, constantly pushed his own personal boundaries. Clearly, he was very comfortable with nepantla because his phases sometimes lasted years. My art guru, Jeganathan, has also really shaped how I think about my art journey. He always allows me to venture at my own pace while constantly getting me to improve my skill as an artist. One really needs the skill of drawing and painting properly to express the complex ideas that come.
FN: Do you have any specific projects that you are working on?
JAV: Somewhere in September 2019, together with my art guru I came up with the idea of creating 100 small (A5 and A4) size pen drawings since it looked like I just had so many ideas flowing when it came to this method. Painting or drawing with colour felt harder for me and I just wasn’t getting the flow to produce. I think it will take a lot more practice and then the flow will come. I have already hit the 100 mark, in no small part because am currently in lockdown known as “circuit breaker” in Singapore. I would really like to have an exhibition of these drawings in an art space in Singapore or Malaysia but with the Covid-19 situation things are in flux. In terms of artistic expression, I want to start painting with acrylic (on canvas) rather than just focusing on ink and paper.
FN: Thank you. Would you have any other points important for you that you wish to share with us?
JAV: Circling back our discussion of art and the concept of nepantla I would like to say to anyone reading this, enjoy the in-between-ness of life. This is opposed to angst, unhappiness or anxiety often felt by us when we are in an in-between space.
FN: Thank you a lot for this wonderful interview. I hope to see more of your art in the future.
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