interviews

“Art is just an outcome. Using the artist title just gives perspective to always view everything and to freely reflect on it.”

We spoke of Alona’s personal motivation to create, who she creates for, what she perceives her art style to be and how she interacts with social media and the impacts that it has on her art.

Alona re-inspired me and reminded me that you change with your art practice. Nothing is static and you create best when you create with passion. She also helped solidify that the art world is not one big space, you can choose where within the space you resonate with and where you can fit yourself in.

What drives you to create?

There are always so many questions/things in daily life that are surprisingly so hidden. These general things that aren’t generalised in society, the hidden gems holding many complexities and layers.
Things happen and you just have to deal, making and sharing creates understanding and new realisations.

Who do you create for?

I started creating to heal a broken child within myself. The journey went forward to being a womxn of colour, a minority group. I want to give voice to where there is silence. As a premaster student, again I am a non-represented minority.
I’m not trying to educate whiteness and white people but rather resonate with those who are not seen.

Style?

I’ve gone through phases of writing and performance and specific themes but I am not within one mould. I let go and I create whatever I need to make at that point.
In my personal life, there have been transitions of motherhood, all fun and weird, I am still myself but holding the identity of an unconventional mother. In the art world, I reflect on what is happening in my personal life, which includes being a mother but also dealing with the mother identity.

Social media?

It is strategic, but my own practices are based on personal experience and sharing that truth is the hardest thing. I overthinking posts, my art is more about story than visual and Instagram focuses mostly on images and what they say and represent.

Little wisdoms?

Art is just an outcome. Using the artist title just gives perspective to always view everything and to freely reflect on it.

Interviewed by Ari

https://alonatje.wixsite.com/alonavanrosmalen

Interview Transcript

What drives you to create?

I have always struggled with questioning whether I see myself as a natural creator. I know I’m a natural questioner and I find that art allows me to answer those questions. So, what I question is vulnerability. This is my biggest theme and how I approach it, whether it be social or personal topics, the need to express my vulnerability is empowering and thereby drives me to create.

Who do you create for?

At the moment I create for myself. I still feel quite early on in my artistic practice and I’m still discovering myself as an artist and learning to take it seriously. I also create for people who feel the same as me. One of the main reasons I got into art was because of social topics. There is this necessity I feel as a white person coming from South Africa. Too little is known, either about South Africa or by white South Africans about the power they hold and I’d like to use art to address that.

Style?

Currently, I don’t have a style and I don’t want to have a style. I take pride in being someone who is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional in my interests. So, being able to access this freedom of not having to make something that looks like me also gives me a lot of freedom in doing what I want.

Social Media?

I am not one to post my work on social media and that is largely due to insecurities I have around my work, but it is definitely something I would like to do.

Little wisdoms?

Step outside of yourself. As someone who has suffered from depression for a long time, I consequently struggle with motivation to create art. For anyone who maybe struggles with the same thing I would really suggest going to Pinterest and looking up 30-day art challenge where they give you instructions on what you should make and, although admittedly this is extremely part of my white culture, it works.

What drives you to create?

I think understanding that art is this universal language that can actually create and sustain change, that is a big part of what drives me. Knowing that something I make with my hands has the ability to shift something outside of me either socially or bigger is important to me.

Who do you create for?

I’d say that for a very long time I’ve tried to edit my art to be understood by everyone and now as I grow as an artist, I find that I actually want to create for everyone whose been sidelined, anyone who’s not a cishet white man, who’s experienced some form of being pushed down, some form of being ignored you know? Those who are not being understood, whose problems have not been taken seriously within the society we live in with these bullshit colonial expectations.

Style?

I do not have an art style. I think that at some point I would like some continuous style but for now, I think there is a lot of continuity in the themes that I talk about rather than the way I create the piece. I always have socio-political aspects in my art and while this isn’t a particular style, it is a continuous theme.

Social media?

Online presence scares me because I’m not there to explain my art and with that being said, last year I pushed myself to post my art on Instagram and I actually find it very constricting. I self-censor because I’m insecure about how it will be perceived so I think that social media is important in publishing but its also it takes a lot of tack that is hard to develop.

Little wisdoms?

I think to realise that you don’t have to actually cater to everyone, you can do things and they can just be for you and that doesn’t make it invalid.