The trinidad+tobago film festival is delighted to have Sheena Rose as the festival artist for our 16th edition. Her work, ‘Monolithic’, will represent this year’s festival on the festival guide, poster and buttons. Mikayla Almandoz spoke with the Barbadian visual artist to learn more about her work and her artistry. 

ttff what was the inspiration behind your artwork, ‘Monolithic’, which is representing the festival this year?

SR I love Pop Art, I cannot help to see myself as a Caribbean Pop Artist. I love retro commercials, posters, old magazine and photos. They feel nostalgic and make me very happy inside. I wanted to recreate these found images and collage them into a painting. I was really curious what would happen if I glued these three women, and added them to a vibrant, loud living room. 

ttff how do you view ttff and its role within the region?

SR TTFF is making a great contribution to the region and the global space. We get to see ourselves, our stories, captured in film and moving images. I love to see filmmakers from the Caribbean who are proud and excited to show their films and stories, and I too am excited because I want to see our stories; how did the filmmakers portray us. It is very important to have a space like this to see and show ourselves.

ttff who/ what are some of your influences and inspirations?

SR I have tons of influences and inspiration for my work! At first, whenever I was asked that question in interviews, I would have a list of names. But as time goes by, it’s getting harder to pinpoint. I am inspired by all kinds of passionate creativity such as the work of writers, dancers, poets, filmmakers, cinematographers, musicians, sound engineers, costume makers, etc. I love creative people that take risks and are unapologetic.

ttff you are a multi-disciplinary artist, doing paintings, drawings, performance art, new media, public art and mixed media, what drew you to all of these avenues of creation?

SR I went to Barbados Community College from 2003 – 2008 and honestly, I wanted to be a cartoonist. During that time the college encouraged us to work on different materials. At first, I was very miserable, because I just wanted to draw, but after a while, I learned to enjoy many techniques such as printmaking, filmmaking, figure drawing, photography, graphics, etc. They were very challenging at first, but as I grew as an artist, they taught me to be flexible and curious. In 2014, I received a Fulbright Scholarship to do my MFA in Studio Art at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to continue the idea of working in different media. It felt great to work in many materials during and after my studies. I also created more performance art, new media art, and installation art. 

ttff what are you currently working on?

SR I am currently working on many projects such as pen and ink drawings, colorful cityscapes, hand-stitched mixed media costumes, and paintings. I am continuing the idea of asking myself, who am I? What or how do I contribute to the space? During this time, I feel as though these many projects are helping me find myself. The costumes/ performance art feels like my paintings and drawings are alive and in our world. The drawings feel like a diary, the paintings feel like a bizarre mind scape I occupy.

ttff you seem to always be busy learning a new skill, from swimming to making wigs, where do you find the motivation to keep expanding?

SR Well, since the pandemic started, I told myself, go and learn some skills, this is the time to discover more of yourself. We have a lot more time on our hands. Instead of buying a wig, learn to make one. Instead of buying herbs in the supermarket, learn to be a gardener/ farmer. I also see these extra skills as a benefit to my art and my process of thinking. 

ttff you mentioned that you can get impatient and not trust the process when you’re working on multiple ideas, how do you navigate that?

SR I find I am getting better at not being so impatient, especially now that I am doing yoga and meditation daily. I was getting tired of the process because I wanted to quickly see the result of the work and hope for the best. However, I recently started enjoying the process a bit more. I feel as though I am discovering more about myself, and becoming excited with the transformation of the work. I am asking myself more questions such as why am I doing this again? Should I change this colour, perhaps I can add or take it away? I always remember Picasso and Dali quotes, which help me to be patient and understanding:

“I begin with an idea, and then it’s something else” Pablo Picasso

“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.” Salvador Dali

ttff what are your thoughts on being ttff/21’s festival artist?

I am smiling from ear to ear. I feel honoured and excited that I was selected to be the ttff/ 21 Festival artist! I am feeling great that you cannot miss my work. It is the poster and part of the face of the festival this year! I love that visual art is also acknowledged in the festival. It also makes me think of powerful visuals. I’m very happy with how my work is exposed to viewers, art lovers, film lovers, and anyone who has a device in their hand.

You can learn more about Sheena Rose’s work by visiting her site:
www.sheenaroseart.com

Our festival artist for the 15th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival is the talented interdisciplinary artist, Mark King, whose work combines fashion, surface design, sculpture and installation to name just a few of the tools he uses. FILMCO’s education coordinator, Catherine Emmanuel, spoke with King about his work, his interests and thoughts on being our ttff/20 festival artist.

ttff You work in many varied mediums such as photography, fashion and surface design. What drew you to this diverse combination of tools?

MK My curiosity and general interests are what pushed me to explore these mediums. A strong desire to communicate abstract concepts in different ways guides this approach. It is also through collaboration that I am able to experiment with a wide range of creative tools in both my fine art and commercial life.

ttff How do you use these mediums to explore the subjects that interest you?

MK Each medium plays a role in the expression and transmission of a concept. The decision to use any medium, whether independently or in a grouping, depends on many factors. I’m concerned with how people engage with my work. Lately, I have been thinking of the objects I create as artifacts that go on to be activated/animated by the owner, wearer, or viewer.

ttff Your work is focused on examining the ‘underlying forces that guide our behaviour’. Can you tell us what your work has allowed you to observe and learn about this in the last few years?

MK A great example is a recent collaboration called, ​Look on me and be renewed ​(2018). Commissioned by Up Projects and the Science Gallery of London for their HOOKED exhibition, the project enabled me to further expand my practice in this direction. It was a collaboration with Dr John Marsden, Professor of Addiction Psychology at King’s College London and Changing 7, a group of people with lived experience of treatment and recovery from substance use. ​Look on me and be renewed​ invited viewers to reflect on the interplay between human beings, objects and environments, highlighting how visual prompts from our surroundings are connected to the behavioural patterns and rhythms that govern or determine our decisions and experiences.

ttff As a Caribbean artist who’s lived in the region as well as abroad, how do you think this has shaped and influenced your work?

MK I feel that my international experience has made me curious about what rests beneath the surface and how it shapes our behavior on a cultural level. Living in the region and internationally has expanded my network of friends and collaborators. This has inspired me to create work that speaks to many disparate groups of people.

ttff  Do you think your early childhood moves played a role in your development as an artist?

MK Most definitely! I started drawing as a toddler living in Barbados. I took my first after school art classes while growing up in Nassau, Bahamas and continued taking after school classes through middle school and high school in Brussels, Belgium. It gave me the confidence to know that it was possible to be a different kind of artist.

ttff Who and what are your major influences?

MK Lately I’ve found the practices of artists Llanor Alleyne, Olafur Eliasson, Hella Jongerius, Nyugen Smith, the Third Horizon collective, and Rodell Warner to be a source of great inspiration.

ttff What are you presently working on?

MK I’m working with Dutch fashion designer, Bregje Cox on our Enclothed Cognition collaboration. That’s me in the ttff artwork (​Untitled,​ 2017) wearing our VIRTUAL suit. We are currently developing new textiles and have a collaboration with site-specific dance company, Tori Lawrence + Co. in the works. Other than that, I have my personal studio practice and am working as a Creative Director in Pop-Up Magazine’s Brand Studio.

ttff  What are your thoughts on being ttff/20’s festival artist?

MK I’m honored to be named this year’s ttff festival artist. I’ve wanted to participate in the festival for many years now. I’m not a filmmaker (yet) and being invited to contribute as a festival artist always seemed like an ideal way to participate creatively. I’ve admired ttff from next door in Barbados for many years but have yet to attend. It’s always been a standout festival in my mind.

ttff How do you view ttff and its role within the region?

MK ttff is one of the most important film platforms in the region. That makes it significant to the global film industry. There aren’t many opportunities for Caribbean filmmakers to screen their films let alone network, attend workshops, update their skills through masterclasses. This is what makes ttff special and significant in the Caribbean arts/film community.

ttff What impact would you like your work to have?

MK I want it to catch your attention and encourage you to think of a once familiar subject in a totally new way. It is my hope that my works get one to spark delight and thought long after I am gone.

ttff Has the (COVID-19) pandemic affected your work in terms of the topics and issues you want to explore?

MK It has instilled a sense of urgency following the initial shock of it all. The focus of my artwork hasn’t changed much since the pandemic is exposing the vulnerabilities of our current systems, many of which I have come to interrogate through my artwork. For example, our relationship with artifacts and the built environment are still important and have an impact on our well-being. That isn’t going to change. The pandemic provides new context and perspectives.

You can learn more about Mark King’s work by visiting his site:
markkingismarkings.com