Fabrica Art Gallery has started their Quiet Revelations Project, in which they are commissioning the entire community by asking them to share the small, quiet revelations we have had during lockdown. Fabrica believes it is these quiet revelations which we will be taking forward with us when the world changes again.
My biggest revelation has been coming back to making art, and starting my own business of selling my work, under the pseudonym Moatzart. I realised that all my reasons for postponing this were excuses, and I also had extra time on my hands. But it took hard work and consistent practice, and there are many things I am learning along the way, about work, artwork, printmaking and myself.
So, since this has been my main preoccupation I would like to temporarily share some #quietrevelations about the work I have made during lockdown, and the start of my business.
I am attributing a piece of artwork to each revelation, that matches with the work I was making each time.
Quiet Revelation #1 (I’m Bored - Original Linocut Print): Printmaking is like balancing on a tight rope, you never know which side you will fall on. I have realised I liked my mistakes, and starting making them intentionally. The prints became more and more exciting with each try this way.
Quiet Revelation #2 (Test Print - Original Linocut Print): I don’t like talking about how I imbue my work with meaning, and about what meanings I choose to convey. I believe this is a spiritual practice, whereby through your studies, and what you consume and think about, you can listen to the directions of the work, and choose the ones you want to go in. At University, this process becomes fine-tuned. I like to give my work multiple meanings, and I hide these as I am working, and as they come to me. For this work, I had a powerful calling that I should make the character above the lion the same as the lion itself, and the character above can be the emancipated version; if she could choose, she would be wearing feathers as well, and not be the tamed lion, in this circus that is life. I am glad I listened to this, as this work now has such a different strength…
Quiet Revelation #3 (Maman et Monsieur - Original Linocut Print): While I do miss seeing my mum and my (few) friends, I do enjoy working alone, probably a little too much. It may also be because I am truly working just for myself for the first time ever, it is all too exciting, though it feels wrong to be this excited under the circumstance of how this opportunity has come about...
Quiet Revelation #4 (Test Print - Original Linocut Print): If you approach your work like a test, some of the pressure to succeed will come off. Let's just test it, let's just work hard, and apply everything I have learned, and trust that it will come out the way it's supposed to.
Quiet Revelation #5 (Baby I and II - Original Linocut Prints): Working for myself is completely new for me, and just so exciting. I have realised that if I am not incredibly adamant about free time, I might just be working non-stop, as it does not feel like work. So, I have installed schedules to adhere by, and this was needed as especially at the beginning, the work you can do seems almost infinite.
As part of this, I was able to have an interview with Radio Reverb about Fabrica Art Gallery, their Quiet Revelations project and how I approached it which you can listen to here:
There are no words for how happy I am to be able to apply my skills to my own business and vision, and how thankful I am for the privilege of being able to do so. I am also incredibly thankful that I could do something worthwhile during this time, and kept a positive outlook, and that after all these years, I have come to the confidence to start something like this, during one of the most precarious times we have seen.
Shop Original Prints and Original Wall Art at www.moatzart.co.uk./shop
Find the Quiet Revelations project at quiet.fabrica.org.uk
Love,
MOATZART
Printmaker and Artist