Self Reflection: An Interview with Ayanna Nayo
Lover's Eyes
Ayanna Nayo is a conceptual artist that likes to exhibit topics like sexuality, race, identity, & violence in contemporary Black culture. She uses her work to emulate and replicate the Black experience. For the audience, this can either arouse a great sense of familiarity or yield some level of insight and understanding. Color plays a huge role in Ayanna's work. The color palette is quite literally the first thing she decides before painting. She uses color to heighten whatever feeling or emotion she wishes to evoke out of the audience. I've been a fan of Ayanna's work for quite some time now, and on April 24th, 2018, via phone call, I had the opportunity to ask her about some reasons as to why she makes her art like this and some other reflective questions.
What are some of the things & who are some of the people that just genuinely keep you going in whatever you do?
Ayanna Nayo: Well one thing that keeps me going is hopefully opening some kind of art space/gallery/community center in the future, and the idea of helping people. My mother keeps me going. Love keeps me going. Also, I just enjoy making art, I always come back to it.
Do you have a favorite era of art such as Modernism, Impressionism, Dada, etc?
AN: Probably Impressionism and surrealism.
Why? And do you feel that you reflect that in your work somehow?
AN: I like Impressionism because it wasn't concerned with accurate depiction more that a feeling or experience, & I like surrealism because it's, for lack of a better word, weird. It's interesting. My newer work reflects Impressionism color-wise and experience wise, but I think my old work was more surreal. I'm moving more towards figurative studies for my upcoming work.
Who do you think is responsible for making an exhibition great; the artist or the curator?
AN: I'd say a bit of both. The work has to be good and the space has to elevate it. It's actually pretty hard to curate a show.
What do you think is the hardest part?
AN: Well deciding what to include, deciding themes/title & placing work is the hardest for me. I feel like a lot of people think it's just hanging, but sometimes you hang a show and it doesn't flow well so you take it down and restart.
What's a medium that you hate?
AN: Pencil/charcoal or anything dry on paper, ugh. I have tactility issues with that... it makes me cringe.
Secure (Dedicated to Gabrielle Goodwin)
The Things That Go Bump at Night
I was really interested in your installation piece in your most recent show. What was going through your mind when you were creating it, and do you see yourself creating more installation pieces in the future?
AN: I was really looking to convey the feeling of tension and the experience of getting your hoops caught in your hair. The placement was also pretty important because I wanted to cast the shadow of the hair onto my painting. And I'm working on merging the 2, painting & sculpture, into installation pieces for an upcoming project I have in mind. Really blurring what you can and can't do with paintings.
I also noticed that you've created plenty of self portraits. Don't you think that's an extremely brave and difficult thing to do?
AN: I think for me personally it's kind of lazy. I started doing self portraits because I spend a lot of time alone and I had no other subjects and I know myself best, so it's pretty easy to convey some kind of emotion but... I guess it is pretty brave to show yourself to the world.
What would you say is the message that your more recent work is trying to convey? Your work in the past?
AN: My most recent work was dealing with the radical act of self care and passing down of self care rituals specifically amongst black women. I'd like to think of my older work as more of an exploration of self, although it does have historic references.
How important do you think color is in relation to your work? Do you feel like it's just as important or plays a big enough role to the point where your work wouldn't be itself without it? For example, if your painting Strange Fruit matched the actual colors of your skin, do you still think it would have the same effect?
AN: Very important. Any color palette I choose is deliberate
It's actually the first thing I decide when I want to make a painting. I do think color informs my work a lot. I like to use it to reinforce a feeling or emotion, so I don't think it would have the same effect as a skin tone palette.
Do you think we live in a world where there's plenty of art all around us & we aren't observing/acknowledging enough of it or do you think we live in a world where "enough" art isn't made & we need more creatives churning out pieces to satisfy that need?
AN: I think we're supersaturated in art, but people aren't always observing. And there are always lots of creatives churning out pieces but I feel like it always has to be "the next big thing" or "the new creative idea" for it to receive a lot of attention; especially in the art world.
Do you think the art world has come to a point where it's divided itself into factions that aren't, in a way, encouraged to coexist because there's a fear of the faction losing its identity and voice?
AN: As far as museums I think they're meant to coexist as far as viewing art but I don't think they should be all the same if that makes sense? If they didn't relate conceptually somehow I think one could overpower one another.
As a Black female artist, do you ever just feel exhausted and overwhelmed from existing? Do you feel like being you is a chore?
AN: Oh yeah, all the time. I feel like I'm constantly having to explain and/or educate people.
Does it ever make you feel limited?
AN: Sometimes. I try to approach a variety of subjects, though.
What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
AN: Probably the positive feedback I received from my own show, people felt touched and represented, so that was nice. And being featured in some blogs.
What do you want to achieve in the future?
AN: Career wise I'd like to get the residency at the studio museum in Harlem, open up a gallery space, and having a solo show at a blue chip would be nice.
I can't wait to see what the future holds for Ayanna. Ayanna is currently an MFA Candidate at Washington State University.
AN: Very important. Any color palette I choose is deliberate
It's actually the first thing I decide when I want to make a painting. I do think color informs my work a lot. I like to use it to reinforce a feeling or emotion, so I don't think it would have the same effect as a skin tone palette.
Do you think we live in a world where there's plenty of art all around us & we aren't observing/acknowledging enough of it or do you think we live in a world where "enough" art isn't made & we need more creatives churning out pieces to satisfy that need?
AN: I think we're supersaturated in art, but people aren't always observing. And there are always lots of creatives churning out pieces but I feel like it always has to be "the next big thing" or "the new creative idea" for it to receive a lot of attention; especially in the art world.
Do you think the art world has come to a point where it's divided itself into factions that aren't, in a way, encouraged to coexist because there's a fear of the faction losing its identity and voice?
AN: As far as museums I think they're meant to coexist as far as viewing art but I don't think they should be all the same if that makes sense? If they didn't relate conceptually somehow I think one could overpower one another.
As a Black female artist, do you ever just feel exhausted and overwhelmed from existing? Do you feel like being you is a chore?
AN: Oh yeah, all the time. I feel like I'm constantly having to explain and/or educate people.
Does it ever make you feel limited?
AN: Sometimes. I try to approach a variety of subjects, though.
What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
AN: Probably the positive feedback I received from my own show, people felt touched and represented, so that was nice. And being featured in some blogs.
What do you want to achieve in the future?
AN: Career wise I'd like to get the residency at the studio museum in Harlem, open up a gallery space, and having a solo show at a blue chip would be nice.
I can't wait to see what the future holds for Ayanna. Ayanna is currently an MFA Candidate at Washington State University.
Strange Fruit (Grapefruit)