On Multimedia Approaches to Art and Representation: "Meet Her Hands" with Roshi K
This summer, we're producing our second Meet Her Hands production with the Elisabet Ney museum. This series features three self-identifying women, Texas-based artists in discussion about their work, their inspiration and their hands (hence their process).
The Vibe
Elisabet Ney Museum
On July 6, gathered on the banks of the Elisabet Ney Museum, the former home of sculptor, Elisabet Ney, to interview the first artist in Meet Her Hands 2017, Roshi K. As the sun set, attendees enjoyed an intimate exhibition of the artist's work, a Q&A with the artist herself and cider provided by Argus Cidery.
The Interview
A Q&A between Roshi K. and Noel Hollis
Roshi lives and works in Austin, Texas. The vibrations and culture of every city, old and new, impact the flavor of Roshi’s work. She enriched her natural talents by studying Art Foundations at Virginia Commonwealth University and Animation at the Arts Institute of Austin. The main influences on Roshi’s aesthetic include anime, manga, Japanese history, the history of the African Diaspora, mythology, linguistics, cymatics, quantum physics and the natural elements. Noel Hollis, Roshi's close friend and fellow activist, interviewed Roshi to explore her process and practice. A few highlights:
On the way her identity influences both her style and subjects:
"You've got your average all American girl next door, but I'm your brown girl next door."
On being an activist and painting the mundane:
"Art and activism go hand in hand, but we also need to have the narrative that we've led the normal lives, too. I feel like it's my duty with murals to put brown people up on a wall so that people can walk by and see representation from within their own communities. It's not just important to put a brown girl on a wall, but it's also important to show young girls that they can pursue a creative career, too."
On her inspirations:
"One of my biggest inspirations besides visual art is music...but another one of my favorite things is nature. I like to go to the woods and reconnect with water."
On street art and being a muralist:
"Walls scream out to me all the time... but if I responded to every wall I'd be in trouble."
The Exhibition
featuring select watercolor and multimedia works by Roshi K.
Roshi's pieces will be on display at the Elisabet Ney Museum through July 18. The next two artists in this series are ceramicist and sculptor Angel Oloshove (July 20) and illustrator and designer Neta Bomani (August 10).