REDA ART OF ILLUSION HOW TO
REDA ART OF ILLUSION SERIES

We decided to rent a commercial suite that had been gutted by the previous tenant (just subfloor and studs left!) so we could create a hybrid studio/gallery space. I wanted a larger space to host my own workshops, collaborate with fellow artists and create new bodies of work. Why did you initially decide to found this space and to keep it open throughout the pandemic?ĪS: Studio 203 started as a daydream that my husband and I talked about one night over dinner just months before the pandemic spread worldwide. Though I am not hiding the use of fabric in my work, I try to draw attention to the imagery of a piece, rather than the use of fiber as a medium.ĪE: You founded Studio 203 in Los Angeles just as the city was shutting down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Currently, I am working with fabric samples from a local design firm in Los Angeles, and use traditional applique techniques to mimic the informal look of collage. I enjoy playing with the viewer’s eye, using materials and/or methods that are not immediately recognizable when looking at a piece.

REDA ART OF ILLUSION HOW TO

I’ll spend hours sorting material and taking inventory of each donation, making piles based on texture, fiber content, color and tone, or size/length for future use.Īfter collecting and sorting, I focus on how to transcend the initial “look” of the material. This is probably why I always have a wide collection of textile scraps and castoffs – all donated to my studio – which includes knitted swatches and yarn samples, scraps of hand dyed fabric, moth-eaten sweaters, etc. Surrounded by castoff material, this led to a natural rhythm of creating: gathering materials, and then starting a project inspired by my collection. This made it easy to source material that was readily available (and free), rather than ordering fiber online and waiting to see it in person. While pursuing my undergraduate degree in Fiber, textile deadstock would be sent to the school for students to use in their projects. How did you come to use these recycled materials in your work? What was the creative process behind the technique you use to make your pieces?ĪS: Collecting material is an important part of my practice, like many other artists, and textiles speak to me the most. I hope my work evokes a larger understanding that we are all human and we are all connected.ĪE: Your textile works are comprised of reclaimed collaged fabric. I want to connect with others on a visceral level through the use of formal elements: movement, color, and form. Using reclaimed fabric, collage methods and applique techniques, each landscape captures the notion of abstract memory through material exploration. I tend to utilize universal themes that the viewer can connect with by referencing the sublime, drawing on world mythologies and sharing an otherworldly sense of the human conscious and subconscious.

REDA ART OF ILLUSION SERIES

This making-while-meditating mindset is an important step, especially in my recent series of abstract landscapes that combine my memories of Lebanon with imagery from Islamic folklore. I like to collect “research” during this meditative state, noting the conscious and unconscious decisions I make when arranging my imagery into compositions.

Spending hours replicating tiny stitches or knotting yarn provides mental space for self-observation. I am drawn to methodical and tedious ways of working, like many fiber artists, and most of my work is process-oriented. Aneesa Shami is also the co-owner and director of Studio 203, an artist-run space in Los Angeles that collaborates with artists to create exhibitions and host workshops and performances.ĪrteEast: Can you tell us about your work in general and the main themes you return to in your practice?Īneesa Shami: The uniting theme across my work as an artist, educator, and researcher is exploring how one connects to the creative process. She recently created costumes for Planet City (2020), directed by Liam Young, which was commissioned for the NGV Triennial 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Shami’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries and museums. She was the Textile Arts | Los Angeles AIR at Helms Design Center in 2018, and was a Fellow for the Mildred’s Lane Attention Labs: Order of the Third Bird in 2015. Shami holds Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in both Fiber and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute. Her work references the sublime and world mythologies to evoke a sense of the collective unconscious within her imagery. ArteEast is pleased to present an interview with artist Aneesa Shami as part of our Artist Spotlight series.Īneesa Shami is an artist and researcher based in Los Angeles using recycled materials to create fiber art.

Reda art of illusion