Valerie Asiimwe Amani
This summer is the second year in which art schools were mostly not able to stage graduate shows or open studios (Rundgänge in Germany) as they usually would. These occasions in which current students and soon to be graduates can showcase their work to the public and often also gallerists and other art world professionals are extremely important to the further development of their careers after art school.
That is why we have decided to dedicate our summer to recent graduates from all over the world. The She Performs team, as well as our Manila correspondent, Camille Ignacio, and NYC correspondent, Caroline Blockus, have each chosen one or two graduates who are doing exceptional work.
This week with Valerie Asiimwe Amani, chosen by She Performs’ Manila correspondent, Camille Ignacio.
What is a typical day in the studio like for you?
My days in the studio vary a lot since I work across different media simultaneously - it really depends on what kind of mood I am in; sometimes all I want to do is sew, other days I just use it as a thinking space and will spend the day putting up ideas on the wall. It takes me a while to feel comfortable in the space before I start creating and this could be anything from reading a poem or playing some music and walking around the space. Studying during Covid, the studio was the only physical experience of school I had - without access to other spaces, I also had to transform the working space into a set space for my video work. Whatever the case, a day in the studio required a lot of moving parts and a lot of cleaning up. Also it was always good to go in and see members of my cohort there, which was comforting especially during winter when it got dark so early!
Your experience of art school in 5 #
#artbuzzwords
#WhenIsTheDeadline
#crits
#MessyStudio
#DoesThisMakeSense
Whose work inspires you, and why?
I love Otobong Nkangas work - her practice is so vast it seems unbounded, like she really is doing exactly what she wants. I am drawn to the narratives she creates around land and history and how she ties these narratives into conversations about memory. The use of textiles and sometimes unexpected media in her installations inspires me to be ambitious in my own work and reminds me that variety does not have to be a symptom of indecision, but rather a powerful tool for creating a creative ecosystem.
What’s on your mind?
What’s your dream project, and why?
I would love to have the opportunity to create a large sculptural public art installation that could also serve as a space for reflection, rest or sharing. I believe that art should be accessible to as many people as possible, which is one of the reasons I utilize social media to share my work and videos, but I love the permanence and interactivity of a physical object. It would be a dream for this to be realised somewhere in Tanzania to further dialogue about how the arts can create social bridges within communities.
Addendum
Valerie shared with Camille her thoughts on creating art during the pandemic …
The absence of a physical show made me start thinking more about words and the possibility of them being used as a communicative tool for creating a physical experience. Having started my practice in digital art, I was not necessarily challenged by the show being digital - but I had hoped to further my practice beyond the digital. Writing started playing a larger role within my practice and I began experimenting with how a written piece could be interactive.
Lockdown has definitely had its effect on existing projects, and made sustainability that much harder - it has also been the longest I have not seen my parents for. I am trying to redirect a lot of the emotions I have into my work and have probably created some of the most vulnerable work I have ever produced, especially the writing in the book. The solitude of the past few months has been a difficult blessing.
Valerie is a graduate of The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford, UK
