Interview with Saint.ioan
1. Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.
I am a self-taught artist and a beginner curator. I have participated in group exhibitions in Israel since 2022. My first exhibition was a fundraiser due to the full scale war in Ukraine, where I am from.
2. Describe what a normal day looks like as an artist.
I am a psychology and neurobiology student, so I make art in the evenings or on the weekends.
3. Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?
My main themes are trauma and mental health, gender and sex-positivity. It mostly comes from my own experiences, but I am also inspired by activism. I love dark aesthetics, horror artists, games like “Dark Souls” and gothic architecture.
4. How does your art life impact other parts of your life?
Everybody who wrongs me is forever depicted in a poem or an artwork (so people have to be carefull).
Art made me meet a lot of friends and great people, it’s great since I'm not the best at socializing.
5. Could you share any difficulties and hardships you had to face in life and how or if you managed/overcame them?
Art literally saved me from suicide as a teen and is still very theraputic even though i got professional help.
title: my blood
6. Tell us about your best experience in the art world so far.
I found out about an art group - art neuroverse biennale, focusing on giving a platform for neuroatypical artists and became their co-curator.
7. Share your worst experience in the art world.
People tried to scam me by pretending to want to buy my art.
8. What practical advice can you give to fellow artists?
Don’t wait for the right time, apply to open calls and meet curators and other artists, even if you are a beginner, worst case - they say no.
Even the most experienced artists learn all the time.
Research before you do a project, art is a science.
You shouldn’t pay to get exhibited unless it’s something minor and to help with covering the price of the space\printing stuff.
title: my dreams are dark
9. Is the artist life lonely? Please share your thoughts and experiences.
Some artists may feel lonely, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. There is this fear in the industry that everybody is here to compete, but most artists I have met as a beginner were super helpful. We should be here for each other as a community and inspire each other to create.
10. What are you working on at the moment and are there any upcoming events you would like to talk about?
I am currently working on two new projects. First, me and my friend are working on a poetry collection together and hopefully it gets published. We are going to illustrate it together too, which is very exciting.
The second one is an art project. It’s important to me to de-stigmatize mental illness, so I’m currently taking a photo of my medication every day and well.. we’ll see what i’ll do from there.
Instagram: saint.ioan_art
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