I had the opportunity of being able to send the amazing Roya Ramanzadeh some questions about her work!
Check out the interview below!
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became an artist?
I was born and raised in Medway, in Kent. My heritage is a mix of Iranian, Jewish and English. I was encouraged to be creative by both sides of my family, my mum makes patchwork quilts and my grandmother was very artistic as well.
My aunt and uncle, Akram Rahmanzadeh (@akramrahmanzadeh) and Seyed Edalatpour (@seyededalatpour) are both professional artists and I spent a great deal of time with them as a young child, learning to draw and paint.
I feel that because of these early influences art has become a language in which I am perhaps more comfortable expressing my experiences and emotions.
I lived in London for over a decade but returned to Medway last year. I live with my partner, and daughter and our cat in Rochester, which is like a fairytale and I’m so grateful for my life.
2. You have a BA Hons in Fine Art and studied at diploma and degree level.
How has your art education affected your approach to making art and do you think that it gave you the tools you needed to become an artist?
I went to a grammar school in Kent which back in the early 2000’s was still stuck in the Victorian ages! I had teachers who outwardly and openly disliked me and I was taken out of art classes from the age of 13 or 14.
When I turned 16 and had to make a decision about my future, I applied to art college and was lucky enough to get in.
For 16 year old me, and many young people like me UCA (University of Creative Arts) was a saving grace. Tutors who genuinely cared for us and encouraged our self expression and creativity; something I had not experienced in secondary school.
Sadly UCA Rochester, where I studied my diploma is closing it’s doors next year forever. It is a huge loss to our community and our young people.
Additionally, what are your thoughts on art education and is it important for an artist to have a degree?
I left UCA Rochester and went to study Fine Art and degree level at UCA Canterbury, but I think I was too young and immature to do my degree! I was a young 18 year old, not someone with many life skills.
I did the bare minimum coursework and spent the rest of the time partying – at an age where I really needed to be learning to take care of myself independently.
It was an amazing opportunity to be there but I wasn’t ready to get the most from it. I don’t think a degree is essential but I do wish I could do redo that time to focus fully on my art as I wasn’t an adult yet and I had a lot of growing up to do.
3. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist and are there any misconceptions that you don’t like?
I recently joined the Spilt Milk CIC community for artist mothers which champions the work of mothers and tries to redress the challenges that mothers face in the art work.
So many opportunities require artists to be available at galleries and openings, for whole evenings and weekends and that isn;t compatible with having a young child.
I do feel there’s a misconception that once you have a child you’ll be focused on finger painting with them and lose interest in your own creative practise.
4. Creating art is actually a small part of being an artist. What other skills do you need to be an artist and run a business?
I personally benefit from being able to articulate myself reasonably well, and I’m lucky to have that skill.
I wouldn’t say that it’s essential to be an artist to have any extra skills because there’s always a way around it if you’ve got the will, but having my words and the chutzpah to ask for opportunities has helped me throughout my life to find the way.
5. Your work is visually fascinating. How would you describe your style and what are the main themes that you like to explore?
My work is figurative, never abstract but also never realism. I like to explore the relationship between figures, objects and backgrounds.
I love to add details, such as gold leaf, to a piece, to give it a sense of decorative opulence.
Beyond the visual themes I am exploring immigration in my Space Refugees pieces by telling the story of aliens who have been forced to flee their home planet.
There are 70.8 million people who have been forcibly displaced worldwide. The refugee story is global, and as has been told as far back as the story of Moses.
Why is art a good outlet for these themes?
Art is a good outlet to imagine the unreal, alien refugees seeking solace in the universe, and through the unreal story, I hope to connect the viewer with their hearts rather than the unsympathetic narrative that our government and media is portraying.
6. One thing that interests me about your work is that you actively strive to engage viewers in conversation about wider societal topics such as social justice, immigration and community.
Why is art important and do you think that society undervalues art?
Art is social commentary, without social commentary we collectively have no way to hear the stories and realities of each other. Society certainly values some art and artists, old dead painters get plenty of exhibitions, but the voices of the displaced, the disabled, the destitute need to be given that same platform. My aliens represent their voices.
Additionally, do you think that are there any themes that you can’t explore through art?
Art is a reflection of life and I can and try to explore every aspect of my life within it. I see my paintings like a window for me to listen to my authentic self, which understands life better than I do.
7. You’ve been working on a body of work, The Space Refugees, from 2015 to 2022. Can you talk a bit about the impetus for this body of work and how it’s developed over the years?
I had a relationship that was extremely up and down, and at it’s worst it was so awful that I questioned everything about myself.
One of the worst aspects of it was feeling I wasn’t ready or able to be a mother.
I painted Space Refugees 1 in 2015, using religious stained glass imagery as a reference. The alien baby isn’t clearly alive or dead, and the parent (Holy Mary-esque figure) stares at flames which are reflected in their eyes. The painting represents to me all the mother’s in crisis, across the world, and the maternal bond that cannot be severed.
I remember it made me feel strangely relieved to have painted it, and it’s the first painting I’ve done which I thought – that’s really, really good.
It ended up on the wall of in a hotel in Brighton for a few years, and when I got it back I was revisited by that sense of relief, so I started to paint more Space Refugees.
As the series progresses I think my personal growth is reflected, and once I met my partner and we had our daughter in 2020 the subsequent paintings contain tender expressions of the love that filled my life.
I think these feelings are deeply human and felt by all societies on earth, and perhaps societies on other planets too!
Additionally, how has creating this series over a long period of time helped you evolve as an artist and do you think that it would look different if you had created it over a shorter period of time?
There is no way that the series could contain so much of my life and my story interwoven if it hadn’t been over so many years.
As the UK’s immigration policy has become more hostile, the protest element of the paintings has become more important and this year I started to donate 10% of my earnings to the RNLI to contribute in some way to the life saving work they do in the British Channel.
9. What is your creative process like? Are there any particular routines that help you focus on your art?
I get all my art stuff together, get comfy on the floor with a cuppa and get painting.
10. Where does the initial idea for an image come from? What are your external influences outside of art and how do you know when an idea will become an image?
My ideas for images are formed from the things I read, watch and listen to, and the places I’ve been and people I have met.
Space Refugees paintings are all visually based on stained glass windows, the music videos of Lana Del Rey, the Sistine chapel, 80’s and 90’s concepts of aliens, my own experiences and feelings about motherhood and mothers I have met (particularly the mothers I met whilst working at Haringey Migrant Support Centre).
The stories of migrants, from my own family to those I met in my work at the Refugee Youth Project, the Migrant Centre and Waltham Forest College are a huge influence on the stories behind the Space Refugees series.
I have also taken inspiration from mythology, Hip Hop, Vladimir Nabakov, Kurt Vonnegut and drawings and memories of my lovers and loved ones.
11. Do you work in a studio? If so, what is the atmosphere like whilst you’re working and how do you combat the feelings of loneliness and isolation that artists often feel when working in enclosed spaces?
I don’t have a studio, I am a stay at home mum and I’m studying my final year of a counselling diploma which gives me limited time to paint.
We have a beautiful back garden where I paint and I find it very peaceful being outdoors.
I often share my process on instagram which gives me a sense of community with my followers.
12. What are your thoughts on social media and how has it impacted your practice? Is it something you enjoy?
I grew up with myspace and msn, so social media has always been a big part of my life and I enjoy connecting with others online.
As an artist I’m very aware of the value of sharing my work via social platforms, but also aware not to over value social media engagement (which is a fine balance which I’m yet to master).
It can be hard not to become disheartened if a new piece doesn’t get the engagement that I hoped it would.
13. Do you feel like you’re a part of a larger art community?
I don’t feel a part of a community unfortunately, however I recently became a member of Spilt Milk CIC, an artist community for mothers, in the hope of finding a sense of togetherness.
14. You’ve exhibited your work n places such as the Turner Contemporary Gallery and Holy Art. How has your experience of exhibiting been so far and at what point did you think that your work was ready to exhibit?
I had my first exhibition in 2010 at the Halpern Gallery, a year after I graduated.
I have continued to try and exhibit whenever I have new work.
I think it’s really important to exhibit, for me, as a social creature, and an opportunity for a party and to discuss the work with others.
My partner Ed is the person who makes it possible for me to have had the opportunities at galleries that I’ve had this year. I can’t drive and he has spent hours schlepping back and forth with my paintings, and looking after our daughter so I can go to private views etc.
I wouldn’t have the energy to do any of the things that I do, as a mother, artist and trainee counsellor, without his support and cheerleading. He’s the best!
15. You have an upcoming solo show in October 2022 at The Space in Rochester, UK. How did this opportunity come about and what work are you exhibiting?
I just got chatting with the guy who runs it as its part of his sustainable products shop Naked Products Co and we ended up booking in a show spontaneously! I’ll be showing all the Space Refugees paintings, and everything else I’ve made recently. I will also be selling prints and 10% of all earnings will be donated directly to the RNLI.
This will be my last show until 2024 earliest. I’ve been in four shows in total this year and it’s been an amazing experience but each one requires a lot of effort and energy.
I’m finishing my counselling studies this year so I’ve made the decision to stop exhibiting until I have graduated.
The show opens on the 3rd of October 2022 and there will be an opening event on the 8th of October 2022 from 6.30pm. It will be running through the whole of October 2022 until the 31st.
Which is more important; the personality of the artist, or the skill of the artist?
Definitely the skill! But also a willingness to put themselves into the work. You don’t need to be a nice person, just a real one.
Additionally, do you find it easy to present yourself online and how do you create demand for your work?
I try and present myself as unfiltered as I can be online, but of course it’s natural not to post every mundane detail of my life so my online presence is somewhat curated to show the best of me.
I do make a conscious effort to try not to edit my character too much in posts, and I try and put myself out there as much as I feel comfortable.
I have no idea how I create demand and am overwhelmed with gratitude whenever someone wants to buy anything I made.
16. In your opinion, what makes a good piece of art and what was the last image or piece of media that captivated you?
The art I like best is work that is an open narrative into the experience of another persons world.
The work of Studio Lenca (@studiolenca), who I participated in a group show with at the Turner Contemporary, had a deep effect on me. He paints beautiful men, with big bold hats, in a world he imagines where Latinx people are empowered to take up space.
17. How would you like your work to develop in the next year and what has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
I would like to continue to improve my skills with oil paint, which is my favourite medium to work in.
Showing my work at the Turner Contemporary was the highlight of my artist career so far.
I hadn’t painted in a couple of years as I’d been swept up in the intensity of new motherhood.
I couldn’t believe it was really happening and I never thought that I would show my work in such an established gallery. It gave me a lot of confidence to seek out more opportunities to put my work out and find time to create new work.
18. What would your younger self think about your work?
15 years ago I was trying to make work about aliens and social commentary for my final major project at university and I’m still trying to do that now – I think younger me would be proud of the commitment I have to those ideas all these years later.
19. Are there any artists that you’d like to see interviewed on TFFB?
My good friend Sara Hoque (@sarahoqueart) has had an amazing couple of years in her career and her work is unique, beautiful and uplifting. Sara’s knowledge of colour theory is inspiring too and I’d love to learn more about her process via a TFFB interview.
20. What are you currently working on?
I’ve just finished my second still life painting in oils and spraypaint; a patterned blanket, a glass bottle of milk, a novel, a bowl of grapes and lemons and a large knife.
There is so much to learn from painting. The history and symbolism feels grounding and I’m aware that the paintings join a long human tradition of still life painting.
See more of Roya’s work over on her website & instagram!