CASE STUDY Habib Hajallie
Q As a visual artist, it can be difficult to put your work into words – as opposed to images. Do you struggle with this too?
A
Earlier in my career, I didn’t like writing about my work. I would worry that my explanations may not be intellectual enough, or conversely, that they may seem pretentious. I soon realised that when making my most impactful works I took risks with being vulnerable and potentially controversial; simply put, I removed the element of worrying about being good enough. I applied this perspective to how I speak and write about my work, I tried to write as clearly about my process as possible – remembering that writing something is better than nothing.
Q The key is finding the balance between your work speaking for itself and describing it in a way that includes viewers and gives them an entry point into your art. How do you find this balance yourself?
A
In the traditional gallery setting, I believe that the artwork almost has to speak for itself. An online presentation is very different: just an image of an artwork on the screen, with little background, may not be enough to engage a viewer that has unlimited access to several other pieces, just a click away. Viewers will immediately deduce a narrative apropos of the artwork before they even read about it. It is crucial to remember that for someone to want to read about your work in the first instance, they must already be interested to a certain extent. When you recognise that writing about your work can be seen as a ‘bonus’ for people, this alleviates some of the pressure or anxiety that artists sometimes feel around articulating ideas behind a piece.
Most importantly, I try to write about each artwork as though the person reading it has never seen or heard of my work before. The entire purpose of my work is to empower and celebrate people of colour through portraiture that is relevant in a socio-political context. So, I see writing about my work as an opportunity to reach more people. I want to make work that resonates with the people that my practice represents and for others to see a different perspective. Writing about my work in my blog, on social media and in online galleries allows the work to be understood from the perspective of the practitioner, whilst enabling the viewer to maintain their own opinions but showing a point of comparison.
Q Do you have some tips for artists about how to talk and write about their work?
A
The most important thing I can stress is to be concise. This is advice that I’ve repeatedly been told throughout my career regarding artist statements, blog posts, funding proposals, etc. Whilst typing, constantly remind yourself why you’re writing, don’t worry about meeting a word count. Try to avoid clichés (I still struggle with this), it’s easy to fall into traps of romantic descriptions without any substance. Lastly, read out loud what you’ve written; you may also find it helps to show it to someone else to see if you’ve made your point clear.
Next month: Funding, what is available, eligibility and how to apply