Dear Jalinka, thank you for taking time for an interview with us! We are happy to welcome you at HAZEGALLERY. Tell us please about yourself and your path to the art world.
Hoi hallo, Jalinka here! Thank you so much for having me. I feel honored to be included in such a wonderful Gallery & with such incredible people. I respect all the pro-active work/ projects that Irina & her team do to encourage and teach artists and art lovers, really amazing! My art path was already there from when I was born. I was constantly drawing and writing, performing and singing, and making bizarre and unique booklets with friends. Both sides of my family are creative in arts or music. My mum always sent me to all kinds of creative courses to learn to work with a bunch of materials like clay/pottery, making masks or work with wood or metal, etc. So I could purge all my creativity in there cause I needed that to calm down practically haha. This art path knew many distractions during my life, but I always had at least one foot on it. Also, I had to do everything alone because I didn’t know how “to receive” and never asked for help because of that. Now that I’m wholly back on track because I finally realized it’s my purpose and mission to create, and that it’s intertwined with my whole existence, I know that this is the only path for me. I did accomplish some creative schools before eventually going to an art academy, always went to exhibitions, events, and always maintain exploring to keep myself wondering, feed my curiosity, and because of that appreciating life.
You told me that you were hiding your art for many years and even your friends didn't know that you are an artist. Why? And why do you think it is so challenging sometimes to show you art to the world?
This question is a bit of a misunderstanding. I wasn’t hiding it so extreme like this. My closest friends and surroundings always knew I was an artist. I just had many nightlife years wherein I was hiding for myself, suppressing myself with intoxicants. Entirely disconnected, primarily because of unresolved matters, and didn’t believe in myself. Always felt like a fraud with so many things, like racial imposter being multiracial in the Netherlands where I am born and raised but always been asked “what are you” “where are you from” “you are a half-breed no”? So not belonging anywhere, because in which way to put it, or in whatever culture I am, “I’m different” “I’m light-skinned” “I’m having an exotic complexion” and so on... In Brasil where I temporarily lived, for the first time I didn’t experience that feeling since almost everyone there is some variation of the same mix of black, white, and indigenous.Presently I can handle those micro-aggressions, but it still is annoying as hell. I don’t hang out with people like that, but many Dutch people can still be -mostly unconsciously- quite rude.But I particularly felt this imposter syndrome as in being an artist, very sensitive for words, beliefs, and feelings of others, endured quite some jealous people during my life which I didn’t realize, and took everything very personal, tending to only listen to the pessimistic & no trust in anyone, myself or life. So yes, if I was participating in an exhibition or event, I simply didn’t always tell people, afraid that they would hate it as much as I did & see that it wasn’t good enough. I made myself small and sort of invisible to be left alone. If I had an art commission I occasionally screwed it up beforehand or delivered soulless or unfinished work, and always too late.The only people who could stand me are artists themselves too I realize now...Besides that, I attract only creative people my whole life, without even knowing it beforehand, it’s a vibe, a frequency... many musicians, photographers, painters, dancers, fashion people, performers and people who forgot they are magical creative beings.I can’t hang out too long with people who don’t care about art/music, too dull. Chit chat makes me tired.
You prefer to work in collage technique. Your works seem very beautiful, but complex and not easy to understand in the same way. What do you express through your art?
I guess because you already describe my mind and soul here ahahaha and that is what I express, nothing more. I don’t do tricks. I only do me. I’m a vessel who tries to organize all the endless options and possibilities. I absorb and puke it out, connect the dots in my way. Try to find balance and order in this chaos. I also discovered I have different forms of synesthesia. I assume that blended with my neurodiverse brain is also advantageous to have this endless and abundant overwhelming inspiration from everything surrounding me. But even when you would put me somewhere alone in the dark with no smells or other stimulus, I would endlessly see worlds and realms with music in the background in my mind.
Tell us please about your life philosophy. How is it reflected in your art?
Life philosophy? This question makes my head explode. My life IS like an assemblage/ collage, so I pick what I feel is good to me and what suits me at that moment. In everything lives charm, even the ugly, especially in the ugly because that is what can shake us in our core. As long if it is honest, sincere, and genuine, and if I can find alignment at that moment and if it’s simultaneously uplifting or encouraging or supportive, then it’s good. Furthermore, if I can’t cackle it’s a no-no for me. It’s important to stay flexible and authentic to yourself and say no or cut things off if the vibe is somehow off.And not be afraid of failure nor success. Nature is my biggest mentor, savior, and divine healing space. No matter if it’s the forest, mountains, jungle, or sea, wherein I can fully and safely charge and let go.
Do you think that art education is crucial for emerging artists, or you rather believe it’s more about the inner talent and intuition of a person?
Art education is like all (school) systems a failing one most of the time. Of course I have no idea how it is now, but I’m almost sure not much changed. I still notice the arrogance and big egos with many art academy people. I did learn stuff myself there obviously, but the strategies how teachers want to shake you out of your comfort zone is quite abusive if you ask me. I’m sure there are more motivational ways to experiment and understand your process and explore in different ways. I wasn’t a good student. I had no problems with exploring and experimenting by getting out of my comfort zone in some ways, but some teachers had other more old-fashioned ideas. I’ve even been told that my collages back then were pornographic because you saw a boob or lusty mouth in them.Plus I was afraid to speak up and share my only safe space (my spirit/soul). So I wasn’t open to sharing my process and masked my way through it.. most people couldn’t see through my masks of being a tough cookie who acted like I didn’t care. But the teachers or people who did saw me, I also really cared about and also I listened to what they had to share. But If you’re talented or not, if the passion is there and you’re an autodidact, it still would be nice to be in an environment where you can learn from each other and see things you would never think of yourself. You must keep educating yourself and dare to share and always ask questions and keep on wondering. Take a course, follow a webinar, read about personal stories, and so on. Do not only scroll your Instagram, or lose your life on the screen, but get out in offline life!Try things that are somewhat scary or new. Feed and nourish your brain, body, spirit, and soul...no matter if you did art school or not!
The best advice ever given to you that inspired you to be creative and believe in yourself.
“You are good enough and deserve all the love there is.” although I must mention that if you don’t sense that yourself it not sticks.
What are your main sources of inspiration? Do you prefer creating spontaneously or is it more about preparing the things in advance?
I don’t prepare and I blame my ADHD ahahaha. I’m very impulsive and stuff simply happens if I’m in hyper-focus or some mood. Unfortunately, I still didn’t master my focus; it’s or no focus or hyper-focus. I even invented a name in the art academy for my way of working, “Ontstaniteit; het spontaan ontstaan” (spontaneous originating) of course readymade art already existed, but I learned that later. My main sources are books, comics, movies, the internet, music, freak stuff, traveling, nature, seeing the magic in everything, zoom in and zoom out, rituals, religions, history, mythology, stories, fairytales from every place or time, folk stuff, the occult, cultures, food, behaviors of people and animals, everything that you can’t see with your eyes, patterns, synchronicities, sacred geometry, the universe, details, life, and death.
How do you think the art world will shape in the future?
Difficult question. But with the more online and digital developments, like NFT, digital art, and such stuff, I do have some holo world ideas. And as much I do like that too and can’t wait for those developments, I think it’s also crucial to keep it real and natural and keep all senses stimulated organically, to stay connected with the earth and her spirits. I like a combination of both. That’s why I work with my hands: real materials and also my electrical devices.
How has covid affected you and your art? How do you think the art world will shape in the future?
COVID made me completely focus on my art again, so I did a 111 days long 111 collage challenge, whereby I made every day (without cheating) a collage. (I did 121 days but ok)This series is entirely digital instead of analog or a combination of both. It gave me many insights into my way of working and processing. I plan to make a book of the 111 days - 111 collages, where there also will be cooperations with other artists that I know, who I think are very talented. Plus an exhibition event show when it will be publicized. I will be combining other creative mediums like music, painting, photography, ceramics, and another collage maker with my collages. I did found a very nice publisher, but I’m a bit overwhelmed with what will need to happen (crowdfunding and all) so I parked it temporarily also to prepare mentally I guess.But this project will happen for sure! These 111 collages I made are also for sale as limited edition Giclee prints.
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De optimist
And final question, please name your three favorite artists and tell us why.
I don’t have favorite artists but will try to see who’s coming up first. I guess Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Max Ernst. Because they are magicians. I also love Victor Brauner, Yayoi Kusama, Joseph Cornell, Aquirax Uno, Jan Svankmeier, Nicole Claveloux, Jean Michel Basquiat, John Waters, Moebius, David Lynch and MANY more who I now cannot come up with. They speak for themselves. It’s a bit difficult to describe what I experience, all my senses are connected so I can, for example, see colors or visions by sound, smells and taste, and the other way around. In 2 & 3D (I don’t know how to explain that, I always used to say I’m a natural tripper)I guess I have a weak soul for surrealism, Dadaism and sometimes pop art collages.But especially Dadaism, when I realized that that existed I felt a massive relief and also felt like “coming home.” Some stuff I was already doing before knowing it had a name, so I was already aligned. But I get inspired as I announced before by a lot of things; Music, Classical Art, Art Deco, Avant-garde, Design/Styling, Typography, Architecture, Geometry, nature; especially the macro worlds; fungi, molds, deep-sea creatures, and plants/trees, mysteries, fantasy, freak, obscure, absurd and underground stuff, artificial intelligence, robots, science fiction, ancient worlds, maps, anthropological art/tribal art, shamanic art, visionary art, outsider art and last but not least; comics.
Instagram Jalinka Gressmann @jalinka_gressmann