00:00.00
Tina Marais
Little Oh sorry thing here. How’s that.
00:11.40
Tina Marais
Just one second I think I have a solution up blah. How’s that that’s a bit better. Yeah I Hope the internet will be good. Okay, let’s go while it lasts.
00:16.60
charukaarora
Um, no problem.
00:22.59
charukaarora
I’m just I’m just afraid your internet’s okay hi. Yeah yeah, yeah, okay, welcome to the podcast tina.
00:29.11
Tina Marais
And.
00:33.10
Tina Marais
Thank you very much for inviting me. It’s a real pleasure to meet with you. So.
00:37.66
charukaarora
I Absolutely it’s my pleasure I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have you. We’ve been trying to do this for some time and I’m so glad we finally did it I have so many questions for you. But. Before we get into that would you like to introduce yourself for people who are listening right now.
00:59.16
Tina Marais
Ah, yes, I’ll introduce myself with pleasure. My name’s Tina Marie I’m a visual and Textel artist and I’m based in Montreal in Quebec in Canada I’m originally from South Africa and I create a. Textile abstractions basically large-scale. My focus is very much on environmental issues. Ah social commentary and then lately I’m really interested in the entanglements of materiality.
01:32.26
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
01:33.37
Tina Marais
Um, so my work gets exhibited fairly often and yes I’ll leave it at that.
01:41.45
charukaarora
You know what was so interesting about your work. Um I just love the way you use materials like I was just even before going hopping on a call I was just looking back on your Instagram and I was just making sure like you know, just admiring like like every other day. Um. Like the way you mix materials I like you know, um, pistachio shelves and tea bags I love that work I don’t I don’t remember I have taken some screenshots but I really.
02:04.35
Tina Marais
And thank you? Yeah I am. Yes I have a real connection with a tangibility of the material and I think in this world specifically actually post Pandemicmic. We have this incredible need basic need to connect with touch to real materials. And to interact with it. So I’m really interested in manipulating thread and the textures and sort of creating a ah visual connection with the materiality of things in my work.
02:31.81
charukaarora
Um, absolutely yes.
02:47.20
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
02:47.48
Tina Marais
And then with textile there’s this other connection I think it’s a second skin from the minute we’re born until we leave this earth. We are closed and it’s one of the first.
02:56.76
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
03:02.14
Tina Marais
Ways in which we express our and divide visuality is in the choices of colors and textures we put on our bodies. So I think using this as art creates like a real visceral connection between the artwork and the public.
03:18.95
charukaarora
Um, yeah, right? I love that thought and that’s so true actually like um I think ah our clothes become in our lifetime. They become a primary skin like what we wear how we cover a skin I think the time we’re born in. After the time we’re gone I think these are 2 times where our skin our first our primary skin is our skin but we are in our lifetimes I think we’re all like making our clothes are which is which acts as a second skin for sure.
03:40.10
Tina Marais
In the.
03:51.39
Tina Marais
Yeah, and it’s it’s an identity. It’s so integral to our own visual identity. So using this in art I think has a different connection like ah, a real connection with with people and then there’s this very strong craft-based.
03:56.34
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
04:00.62
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
04:08.38
Tina Marais
Um, skill-based origin behind it which I think is really interesting because a lot of that real skill and hand textile techniques for example are being lost.
04:13.50
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
04:21.20
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
04:23.85
Tina Marais
Some extent through industrial processes etc.
04:29.30
charukaarora
Yeah, then something you born you were born in South Africa right you’re currently living in Canada cape town. Yes, and currently living in Canada and you have a french surname.
04:33.17
Tina Marais
Yes, in capa? yes.
04:43.42
Tina Marais
Yes, actually the french in South Africa there’s a lot of french family names and my ancestors went to South Africa with the french juguenos. So of course in the general South Africa’s 11 official languages.
04:56.30
charukaarora
Um, okay.
05:03.40
Tina Marais
But um, there’s a lot of french first and second names that still being used quite often in South Africa even though the language is not used in South Africa but in Quebec where I live. It’s a french speakinging province of Canada. so so there’s
05:04.95
charukaarora
Um, oh wow.
05:22.70
Tina Marais
There’s an interesting historical connection there because it it all is part of the the sort of colonialist heritage actually with languages and cultural heritage that leave an imprint and then.
05:23.59
charukaarora
Um, wow.
05:35.91
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
05:38.82
Tina Marais
Become mixed and evolved with local culture. So yeah.
05:44.77
charukaarora
That’s true, tell me something how has we were just talking about this before we started recording like why I think I gravitate a lot towards ah your work. A I think definitely because of the scale and I think the um, the visual sensory like. Um, the textures and like um, the sensory element of your work is so strong but more than anything I think it’s also because I respond a lot to the materials that you work with I feel like South Africa and India have a lot of things in common especially when it comes to like textiles and. Like you said history and like colors and culture like you know, um and I myself come from India and my work is a lot about like culture and um embroideries and heavily influenced by indian crafts and patterns and architecture and. Colonization because again architecture is an outcome of colonization honestly, so I’m just trying to um understand even though your work looks very different What do you think has does it have your influence from South Africa um how is how does that makes it.
06:39.97
Tina Marais
And.
06:51.37
Tina Marais
Oh absolutely I think it’s it’s really embedded in who you are where you’re from and your visual connection with what you visual cultural connection. But you know what there’s a connection between south african and indian food like a cross reference as well and there’s ah, a big influence I and I mean in the durban region on the coast which is closest to India. There’s a huge community from India and.
07:14.71
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
07:23.62
Tina Marais
I Just love that region color texture. The flavors, the smells. Um, but I I think for me personally I was always drawn from being very very little to the markets and seeing.
07:25.37
charukaarora
Um, okay.
07:40.24
Tina Marais
The indian woman in their indian clothing and the colors and the beadwork and the textures and then also the african woman with the african beadwork the Basketry and the the woven textiles and this inclusion of other materials.
07:45.24
charukaarora
Um, okay, no well.
07:56.16
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
07:56.93
Tina Marais
So very often when you’re in a situation where people have limited access necessarily to new materials. They reinvent and recycle a lot of other elements that they bring back into their work and they think that’s something that really acquis me. It’s like you have an object.
08:03.10
charukaarora
Yeah, right.
08:11.53
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
08:16.45
Tina Marais
Have and that’s that’s not intended as textile or used as textile or used as a bead but because of this way of constantly thinking of how can you reinvent things. There’s this natural process of recycling other.
08:24.30
charukaarora
Um, yes.
08:30.24
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um, yes, yes.
08:35.20
Tina Marais
Elements into textile work. So for my work with the connection with South Africa I think it’s the landscape and I think that might be because it’s southern hemisphere and there’s some very dry regions. But then there’s this this.
08:45.53
charukaarora
Um, okay.
08:50.76
Tina Marais
Richness of natural diversity and architectural and cultural diversity which I think creates a link with India and in the same main days something because my work’s very often inspired by the natural environment and the ocean scapes and this.
08:52.22
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
08:58.60
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
09:07.88
Tina Marais
Natural ecodiversity as well and it’s very interesting that you find this connection because I’ve actually had other artists which are Ex South African or X or Australian that’s based in similar environments that message me and and say but.
09:08.55
charukaarora
Um, ecodiversity. Yeah.
09:26.27
Tina Marais
I feel this connection with your work and I don’t understand why and I think maybe it’s subconscious for natural forms or abstractions of forms and textures like that’s recognizable and not and then there’s this this thing within.
09:29.50
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
09:38.48
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
09:45.49
charukaarora
Yeah I think also like I think for me, you know it’s so I can come from fashion right? Um, so I’ve also seen fashion not in its bureaus. Bomb.
09:45.81
Tina Marais
Yeah.
09:50.60
Tina Marais
And.
09:58.83
charukaarora
But also it’s in um, in it’s raw. It’s in progress in it’s um, uglies form if I if I can say so and you know also India has like you said like you know clothes culturally in India let’s say if you have a cloth like if I have a free piece of cloth. Let’s say. No, let’s let’s say if I have a piece of bedsheet or something like that. So a piece of fabric turns into so many like stages like if let’s say it’s a piece of fabric and I’m like oh I need to discard this so a lot of and this is a very typical like mass culture I’m talking about like. We in India really like give several chances and lives through our products. Let’s say and especially but I think that specifically comes for textiles like if I’m trying to discard it I discarded something as a bedshee then maybe someone would get crafty. My mom would get crafty and like I remember growing up she would cut out like. Make small cushions or then that cushion would go to my dog and then it would become a cleaning cloth like you know it wouldn’t it wouldn’t pass like it’s like it’s living so many lives of its own and it’s not gone and even after like it’s reached to a point like.
11:07.68
Tina Marais
And.
11:15.48
charukaarora
Like let’s say you’re not wearing it or if it’s clothes and you’re not using then you give it to like people who are around you or people who like because there’s a lot of poverty and people who work for you and how ah like there’s so many like so many lives these clothes stay what I think Ah, that’s what something I resonated when you said that. And another thing I feel like when I looked at your work I also looked at those raw forms of the fashion like I know that you’re addressing a very different thing like you’re talking about biodiversity and like like all of those things but I’m also recognizing those um from my own lens those you know the buttons and.
11:36.84
Tina Marais
In in.
11:49.70
Tina Marais
A.
11:54.56
charukaarora
The elements and how those textures are um I don’t know if you know isimia key or like you know these avangar designers and like I could see also those forms and how that’s translating and how fashion and these elements are coming into um art and.
11:56.51
Tina Marais
Yes, is in.
12:07.65
Tina Marais
Um, yes I used to actually do um, costume design at some point. So I think there’s something of that that sometimes filters through.
12:12.26
charukaarora
Like I think.
12:20.47
charukaarora
Um, oh wow.
12:22.81
Tina Marais
But the thing that’s really interesting is I think in South Africa it’s very similar this journey of cloth and of clothing and how it gets reused and remade consistently and it’s really interesting because I’ve just come back from a.
12:36.91
charukaarora
Um, again.
12:38.20
Tina Marais
Ah, residency or I’m still traveling actually but I just finished a reidency in Portugal with context style and the work I did is actually inherently inspired by the story that the director of the museum where we did the ra which was an old hospital told us.
12:39.51
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yes, yeah.
12:57.58
Tina Marais
About how precious the Linean cloth was that they used for bedsheets and then they would cut this up and make pillow cases and then cut it up smaller and then eventually they would make bandages so it’s that process of remaking because of the value of cloth.
12:57.60
charukaarora
Are.
13:08.33
charukaarora
Um, Wow yeah.
13:13.81
Tina Marais
And I think it’s in such a stock contrast to the problem with fast fashion and the masses amount of clothing that they gets discarded for example in the desert in Chile and this and that because of this overproduction and it’s it’s so destructive whereas. It’s actually so important this reinvention of our base materials.
13:41.64
charukaarora
That’s very true tell me something. Um I was just looking at like your um you know tangent of your work and everything you did your? Um, you did visual communication and then you further mastered in fiber and textiles. And I think that was 1977 no sorry you graduated sorry sorry yes 19 yeah yeah, yeah, sorry.
14:02.20
Tina Marais
Um, no no I was born in 1977 I got you out 97 I graduated 9 ine seven ah, graduated in south africa and then there was a long I emmiratetd I worked and questioned. Yeah, so I initially and then I as an immigrant it takes a while to find your feet and I did for I’ve been working full time as an artist.
14:16.52
charukaarora
You graduated ninth century.
14:32.92
Tina Marais
Ah, for 10 years and but my practice is really diverse I do some public artwork I did a lot of social outreach or community-based public arts project or where you work with community and.
14:33.72
charukaarora
Um, yes, yes.
14:48.10
Tina Marais
To to develop links and connection because we have such a large immigrant community where I live So it’s kind of to create cultural bridges actually between people through the arts and then I have my professional art practice which is my own work for their own sake which I.
14:55.99
charukaarora
Um, yes.
15:05.15
Tina Marais
Participate a lot in international exhibitions and banals and solar shows, etc and then in 2019 I went I finally yeah and then in 2019 I finally
15:07.59
charukaarora
Yes, yes, and you had quite a few things.
15:20.58
Tina Marais
Had the opportunity. Well the timing was perfect. So I I got accepted at concorda university in montreal to do a master’s in fiber material practices and I just finished my thesis exhibition actually this June so yes, yeah, yeah, it was.
15:28.91
charukaarora
Um, yes, that’s my question right? This is sure. Yeah yes I know that yeah and that’s where my question is coming from.
15:40.42
Tina Marais
It was good. It was really incredible experience to delve deeper and.
15:50.22
charukaarora
No, no go ahead I think we have some lag.
15:54.10
Tina Marais
Now yet? No no, no, no. so so yes they was it. It was actually quite challenging and very rewarding to go back after working as an artist for many years to go back into a masters I’m really grateful I did it. But. Um, it is challenging coming from working as an artist going back into an academic structure but I was still exhibiting at the same time and of course as a pandemic it kind of made it possible.
16:22.12
charukaarora
Um, yes, yeah.
16:32.42
Tina Marais
To really focus on that research aspect as well. Which I find really rewarding. Um, so yeah, it was It was good. It was It was a challenge. There was a lot of things going on at the same time. So yes, yes.
16:34.23
charukaarora
Um, possible. Yes, yeah.
16:48.83
charukaarora
Yeah, but what made you do this like after like before you took this. Um, you know you father did a um in textiles and fipa. You’ve had a lot of success with your own work like you’ve shown internationally you’ve um.
17:01.48
Tina Marais
It’s.
17:06.41
charukaarora
You’ve had solo shows. You’ve you won awards you’ve done banal is like you’ve done a lot of things and that’s a lot of I mean that’s a lot of credibility. What made you take this decision after so many years um to go back to um this.
17:22.90
Tina Marais
And I think I I Actually you know what in my own art practice I felt like I had pushed it as far in concept as I could and I was so hungry.
17:23.82
charukaarora
The school or like you know to do this.
17:39.31
Tina Marais
To have more knowledge and to be able to take the time to do better research more reading. Um, really get into more current philosophical Trains etc. Plus it’s it’s It’s a studio art school so to get that critique from um I was so fortunate to have. Really outstanding professors so to get that professional critique on your work to make you question Exactly. Why are you choosing certain materials why you’re working with certain things. How? um you really solidify your.
18:18.33
Tina Marais
Process and and the the message of the work. So this was really important to me but I continue to exhibit outside of my master’s at the same time so I was working and doing projects in parallel um, but it was really rewarding and now since I’ve just finished I.
18:30.83
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
18:37.62
Tina Marais
I Can really feel a difference in the way that it I can thread to gather different meanings through my work and really and give depths to the layers of meaning in the work too because not all the meanings are always visible I think a lot of my work is deeply personal.
18:45.11
charukaarora
Um, yes.
18:53.82
charukaarora
Um, yes, yes.
18:57.37
Tina Marais
And some of the personal things is not necessarily something. It’s It’s sort of another layer to the more research. Ah or um message of the work. But I think people feel it.
19:09.60
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
19:10.67
Tina Marais
I Think the amount of time it takes to make textile work I think you’re literally sewing your emotions into the cloth and I think when people see the work they feel it without needing to be told what it’s saying I think there’s this. Um.
19:18.82
charukaarora
Um I Love that? Um, yeah, yeah, yes, that’s true.
19:28.82
Tina Marais
Communication of a message that’s felt and not necessarily needs to be explained.
19:38.80
charukaarora
I Love that thought tell me something I recently I mean I saw um your your thesis exhibition and the second skin and I love I mean I’m going going to ask your questions and talk about that. But before that um I want.
19:46.36
Tina Marais
And.
19:53.90
charukaarora
All your journey about making this work. Let’s go back. How did how would you in the beginning of your career beginning of this like were you always like into fiber and textiles and materials.
20:01.50
Tina Marais
And.
20:08.43
Tina Marais
I love this question. It’s started actually in it I think when I was 4 years old my mother took me to see an exhibition at one of the big galleries in Cape town and we would go to the praetoria fine art museum etc.
20:11.20
charukaarora
How how has your work transitioned and looked like.
20:25.53
charukaarora
Um, oh wow.
20:27.46
Tina Marais
And I think since I was four years old I wanted to be well. It was an artist an archaeologist or a ballerina. So the better arena part didn’t work and.
20:39.50
charukaarora
Um, oh Wow I.
20:42.50
Tina Marais
Archaeology has always interested me and I think this interest in the natural environment and the way that the past influences our present. It’s it’s still integrated into my work but I wanted to be a painter so I actually studied painting and drawing but I worked with class knitting.
20:49.45
charukaarora
Um, and that response to your work today. Also.
20:56.40
charukaarora
Um, yeah, oh wow.
21:01.98
Tina Marais
Embroider we making clothes since I can remember it was always part of my making or my part of my daily existence and when I was a teenager actually I had a little clothing company with some friend called but. Seed clothing and we made these huge skateboard shorts and t-shirts and sweaters and things many many years ago and I did these crazy hats at the time too with big fabric flowers on and this and that and then when I studied.
21:19.48
charukaarora
Oh wow.
21:35.87
Tina Marais
Fine arts which I was more specialized was special communication but I was more specialized in painting and drawing I actually did pattern drafting courses to do garments on the side and worked as a dressmaker to buy my art materials for my art courses.
21:48.73
charukaarora
Um, wow.
21:52.91
charukaarora
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.
21:55.70
Tina Marais
Oh I saw this as 2 completely separate things and then I continued doing my art but I actually worked yeah but I always kept it separate I didn’t consider the takesa work as fine art I considered it as craft so I worked as a class i.
22:03.36
charukaarora
Um, integrated.
22:11.37
charukaarora
Oh I had that question in my mind.
22:14.15
Tina Marais
Yeah, so I worked with Textel in making costumes for dance for theater I did costume design for a few years. Um for a few shows and then I think early twenty eleven I discovered the work. Of some contemporary textile based artists online which I never knew that this existed as a field or a world or an a parallel to contemporary art practice and.
22:40.40
charukaarora
Um, okay, this could be Yeah, yeah yeah.
22:48.38
Tina Marais
I started researching this and found that actually since the 1950 s especially in Europe and Poland there was the big wchkianal and um, my magdalena kamovic there was various artists that actually brought textile into the contemporary art world but it was really lesser known. And I think there’s a huge confusion between what’s the difference between text dollars fine art and Textiles Craft so I then it started infiltrating my work which at that stage was much more mixed media and I think in.
23:07.99
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah, as yes, Yes, yes.
23:23.68
Tina Marais
201314 I got a commission the city where I left but was selected as by the genvante and de cultier has one of the example cities of using culture in the community for the etc and I actually got commissioned to create a big.
23:23.75
charukaarora
Um, yes.
23:42.47
Tina Marais
Artwork for this launch show I did a sculpture and for this piece I actually worked in textile for the first time and it was about I think four meters by 3 it was a huge piece and that was it everything made sense for me artistically and. Since then I’ve been working only in textxile and I was a really fortunate. Um the last few years I’ve been selected or invited for various contemporary text ar canals I’ve had solar exhibitions and I think I always have this goal to exhibit also in places that.
24:05.00
charukaarora
Um I Love that.
24:18.64
Tina Marais
Sometimes especially in Quebec or in the community to create visibility for kids that are interested in arts but may not always as me have this opening that takes firstly you’re an artist. Secondly you can choose to express yourself in textile.
24:29.63
charukaarora
Um, to s.
24:37.74
Tina Marais
Which is different to craft making and I I think it’s so important for me because I I wish I knew earlier I wish I knew earlier but it’s it was like this Eureka moment where everything made sense. But of course what makes it? um.
24:41.27
charukaarora
Um I Love this I Love this.
24:49.17
charukaarora
Um, I know you.
24:56.40
Tina Marais
Which which really makes it so easy for me or so unique in my work is I have this all the skills in 3 hree-dimensional construction with cloth. So yes, so.
25:07.33
charukaarora
Um, yeah, absolutely yeah, you know when I was looking at your work the second scheme and there was this one of the one of the work that had um the rip cage.
25:17.70
Tina Marais
Written.
25:20.18
charukaarora
And I was just looking at it and I remember because I studied fashion. So I’ve done drafting and I’ve done sewing and I’ve done patent making and like all of it so I was seeing the boning that you’ve done and the moment I saw that and I had the slash bag because I used to do a lot of boning like used to make cause sets.
25:37.74
Tina Marais
In.
25:39.28
charukaarora
And for that causeset we used to have a lot of boning in it and like stitch them and it it took me back in time and I was like you know that’s I think that’s why I’m so inspired by a work because like you said it’s a it’s a it’s a reaffirmation to my own self because like this was a question that you’ve already addressed but I want to just.
25:57.34
Tina Marais
Me.
25:59.13
charukaarora
A little bit about because when I came I didn’t I didn’t come from an art school and I never knew what contemporary art was and like you know I just knew I was a small town girl who was just who just knew how to be creative and when I entered into the arts I was like okay you get to be an artist where I thought like okay. I Had to be a painter to be an artist. This is what being an artist looked like so if I needed to like if I was doing anything else and I’m either an illustrator I was being capped as a designer or if I was any very remotely given to fabrics I was into the class and not into the Arts. So I always had. This interest because and also I ran a fashion business and I was like so even like how crafts came into my own work I had this you I don’t have’ve spoken about this on the podcast like I when I shut down my business I had this so I still have this huge manicquins in my studio that I’ve never shown but I’ve never had the lead to like.
26:40.41
Tina Marais
In.
26:49.91
Tina Marais
Um.
26:55.72
charukaarora
Not my sewing machine on my materials and I remember after even closing that but business 2 years still 2 years I would carry that all along because I would move a lot and I had this but box of embroidry materials that I would never throw away and I love embroides I’ve always loved because that’s how I grew up with and.
27:00.66
Tina Marais
Button.
27:15.90
charukaarora
I would open up look at them find them very fascinating and didn’t know I was like oh no I’m an aut now I can’t I can’t let them go but I I don’t know how to use them anymore. So I would just keep them and one day I think a little beginning of the pandemic I was just sitting idle I was sketching and I had that box and I was like.
27:30.12
Tina Marais
And.
27:34.45
charukaarora
Maybe I can I just wanted to experiment in play because I was too careful and I just added a little bit in my sketchbook and I was like this feels me and I I started getting I think the the idea because I I think a lot of people at least I grew up around that that.
27:52.57
Tina Marais
So.
27:53.00
charukaarora
This was being an artist if you’re a painter then you become a mixed media but this was such a risky territory because once you go into this territory of experimenting and like you know crafting and like using fabric or any other material as an artist. It was very hard to. Decipher who I am now who are what am I am I should? how do you address and how do people respond I think there was a lot of fear around that and the fear of accepting and risking or like should I Even do this to myself like you had those did you have those fears.
28:15.30
Tina Marais
The.
28:23.69
Tina Marais
3
28:33.16
Tina Marais
Um I Think at some point initially but at some point you you completely I think it’s so important to stay present and stay present with the work and what do you want to communicate What do you want to say through the work. And when it’s really authentic people usually respond to it better and art’s really personal I don’t think um, everybody connects to the same people’s work in the same way either.
29:01.28
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
29:07.59
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
29:08.17
Tina Marais
Or connect to the same artwork I see it more once once one piece is done. It has to live its own life I separate myself from it as well. It’s it’s like a moment of time a period of time captured in a work and then it has to exist on its own and it becomes separate from you.
29:18.11
charukaarora
Um, right.
29:26.75
Tina Marais
But in terms of fears in experimentation for sure I think we all go through that but I still do a lot of experimentation I think it’s really important to try new things and continue to develop new things.
29:34.86
charukaarora
Yeah, but you’ve pushed that edge for once and now you know Okay, this is like you know I trusted myself I came here now you need to I think it’s all experimentation I feel like is an addiction because once you once you get it like.
29:40.46
Tina Marais
And I think as an artist the more you do and the more you explore and the more you interact with your material the more authentic your work becomes and the more your voice becomes clear through the work but it takes a lot of doing and making to really.
29:54.24
charukaarora
You know? Okay, you want to push the envelope then there’s no turning back.
29:57.34
Tina Marais
And then you have to sometimes sit back and just look at your work and see what you see that repeats and see what the word saying to you and it really helps find your artistic voice in that way. But I think there’s just a whole lot of doing and making to find that. So.
30:26.41
charukaarora
Um, I lost you? Yeah can you hear me can you hear me Tiina hello.
30:59.88
charukaarora
Um, can you hear me can you hear me.
31:22.83
charukaarora
Um, can you hear me now. Hello.
32:30.56
Tina Marais
Hi hi. Okay yes I can hang on I Just want to reopen that because I went back to the there we go perfect. Yeah.
32:31.92
charukaarora
Hello Hi Can you hear me now. Okay, this yeah okay thank God I was like what this happening. Okay so let’s go back down.
32:44.90
Tina Marais
What happened? okay.
32:52.66
charukaarora
Um, you know I also see like I think um art is like a religious practice like you know it’s a repetition. It’s a lot about repetition it movement in thoughts like we sit around with a lot of thoughts and the way we do things. Um you. Ah, your work is a same stressor like you were making these costumes like you know, but you had a different intention now. Physically I think a lot of times you may be repeating those actions like let’s say boning ah but your outcome and your thought process is entirely Different. Can.
33:17.48
Tina Marais
Written written.
33:24.95
Tina Marais
Yes.
33:28.52
charukaarora
Talk a little bit about how these you still in a way is still doing a lot of similar things that you were on the side at that point what you thought had nothing to do with your art.
33:36.43
Tina Marais
Ah, it’s It’s changed a lot. Actually I I think um I think specifically when you do period costume or in dressmaking or in the fashion Industry. There’s a lot of accent on the precision. In the sewing in the pattern making in the precision. Um the the exact distance of a seam allowance or a hem or a bead work or the fit in it. It’s very precise and there’s a lot of doing and undoing back and forth and a lot of almost forcing the fabric.
33:56.33
charukaarora
Um, yes, yes.
34:04.45
charukaarora
Um, yes oh my God thread count. Yeah.
34:13.58
Tina Marais
Into a certain form that it maybe not naturally wants to take and I think at a stage when I started really evolving my practice with including textile materials in my work.
34:20.95
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
34:29.15
Tina Marais
I was so saturated by this and I wanted the freedom to have a real um organic exchange between myself and the material to see how the material wanted to be formed and shaped versus how I want to do it and how.
34:38.68
charukaarora
Um, and came.
34:44.85
Tina Marais
Those 2 things influence it other because for example, now when I cut ah my basic forms for my work I literally just draw draw it with cholp free hand on the paper and I don’t make a pattern for it. But I think I can do this now because I have all that experience in.
35:00.44
charukaarora
Um, just do it. You’ve been doing Yes, Yes, yes now.
35:04.41
Tina Marais
How to construct from fabric to 3 d so it’s very free actually my process and I do a lot of interaction with the material walling. Is it creating. So I start usually with a sketch and then there’s a process of evolution but it also starts with.
35:18.72
charukaarora
Um, okay.
35:24.19
Tina Marais
What do I want this work to express. So with the feeling more than necessarily a specific theme and then a lot of my work I just I just feel forms that are in basis inspired by I collect a lot of images of texture and details out of nature. And I think somehow these things mix with memories of forms from South Africa so it’s between what’s real and what’s a memory and it becomes an imagined interpretation and very often. It’s an imagined interpretation of a feeling or an emotion.
35:55.83
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
36:01.83
charukaarora
I Love that.
36:02.48
Tina Marais
Or a place or a memory or an interaction.
36:08.82
charukaarora
And what about the scale of your book. How do you see that in context to both of those things like your work is hummongous. Um, it’s also I think it’s also Shipsha shipshifting. It’s also.
36:16.57
Tina Marais
Never big enough. No, it’s not big enough. Yeah yes, yes, it is shapeshifting but.
36:25.57
charukaarora
A common word that we also use in fashion is like shape shifting. Yeah, what do you say about that.
36:33.60
Tina Marais
I Like that work. No actually it’s It’s never big enough but my problem is often and limitation of storage space limitation of installation spaces. Ah limitation of studio space. But.
36:41.27
charukaarora
Um, yes.
36:48.57
Tina Marais
You find a way to work around all of this. So yes, my my work is larger in scale. Um, especially some of my more installation pieces but I do do some smaller pieces too or I do multiples of smaller pieces to to fill a larger space. But um, some of it is due I I had a period where I had a lot of medical. Um, yeah I got really sick so I had limitations in my body due to surgery. So my work became smaller and I had to do more multiples of the same things.
37:22.33
charukaarora
Oh my good.
37:26.87
Tina Marais
And now I’m back to the bigger work which is so liberating because I love interacting with my entire body with the work. So it’s a real back and forth. It’s a real physical process when you work on larger work to your entire body is involved and I love this.
37:34.26
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
37:42.20
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um, right.
37:45.83
Tina Marais
But it’s never. It’s not big enough yet. It’s It’s not big enough yet, but it’s it is something that’s constantly evolving and growing. But I think it’s also as your um freedom to just express and explore the scale that speaks to you.
37:51.50
charukaarora
Are.
38:03.99
charukaarora
Um, yes.
38:04.83
Tina Marais
Grows It’s It’s an ongoing development process I don’t think as an artist we’re stagnant I think it would be really sad if you’re stagnant and just keep doing the same thing over and over again.
38:16.25
charukaarora
I Love that.. That’s so true and I think that’s I think that’s also the entire point of being being a creative like like I So I think it’s it’s It’s very suffocating when you feel called to something and you don’t persuade because we’re thinking how it’s Fit. It fits in a certain definition and I think truly why I feel to inspire your work of your work is I think it takes courage. Ah a lot of the work that you you’re making I truly feel it takes courage because there are a lot of. Not only external validation or like definitions but also a lot of in know fears that you need to push and experiment to create what you’re creating and I somewhere I see myself there and I you’ve inspired me to like to chase that path and the ah like you know your own Identity. So I just. I’m just so grateful to do speak to you and like you know I feel I Just I’m waiting for my new studio and I want to open up my sewing machine and I want to like I think that like you said like I love organic feel and that’s why I think I switched I can’t work on a canvas I switched to wood completely like.
39:22.17
Tina Marais
E.
39:27.56
charukaarora
Or paper like I I want that tactileness and that that earthiness in my work and I love fabrics and I’ve got like you know, um, as artists we do. We do these 2 toils like you know, ah in fashion you do toils and like we do muslin toils and like I always like for me.
39:31.26
Tina Marais
A.
39:46.97
charukaarora
I Always enjoyed the toils more than I did a garment ever and I really I see like I want to go back to that that ceiling and I don’t know how and.
39:48.59
Tina Marais
And I agree This is something far more interaction I think that’s a really good place to go I I think it’s so important that you need to reach a point where work just flows out of you and you don’t fight it. And I think with ideas about um, social preconditionment or what other people might think or can I actually say this or what would other people think we limit ourselves we place barriers around ourselves and it takes a lot of time to free yourself.
40:08.66
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um, he write.
40:13.67
charukaarora
Um, yes.
40:20.92
charukaarora
Right.
40:26.67
Tina Marais
From those barriers and to just say the work is just flowing out of me and I need to express this and it doesn’t matter if it’s well received or not this is what I need to say through my work.
40:39.35
charukaarora
Not yes I Love that.
40:43.32
Tina Marais
Um, but it takes a lot of time because I think we really have a lot of social constrictions cultural restrictions. It depends on where you live it depends on your family situation. It depends on ethical religion like there’s so many barriers that we create around ourselves and I think.
40:48.75
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
41:01.78
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um for sure.
41:02.75
Tina Marais
It’s really important to sit down with yourself and to be honest and say what are the constructs I’m putting on myself that doesn’t necessarily need to be there. Okay.
41:14.80
charukaarora
I Love that you know you’ve left me with so much inspiration and I’m I Really I really am going to send you a picture once I open my sewing machine and like I will send you that whenever that day is coming.
41:26.60
Tina Marais
Please do please do I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much for for ah, having me here.
41:30.79
charukaarora
Oh my God Thank you so much I can’t believe it’s ah.
41:36.44
charukaarora
Absolutely But I can’t let you go yet I have a rapid fire for you.
41:41.49
Tina Marais
Yes, yes.
41:44.62
charukaarora
Are you ready.
41:46.97
Tina Marais
Yes, yes.
41:50.13
charukaarora
Okay, here we go 1 thing you want to convey through your work in the arts.
41:57.15
Tina Marais
Wait You have to come again because I lost you there for a split second it was too rapid to.
42:03.33
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yes, yes, okay I’ll slow down 1 thing you want to convey. 1 thing you want to convey through your work in the arts.
42:07.31
Tina Marais
Okay, now I can hear you? Okay, yeah.
42:20.80
Tina Marais
1 thing I want to create or communicate sorry I I really communicate. Okay.
42:25.00
charukaarora
1 thing you want to communicate through your work in the arts. What’s that 1 thing. What’s that yes.
42:37.48
Tina Marais
Ah, the entanglement. How everything is interconnected around us and we how we are also part of a bigger ecosystem as living organisms and.
42:50.19
charukaarora
I love that? Okay, what’s that 1 word that describes you the best.
43:03.40
charukaarora
What’s that 1 word that describes you the best.
43:06.17
Tina Marais
Child inside.
43:13.78
charukaarora
Okay, if you could have a studio anywhere in the world where would it be.
43:22.58
Tina Marais
Ah, in in um, in France.
43:28.40
charukaarora
Oh wow, your biggest source of inspiration.
43:32.92
Tina Marais
And actually I would say in in Lio Lio France because of the real way that the city is constructed around its textile routes.
43:48.63
charukaarora
Um, really I have to look it. Ah I definitely have to look it up.
43:53.47
Tina Marais
When yes while one can dream.
44:01.50
charukaarora
Okay, your biggest source of inspiration.
44:13.90
Tina Marais
I’m I’m losing you a little bit of.
44:17.50
charukaarora
Um, okay your biggest source of inspiration.
44:21.57
Tina Marais
Nature.
44:27.87
charukaarora
Who’s your favorite woman artist.
44:30.42
Tina Marais
Oh Louis Boshua
44:37.70
charukaarora
Um, oh I love her. Okay, who’s your go to person when you’re in trouble or in need of advice.
44:43.16
Tina Marais
My my son.
44:48.96
charukaarora
Um, Wow That’s nice to hear.
44:51.10
Tina Marais
Well actually too my son and ah one of my very good friends. Monica Brinkman who’s a mosaic artist actually.
45:02.58
charukaarora
Oh wow I have to check her out. Um, okay watch. Can you share. This can be a little more than 1 word. Of course I’m sure you must have had many but is there a special moment. Um that you always celebrate or see a. As an artist and you feel like oh my god I’m very grateful to do the work that I’m doing like we all have those special moments anything that has happened so far that you feel like is a very special moment for you as an artist.
45:29.64
Tina Marais
Oh every day. Yeah.
45:36.26
charukaarora
I Love this answer. Oh my God you killed this man.
45:39.86
Tina Marais
Um, I think every day is a special moment every I.
45:47.99
charukaarora
No I think that’s I think sometimes I just feel like we should be because I feel so grateful to to be able to pursue this part because I know it wasn’t easy I’d never thought this was possible. So yeah I think there’s so much to be grateful about.
46:05.29
Tina Marais
Yes, and and life can be cut so short I think we need to celebrate each day we need to remind ourselves of it. So.
46:11.57
charukaarora
Um, yeah I love that if you were to meet younger Tina today. What advice would you give her.
46:24.60
Tina Marais
Follow your gut feel. Always.
46:31.48
charukaarora
Amazing Will shout out to an artist who you’re at least you know you followed your God Even if it had to go wrong.
46:34.40
Tina Marais
Because when you don’t everything goes horribly wrong. Yes, shout out to an artist. Ah. If I had to give a shout out to an artist. It would be to so many. Ah my dear friend Monica Brikman who’s a mosaic artist. Um the uncle led who’s a exquisite friend of mine who’s an artist as well. Ah Paloma crus who I just work with on a residency who works with. Ah ceramic I love her work and then the list will keep going on and on and on and on and on because I think there’s so many, um, incredible artists in my autistic community. That’s that’s that’s really like an artists tribe and an extremely supportive.
47:17.16
charukaarora
A um.
47:23.26
Tina Marais
Community. There’s There’s so many I feel bad to mention names because they’re all important.
47:29.37
charukaarora
Oh no I think you send me a list I will add everybody in the show notes.
47:36.71
Tina Marais
Okay, I’ll send you a list I’ll send you a list.
47:44.94
charukaarora
Um, perfect. Thank you so much Tina this was so wonderful. You were so so wonderful and kind and you shared a lot of with us that I’m so grateful for but before I let you go do you want to like share anything upcoming that. But you that you would like to share with our listeners where people can find you any new projects where how they can look at your work.
48:03.19
Tina Marais
Um, well, what’s really exciting. Okay, so at the moment I have the work that was created during the residency with contextile in portugal that’ll be on exhibition until the end of October. And if anyone’s there I highly recommend they go and see because there’s about I think Eight nine parallel exhibitions with gaal all over and if you love contemporary textile based art. You absolutely have to see this then? um. I have work in the new materials vi now in Beijing and China and there’s the Lazaana Beijing bial that just opened that I have worked into um and then the big next big textile vin is the world text star ar bial in Miami.
48:48.72
charukaarora
Um, but okay file.
48:56.27
charukaarora
Um, wow.
48:57.46
Tina Marais
Which shall have a work in in the large format salon and that’s in early November and in October I’ll be in Belgium for a text I’ll be a null there I will be posting images of the exhibitions and the work on my Instagram feed as as I do. And then two solar shows next year which is super exciting. Few other projects are busy being finalized. So I don’t like speaking about things before they’re completely solidify their mix but it’s kind of freely exciting. And then I’m just looking forward to get back into my studio and really work on the new shows which will be new bodies of work. So the one will be in Quebec and the other will be in Australia next year and I think there’s.
49:48.88
charukaarora
Oh my God That means this is.
49:51.43
Tina Marais
There’s yeah, there’s a few other exciting projects. But yeah, we’ll leave it at that.
49:57.25
charukaarora
That this sounds like a hella busy thing you have so much that’s happening upcoming and I’m I’m so glad and happy to hear that.
50:08.51
Tina Marais
Yes, thank you.
50:14.80
charukaarora
Perfect. So I will link all the artists a lot of things and shows and link to your thesis show and your work in the show notes. So I highly recommend I love her. Um, Tina’s um thesis show and her work. In general as well. Definitely so I will add all the links and images to a work her bio about her exhibitions and everything in the show notes. So make sure anyone who’s listening you go on a website and have a look um on a work. And you will also find transcripts and links mentioned here. So make sure you download them and yeah I mean that’s it. Thank you so much Dan I’m really grateful for this. Thank you.
51:01.43
Tina Marais
And thank you very much take care and thank you very much. It was so such a wonderful opportunity to share a little bit then to meet in exchange with you. So.
51:08.10
charukaarora
Um, you 2
51:15.54
charukaarora
Same year same year. Thank you so much. You’ll have to hold on. Let me just stop.
51:19.12
Tina Marais
Okay, by.
00:00.00
Tina Marais
Little Oh sorry thing here. How’s that.
00:11.40
Tina Marais
Just one second I think I have a solution up blah. How’s that that’s a bit better. Yeah I Hope the internet will be good. Okay, let’s go while it lasts.
00:16.60
charukaarora
Um, no problem.
00:22.59
charukaarora
I’m just I’m just afraid your internet’s okay hi. Yeah yeah, yeah, okay, welcome to the podcast tina.
00:29.11
Tina Marais
And.
00:33.10
Tina Marais
Thank you very much for inviting me. It’s a real pleasure to meet with you. So.
00:37.66
charukaarora
I Absolutely it’s my pleasure I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have you. We’ve been trying to do this for some time and I’m so glad we finally did it I have so many questions for you. But. Before we get into that would you like to introduce yourself for people who are listening right now.
00:59.16
Tina Marais
Ah, yes, I’ll introduce myself with pleasure. My name’s Tina Marie I’m a visual and Textel artist and I’m based in Montreal in Quebec in Canada I’m originally from South Africa and I create a. Textile abstractions basically large-scale. My focus is very much on environmental issues. Ah social commentary and then lately I’m really interested in the entanglements of materiality.
01:32.26
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
01:33.37
Tina Marais
Um, so my work gets exhibited fairly often and yes I’ll leave it at that.
01:41.45
charukaarora
You know what was so interesting about your work. Um I just love the way you use materials like I was just even before going hopping on a call I was just looking back on your Instagram and I was just making sure like you know, just admiring like like every other day. Um. Like the way you mix materials I like you know, um, pistachio shelves and tea bags I love that work I don’t I don’t remember I have taken some screenshots but I really.
02:04.35
Tina Marais
And thank you? Yeah I am. Yes I have a real connection with a tangibility of the material and I think in this world specifically actually post Pandemicmic. We have this incredible need basic need to connect with touch to real materials. And to interact with it. So I’m really interested in manipulating thread and the textures and sort of creating a ah visual connection with the materiality of things in my work.
02:31.81
charukaarora
Um, absolutely yes.
02:47.20
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
02:47.48
Tina Marais
And then with textile there’s this other connection I think it’s a second skin from the minute we’re born until we leave this earth. We are closed and it’s one of the first.
02:56.76
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
03:02.14
Tina Marais
Ways in which we express our and divide visuality is in the choices of colors and textures we put on our bodies. So I think using this as art creates like a real visceral connection between the artwork and the public.
03:18.95
charukaarora
Um, yeah, right? I love that thought and that’s so true actually like um I think ah our clothes become in our lifetime. They become a primary skin like what we wear how we cover a skin I think the time we’re born in. After the time we’re gone I think these are 2 times where our skin our first our primary skin is our skin but we are in our lifetimes I think we’re all like making our clothes are which is which acts as a second skin for sure.
03:40.10
Tina Marais
In the.
03:51.39
Tina Marais
Yeah, and it’s it’s an identity. It’s so integral to our own visual identity. So using this in art I think has a different connection like ah, a real connection with with people and then there’s this very strong craft-based.
03:56.34
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
04:00.62
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
04:08.38
Tina Marais
Um, skill-based origin behind it which I think is really interesting because a lot of that real skill and hand textile techniques for example are being lost.
04:13.50
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
04:21.20
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
04:23.85
Tina Marais
Some extent through industrial processes etc.
04:29.30
charukaarora
Yeah, then something you born you were born in South Africa right you’re currently living in Canada cape town. Yes, and currently living in Canada and you have a french surname.
04:33.17
Tina Marais
Yes, in capa? yes.
04:43.42
Tina Marais
Yes, actually the french in South Africa there’s a lot of french family names and my ancestors went to South Africa with the french juguenos. So of course in the general South Africa’s 11 official languages.
04:56.30
charukaarora
Um, okay.
05:03.40
Tina Marais
But um, there’s a lot of french first and second names that still being used quite often in South Africa even though the language is not used in South Africa but in Quebec where I live. It’s a french speakinging province of Canada. so so there’s
05:04.95
charukaarora
Um, oh wow.
05:22.70
Tina Marais
There’s an interesting historical connection there because it it all is part of the the sort of colonialist heritage actually with languages and cultural heritage that leave an imprint and then.
05:23.59
charukaarora
Um, wow.
05:35.91
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
05:38.82
Tina Marais
Become mixed and evolved with local culture. So yeah.
05:44.77
charukaarora
That’s true, tell me something how has we were just talking about this before we started recording like why I think I gravitate a lot towards ah your work. A I think definitely because of the scale and I think the um, the visual sensory like. Um, the textures and like um, the sensory element of your work is so strong but more than anything I think it’s also because I respond a lot to the materials that you work with I feel like South Africa and India have a lot of things in common especially when it comes to like textiles and. Like you said history and like colors and culture like you know, um and I myself come from India and my work is a lot about like culture and um embroideries and heavily influenced by indian crafts and patterns and architecture and. Colonization because again architecture is an outcome of colonization honestly, so I’m just trying to um understand even though your work looks very different What do you think has does it have your influence from South Africa um how is how does that makes it.
06:39.97
Tina Marais
And.
06:51.37
Tina Marais
Oh absolutely I think it’s it’s really embedded in who you are where you’re from and your visual connection with what you visual cultural connection. But you know what there’s a connection between south african and indian food like a cross reference as well and there’s ah, a big influence I and I mean in the durban region on the coast which is closest to India. There’s a huge community from India and.
07:14.71
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
07:23.62
Tina Marais
I Just love that region color texture. The flavors, the smells. Um, but I I think for me personally I was always drawn from being very very little to the markets and seeing.
07:25.37
charukaarora
Um, okay.
07:40.24
Tina Marais
The indian woman in their indian clothing and the colors and the beadwork and the textures and then also the african woman with the african beadwork the Basketry and the the woven textiles and this inclusion of other materials.
07:45.24
charukaarora
Um, okay, no well.
07:56.16
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
07:56.93
Tina Marais
So very often when you’re in a situation where people have limited access necessarily to new materials. They reinvent and recycle a lot of other elements that they bring back into their work and they think that’s something that really acquis me. It’s like you have an object.
08:03.10
charukaarora
Yeah, right.
08:11.53
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
08:16.45
Tina Marais
Have and that’s that’s not intended as textile or used as textile or used as a bead but because of this way of constantly thinking of how can you reinvent things. There’s this natural process of recycling other.
08:24.30
charukaarora
Um, yes.
08:30.24
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um, yes, yes.
08:35.20
Tina Marais
Elements into textile work. So for my work with the connection with South Africa I think it’s the landscape and I think that might be because it’s southern hemisphere and there’s some very dry regions. But then there’s this this.
08:45.53
charukaarora
Um, okay.
08:50.76
Tina Marais
Richness of natural diversity and architectural and cultural diversity which I think creates a link with India and in the same main days something because my work’s very often inspired by the natural environment and the ocean scapes and this.
08:52.22
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
08:58.60
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
09:07.88
Tina Marais
Natural ecodiversity as well and it’s very interesting that you find this connection because I’ve actually had other artists which are Ex South African or X or Australian that’s based in similar environments that message me and and say but.
09:08.55
charukaarora
Um, ecodiversity. Yeah.
09:26.27
Tina Marais
I feel this connection with your work and I don’t understand why and I think maybe it’s subconscious for natural forms or abstractions of forms and textures like that’s recognizable and not and then there’s this this thing within.
09:29.50
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
09:38.48
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
09:45.49
charukaarora
Yeah I think also like I think for me, you know it’s so I can come from fashion right? Um, so I’ve also seen fashion not in its bureaus. Bomb.
09:45.81
Tina Marais
Yeah.
09:50.60
Tina Marais
And.
09:58.83
charukaarora
But also it’s in um, in it’s raw. It’s in progress in it’s um, uglies form if I if I can say so and you know also India has like you said like you know clothes culturally in India let’s say if you have a cloth like if I have a free piece of cloth. Let’s say. No, let’s let’s say if I have a piece of bedsheet or something like that. So a piece of fabric turns into so many like stages like if let’s say it’s a piece of fabric and I’m like oh I need to discard this so a lot of and this is a very typical like mass culture I’m talking about like. We in India really like give several chances and lives through our products. Let’s say and especially but I think that specifically comes for textiles like if I’m trying to discard it I discarded something as a bedshee then maybe someone would get crafty. My mom would get crafty and like I remember growing up she would cut out like. Make small cushions or then that cushion would go to my dog and then it would become a cleaning cloth like you know it wouldn’t it wouldn’t pass like it’s like it’s living so many lives of its own and it’s not gone and even after like it’s reached to a point like.
11:07.68
Tina Marais
And.
11:15.48
charukaarora
Like let’s say you’re not wearing it or if it’s clothes and you’re not using then you give it to like people who are around you or people who like because there’s a lot of poverty and people who work for you and how ah like there’s so many like so many lives these clothes stay what I think Ah, that’s what something I resonated when you said that. And another thing I feel like when I looked at your work I also looked at those raw forms of the fashion like I know that you’re addressing a very different thing like you’re talking about biodiversity and like like all of those things but I’m also recognizing those um from my own lens those you know the buttons and.
11:36.84
Tina Marais
In in.
11:49.70
Tina Marais
A.
11:54.56
charukaarora
The elements and how those textures are um I don’t know if you know isimia key or like you know these avangar designers and like I could see also those forms and how that’s translating and how fashion and these elements are coming into um art and.
11:56.51
Tina Marais
Yes, is in.
12:07.65
Tina Marais
Um, yes I used to actually do um, costume design at some point. So I think there’s something of that that sometimes filters through.
12:12.26
charukaarora
Like I think.
12:20.47
charukaarora
Um, oh wow.
12:22.81
Tina Marais
But the thing that’s really interesting is I think in South Africa it’s very similar this journey of cloth and of clothing and how it gets reused and remade consistently and it’s really interesting because I’ve just come back from a.
12:36.91
charukaarora
Um, again.
12:38.20
Tina Marais
Ah, residency or I’m still traveling actually but I just finished a reidency in Portugal with context style and the work I did is actually inherently inspired by the story that the director of the museum where we did the ra which was an old hospital told us.
12:39.51
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yes, yeah.
12:57.58
Tina Marais
About how precious the Linean cloth was that they used for bedsheets and then they would cut this up and make pillow cases and then cut it up smaller and then eventually they would make bandages so it’s that process of remaking because of the value of cloth.
12:57.60
charukaarora
Are.
13:08.33
charukaarora
Um, Wow yeah.
13:13.81
Tina Marais
And I think it’s in such a stock contrast to the problem with fast fashion and the masses amount of clothing that they gets discarded for example in the desert in Chile and this and that because of this overproduction and it’s it’s so destructive whereas. It’s actually so important this reinvention of our base materials.
13:41.64
charukaarora
That’s very true tell me something. Um I was just looking at like your um you know tangent of your work and everything you did your? Um, you did visual communication and then you further mastered in fiber and textiles. And I think that was 1977 no sorry you graduated sorry sorry yes 19 yeah yeah, yeah, sorry.
14:02.20
Tina Marais
Um, no no I was born in 1977 I got you out 97 I graduated 9 ine seven ah, graduated in south africa and then there was a long I emmiratetd I worked and questioned. Yeah, so I initially and then I as an immigrant it takes a while to find your feet and I did for I’ve been working full time as an artist.
14:16.52
charukaarora
You graduated ninth century.
14:32.92
Tina Marais
Ah, for 10 years and but my practice is really diverse I do some public artwork I did a lot of social outreach or community-based public arts project or where you work with community and.
14:33.72
charukaarora
Um, yes, yes.
14:48.10
Tina Marais
To to develop links and connection because we have such a large immigrant community where I live So it’s kind of to create cultural bridges actually between people through the arts and then I have my professional art practice which is my own work for their own sake which I.
14:55.99
charukaarora
Um, yes.
15:05.15
Tina Marais
Participate a lot in international exhibitions and banals and solar shows, etc and then in 2019 I went I finally yeah and then in 2019 I finally
15:07.59
charukaarora
Yes, yes, and you had quite a few things.
15:20.58
Tina Marais
Had the opportunity. Well the timing was perfect. So I I got accepted at concorda university in montreal to do a master’s in fiber material practices and I just finished my thesis exhibition actually this June so yes, yeah, yeah, it was.
15:28.91
charukaarora
Um, yes, that’s my question right? This is sure. Yeah yes I know that yeah and that’s where my question is coming from.
15:40.42
Tina Marais
It was good. It was really incredible experience to delve deeper and.
15:50.22
charukaarora
No, no go ahead I think we have some lag.
15:54.10
Tina Marais
Now yet? No no, no, no. so so yes they was it. It was actually quite challenging and very rewarding to go back after working as an artist for many years to go back into a masters I’m really grateful I did it. But. Um, it is challenging coming from working as an artist going back into an academic structure but I was still exhibiting at the same time and of course as a pandemic it kind of made it possible.
16:22.12
charukaarora
Um, yes, yeah.
16:32.42
Tina Marais
To really focus on that research aspect as well. Which I find really rewarding. Um, so yeah, it was It was good. It was It was a challenge. There was a lot of things going on at the same time. So yes, yes.
16:34.23
charukaarora
Um, possible. Yes, yeah.
16:48.83
charukaarora
Yeah, but what made you do this like after like before you took this. Um, you know you father did a um in textiles and fipa. You’ve had a lot of success with your own work like you’ve shown internationally you’ve um.
17:01.48
Tina Marais
It’s.
17:06.41
charukaarora
You’ve had solo shows. You’ve you won awards you’ve done banal is like you’ve done a lot of things and that’s a lot of I mean that’s a lot of credibility. What made you take this decision after so many years um to go back to um this.
17:22.90
Tina Marais
And I think I I Actually you know what in my own art practice I felt like I had pushed it as far in concept as I could and I was so hungry.
17:23.82
charukaarora
The school or like you know to do this.
17:39.31
Tina Marais
To have more knowledge and to be able to take the time to do better research more reading. Um, really get into more current philosophical Trains etc. Plus it’s it’s It’s a studio art school so to get that critique from um I was so fortunate to have. Really outstanding professors so to get that professional critique on your work to make you question Exactly. Why are you choosing certain materials why you’re working with certain things. How? um you really solidify your.
18:18.33
Tina Marais
Process and and the the message of the work. So this was really important to me but I continue to exhibit outside of my master’s at the same time so I was working and doing projects in parallel um, but it was really rewarding and now since I’ve just finished I.
18:30.83
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
18:37.62
Tina Marais
I Can really feel a difference in the way that it I can thread to gather different meanings through my work and really and give depths to the layers of meaning in the work too because not all the meanings are always visible I think a lot of my work is deeply personal.
18:45.11
charukaarora
Um, yes.
18:53.82
charukaarora
Um, yes, yes.
18:57.37
Tina Marais
And some of the personal things is not necessarily something. It’s It’s sort of another layer to the more research. Ah or um message of the work. But I think people feel it.
19:09.60
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
19:10.67
Tina Marais
I Think the amount of time it takes to make textile work I think you’re literally sewing your emotions into the cloth and I think when people see the work they feel it without needing to be told what it’s saying I think there’s this. Um.
19:18.82
charukaarora
Um I Love that? Um, yeah, yeah, yes, that’s true.
19:28.82
Tina Marais
Communication of a message that’s felt and not necessarily needs to be explained.
19:38.80
charukaarora
I Love that thought tell me something I recently I mean I saw um your your thesis exhibition and the second skin and I love I mean I’m going going to ask your questions and talk about that. But before that um I want.
19:46.36
Tina Marais
And.
19:53.90
charukaarora
All your journey about making this work. Let’s go back. How did how would you in the beginning of your career beginning of this like were you always like into fiber and textiles and materials.
20:01.50
Tina Marais
And.
20:08.43
Tina Marais
I love this question. It’s started actually in it I think when I was 4 years old my mother took me to see an exhibition at one of the big galleries in Cape town and we would go to the praetoria fine art museum etc.
20:11.20
charukaarora
How how has your work transitioned and looked like.
20:25.53
charukaarora
Um, oh wow.
20:27.46
Tina Marais
And I think since I was four years old I wanted to be well. It was an artist an archaeologist or a ballerina. So the better arena part didn’t work and.
20:39.50
charukaarora
Um, oh Wow I.
20:42.50
Tina Marais
Archaeology has always interested me and I think this interest in the natural environment and the way that the past influences our present. It’s it’s still integrated into my work but I wanted to be a painter so I actually studied painting and drawing but I worked with class knitting.
20:49.45
charukaarora
Um, and that response to your work today. Also.
20:56.40
charukaarora
Um, yeah, oh wow.
21:01.98
Tina Marais
Embroider we making clothes since I can remember it was always part of my making or my part of my daily existence and when I was a teenager actually I had a little clothing company with some friend called but. Seed clothing and we made these huge skateboard shorts and t-shirts and sweaters and things many many years ago and I did these crazy hats at the time too with big fabric flowers on and this and that and then when I studied.
21:19.48
charukaarora
Oh wow.
21:35.87
Tina Marais
Fine arts which I was more specialized was special communication but I was more specialized in painting and drawing I actually did pattern drafting courses to do garments on the side and worked as a dressmaker to buy my art materials for my art courses.
21:48.73
charukaarora
Um, wow.
21:52.91
charukaarora
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.
21:55.70
Tina Marais
Oh I saw this as 2 completely separate things and then I continued doing my art but I actually worked yeah but I always kept it separate I didn’t consider the takesa work as fine art I considered it as craft so I worked as a class i.
22:03.36
charukaarora
Um, integrated.
22:11.37
charukaarora
Oh I had that question in my mind.
22:14.15
Tina Marais
Yeah, so I worked with Textel in making costumes for dance for theater I did costume design for a few years. Um for a few shows and then I think early twenty eleven I discovered the work. Of some contemporary textile based artists online which I never knew that this existed as a field or a world or an a parallel to contemporary art practice and.
22:40.40
charukaarora
Um, okay, this could be Yeah, yeah yeah.
22:48.38
Tina Marais
I started researching this and found that actually since the 1950 s especially in Europe and Poland there was the big wchkianal and um, my magdalena kamovic there was various artists that actually brought textile into the contemporary art world but it was really lesser known. And I think there’s a huge confusion between what’s the difference between text dollars fine art and Textiles Craft so I then it started infiltrating my work which at that stage was much more mixed media and I think in.
23:07.99
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah, as yes, Yes, yes.
23:23.68
Tina Marais
201314 I got a commission the city where I left but was selected as by the genvante and de cultier has one of the example cities of using culture in the community for the etc and I actually got commissioned to create a big.
23:23.75
charukaarora
Um, yes.
23:42.47
Tina Marais
Artwork for this launch show I did a sculpture and for this piece I actually worked in textile for the first time and it was about I think four meters by 3 it was a huge piece and that was it everything made sense for me artistically and. Since then I’ve been working only in textxile and I was a really fortunate. Um the last few years I’ve been selected or invited for various contemporary text ar canals I’ve had solar exhibitions and I think I always have this goal to exhibit also in places that.
24:05.00
charukaarora
Um I Love that.
24:18.64
Tina Marais
Sometimes especially in Quebec or in the community to create visibility for kids that are interested in arts but may not always as me have this opening that takes firstly you’re an artist. Secondly you can choose to express yourself in textile.
24:29.63
charukaarora
Um, to s.
24:37.74
Tina Marais
Which is different to craft making and I I think it’s so important for me because I I wish I knew earlier I wish I knew earlier but it’s it was like this Eureka moment where everything made sense. But of course what makes it? um.
24:41.27
charukaarora
Um I Love this I Love this.
24:49.17
charukaarora
Um, I know you.
24:56.40
Tina Marais
Which which really makes it so easy for me or so unique in my work is I have this all the skills in 3 hree-dimensional construction with cloth. So yes, so.
25:07.33
charukaarora
Um, yeah, absolutely yeah, you know when I was looking at your work the second scheme and there was this one of the one of the work that had um the rip cage.
25:17.70
Tina Marais
Written.
25:20.18
charukaarora
And I was just looking at it and I remember because I studied fashion. So I’ve done drafting and I’ve done sewing and I’ve done patent making and like all of it so I was seeing the boning that you’ve done and the moment I saw that and I had the slash bag because I used to do a lot of boning like used to make cause sets.
25:37.74
Tina Marais
In.
25:39.28
charukaarora
And for that causeset we used to have a lot of boning in it and like stitch them and it it took me back in time and I was like you know that’s I think that’s why I’m so inspired by a work because like you said it’s a it’s a it’s a reaffirmation to my own self because like this was a question that you’ve already addressed but I want to just.
25:57.34
Tina Marais
Me.
25:59.13
charukaarora
A little bit about because when I came I didn’t I didn’t come from an art school and I never knew what contemporary art was and like you know I just knew I was a small town girl who was just who just knew how to be creative and when I entered into the arts I was like okay you get to be an artist where I thought like okay. I Had to be a painter to be an artist. This is what being an artist looked like so if I needed to like if I was doing anything else and I’m either an illustrator I was being capped as a designer or if I was any very remotely given to fabrics I was into the class and not into the Arts. So I always had. This interest because and also I ran a fashion business and I was like so even like how crafts came into my own work I had this you I don’t have’ve spoken about this on the podcast like I when I shut down my business I had this so I still have this huge manicquins in my studio that I’ve never shown but I’ve never had the lead to like.
26:40.41
Tina Marais
In.
26:49.91
Tina Marais
Um.
26:55.72
charukaarora
Not my sewing machine on my materials and I remember after even closing that but business 2 years still 2 years I would carry that all along because I would move a lot and I had this but box of embroidry materials that I would never throw away and I love embroides I’ve always loved because that’s how I grew up with and.
27:00.66
Tina Marais
Button.
27:15.90
charukaarora
I would open up look at them find them very fascinating and didn’t know I was like oh no I’m an aut now I can’t I can’t let them go but I I don’t know how to use them anymore. So I would just keep them and one day I think a little beginning of the pandemic I was just sitting idle I was sketching and I had that box and I was like.
27:30.12
Tina Marais
And.
27:34.45
charukaarora
Maybe I can I just wanted to experiment in play because I was too careful and I just added a little bit in my sketchbook and I was like this feels me and I I started getting I think the the idea because I I think a lot of people at least I grew up around that that.
27:52.57
Tina Marais
So.
27:53.00
charukaarora
This was being an artist if you’re a painter then you become a mixed media but this was such a risky territory because once you go into this territory of experimenting and like you know crafting and like using fabric or any other material as an artist. It was very hard to. Decipher who I am now who are what am I am I should? how do you address and how do people respond I think there was a lot of fear around that and the fear of accepting and risking or like should I Even do this to myself like you had those did you have those fears.
28:15.30
Tina Marais
The.
28:23.69
Tina Marais
3
28:33.16
Tina Marais
Um I Think at some point initially but at some point you you completely I think it’s so important to stay present and stay present with the work and what do you want to communicate What do you want to say through the work. And when it’s really authentic people usually respond to it better and art’s really personal I don’t think um, everybody connects to the same people’s work in the same way either.
29:01.28
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
29:07.59
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yeah.
29:08.17
Tina Marais
Or connect to the same artwork I see it more once once one piece is done. It has to live its own life I separate myself from it as well. It’s it’s like a moment of time a period of time captured in a work and then it has to exist on its own and it becomes separate from you.
29:18.11
charukaarora
Um, right.
29:26.75
Tina Marais
But in terms of fears in experimentation for sure I think we all go through that but I still do a lot of experimentation I think it’s really important to try new things and continue to develop new things.
29:34.86
charukaarora
Yeah, but you’ve pushed that edge for once and now you know Okay, this is like you know I trusted myself I came here now you need to I think it’s all experimentation I feel like is an addiction because once you once you get it like.
29:40.46
Tina Marais
And I think as an artist the more you do and the more you explore and the more you interact with your material the more authentic your work becomes and the more your voice becomes clear through the work but it takes a lot of doing and making to really.
29:54.24
charukaarora
You know? Okay, you want to push the envelope then there’s no turning back.
29:57.34
Tina Marais
And then you have to sometimes sit back and just look at your work and see what you see that repeats and see what the word saying to you and it really helps find your artistic voice in that way. But I think there’s just a whole lot of doing and making to find that. So.
30:26.41
charukaarora
Um, I lost you? Yeah can you hear me can you hear me Tiina hello.
30:59.88
charukaarora
Um, can you hear me can you hear me.
31:22.83
charukaarora
Um, can you hear me now. Hello.
32:30.56
Tina Marais
Hi hi. Okay yes I can hang on I Just want to reopen that because I went back to the there we go perfect. Yeah.
32:31.92
charukaarora
Hello Hi Can you hear me now. Okay, this yeah okay thank God I was like what this happening. Okay so let’s go back down.
32:44.90
Tina Marais
What happened? okay.
32:52.66
charukaarora
Um, you know I also see like I think um art is like a religious practice like you know it’s a repetition. It’s a lot about repetition it movement in thoughts like we sit around with a lot of thoughts and the way we do things. Um you. Ah, your work is a same stressor like you were making these costumes like you know, but you had a different intention now. Physically I think a lot of times you may be repeating those actions like let’s say boning ah but your outcome and your thought process is entirely Different. Can.
33:17.48
Tina Marais
Written written.
33:24.95
Tina Marais
Yes.
33:28.52
charukaarora
Talk a little bit about how these you still in a way is still doing a lot of similar things that you were on the side at that point what you thought had nothing to do with your art.
33:36.43
Tina Marais
Ah, it’s It’s changed a lot. Actually I I think um I think specifically when you do period costume or in dressmaking or in the fashion Industry. There’s a lot of accent on the precision. In the sewing in the pattern making in the precision. Um the the exact distance of a seam allowance or a hem or a bead work or the fit in it. It’s very precise and there’s a lot of doing and undoing back and forth and a lot of almost forcing the fabric.
33:56.33
charukaarora
Um, yes, yes.
34:04.45
charukaarora
Um, yes oh my God thread count. Yeah.
34:13.58
Tina Marais
Into a certain form that it maybe not naturally wants to take and I think at a stage when I started really evolving my practice with including textile materials in my work.
34:20.95
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
34:29.15
Tina Marais
I was so saturated by this and I wanted the freedom to have a real um organic exchange between myself and the material to see how the material wanted to be formed and shaped versus how I want to do it and how.
34:38.68
charukaarora
Um, and came.
34:44.85
Tina Marais
Those 2 things influence it other because for example, now when I cut ah my basic forms for my work I literally just draw draw it with cholp free hand on the paper and I don’t make a pattern for it. But I think I can do this now because I have all that experience in.
35:00.44
charukaarora
Um, just do it. You’ve been doing Yes, Yes, yes now.
35:04.41
Tina Marais
How to construct from fabric to 3 d so it’s very free actually my process and I do a lot of interaction with the material walling. Is it creating. So I start usually with a sketch and then there’s a process of evolution but it also starts with.
35:18.72
charukaarora
Um, okay.
35:24.19
Tina Marais
What do I want this work to express. So with the feeling more than necessarily a specific theme and then a lot of my work I just I just feel forms that are in basis inspired by I collect a lot of images of texture and details out of nature. And I think somehow these things mix with memories of forms from South Africa so it’s between what’s real and what’s a memory and it becomes an imagined interpretation and very often. It’s an imagined interpretation of a feeling or an emotion.
35:55.83
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
36:01.83
charukaarora
I Love that.
36:02.48
Tina Marais
Or a place or a memory or an interaction.
36:08.82
charukaarora
And what about the scale of your book. How do you see that in context to both of those things like your work is hummongous. Um, it’s also I think it’s also Shipsha shipshifting. It’s also.
36:16.57
Tina Marais
Never big enough. No, it’s not big enough. Yeah yes, yes, it is shapeshifting but.
36:25.57
charukaarora
A common word that we also use in fashion is like shape shifting. Yeah, what do you say about that.
36:33.60
Tina Marais
I Like that work. No actually it’s It’s never big enough but my problem is often and limitation of storage space limitation of installation spaces. Ah limitation of studio space. But.
36:41.27
charukaarora
Um, yes.
36:48.57
Tina Marais
You find a way to work around all of this. So yes, my my work is larger in scale. Um, especially some of my more installation pieces but I do do some smaller pieces too or I do multiples of smaller pieces to to fill a larger space. But um, some of it is due I I had a period where I had a lot of medical. Um, yeah I got really sick so I had limitations in my body due to surgery. So my work became smaller and I had to do more multiples of the same things.
37:22.33
charukaarora
Oh my good.
37:26.87
Tina Marais
And now I’m back to the bigger work which is so liberating because I love interacting with my entire body with the work. So it’s a real back and forth. It’s a real physical process when you work on larger work to your entire body is involved and I love this.
37:34.26
charukaarora
Um, yeah.
37:42.20
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um, right.
37:45.83
Tina Marais
But it’s never. It’s not big enough yet. It’s It’s not big enough yet, but it’s it is something that’s constantly evolving and growing. But I think it’s also as your um freedom to just express and explore the scale that speaks to you.
37:51.50
charukaarora
Are.
38:03.99
charukaarora
Um, yes.
38:04.83
Tina Marais
Grows It’s It’s an ongoing development process I don’t think as an artist we’re stagnant I think it would be really sad if you’re stagnant and just keep doing the same thing over and over again.
38:16.25
charukaarora
I Love that.. That’s so true and I think that’s I think that’s also the entire point of being being a creative like like I So I think it’s it’s It’s very suffocating when you feel called to something and you don’t persuade because we’re thinking how it’s Fit. It fits in a certain definition and I think truly why I feel to inspire your work of your work is I think it takes courage. Ah a lot of the work that you you’re making I truly feel it takes courage because there are a lot of. Not only external validation or like definitions but also a lot of in know fears that you need to push and experiment to create what you’re creating and I somewhere I see myself there and I you’ve inspired me to like to chase that path and the ah like you know your own Identity. So I just. I’m just so grateful to do speak to you and like you know I feel I Just I’m waiting for my new studio and I want to open up my sewing machine and I want to like I think that like you said like I love organic feel and that’s why I think I switched I can’t work on a canvas I switched to wood completely like.
39:22.17
Tina Marais
E.
39:27.56
charukaarora
Or paper like I I want that tactileness and that that earthiness in my work and I love fabrics and I’ve got like you know, um, as artists we do. We do these 2 toils like you know, ah in fashion you do toils and like we do muslin toils and like I always like for me.
39:31.26
Tina Marais
A.
39:46.97
charukaarora
I Always enjoyed the toils more than I did a garment ever and I really I see like I want to go back to that that ceiling and I don’t know how and.
39:48.59
Tina Marais
And I agree This is something far more interaction I think that’s a really good place to go I I think it’s so important that you need to reach a point where work just flows out of you and you don’t fight it. And I think with ideas about um, social preconditionment or what other people might think or can I actually say this or what would other people think we limit ourselves we place barriers around ourselves and it takes a lot of time to free yourself.
40:08.66
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um, he write.
40:13.67
charukaarora
Um, yes.
40:20.92
charukaarora
Right.
40:26.67
Tina Marais
From those barriers and to just say the work is just flowing out of me and I need to express this and it doesn’t matter if it’s well received or not this is what I need to say through my work.
40:39.35
charukaarora
Not yes I Love that.
40:43.32
Tina Marais
Um, but it takes a lot of time because I think we really have a lot of social constrictions cultural restrictions. It depends on where you live it depends on your family situation. It depends on ethical religion like there’s so many barriers that we create around ourselves and I think.
40:48.75
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um.
41:01.78
charukaarora
Um, yeah, um for sure.
41:02.75
Tina Marais
It’s really important to sit down with yourself and to be honest and say what are the constructs I’m putting on myself that doesn’t necessarily need to be there. Okay.
41:14.80
charukaarora
I Love that you know you’ve left me with so much inspiration and I’m I Really I really am going to send you a picture once I open my sewing machine and like I will send you that whenever that day is coming.
41:26.60
Tina Marais
Please do please do I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much for for ah, having me here.
41:30.79
charukaarora
Oh my God Thank you so much I can’t believe it’s ah.
41:36.44
charukaarora
Absolutely But I can’t let you go yet I have a rapid fire for you.
41:41.49
Tina Marais
Yes, yes.
41:44.62
charukaarora
Are you ready.
41:46.97
Tina Marais
Yes, yes.
41:50.13
charukaarora
Okay, here we go 1 thing you want to convey through your work in the arts.
41:57.15
Tina Marais
Wait You have to come again because I lost you there for a split second it was too rapid to.
42:03.33
charukaarora
Um, yeah, yes, yes, okay I’ll slow down 1 thing you want to convey. 1 thing you want to convey through your work in the arts.
42:07.31
Tina Marais
Okay, now I can hear you? Okay, yeah.
42:20.80
Tina Marais
1 thing I want to create or communicate sorry I I really communicate. Okay.
42:25.00
charukaarora
1 thing you want to communicate through your work in the arts. What’s that 1 thing. What’s that yes.
42:37.48
Tina Marais
Ah, the entanglement. How everything is interconnected around us and we how we are also part of a bigger ecosystem as living organisms and.
42:50.19
charukaarora
I love that? Okay, what’s that 1 word that describes you the best.
43:03.40
charukaarora
What’s that 1 word that describes you the best.
43:06.17
Tina Marais
Child inside.
43:13.78
charukaarora
Okay, if you could have a studio anywhere in the world where would it be.
43:22.58
Tina Marais
Ah, in in um, in France.
43:28.40
charukaarora
Oh wow, your biggest source of inspiration.
43:32.92
Tina Marais
And actually I would say in in Lio Lio France because of the real way that the city is constructed around its textile routes.
43:48.63
charukaarora
Um, really I have to look it. Ah I definitely have to look it up.
43:53.47
Tina Marais
When yes while one can dream.
44:01.50
charukaarora
Okay, your biggest source of inspiration.
44:13.90
Tina Marais
I’m I’m losing you a little bit of.
44:17.50
charukaarora
Um, okay your biggest source of inspiration.
44:21.57
Tina Marais
Nature.
44:27.87
charukaarora
Who’s your favorite woman artist.
44:30.42
Tina Marais
Oh Louis Boshua
44:37.70
charukaarora
Um, oh I love her. Okay, who’s your go to person when you’re in trouble or in need of advice.
44:43.16
Tina Marais
My my son.
44:48.96
charukaarora
Um, Wow That’s nice to hear.
44:51.10
Tina Marais
Well actually too my son and ah one of my very good friends. Monica Brinkman who’s a mosaic artist actually.
45:02.58
charukaarora
Oh wow I have to check her out. Um, okay watch. Can you share. This can be a little more than 1 word. Of course I’m sure you must have had many but is there a special moment. Um that you always celebrate or see a. As an artist and you feel like oh my god I’m very grateful to do the work that I’m doing like we all have those special moments anything that has happened so far that you feel like is a very special moment for you as an artist.
45:29.64
Tina Marais
Oh every day. Yeah.
45:36.26
charukaarora
I Love this answer. Oh my God you killed this man.
45:39.86
Tina Marais
Um, I think every day is a special moment every I.
45:47.99
charukaarora
No I think that’s I think sometimes I just feel like we should be because I feel so grateful to to be able to pursue this part because I know it wasn’t easy I’d never thought this was possible. So yeah I think there’s so much to be grateful about.
46:05.29
Tina Marais
Yes, and and life can be cut so short I think we need to celebrate each day we need to remind ourselves of it. So.
46:11.57
charukaarora
Um, yeah I love that if you were to meet younger Tina today. What advice would you give her.
46:24.60
Tina Marais
Follow your gut feel. Always.
46:31.48
charukaarora
Amazing Will shout out to an artist who you’re at least you know you followed your God Even if it had to go wrong.
46:34.40
Tina Marais
Because when you don’t everything goes horribly wrong. Yes, shout out to an artist. Ah. If I had to give a shout out to an artist. It would be to so many. Ah my dear friend Monica Brikman who’s a mosaic artist. Um the uncle led who’s a exquisite friend of mine who’s an artist as well. Ah Paloma crus who I just work with on a residency who works with. Ah ceramic I love her work and then the list will keep going on and on and on and on and on because I think there’s so many, um, incredible artists in my autistic community. That’s that’s that’s really like an artists tribe and an extremely supportive.
47:17.16
charukaarora
A um.
47:23.26
Tina Marais
Community. There’s There’s so many I feel bad to mention names because they’re all important.
47:29.37
charukaarora
Oh no I think you send me a list I will add everybody in the show notes.
47:36.71
Tina Marais
Okay, I’ll send you a list I’ll send you a list.
47:44.94
charukaarora
Um, perfect. Thank you so much Tina this was so wonderful. You were so so wonderful and kind and you shared a lot of with us that I’m so grateful for but before I let you go do you want to like share anything upcoming that. But you that you would like to share with our listeners where people can find you any new projects where how they can look at your work.
48:03.19
Tina Marais
Um, well, what’s really exciting. Okay, so at the moment I have the work that was created during the residency with contextile in portugal that’ll be on exhibition until the end of October. And if anyone’s there I highly recommend they go and see because there’s about I think Eight nine parallel exhibitions with gaal all over and if you love contemporary textile based art. You absolutely have to see this then? um. I have work in the new materials vi now in Beijing and China and there’s the Lazaana Beijing bial that just opened that I have worked into um and then the big next big textile vin is the world text star ar bial in Miami.
48:48.72
charukaarora
Um, but okay file.
48:56.27
charukaarora
Um, wow.
48:57.46
Tina Marais
Which shall have a work in in the large format salon and that’s in early November and in October I’ll be in Belgium for a text I’ll be a null there I will be posting images of the exhibitions and the work on my Instagram feed as as I do. And then two solar shows next year which is super exciting. Few other projects are busy being finalized. So I don’t like speaking about things before they’re completely solidify their mix but it’s kind of freely exciting. And then I’m just looking forward to get back into my studio and really work on the new shows which will be new bodies of work. So the one will be in Quebec and the other will be in Australia next year and I think there’s.
49:48.88
charukaarora
Oh my God That means this is.
49:51.43
Tina Marais
There’s yeah, there’s a few other exciting projects. But yeah, we’ll leave it at that.
49:57.25
charukaarora
That this sounds like a hella busy thing you have so much that’s happening upcoming and I’m I’m so glad and happy to hear that.
50:08.51
Tina Marais
Yes, thank you.
50:14.80
charukaarora
Perfect. So I will link all the artists a lot of things and shows and link to your thesis show and your work in the show notes. So I highly recommend I love her. Um, Tina’s um thesis show and her work. In general as well. Definitely so I will add all the links and images to a work her bio about her exhibitions and everything in the show notes. So make sure anyone who’s listening you go on a website and have a look um on a work. And you will also find transcripts and links mentioned here. So make sure you download them and yeah I mean that’s it. Thank you so much Dan I’m really grateful for this. Thank you.
51:01.43
Tina Marais
And thank you very much take care and thank you very much. It was so such a wonderful opportunity to share a little bit then to meet in exchange with you. So.
51:08.10
charukaarora
Um, you 2
51:15.54
charukaarora
Same year same year. Thank you so much. You’ll have to hold on. Let me just stop.
51:19.12
Tina Marais
Okay, by.
