Rainmaker Gallery: Preparing an artist interview

Confusion of a European student as she prepares to interview a Native American artist.

On the 20th of July at Rainmaker Gallery, excitement was high for the imminent arrival of artist Yatika Starr Fields, the man behind the work in the Summer show, plus the first Native American to ever participate in Upfest. As I walked into the exhibition space for my first glimpse of the artwork, I was nearly knocked sideways – colour, lines, layers of intricate motifs, mysterious symbols, and enough energy to power half of Bristol! Working as assistant here was going to be more exciting than ever this month. As I took a deeper look at the works, I could feel question upon question bubble up in my mind, as though it were a glass of sparkling water. So I made the mistake of asking Jo Prince, the gallery director: “Do you think I could ask Yatika a little bit about his works?”.

Entrance to Rainmaker Gallery.

Before I knew it, Jo had set about having me do a formal interview with Yatika, complete with script and a recording on video. There was no going back! Only thing to do be done was to catch those questions in my mind before they shimmered away. Phone in hand, I frantically typed in all I could remember. Having accumulated a small number, I set about beefing up my list by tapping into the visual analysis skills which my university had done so much to cultivate in me this year. Diligently, I focused in on the works’ structure, colour, rhythm, imagery, content, context, and so forth…

Press for the show.

Proudly, I gave Jo my list of questions. I was sure they would hit the box! Very analytical, very rational, very… “Western!” Jo laughed. This was not the response I was expecting to hear. Slowly we unpicked my list, Jo explaining along the way how they left little space to speak about the soul of the art. Does the artist begin with a figurative motif or an abstract pattern in mind? Scrapped. Are the force lines that convey the works’ dynamism predetermined? Scrapped. Does the artist choose his colour pallet with a specific symbolical intent? Scrapped. And so on, we continued. Jo smiled at me, as I slowly began to understand that the works were about ritual dancing, about the experience of movement and unity with other participants, about feeling the ground under your feet and regalia on your body. How could an artist possibly explain all that while still answering my questions about structure and composition?.

The poster with the actual work!

Having dissected the remains of my original list, we set about constructing another one. The aim, Jo made clear, was to give the artist space to speak of his art in his own terms. More open-ended, more welcoming, I could see how these new questions would invite much more life into the artist’s answers.

I am sorry, dear reader, but I shan’t be mentioning any of them here: you will have to read my forthcoming post on the interview itself. I do hope you will enjoy them, though, when you do. 

I certainly enjoyed writing them, however painful it may have been tripping up on the first list. Thank you, Jo, for having pushed me once more to scratch beyond the painted surface!

With my favourite work:   ‘Butterfly Survival’