Feature Fridays | Raghvi Arya
In conversation with Events Coordinator Ananya Jain
RAGHVI ARYA
Raghvi is a third-year student studying Economics and Management. She was born in India and grew up in Surrey. Her interest in art has often been pitted as antithetical to her analytical business sense; yet, she believes that the two are not mutually exclusive and actively shape one another. For Raghvi, creativity and art is about being able to capture emotion in a particular moment. She thinks about her ideas extensively before executing them to create something that is hopefully out of the ordinary.
Tell us a little about your journey with art and when you began making art?
My interests in the arts has been highly influenced by my parents. My mum is an artist, and so I grew up going to art exhibitions, and my dad is a businessman. Gaining exposure to both fields while growing up has shaped me and my interests.
The first clear memory I associate with creating art is when I was asked to create a poster about fairytales at the age of 7. I remember showing what I had made to my dad, and he told me that it was a bit rubbish. My Asian parents didn’t just push me academically – they pushed me in every way, and this drove my own competitive nature. I spent time researching and understanding poster design, and my dad and I worked on it together. The time that I spent understanding what makes a good poster, conceptualizing and designing, before actually creating it instilled a habit in me. I now complete this same process before creating any piece of art. This simple homework led to an appreciation for poster design, which is still evident in the style of my art today. At that point I was a bit taken aback, because in my mind it was just an assignment that didn't matter, but when he offered suggestions, and we worked on the drawing together, it made me realise that he was right. With this piece of homework, I found that the finished product was drastically different from my initial conception, and I saw how it had become so much more interesting. It was completely different from what anyone else in my class had done. That seems to be the beginning of the idea of my incessant need to approach things differently from everyone else; ultimately, my artistic persona showcases my insecurities. I do spend a lot of time thinking about my ideas before creating and try to come up with unconventional things that are unique.
How would you describe your work? What kind of media and themes are you drawn to?
I tend to capture and express things I'm feeling in the given moment. Looking back at old works, I can feel that moment, as if I'm transported to it, and that is the purpose of my art. When I'm feeling something, I like to create my work immediately after. I also feel like a lot of my work revolves around depicted contrasts and often conflict.
I tend to capture and express things I'm feeling in the given moment. Looking back at old works, I can feel that moment, as if I'm transported to it, and that is the purpose of my art. When I'm feeling something, I like to create my work immediately after. I also feel like a lot of my work revolves around depicted contrasts and often conflict.
With respect to media, I am open to multiple different media, based on what suits the idea or theme of my work. Most works turn out to be mixed media, not because that is what I planned, but because I am impatient. I think that I approach media like a businessman – with practicality and efficiency; I use the one that works best in the shortest amount of time. I also like using colors, particularly pink, green and yellow. Moreover, I am deeply drawn to weird themes that evoke the emotions that you don’t typically see in a 2D piece – humour, fear, disgust, love. I think that most people can capture a pretty flower or a sunset. A few years ago, I did a series where I painted close ups of hairy legs and feet, and through that I wanted to evoke a specific emotion, rather than represent something that is pleasant to look at.
What does art and creativity mean to you?
Creativity is something highly personal, but I see art as going beyond things that are easy to express, and somehow showcasing all of the internal conflict that is difficult to express in words. I think that work needs to be stimulating, and capture the moment, and emotion. Not to sound pretentious, but I see art not as individual expression but as an idea. My art is and has always been central to my identity and my way of seeing. It influences my approach, thinking, and my world view. Being an artist has made me an analytical thinker. People often see art and analytical thinking as antithetical, but I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. Both sides of my personality have been shaped by the other and helped me see the world in a different way.
Tell us a little about what work inspires you.
I am usually inspired by art that shocks, moves and is 'weird' by general conventions. I have phases where I get extremely influenced by a particular artist and the influence reflects in my work. Then I move onto another artists. In the recent past I've been inspired by Philip Guston, and Jeff Davis amongst others. More than just the execution of their works, I am interested in the artist’s ideas and thoughts. I’m also drawn to American and East Asian artists, because I have always found them to be more radical than other contexts, and more in line with my perceptions of the purpose of art.
How has the pandemic impacted your work and art making?
I strongly believe, at least for me that art results out of boredom. During the pandemic, I really missed being able to go to galleries and see art, and so I decided to curate my own room into a contemporary art gallery. This was an interested project, because it also made me aware of the contrasting aesthetic that I was drawn to - both minimalism and graphic design as well as more fully developed paintings.
I also used this time to launch a podcast where I interviewed restaurateurs from across the world, what I would like to view as a culmination of my interest in art, design, and business. I do believe that often, the problem with identifying as a 'traditional artist' seems to be one that is completely distinct from commercial art, and money. Art is seen as antithetical to market, and somehow an 'authentic' and 'true' art is considered to be free of the commercial world. This might be true for some, but I find the idea that art doesn’t have any economic value heartbreaking, and with the right inspiration, I would happily pledge my life to changing this.
How do you continue to make art at University specifically in the context of a lack of proper studio space?
I am a member of the local art club in town, currently the only student amongst 60 and 70 year olds, and they have their own studio, so space isn't an issue for me. However, that said, I often feel like limitations like this should not necessarily come in the way of creating art; in fact, they should be a furthermore a driving factor.
A couple of years back, I did an external fine arts course, which was like a foundation in fine arts and that programme exposed me to the possibilities of creativity and diversity of media. I remember that for one activity, we used the music room to create sound systems using electric paint, and the scanner to create montages of our faces. There are always ways to use the existed spaces at the University to foster creativity, and limitations breed this. I thought that the Philip Colbert installation was really great, and I’m glad that St Andrews is promoting such a contemporary artist. It's unfortunate that the exhibit got so much criticism, considering how people are always blaming institutions for not funding the arts enough.
Though Raghvi doesn’t display her work on social media, (she prefers to use Linkedin), she has in the past submitted work to our virtual exhibition Pastimes, and you can have a look at that on our website!
Feature Fridays, is a series led by Ananya Jain and Eleanor Milner, who are both artsoc committee members. The goal of the series is to share the stories and works of different artists and creatives in st.andrews, a town that despite its small size and population is thriving with creativity and individuals who are highly versatile and creative. If you think your creative journey is something that we should be sharing, write to us of facebook/Instagram and we’ll be in touch!
