A scientist faces the reality of a virus with art.
Enjoy this interview with Moroccan artist Inaam Obtel for her perspective on making art at home during confinement where she is in France. Inaam draws much of her inspiration and soul from her studies in science and work as a nurse before she began to pursue art full time. Much of her materials for art making come from or reflect medical supplies and aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. This post is part of a series of interviews with former Artists in Residence at Green Olive Arts asking how this season of social distancing and postponed cultural mobility has impacted them. Enjoy!
Green Olive Arts AiR Interview with Inaam Obtel
Inaam, how have you had to flex or pivot your art practice in this unprecedented season of home confinement? What are you currently working on in your studio at home?
As usual, I am doing some experimentations combining art with science, and try other ways to open other doors of possibilities in my research. In this confinement period, I have been more into gravure (printmaking), especially monotype, I was using shape of virus Covid-19.
“Cov.8” – intaglio print – March 2020
A hologram animation that I made that I named “Cov.8” and other forms of some effects or mutations caused by the virus. I think adaptation and to get immunized is the solution. We have survived many different viruses in history. It is our nature since ages past (which I illustrate through a small animation below)
click to watch Inaam’s holographic animation of the Shape of Covid19
Stay positive and strong! This is not the first time that humanity has faced a strong virus
… and not the last one. This period was hard for us and everyone.
Actually i’m working on a project at my living space now that is about genetics manipulations and how it affects our life and our future, it will be kind of video installation. (It is still in progress).
click to watch Inaam’s animation about Adapting & Immunization
What does creative community and/or social sanity look like for you right now? How are you staying connected and grounded?
I think I was more connected before this epidemic period happened.
Inaam teaching about her art & research in classroom
While in confinement I have been able to find other ways to keep myself occupied. Reading books and cooking besides my art. And I try to use my one hour outside walking and biking. It was amazing to see how our earth is healing itself. I had the chance to see, for the first time, a little wild boar who was walking in the streets enjoying his time while humans are locked at their home.
I needed to distance from social media, because of the bad news that I came across in publications about this epidemic period. I’m living far from my family in France, so I didn’t need to be more worried and stressed out.
Inaam’s darkened studio lab 2020
What insights about creativity in a time of crisis can you share with other artists? What have you been learning?
In this kind of crisis, I think being more patient helped me to see things differently. I have been able to learn how to use some difficult 3D and 360 softwares, and I am still learning, especially for animation. I’m interested in the visual that technology can offer you now through such software. How it could help the artist to achieve good results in his or her creation.
Inaam’s Instagram: @inaamobtel.artiste
Virus Shapes – intaglio print – March 2020
Click here to see other Covid19 AiR Interviews
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