Interview with Mimi from NI studios

Interview conducted by Meg Bulmer

In the lead up to our recent exhibition: Cache Money, I spoke to Mimi from NI studios to find out more about her artistic inspirations. Mimi contributed one of her brilliant pieces, Untouched, to show at the exhibition, and I was interested to hear her perspective on the exhibition theme and how she feels her piece intersects with that theme. Mimi’s brilliant responses offered great insight into her methods as an artist and some of her opinions on the intersection between technology and art:

Meg: What are and have been some of your greatest inspirations as an artist?

Mimi: Being an autobiographical artist, generally my inspiration for my work comes from my life experiences, thoughts and feelings. In terms of other artists, my biggest inspiration has always been Tracey Emin. I am just utterly in awe of her oeuvre. I think I’m her biggest fan.

Meg: What message do you most hope people will find in your work and what do you feel is your main purpose when creating your pieces?

Mimi: I think it’s just not feeling as alone. I spend a lot of my life feeling singular, and if my work can resonate with somebody, that’s all that I can ask for. The main purpose I fulfil when I create my work is a cathartic release of my own thoughts and feelings.

Meg: How do you feel your art intersects with the theme of the Exhibition?; how has technology and technological advancements most impacted what you do as an artist?

Mimi: I believe my photographic work links to the theme of the exhibition in the way that I can use digital media to edit my work. I use procreate a lot, and have a background in Graphics (an undergraduate degree), so digital based work lends itself quite nicely to aspects of my work. Particularly my digital portraiture.

‘Untouched’ by NI studios

Meg: Where would you predict that technology may take us in the future? First in general and then relating to the art world?

Mimi: To be honest, I don’t think I could warrant a good enough guess. The world around us seems to develop so quickly in fruition, that I can’t quite keep up. I think in relation to the art world, digital art will become a lot more successful; in terms of creation but also sales – NFT’s for example.

Meg: Do you have any hopes for the future regarding the intersection between art and technology, and perhaps more generally between technology and society?

Mimi: I think any way to make art more accessible and readily available can only be a good thing.