Ana Kazaroff, MA Fine Art Alumna, Wood Workshop Technician and Fine Art Partnerships Co-ordinator, has been awarded a Develop Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England. The fund is highly competitive, and supports individual cultural or creative practitioners to take a period of time to focus on their development.
“This Summer I am excited to be able to pursue a period of research and development with support from the Arts Council England as I’ve been awarded a Develop Your Creative Practice grant. This is a great opportunity to develop my practice by experimenting with different materials, working with new collaborators, travel abroad to take part in artists’ residencies, as well as build new networks for future projects and presentation of work.
I make installations with sculptures made of wood, polystyrene and plaster painted to look like different surfaces. I draw connections between everyday materials, such as processed meats and stone. Painting faux finishes is a way of questioning the hierarchy between materials and objects. I am interested in faking materials as a way of faking status. I use the fake in my work in relation to stereotypes and authenticity, reflecting on my experience as a Latinx immigrant.
Studio time will allow me to learn how to use an airbrush and develop new techniques in painting faux surfaces. I will also use ceramics and test glazes to create rich organic textures. I will be experimenting with creating backdrops and props, and photographing artworks within these bespoke sets to create new digital collages in collaboration with photographer Maria Alejandra Huicho. A second collaboration includes writer Camila Charask, with whom I will create pieces from playing with words, images and mistranslations. This award will give me time and the means to develop my work in new and unexpected ways.”
Keep an eye on our website later in the summer for an update on Ana’s project, and find out more about Ana’s work via her website.
