Goia Mujalli
Artwork’s Title: ‘The day after the election’
Materials Used: acrylic on canvas
Year: 2018
Studio Based: Acme, Stockwell, London
Art Verge
Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
I usually begin with sketches and mostly think about colour and how each colour is affected when placed beside another. The process starts with adding motifs, removing them, responding to them, painting over them, finding them again, perhaps blocking them and so it carries on…. I recently collected images of plants found at the botanical garden in Rio de Janeiro, as I wanted to bring new motifs to the work. Motifs that didn’t come from my imagination, but came from found things. I wanted to bring new forms to the work and wanted them to come from a place that I have a strong emotional involvement. I am using these images now to create a new body of work.
Goia Mujalli
How would you define your work in a few words (ideally in 3 words)?
Movement, rhythm and subtleties.
Would you use another three different words to describe this particular painting?
Denial, obscurity, doubt.
How did you come up with this painting idea? Is there any story behind this painting?
With this work, I started with my usual process, which is intuitive and responding to the process. Most of my work there is the exploration of layering and colour and only in flesh you can see the under layers as they are very subtle. For this particular work I was covering an under layer with the intention of showing a different repetitive texture, not sure if it can be seen in a photo. The title for this work is ‘the day after the election’ as I literally finished this painting the next day (last year in October 2018) when the current Brazilian president got elected. It was a day of mourning for all of us. The country was in war between both parties and it was a moment of uncertainty. I couldn’t believe that Brazil had elected that figure as our next president. The colour red relates to violence, which is what was happening in Brazil at the time and still is, but those days of election were very brutal as if the country has started a civil war or it had never ended. Red also makes me think of stopping (traffic lights), of denial, of attention, of not allowed, as if this painting was a symbol for going against what was (is) happening.
What colour is used the most in this painting?
Red
What would be the best way to exhibit your work?
Allow a lot of space around the works and have a variation of sizes.
Can you mention any artists you, lately or generally, take inspiration from?
Charline Von Heyl.
How do you know when this painting was finished?
When I immediately got the message back from the work.
What about the place where you work? What’s your studio space look like?
I need a lot of floor space as I usually work across many paintings at the same time, and most of them on the floor. Something that really describes my studio would be the huge stains of colours on the floor from the removals of the paintings.
Is there any particular message that you wish your viewers could take from this painting?
I guess the colour and the title says it.
Which exhibition did you visit last?
Kader Attia, Hayward Gallery.
Which are your plans for the near future?
I am recently working in collaboration with another artist called Cecilia Charlton, on female aprons (sewn and embroidered by hand) for a group show that will happen in May called Tender Touches, where the gallery space will be modified into a temporary café and all artists are creating objects for it. The show is curated by Huma Kabakci and Ines Neto dos Santos and the opening will be on the 16th of May at the AMP Gallery. Everyone is welcome!
Additional Works
© All images are courtesy of the artist