Exploring Identity and Influence: A Conversation with Sissòn
Sissòn is a self taught artist living and working between Los Angeles and New York. Having trained under the tutelage of their mother, their work reveals and questions the experience and social constructs of race, identity, and power.
As we launch the inaugural Nordic Knots Arts Program, we talk to Sissòn - our first artist in residence - about their painting Kuti exhibited at the New York flagship, their earliest influences and how identity plays a pivotal role in their work.
Could you tell us more about your painting on display, Kuti? And its significance to you?
Kuti is a literal depiction of excellence. Kuti symbolizes the magic and joy of black people. The significance to me is being able to highlight a golden era of Africa’s history and a respected artist's life Fela Kuti and the people orbiting him. In essence it’s a reminder of a frequency that once existed in the world that can tend to be erased.
What are your earliest influences when it comes to your practice?
My earliest influences stemmed from my mother who was a painter. In science it was Stephen Hawking. in art it was the impressionist, she was obsessed with them. By default my malleable mind inherited both. But the first painting that I can recall that truly electrified me was Van Gogh's Starry Night. It is still astonishing to me to this day.
Can you tell us how identity plays a role in your work?
Identity is the linchpin to my practice. I grew up seeing very little if any positive representation of the black experience. So I knew early on, the multidimensionality of otherness was something I wanted to shed light on in my practice.
What do you want people looking at your work to know?
I want people to know that anything physical I’ve created is subjective and if possible to view it based on their experience with very little influence from me.
What is a must have in your studio?
Outside of supplies the only must have in the studio is music.
A place that means a lot to you?
A place that means a lot to me is my mind. It’s the only place I am able to transport continuously and shift.
Your most treasured piece or object?
My most treasured piece is my creativity, it’s the vehicle to all my outward creations.