Interview with Lauren Januhowski for her Solo Show at BimBam Galery
“There’s snake in my boot” a Solo Show by Lauren Januhowski at BimBam Galery on view until april 13th
Could you share a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in the
arts? How has your journey influenced your work?
While growing up, both of my parents had artistic practices alongside their full time jobs, leading me to always have creativity around me. The women in my family additionally have a long history of working with textiles and passing along sewing knowledge from generation to generation. Some of my earliest memories are watching my mom work on her quilts.
After being accepted at The Cooper Union, I left Texas at 18 years old and went to art school in NYC for the next 4 years. My experiences at Cooper ripped down what I thought I knew about art, provided me with a foundation of being able to speak about my own work, and interrogated me conceptually. However, my time in New York felt stifling in the end and I wanted a change of scenery to see how it would affect my work.
Being at l’École des Arts Décoratifs visually challenged me to question how I wanted to present my subject matter. Without a drawing practice, I had to find a way to create images that was comfortable while also confronting at the same time. I honestly do not think my work would visually be what it is today nor as emotionally charged if I had not come to France.
Can you describe your creative process? How do you move from an idea to a finished piece?
The creative process varies. Sometimes the image begins as a photograph or a collage that I sit with and compose the colors of fabric around what I want the image to say. Sometimes I have a vague idea of a color, pattern, or ambiance that I want to highlight and I build the piece around that.
Printing and drying the fabric can take a couple of weeks to a month depending on the color, current climate, and amount of material needed. The base images for all of my works are usually collages that are enlarged and used as a pattern and size guide for the piece. I cut and glue the fabric using the base image as a guide while adding shading and definition as Iadvance. After everything is cut and pinned down, I start sewing the different parts. Sometimes the order of placement and sewing can be quite complicated depending on the material — for example if an element is placed underneath a transparent fabric, everything in that zone needs to be sewn and trimmed completely. Once the transparent fabric is on top, I can no longer alter the part trapped underneath.
What are your major influences and sources of inspiration? How do they manifest in your
work?
Content wise, the women around me and literature (feminist theory, writing centered around oral traditions, and sci-fi mostly) are elements that never cease to be sources of inspiration. Some artists I greatly admire for their textile work and storytelling abilities are Faith Ringgold, Diedrick Brackens, Billie Zangewa, and Erin Riley.
Color inspiration comes from everywhere — it can be a building with various colored tiles that I see in the street, the way someone is colorfully dressed on the metro, combinations that I see in a dream. I have an incredibly personal and emotional relationship with color. I believe that certain hues can be incorporated with memories, creating visceral responses.
You've chosen a unique approach/medium for your art. What drew you to this medium, and what challenges and opportunities does it present?
I grew up watching my mom manipulate fabric in order to make images. These memories led me to always consider fabric as a medium. When I was at the Cooper Union for my undergraduate studies, fabric became a more flexible choice when I wanted to work larger and easily store pieces. Being able to print my own colors on different textured fabrics adds dimension to the work in a way that paper would not be able to.
With that being said, sometimes I am unsure of how a certain weave will absorb ink, affecting color density and hue. If I’m on a tight deadline, this aspect can definitely affect my process.
Can you elaborate on why these themes are important to you and how you approach them in your work?
It is impossible for me to create work that is not 1. personal and 2. dealing with how women navigate our world. The issues that I encounter as a woman in space on a daily basis are elements that continually affect me and have lasting impacts on me as a person. When I share moments with the women in my life, we discuss these happenings and I realize that we are all interconnected in our experience as women. So I take these personal stories, weave them in and out of each other and create images which represent personal situations for myself, but also for the women that surround me.
How has your style and approach to art evolved over the years?
When I first moved to France, text and pattern as visual elements were a large part of my work. After going through 3 years at l’École des Arts Décoratifs, my images gradually became a lot more figurative. I began to make work with a pattern in mind and a group of figures to place on top; the text was still present, but smaller and the images seemed a lot more connected to collages. For the past couple of years, each piece has become more of a small universe — the foreground is related to the background. They seem like constructed, fictitious realities.
Can you discuss a few milestones in your career that have been particularly meaningful
to you?
Shortly after receiving my masters, I was selected to show in the exhibition 100% L’EXPO at the Grande Halle de la Villette. This show was an incredible opportunity for visibility and a reinforcement of the feeling that my work had an impact on viewers, while being the first opportunity to show my work outside of an educational setting since I had arrived in France.
Additionally, I had the pleasure of being chosen to participate in the Women’s Bauhaus Collective alongside 4 other women artists from around the world. The project, financed by La Prairie, was a residence at the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation as well as a short stay at Sabine Marcelis’ studio in Rotterdam. We were asked to create pieces that suggested our vision of harmony in relation to the Bauhaus movement, which were shown in a virtual exhibition at Art Basel in Basel in 2022.
Are there any projects you are currently working on that you're excited about? What can you share about them?
My next project is a 3 month artistic residency at the Abbaye de Maubuisson. I am interested in using the Abbey’s archives to learn about the history of the women who have occupied it for centuries, in particular the line of Abbesses, from 1242 onwards. By exploring these written testimonies, I will strive to visually represent the relationship between these women and their connectivity through spirituality. Through my personal style of patchwork and weaving, I want to show how women are inevitably linked by oral traditions.
What role do you believe art plays in society today, and how do you see your work contributing to that role?
I believe that art plays a role in visually expressing concepts that we should be questioning in society today, as well as actively being an outlet to express emotions. I see my work as a projection of personal situations that other women can empathize with or see themselves in.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face as an artist in today's world?
Work and life balance as an emerging artist, taking time to empty one’s mind so that the inspiration has a place to fill. Finding a healthy way to use social media as a tool that we are forced to use without it stifling creativity or becoming distracting. Accepting that making personal and vulnerable work doesn’t invalidate the pieces.
How do you hope audiences interact with or interpret your work? Have you had any
memorable responses?
In each piece, there are multiple layers of comprehension. Some are more obvious than others.
I like when people have their own connections with the symbols and colors in my work before my explanation guides them. One of the most memorable responses was from a man looking at my work, who said “It looks like she hates men”, not realizing I was the artist. That one made me chuckle.
Looking forward, what are your aspirations as an artist? Are there any new mediums or themes you're eager to explore?
I’m very eager to explore how fabric can be more of a sculptural element in motion and not just a flat piece against the wall. I’m interested in experimenting with various hanging solutions, maybe even visible hanging systems that are incorporated within the piece. With the addition of beads to the more recent works, I believe there are many possibilities left to explore concerning how these elements add dimension and movement to the fabric.
How do you navigate the business aspects of being an artist, such as galleries,
exhibitions, and sales?
I think I navigate this by doing the best I can to absorb information from anyone willing to talk. I try to make meaningful connections with other people in the industry that I know I can trust, especially women artists and women curators.
I’m still learning the ins and outs of the business side of the art world in Paris and it moves incredibly fast. I apply to as many things as I can, even if I know I don’t really stand a chance, on the off chance that maybe someone on the jury will be interested in working with me in the future. I trust that my images will find the right people to speak to.
Is there a piece you've created that you feel particularly connected to? What makes it special to you?
“Residual Self” is a piece that I’m emotionally very connected to. The image is inspired by a story told to me by a dear childhood friend, something that stays very personal and affectionately charged. It is also the first piece where I start to use transparent fabric, signifying a visual shift in the work and a focus on a new series of stories to tell.
