Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Luna Paz.
Nikki, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I think that I’ve had a curious life so far, with a lot of lessons and struggles, a lot of interesting jobs; I’ve learned from some really interesting people. I’ve had to learn a lot of things the hard way. I’m from New York originally, but I didn’t grow up around a lot of artists. The aftermath of 9/11 in NYC when I was a kid had a profound effect on me. I always had a soft heart and a drive to help people. I was always cause-driven as a teenager. I wanted to be an environmental conservationist, I wanted to be a medical researcher, I wanted to be a journalist. But I spent all of my time in the art classroom and in theater.
I started doing theater because I was a dancer, and my friends convinced me to join them in the after-school theater program. The after-school theater program was a safe space for me as an awkward queer kid. I ended up getting a scholarship to study costume design. My education sort of separated “design” and “fine arts”. I think that the emphasis on creating things that are helpful, functional, useful, and have purpose, was and still is really interesting to me. I also try to be those things in the world, so I relate. Working in theater has really influenced me. Theater can be a space to experience things, to work things out. It is also an amazing tool for exploration, for interconnected relations. I think life is weird, funny, happy, sad. I use dark humor and camp as coping mechanisms and it often comes out in my work.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a multidisciplinary artist; I make theater, performances, costumes, installations, paintings, writing, In my work, I try to explore and interrogate systems, whether they are in nature, interpersonal, in politics, technological, or systems of our own thinking. When systems are criticized, the power sources and the holders of power are exposed. I am inspired by activism and driven by curiosity. I think that in my work, there is a fair amount of psychology, anthropology, civic engagement, and what Donna Haraway calls “speculative fabulation”. I think about morphic resonance, about inter-connectivity, about the Anthropocene. I’m obsessed with thinking about ethics various relationships. I strongly believe that artists have a social responsibility and an important role to play in sociopolitical change, mutual aid, and community. We question everything, and we try to see everything. We have the liberty to do things in a different way from scientists, politicians, and other explorers and analysts. We get to literally create our world in some small way.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
My advice for other artists: read a lot, talk to other artists a lot, fully immerse yourself in the world around you. Try a lot of different things and get to know a lot of different people. Think about why you do things, why others do things or don’t do things. “Just make stuff”, or just think and write. Just talk about important and not important things. Build relationships. There are a lot of lessons I wish I learned earlier, but lessons come when they come. I’m glad I learned about the power of collaboration, and that all art is personal.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My website is www.nikkilunapaz.com. I’m very active on Instagram @nikkilunapaz, and you can find current exhibitions/performance/actions info there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nikkilunapaz.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @nikkilunapaz
Image Credit:
Christopher Stoltz
Kade Twist
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