Cognitive Dissonance, Cardboard & Conversations: An Interview With Nandan Sam He
Welcome to another exciting edition of Smart Artist Hub's interview series. Today, we have the privilege of delving into the mind and work of the immensely talented visual artist, Nandan Sam He.
Nandan’s work explores cognitive dissonance through multi-disciplinary installations, using mediums like cardboard, animation, and VR video. Her art has graced spaces like Performance Space 122, New York; Institute of Contemporary Art, Baltimore; and has been featured in Artforum, China Daily Global, and Artsy.
Join us as we delve into her creative process and understand the inspirations behind her unique installations. Stay tuned for an exciting discussion!
Nandan He. Image courtesy of the artist.SAH: Can you begin by giving us an insight into your journey as a visual artist?
How did you discover your passion for art?
NH: My journey as a visual artist is first rooted in my academic background. I pursued both my degrees at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where I immersed myself in a rich and nurturing artistic environment.
MICA played a pivotal role in shaping my artistic sensibilities, allowing me to cultivate my craft and explore diverse mediums and concepts. Influences from various sources have fueled my passion for art. These influences span movies, literature, and conversations with others.
My art reflects the idea that inspiration can be drawn from the most ordinary of experiences. I've always been drawn to the unbounded nature of art, embracing the idea that there are no limitations to creativity.
SAH: Which three words would you use to describe your art?
NH: I would choose: vulnerable, intimate, and conflict.
Nandan Sam He.Mahakala. Oil on canvas, 3x4ftSAH: Are there any specific themes or concepts that are central to your work?
NH: My works are essentially centred around my own perception of the world. In fact, I’m not very good at describing my work. I used to try to use some humorous ways to describe profound and serious things in my works, but after getting along with myself for a long time, I always feel that it is a bit pretending, I am not a serious person.
There is no absolute right or wrong.
Perspectives and positions are so different. I don't want my feelings towards the world to be framed by some invisible boundaries that mean nothing to me. I don’t want to endow some easy content with too much meaning that already has predetermined values.
Sometimes creation is just a momentary “puff”.
If you expand it, you can convey to them a lot about culture. Conflict, social structure, class, identity, but I really don’t want to say too much. I want to walk the viewers into my reminiscent formula, which confronts social and personal predetermined values and ethical dilemmas beyond our rational behavior. Then, I suddenly realized , "I really like this inner me who doesn’t know anything at all, and this kind of unknown keeps me curious.
SAH: Your work is described as multidisciplinary installations that explore cognitive dissonance.
Can you elaborate on why this theme resonates with you and how it influences your work?
NH: The theme of cognitive dissonance holds a profound resonance for me as an artist. It allows me to delve into the innate conflicts and contradictions within the human experience. This theme becomes a driving force behind my installations, infusing them with tension and introspection.
Cognitive dissonance serves as a lens through which I explore the complexities of the human psyche. By presenting conflicting elements within my art, I aim to provoke thought and encourage viewers to confront the contradictions within themselves and society. It's a powerful means of sparking dialogue and self-reflection, aligning with my vision of art as a catalyst for introspection and societal examination.
Nandan Sam He. Dive in Time. Mix media installation, dimension variable.SAH: Who or what are your biggest influences in your work?
NH: I got inspiration from many things like movies, readings, and conversations with others, everything in life makes me think, and so on and so forth, I want to admit my ignorance. I really like the screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.
He once mentioned in one of his talks that “art should offer an opportunity to recognize our common humanity and vulnerability. So rather than pretending I’m an expert, I’m just telling you I don’t know anything.”
I used to try to find a glorious purpose/meaning of my work, but then I realized they are not so great. I was just trying to find little exciting things that infiltrated my life that sometimes might be missed by others because of the rapidly inflated development of everything within time and space.
SAH: You utilize materials such as cardboard, animation, and VR video in your installations.
How do you decide which medium will best convey your intended message in each piece?
NH: It depends on the specific needs of each work and the message I intend to convey. Materials like cardboard, animation, and VR video offer unique opportunities for storytelling and engagement, and I carefully select them based on their capacity to enhance the viewer's experience and understanding of the artwork.
Cardboard, for instance, can evoke a sense of fragility and impermanence, while animation and VR video provide immersive narratives that draw viewers deeper into the art. I consider how each medium can best serve the intended message, ultimately selecting the one that aligns most closely with the narrative and emotional impact I aim to achieve.
Nandan Sam He. Nobody Knows. Mix media interactive installation. 3x4x4ft.SAH: Your works create intimate spaces that are described as "false self-preservation solutions with sanitized and romanticized armor." Could you explain more about this idea and how it connects with your overall artistic vision?
NH: I’m so glad you asked me this question. The concept of "false self-preservation solutions with sanitized and romanticized armor" serves as a central theme in my art, encapsulating my broader artistic vision.
My installations are designed to create intimate spaces where the audience can interact. I am obsessed with putting people into everything. It’s about covering up. There’s a very vulgar answer, and yes, that’s how you feel safer and more secure.
It’s quite ridiculous to say that one day I dreamed that there were more and more people on the earth, and then it became too heavy, and then the earth began to sink. Finally, it began to shrink inward and sank to the bottom of the sea. Then the sphere of the earth was surrounded by a layer of water much higher than the sea level.
After I woke up, I started to worry, and then it seemed as if a bottomless hole had grown inside my body, which just couldn't be filled. I don't know why, although I thought it was quite romantic to have a hole in my body. But this act of putting people into the box seems to have trapped the hole from the outside to some extent. I like to use the conflict of sizes to create a visual illusion.
Maybe this is not a “delusion” of vision. The delusion is that we don't often observe the world from such an angle. For me, this is a question of self-opening, acceptance, closure and reconciliation with one‘s inner ideology. From a certain perspective, putting people "physically" in also brings out "spiritually".Like a mobius ring, after traveling for a long time, you finally return to the starting point.
From a three-dimensional perspective, you appear to be motionless, but with the addition of a four-dimensional timeline, the thickness of your life is widespread. The greater the mass, the slower time passes around the place, equally the smaller the mass, the faster time passes. When you enter the miniature world in the form and perspective of a giant, it feels like you are experiencing high-speed slow motion.
Then you will find that things that seem big can sometimes be very small, and things that seem small can also emit unimaginably huge energy. This is not only a difference in senses, but at a certain moment your heart opens up and can hold many, many things, and then you are very full, but this fullness also feels very light, like a balloon. It is full of air but also invisibly empty.
This process from big to small, from full to empty, from something to nothing is very important to me. It is like taking a lot of effort to make something seem effortless.
Nadan Sam He.Flying Towards Your Dimension. Acrylic on Paper. 12x14x10inches.
Nandan Sam He. I Love This enchanting Old Ruin, Acrylic on Cardboard, 36x24x2inches.SAH: How do you move from the initial idea to the final piece of art?
NH: Transitioning from the initial idea to the final artwork is a deeply personal and introspective journey.
I don't know if this is the right way to say it. It may be wonderful to infinitely expand some trivial things in life into works, but living in it can be extremely chaotic in a nihilistic way. For example, there is an animation called Anomalisa. The plot could not be simpler, but through this animation, you can really feel a deep sense of despair.
The force is like fingernails scratching the itch deep under your skin bit by bit, but not to the point. It forces you to face the invisible fears in life. I believe everyone has experienced this kind of moment, empathizing with a bunch of chores all the time and it shouldn’t be too difficult. But together, they become anxious and depressed.
When you crush up the delicate and sensitive emotions in your life, whether positive or negative, and unfold them for everyone to see, it touches on the main theme of creation. For me, creation is a process of accepting the complete self. Every aspect of you is the real you.
People are originally shaped by the environment, and the so-called inspiration is just some of the things you experience that change some of your views, you may change your thoughts every moment to show different opinions, output and works.
From life experience to work is like the moment you press the button of the camera, and the work is like that photo. Of course I am happy to share it with people who understand you, but I don’t need to take out this framed scenery to prove that I have seen such a scenery before, and It’s worth it just to experience them.
SAH: Could you share with us about your current work or any upcoming projects? What can we expect to see from you in the near future?
NH: At present, I am primarily focused on animation and mixed-media interactive installations. And have three upcoming shows in Brazil, London and inside the US. I remain open to embracing new mediums as I seek to share my vision with audiences in the near future.
SAH: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in the field of visual art?
NH: To those embarking on their journey in the field of visual art, “Be honest with yourself.” It takes a long time to explore the world before becoming an artist. It is a lifelong endeavour that demands self-reflection, patience, and the courage to challenge preconceived notions.
Embrace your unique perspective, don't rush the creative process, instead, allow your art to evolve alongside your personal growth and understanding. Art is a journey of self-discovery and expression that unfolds over time, so cherish every moment of it.
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