Artist Interview: Roxette Cryer

Roxette Cryer is our featured artist for our August Digital Exhibition Program. Roxette is an English Filipino artist living on the coast of South East England. Some of the themes that show up in her work are such as gender stereotyping, dangerous beauty practices and sport hunting. We asked Roxette some questions to get an insight her practice and significant conceptual influences behind her work.

Where do you find your inspiration for each of your pieces? Is there any particular artist that you aspire from?

Inspiration comes from a lot of places for me. I live in a seaside town and take my dog on a lot of walks. The nature, the changing weather, people having fun all spark imagination and creativity. Aside from my normal day life I love to search for exciting exhibitions in London. I’ll find a handful and plan my ‘gallery hop’. And sometimes you have to go for the ones that don’t fully relate to your practice. One of my favourite exhibitions was the new season of Burberry exhibition at Old Sessions house. It was a whole experience combining fashion, photography, art and curation. The entire building was transformed in to an immersive Burberry world. There are so many artists who inspire me including, James Jean, Job Smeets, James Bland, Yayoi Kusami, Yoshitomo Nara… the list goes on.

Illustration and painting is the medium you often use in your works, would you consider creating your works in 3D such as sculpture? Or perhaps in larger scale?

I have been thinking more and more about bigger and bigger pieces. I would love to work on massive canvas and also sets of canvases that join up to make even larger pieces. Space is a bit of a barrier at the moment though. Interior decoration is something I am also passionate about. I want my illustration and painting work to cross over to wallpapers and materials for curtains and sofas. Even tables, wardrobes, rugs and tiles.

Your artwork tends to consist of a lot bright colours; do you find colour is an important factor in your work?

I think colour helps communicate the message or motif that I am painting. But I think it mainly is just about my emotions. Sometimes the message I’m communicating is a bit upsetting to me but I want it to be something that people want to talk about and not turn away from because it’s too sad. So I think I use bright and playful colours to make it seem more approachable, and because I like them.

There are several different themes that you use in your work; the particular theme that is evident is gender stereotyping, would you say this is a personally important issue that you address through your artwork?

Yes it is definitely personal. Not just for myself, but for others. I hate to see and hear of the struggles that women go through for being a woman in our culture and especially in other cultures where women are very repressed. I have experienced degradation for being female by males and it sticks with you for a while. I can’t even imagine the suffering of others. I hate that men suffer because of stereotypes forced on to their gender by society, telling them to suppress their emotions and always stay ‘strong’. You can see men becoming mentally and physically destroyed that way. I use to be naive about the whole subject, and I still see people around me who use these gender stereotypes. So I just hope that we as artists can help educate people so they can understand the sometimes fatal consequences.

How do you as an artist stay in touch with your local arts community?

I should probably do more to be involved with my art community. Most of the time I get too wrapped up in what I’m doing and forget about how important it is to stay in touch with the local art scene. I recently did an art fair in my town and it was so great to talk with other artists and the public. It’s great to connect. This December I will also be doing an art workshop which will be really exciting and collaborative. This just started with a simple email. I found it hard at first to know how to get in there. But I think you just have to do a bit of research, send a few emails, go to some local events and galleries and when you start talking and showing interest you find out more and can start getting involved.

If money and time were no object what would be your dream project to create?

My brain explodes at this question! Where do I even start? I would love to take over a space, an entire building and make it an experience for many to enjoy. I would collaborate with other artists and designers. What would be in the building? Paintings, projected animations, interior living spaces… flowers? food? water spraying out from the walls? I don’t know but it would be crazy fun.