Katrina and Luca Dayanc
2024 Platform Graduate Awardees, Luca and Katrina Dayanc explore material waste such as sound, found objects, text and costume, to challenge social and institutional systems.
Graduates of the University of Reading, their collaborative work draws on the concepts of folds and ornamentation (such as the pearls formed from mollusc excretion) and their neurodiverse approach embraces time, movement and a perpetual space to create.
In this Spotlight feature, Katrina and Luca share their experience of being Platform Graduate Awardees and of their first year after graduation.
Has the year following graduation met any expectations you had?
- Largely, expectations have been exceeded, thanks to the opportunity of the Platform Graduate Award 2024. It was unexpected and exciting to revise degree show pieces and curate new work in a gallery so soon after graduating.
- Settling into a working routine, whilst creating art, has been as tricky as expected. We are focusing on applying to residencies and running some workshops. Nothing too concrete yet, but we maintain our long term goal to sustain our art practice, while currently working part time.
Have there been any new discoveries?
- New projects are brewing with current curiosities branching off from The Platform exhibition. Through creating a larger version of The Sun Mouth piece, the work started to delve further into the notions of camp, shimmer and visibility.
- Patination processes were also discovered. On waiting for the copper pipes to stain with scrap materials a patination of crystals formed. This residue was different from the rust we saw and used before. Patina is not a removal of surface, but a layer that is both decorative and protective.
- Recognition of which spaces, groups or opportunities feel right or are aligned to the way we work, has been part of life after university. It has been a process of trial and error to discover that some spaces work better than others, at a given time. Discovering this was valuable and meant becoming more intentional with time and resources.
What have been your greatest needs after graduating?
- Maintaining networks with other creatives, at various career stages; to keep expanding awareness of how and where artists place themselves in the world.
- Getting to know early career and established contemporary artists via peer group chats, workshops, or gallery events, has supported us to explore ideas and contextualise our work in wider discourse.
- There remains a need to also reflect on and digest creative content. Time spent researching and making alone helps restore a sense of balance and space to process thoughts.
- Another key need was having a dedicated art space or studio. We don’t yet have a studio but have been fortunate to use our kitchen, garden and artist workshops for making.
What is the best advice you have received?
We have received so much great advice, it is difficult to choose just one!
- Being encouraged to approach studio work like any job; a non-negotiable part of one’s timetable was invaluable. A big part of this is ‘thinking through making’.
- This falls into more recent advice from mentors at Modern Art Oxford to “not be afraid to take your work and artistic voice seriously”. Developing respect and professionalism towards your practice means creating a foundation of trust to experiment and commitment to one’s interests. Practically; keeping an up-to-date elevator pitch and website. Ask yourself, what is working? What is not? Be prepared to change things.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
Firstly, congratulations on getting through university, a degree show and everything that came with that!
- We encourage engaging in a range of creative events and art forms. Viewing a range of things and staying willing to witness practices that differ to one’s own, means inspiration can filter through from anywhere. Events like artist talks, conferences (check out The London Conference of Critical Thought, Upgrade Yourself Festival at Somerset House) and newsletters (Arts Admin) are great. For contemporary performance events check out the ICA, Horse Hospital and VSSL Studio!
You can find out more about Katrina and Luca’s work here
View a video of Luca and Katrina’s making processes here
Read more about the Platform Graduate Award here