Hima Bijoy
We asked UCA Farnham graduate Hima Bijoy to share their experiences of being a Platform Graduate Awardee and how they have found the last twelve months following graduation. Hima’s work delves into the complex interplay between comfort and abjection, using found-material sculptures to provoke visceral responses in viewers. Through a process-driven practice, Hima explores the dynamic relationship between artist, artwork, and audience.
My biggest advice is patience, belief in your practice and the will to experiment
Hima Bijoy
How has this first year met your expectations so far?
This first year has been interesting, I miss my studio space very much, which was hard to adapt to at first but I think when you have to improvise; with a new little apartment space every free carpet spot becomes a space to put your experiments. I currently work in education, which gives me quite a lot of free time to be exploring and experimenting with materials and mediums.
The best and most unexpected thing I have grown a huge liking to are dumps! I have missed the freedom of the university sculpture discards and the perfect way to get interesting objects and see interesting shapes for FREE are dumps and they have been such a lifesaver for inspiring my practice recently .
Is there a project you’ve been working on recently?
After the Platform Graduate Award showcase in Aspex Portsmouth I had the biggest creative block, I combated it by trying to start another big project with no studio space on my bedroom floor and it did not work at all.
I have done quite a few experiments with photography and animation in relation to my practice as well as downscaling parts of “MOLT” like using willows twigs as a base for fabric experiments as well as making fabric and found material collages for textural experiments. I have also been learning dressmaking to see how my hand sewn found material tapestries can be turned into wearable costumes with fixed patterns.
I have realised after conversations with many of the Platform mentors that evolving your work to fit the amount of space you have to work with is crucial. I have been working hard on downscaling my practice and experimenting with performance and costume making for performances. In university I started a performance experiment and I have been continuing and adding to it.
Who has given you the best advice?
All the mentors in the Platform Graduate Award programme have been incredible, I have received so many resources and had many conversations about how to build up my practice.
I would say the best advice was from Ricardo, at Aspex Portsmouth. We had many valuable conversations about my practice and its evolution and we worked on “MOLT” and its malleable installation together and it helped me in understanding what I envisioned for the future of the installation. He also helped me word and professionally pitch my work which I have always struggled with.
What advice do you have for other artists starting out?
My biggest advice is patience, belief in your practice and the will to experiment, and if needed the tolerance to store all the parts of your installation in your living room while waiting to hear back from shows you have applied to. This year has been hectic in navigating life and where my practice lies in it, but you always find ways to improve your practice and make sure you never fall out of love with making.
See more of Hima’s work here
Read more about the Platform Graduate Award here