Brisbane bound artist, Taneal Teresa is a free spirit, guided by the natural world, the moving earth and all that belongs to no one. She hosts such grace and wonder, her work is an amalgamation of experience and emotion, met with a touch of mystery. You can’t help but feel continuously curious. Having lived and worked in the airline industry in Dubai for the past five years, it is certainly a stark contrast coming home. But that is just another fraction of a chapter for Taneal. She knows the bounds and restrictions that come with a particular way of living and can understand how to be at liberty from the suffocation that can be 21st-century existence. Getting back to basics starts here, her original habitat, allowing her creative world to open up.
As an artist, Taneal minimizes waste where possible, both within her practice and day to day life. How? By reusing and repurposing jars, packaging, sauce bottles, paint tubs, paint bottles and coffee cups – which has led to her latest sustainable installation ‘The Conscious Statement’. Inspired and intrigued, we sat down with Taneal to learn more about her journey in the art world, sustainable focus and her upcoming solo exhibition, ‘il maschio serie’.
Introduce yourself
My name is Taneal, I’m a mixed media abstract artist originally from the central coast NSW now living and based with my studio in Paddington, Brisbane. I recently moved back to Australia after residing in Dubai and finishing a 5 year career in the airline industry. It wasn’t until then that I began to uncage into society from the previous binding rules and boundaries, and truly start to be and express myself. It has just hit 2 years since (thanks to my girlfriends) I gained the confidence to put my work out there and began my art journey.
What medium do you use?
I use mostly Acrylic, but almost always along with another medium such as resin, impasto, alcohol ink, etc.
Tell us about your sustainable practices and how you implement them with your craft?
I’m always trying to minimize waste where possible, that’s within my practice and my day to day life. I do this by reusing and/or repurposing any jars, packaging, sauce bottles, paint tubs, paint bottles & coffee cups – which is what has led to my sustainable installation ‘the conscious statement.’ The purpose of this installation is to make you stop and think about your eco-footprint and how you can reduce re use & recycle. Each cup in this piece tells the story of someone whose chosen to repurpose an item rather than throw it away. The installation is being made possible thanks to the people from my community, colleagues, friends and family. I’ve used the cups for mixing up paints and creating the pieces in my current collection, and the plan is to now repurpose them once again into an installation part of my exhibition called ‘the conscious statement’.
Do you feel like you lose a piece of yourself when you sell a piece of your art?
Absolutely not, the joy that is received when a customer first collects or sees their piece always outweighs the sadness. I always see it as room for a new piece or idea also, otherwise, I would need a far bigger studio haha
Tell us about your latest collection/upcoming exhibition and the drive behind it?
‘Il Maschio Serie’ comprises of a body of mixed media works which are each uniquely representative of an influential male in my life. The titles that I have chosen each constitute my personal portrayal of the different relationships that are familiar to us all – of old lovers, friends, family, the undefinable, and the unpredictable. Themed in Italian as a personal testament to my failed attempt to master the language, this body of work is my rendition of the relationship that I formed with the culture whilst being fortunate enough to work frequently throughout the country whilst I was a flight attendant. I’ve used a variety of different mediums in this new collection such as acrylic, resin, crystals, roses, rocks and more. Along with the reveal of my latest series, I will have a shop full of merchandise such as prints and tees, as well as a surprise visual installation.
What role does the artist have in society?
I’ve been pondering this question within myself a lot lately, a few answers come to mind, but one that stuck was ‘to give feeling/memory’. Most of my pieces usually relate to either one of those and when someone else reciprocates that or had their feeling/memory that brings me so much joy. At the end of the day, we’re all seeking to feel an emotion and make memories, and I think that’s one of the things an artist can bring to society.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
To have no expectation. I’m very guilty of biting off more than I can chew and in turn putting a lot of pressure and expectation on myself, this is definitely something I’m still working on, and the exhibition is probably proof of that.
Taneal’s solo exhibition is this coming weekend in Brisbane (Nov 27 – Nov 29) at Mayne Line Gallery. Want to find out more? Follow Taneal on Instagram.
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