Interview
Naureen Agha
Naureen is a figurative painter based in Nice, the capital of the French Riviera — a place of sensuous pleasures and healthy sea air.
Even though her art work abounds in sanguine and sepia ink wash technique called ‘lavis’, Naureen is a versatile artist. She loves to switch from one medium to another, be it acrylic, Indian ink, charcoal, pastel, bold palette knife strokes or even collage and stencil designs. The vivid contrasting hues of her works have an urban and pop art feel when it comes to interior murals, posters or acrylic painting on vinyl records.
Naureen describes herself as driven by passion, seized by obsession, delighted by creation, enthralled with expression, entranced by vision, diverted by daydreams, filled with emotion, fueled by compulsion, consumed with beauty, and blindsided by inspiration’.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I live and work in Nice, my hometown. Besides being a qualified French-English translator and instructor of French as a Foreign Language for adults, I hold a Bachelor’s degree in fine arts. I have been painting ever since I was a child.
Art and music is in my family. My mother was an artist, my older sister has a Master’s degree in fine arts and my older son is a graphic designer. Both my boys are DJs and music producers, and are pursuing their careers in the music field.”
What inspires you most?
“Freedom is my biggest inspiration. I need to feel free in my body and spirit to be able to create art. I’ve always cherished the freedom of artistic expression that I can have, and I pursue my art as a hobby. I’m an avid traveler and a large part of my inspiration comes from traveling. Something in me clicks when I’m exposed to different cultures and arts, meeting various artists with a variety of expressions. I return to France full of new inspiration and ideas. I strongly link music with my artistic evolution. My children are a great inspiration to me as well, as far as music is concerned. We do share a common passion for traveling, art and music. After all, everything in the universe is composed of vibrating energy, and that energy interconnects and co-mingles, right ?”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I just follow my inspiration, pursue a mindful existence, and have learnt to live in the present moment. I wouldn’t say that I pursue a particular theme; painting just comes spontaneously. I feel joy and beauty all around me, so my artwork will certainly reflect that. There have been dark moments in my life when I’ve felt blocked in my inspiration, but I was still able to create in some way or other.
I also write poetry and texts and illustrate them. Some of my old poems reflect sadness.”
“Murals and street art have always fascinated me. Huge overwhelming frescoes on buildings and façades are always a gust of fresh air in cities dominated by concrete, glass, and corporate ads.”
Interior mural 240 X 250 cm
How would you describe your work?
“Being very much a kinesthetic person, human figures and body movement have always fascinated me. I was a part of a group of artists in two nude model painting workshops back in 2003 to 2011. One workshop was run by Louis Dollé in Nice and the other by Marc Lavalle. I gained much experience and practice in capturing spontaneity of light and movement by quick sketching in ink wash, charcoal or dry pastels when using live models.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I admire contemporary artists and their styles, and feel very inspired by the French artist Claude Gaveau, known for his seascapes, landscapes, nudes, couples, still life, and florals. His work reflects harmony of color, structure, and emotion, which draw the viewer into the artist’s inner vision. He has a unique style that has an element of mystery. He suggests rather than defines forms. I love the way he sets various forms against blocks of intense color.
Another painter who has influenced me is Pierre Maxo, a Haitian Naïve Art painter. His jungle artwork is a splash of vivid color that is very pleasing to the eye. The Jungle series of my vinyl art painting (see below), is inspired by his style and is very eye-catching on the vinyl discs.
I also admire other artists such as Modigliani, Dali, Henri Rousseau and M.C. Escher, the Dutch graphic artist who made fascinating, mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs and mezzotints. When in Brooklyn, NYC, Montréal or in my favorite Wynwood Art district in Miami Florida, I just stop, gaze walk and click at all those magnificent murals communicating some kind of message to the viewers, and I just let it all sink in!”
What is your creative process like?
“‘I dream my painting and then I paint my dream’, as Vincent Van Gogh put it. I perceive things beyond material reality, and would call myself a highly spiritual person. It’s my Higher Self—my supra conscience, as one would call it in spiritual terminology—that guides me to creative expression. I’m a photographer as well and love interior decoration, flower arrangement, text, and poetry writing. If I’m not painting, I’m out in nature with my camera, taking shots or composing texts or poems. My latest project on vinyl art is close to my heart. I've never felt so much joy and elevation during my painting experience as I do now for this current project.
My recent trip in April 2022 to the USA was a turning point in my artistic life. My older son and his sweetheart, who run a newly opened trendy vinyl record store called ‘T Bag Records’ on 5789 NW 7th Ave in Miami FL, encouraged me to paint on old vinyl records during my stay. Our collaborative trial was quite a success. We sold them all within a week! This is how I got into vinyl art, my latest passion. Acrylic painting on vinyl records is trendy and feels funky, but involves a lot of meticulous and precision work, depending on the chosen theme. To start off, I spray the records with a primer coat for plastic, let it dry, and then spray it with a background color—mostly carbon black—in the form of graffiti/spray paint.
Meanwhile, I prepare my drawing to be traced out on the vinyl surface. I have to be mathematically precise with the proportions and dimensions, as I can’t change or rectify anything once I’ve started painting. Several coats of acrylic paints are required to bring out the vibrancy of colors. The final stage is the matte varnish coat applied when the paint is dry. It takes me a couple of days to finish one piece.
It has been fascinating to explore how music has affected my painting process. I always paint with music on! For the figurative paintings or drawings it’s more of tantric rhythms. I think about what the music is telling me, then I react to the music in my color choices. Different melodies evoke different feelings in me, and these sensory experiences in turn impact my creative process. For vinyl painting, I turn on a jazzy tune to give me extra vibrancy in certain areas of the painting. The result is vivid and eye-catching.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists have several roles. They can use art to express a certain cause, be it political or social. They can also use art to make money, gain recognition, as a form of therapy or emotional release, for escapism, to reflect nature or soothe our soul, or simply paint art for art’s sake. No matter what the purpose may be, artists are authentic people who function from the core of their heart and express the beauty of the world around them, by focusing on their individual expression and intuition for creativity.
As artists, our main role is to be as true to ourselves as possible. Expressing truth through art and creativity is what allows humanity to elevate their soul and survive through tough times.
An artistic expression or opinion about society is an emotionally moving way to create an impact on the viewer’s mind. It can be more touching or convincing compared to an opinion expressed in a purely logical manner because a work of art is a work of heart. In addition, art combined with music can do wonders to human psychology. It creates an outlet for self-expression and opens doors to new cultures and ideas.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My latest exhibition was in April 2022. An exclusive exhibition where I sold 4 hand-painted 33 LP vinyl discs. It was held at T Bag Records Vinyl Store at 5789 NW 7th Avenue, Miami, Florida.
Some of my earlier exhibitions include:
2019 - Exhibition of a 95 x 67cm abstract artwork in acrylic and palette knife on canvas at La Quincaillerie d’Art. An Art Concept Store in their old premises at 41 Rue Verdi, Nice – French Riviera.
2018 - Exhibition of 3 mixed media artwork at La Quincaillerie d’Art. An Art Concept Store, Nice.
- Collective art exhibition curated by Rencontre des Arts at Parc Phoenix, Nice - French Riviera.”
