Art
No Order Magazine talks with the artist.
Zaide creates a twisted reflection of the human condition through thickly worked, gestural painting techniques. This expressive style invites the viewer to take a dive into the heavy, solitary state which the paintings provide. The work is an exploration of antithesis customary to human experience: chaos & order, vice & virtue, pain & pleasure. These juxtaposed values comprise a statement on the arguably absurd nature of individual behaviour when faced with the reality of decay and inevitable demise. Zaide is based in West End, Brisbane.
How did your career begin?
I was invited to join the Visible Project as a creative which saw me work to represent an ‘advocates’ lived mental health experience through art. I had been painting with oils and palette knives for a little while until then and naturally opted for a pair of grand, monochrome portraits of the advocates. My advocates were actually my housemate at the time and her younger brother so it was pretty cool to create something with close friends. Not long after that was the first of the Bad Olive shows, which have really propelled me into the scene and catalysed the flow of commissions.
Image via Instagram
What does the term art mean to you?
Destruction in the interest of creation - as leaves decay to make way for fresh ones and skin tears when a child is born, artists sacrifice something intrinsically to create.
What is something you wish you knew at the beginning of your career that you know now?
That it is possible to make a quality living as an artist despite what xyz source of authority might say. It’s definitely hard work but obviously rewarding because you get to be an artist and not work in an office. I’m not kidding when I say it’s hard work though - and there won’t be anyone pushing you but you.
What advice do you have for emerging artists?
Just go get it… if you don’t someone else will.
Read the full interview in Issue 01
Published: 15th October 2021