Jordan Dunyasha Vix
“Art has no limitations. Through art, I have found myself most at home. I struggle and fight with a piece until I see it evolve into something moving. It becomes a means of escape into a surreal world of my own. We have been replicating, illuminating, abstracting the world around us forever.
My grandmother was an artist, and I initially shied away from pursuing a career as a professional artist, as I believed my art was too personal and my story too colourful. However, I came to the realisation that art needs to be shared.
Creating a piece is a frustrating process borne out of an initial idea, often a dream or figures emerging from shadows. I choose my medium and consider texture, layer, pattern and colour. I use a variety of tools for mark making and layering, including spatulas, sponges, Saran Wrap, ink, pen, tape, etc. There are inspirational fits of passion where the image becomes a primitive drive, and I am dancing with paint on canvas. It becomes a moving dialogue between representation and abstraction. I do not know when a piece is over, and I am often still wrestling with a finished piece.
I’m a licensed psychotherapist and have used art in my practice as a therapist and social worker. I find art therapy groups insightful and use art to explore emotional content and soothe distress. From domestic violence shelters to West African villages to private sessions, group therapy and public works; art is a therapeutic tool to familiarise and develop trust, inspire and provide safety and educate. My art is connected to my experiences, as part of the mental health community, as a survivor and a professional. It is a call to social justice and aims to inspire a continuing awakening of the mind through the imagination and search for the moments of positivity in life.
My work has been seen in House & Garden magazine UK print and online magazines in the summer series 2020 (June-September). My work was displayed at the 2021 New Beginnings exhibition at the San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center, as well as the Joshua Tree Art Gallery in 2019 and the 2019 C.R.E.A.T.E event in LA County supporting mental health. I have been in multiple online magazines: #new_and_abstract #enhancing_creativity #daily_art_posted #123artmagazine and #artworldmagazin.I also created a mural and co-created the implementation design for the Peace Corps for health in 1999 and assisted painting a world map in West Africa.
