Bhajan Hunjan
1) What success means for you as an artist?
Some artists' friends gave up along the way, while others are very much in the limelight having done brilliantly. In my case, my parents had invested in me and I was so passionate about being an artist from a young age that it all kept alive that flame of creativity as I had to live up to the expectations and endure the ups and downs. My work has always combined studio practice with community work, and it changed lives along the way. Regarding success, it’s important to share your work out there when you are a maker and to get inspired by other artists and inspire others, as we are all connected like a big spider's web. I am not in this alone because it’s a whole community around you that sustains your practice. Several organisations and people I worked with, including Bow Arts in London, supported my work along the way, which has been the most satisfying part that other people have been part of my journey. Being shortlisted for the Max Mara Prize for Women and having two of my works included in the exhibition 'Women in Revolt!' at Tate Britain, encouraged me, gave me confidence and helped me to keep going. In the future, if more work goes into public art collections, it would be wonderful. Being a woman and a brown woman, there have always been challenges, but I look at the silver linings within that.
2) What is the focus in your practice at present compared to your early works?
In the last few years, my early works have noticed by curators. For example, two of my early works are now part of the Tate collection. Lately, I have been busy archiving my work, which allowed me to look at my whole artistic journey as artists are more prone to reflect on their work’s evolution and progression at a certain age. Now I want to be more playful with my work as I have more time without particular constraints. I have been doing more drawing and basic printmaking based on my dreams of everyday life. The works are based on a gallery of images about what happens in my mind daily. I have also been making simple polystyrene prints similar to those children do at school because it’s a technique with instantaneous results. I add some text and figurative elements to it. It is a new series of work, which I find refreshing and exciting. This is what I have been doing in my studio in London along with some work on a public art project at its initial stages.
3) Is there a specific moment when things took a good turn in your work?
There have been a lot of moments along the way. It is amazing to see those involved in a public artwork project come around to see it and take photos when it is installed. It is also fantastic to see my work in a magazine and get letters from the participants to socially engaged projects. It has been the little moments along the way, and I cherish each moment as an opportunity, for example, the moments of respect and exchange with those you work with and collaborate, or to respect and not be hard on yourself. There are always things happening along the way, and you can learn from them because we are not perfect. We are always working on ourselves as there’s never a moment when you think that you have arrived in life.
To Seek, monoprint on paper, 20cm sq, 2024
This project is supported by
