Artist - Emma Dolphin

1 - Could you explain your practice? Only you know why you do what you do.

My practice frequently examines the elusive and the illusory, through the investigation of memory, absence, dream, and what is referred to as reality. I work in a variety of media including, moving images, installation, printmaking, and artist’s books. The focus and subject of the work dictate the selection of the most appropriate medium for the task at hand. My work often presents the viewer with a depiction or traces of events describing a subject that may be current, previous, or have the potential to be experienced as an ‘elusive moment’. By which I mean, the fleeting moment of transition between the conscious and subconscious thought. It is a bit of a Quixotic quest, but one I am obsessed with.

2 - Is art relevant today?

Art gives us the opportunity to see as well as to look and often helps us to examine the world through a different lens. Humans have an extraordinary urge to be creative and particularly in troubled times, art can be a great release, relief, and a salve for the psyche. On a broader note, art is positive energy, an agency for diversity in societal terms, and an inspiration for cross-discipline creative thinking. If nothing else, the world would be a very dull place without art and artists. So yes, I think art is not just relevant, but vital today.

3 - We are always asked what other artists influence us, we want to know what art you don’t like and which influences you?

• What a difficult but interesting question! This has made me think about how and why and which works/oeuvre/genre I respond to or am influenced by, in order to try to analyse those which I either actively dislike or cannot connect to in any way. Generally, I respond best to art that makes me think, moves me emotionally, or makes me laugh. I am not afraid of beauty, even though that is a very subjective aspect. If I don’t like a work, I see it more, as my failure to grasp what the artist is trying to communicate. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the significance, skill, and quality of the work, it is simply that maybe the work does not resonate with me. For example, I am not a huge fan of Stanley Spencer (although his paintings have a wonderfully exuberant cinematic, narrative-heavy style and a sense of the Renaissance). However, what I find particularly inspiring about Stanley Spencer was his attitude to work. He never let issues like the size of his studio hamper or lessen the scale of his paintings. Overall I am influenced by work that elicits a positive response.