Bookends’ once-monthly series of interviews, conducted by visual artist and author Jacqueline Bishop with players in the visual arts, continues today with a discussion with Kereina Chang Fatt.

Kereina, I was very happy to be introduced to your work via the Seven Women Artists exhibition at the National Gallery of Jamaica in Kingston. Your work brought up several questions for me, and so I am happy to have this chance to talk to you a bit about it. To begin, can you tell us about your background and when you realised that you wanted to become an artist? Was this, for example, a decision you made in high school and how did your family react to your decision?

I am happy that I have been asked to share a little about myself and my work. Thank you for the opportunity, Jacqueline. I grew up in Kingston and attended the Immaculate Conception High School. I would say that it was in high school when I realised that I had the capacity for art and actually started to like it. I would do drawings for my friends from my imagination and really enjoyed that process. I think it was then that I started to consider pursuing a career in the visual arts. At that point I admit I wasn’t too familiar with all the facets of the visual arts, so the two things that first came to mind were graphic design and painting. I’m extremely grateful to my family because from then until now they have been very supportive of my artistic ventures. I think that’s due in part to the fact that there are many creative members on both sides of my family.

I see from your statement that you studied painting and printmaking at Edna Manley College. That made me wonder how you understood yourself as a visual artist. Do you understand yourself to be a painter and/or printmaker or do you define yourself totally differently, and if so how and why? Also, how would you describe your time as a student at Edna Manley College?

It was a wonderful experience at the college. It was my first time being in a space where there were dramatists, musicians, dancers and other visual artists. I found it really fascinating and enriching because it tremendously expanded my notions of what I thought the arts involved and how they all came together to create fantastic productions. I was fairly young, 16, when I started, and I appreciated the opportunity I had to be in a multidisciplinary environment with many well-known artist practitioners such as Cecil Cooper, Samere Tansley, Rex Dixon, Magaret Chen, to name a few.

At that time painting majors were required to do printmaking as well so we were exposed to the possibilities of both forms of expression. I’m so very grateful for that introduction, because before that I had no knowledge of what printmaking could mean to me and the development of my work. I’m not sure I saw myself then as either a painter or printmaker. I used painting and printmaking both as means to create and express what I needed to say at the time and I still do. I have to say though that I really enjoy the intensity and intricacy that goes into creating a plate and then the discipline that is required to do the edition. It’s a bonus, too, that when the plate is done there can be multiple originals. I love that about printmaking! Today I see myself mainly as a creative person with a technical background that will help me to effectively convey whatever it is I’m trying to say.

In looking at your work at the National Gallery I was struck by how much fibres are an integral part of your artistic practice. Can you detail for us how your interest in fibres began and why most of the work that you showcased recently are works in fibres?

My interest in fibre really blossomed from an interest in design and fashion that started in about 2005. That interest grew for me through 2006 when I enrolled myself in part-time garment construction classes at Garmex Heart Academy. At that time I had not yet actively made a connection between fibre and the creation of my artistic work, but in 2007 I was urgently seeking a way to push my art work into the three-dimensional realm. I had been accepted into the Super Plus Under 40 Artist of the Year Exhibition and was also in the first year of a three-year course with the Ohio State University. It felt like everything I was experiencing at that time forced me to revisit the conceptual and physical processes of my work. It was almost like a revelation when everything came together. The idea of fibre and the interconnectedness of the threads embodied the idea of the very relationships I wanted to convey. It fit perfectly with the idea that we all are woven together in different ways. It also expressed so well for me the various roles we play, the skins or personas we wear throughout our lives and how we change or how we are forced to change.

I particularly found the process of manipulating the fabric and the time spent doing so integral to the meaning of the work. At times I had others help with the creation of some of the components to incorporate that sense of community and connectedness. I felt those physical acts were key to the authenticity of the work and I think that is why most of the work was fibre-based because I was able to achieve all that I wanted to on various levels.

Another thing that struck me about your work is the seeming impermanence that is suggested -things seem to unravelling or are in a state of fragility or decay. What do you think accounts for this in your work and what larger statement (maybe about women/women artists) are you trying to make with this work?

I know it’s probably clichÃ&Copy;d-sounding when I say I just go with what feels right when I’m working. I did want to convey the fragility and transience that can exist in relationships through the work. I wanted the work to feel like a memory of sorts; there, but not really there, because that’s how I think feelings and bonds can be between people. Stable and unstable. Things are not always seen but may be subtly felt. I like the thought of having people think about what is being implied. It doesn’t have to be exactly what I intended, but I like the idea of creating something that prompts the viewer to generate their own questions and come up with their own answers; to start discussions. I never want the work to be extremely direct and imposing. So I think some of these artistic concerns and questioning definitely came out in my manipulation of the materials. People have described the work as very sensitive and feminine. I know that I am a very sensitive person. I do feel that women have a unique sensitivity that sets us apart from men, but I also think that as it pertains to humans in general there is a side of us that is vulnerable and exposed and may be damaged or healed. I believe this part of us manifests itself when we deeply care for someone. That’s universal. I think all of those things account for the kind of presence the work suggests.

Acting Senior Curator at the National Gallery of Jamaica O’Neil Lawrence has said of your work that “delicate threads and fabrics are at the heart” of what you do and these threads and fabrics “act as powerful metaphors for the fragility of the human body and themes of fertility, loss and longing.” Do you agree with this assessment of what your work is about?

I agree that my work definitely explores fragility, loss and longing. It also addresses fertility but not in the way that many might expect. I am fascinated with the way relationships are conceived, grow and are nurtured. I’m interested in how they end and what happens after. I know I can sound like a broken record because each time someone asks I say more or less the same thing. It’s not so much about the human body but more about the fragility and resilience of the human condition with all its complications and complexities. I am concerned with the highs and lows, the search for belonging, acceptance and the search for self in that process. Sometimes I get overwhelmed because there is so much to address but what I try to do is focus on recreating a sense of that feeling via the space and the objects I create.

In your artist statement you define art in terms that might be read as somewhat contradictory. You write that art is several things including being a universal language and a coded message. Can you take the time to explain what exactly you mean by this?

I guess I don’t really see this as a contradiction. For me art is universal because it appeals to the immediate senses with what we see on a surface level. It could be the images used for the subject matter or the materials. However, the beauty of the visual arts is that there can be many layers and each layer in itself is valid as we think about the form, content and context. It is quite possible for a piece to stir emotions and start dialogue even without us understanding the context of its creation. Just looking at, or experiencing, a particularly powerful piece can change us in some way. I appreciate that kind of appeal. At the same time, depending on the intent of the artist, work can be filled with hidden messages that only the artist can explain. On another level it might only be decipherable by people who understand that “code” or “language” through some kind of shared experience or background. Knowing this additional information might make us view the works or body of works in another way perhaps on a deeper level.

I was very taken with your assertive questioning, in the catalogue essay that accompanied the Seven Women Artists exhibition, of what impact, if any, gender might have on the art that individuals produce. You seem to be suggesting or, at the very least, questioning the very category of an exhibition that you were part of, namely, an exhibition on women’s art. Having participated in the exhibition, have you come to any resolutions about the role that gender plays in artistic production? Do you, for example, consider yourself a female artist?

This question is one I am still trying to answer for myself and I think that the questioning recorded in the catalogue essay was actually a mirror of what was going on in my mind as I thought about the whole idea of women’s art. Throughout my art-making career I’ve mainly viewed myself as a creative person; a person with the need to create. I don’t think I have ever categorised myself as a female artist but I have no doubt that my point of view is influenced by the fact that I am a woman.

Having participated in the exhibition I can honestly say that I have not come to any resolutions about the role that gender plays in artistic production. Of the women artists I know, the subject matter, techniques and scale are so very diverse, it’s really hard to say. And I think artistic production has been changing a lot with training, access to materials, different philosophies, information, access to other artists and so much more.

One of the things that women artists in or from Jamaica often say is that there is gender parity in the visual arts on the island. Do you agree with some assessments that this parity is complicated by questions of race and class on the island?

I feel that there is gender parity, at least among my contemporaries. I am not sure if it is complicated by questions of race or class. I do admit though that I might be seeing it from this perspective because of the time when I came into the art world and my exposure to other artists has been mainly through Edna Manley College. Among those who are formally trained I do believe there is a certain amount of gender parity and, as I mentioned earlier, that with more access to opportunities for both men and women the playing field is becoming more level.

Another of the things that really stood out for me in the catalogue essay that accompanied the exhibition that you were a part of is that men are largely absent as textile/fibre artists in Jamaica. How do you make sense and account for male absence in fibre arts on the island, outside of being tailors?

I think the male absence in fibre arts is due in part to the lack of awareness of the possibilities that exist in the visual arts field. Many people still view traditional media, such as paint on canvas or sculptures of wood or bronze, for example, as being “real” art. I know that there have been communities that work with plant fibres to make furniture and small sculptures, but these are generally viewed as craft items. In addition, I believe that in Jamaica there is also a perception that textiles and fibre are gender-specific and particularly suited to women, even though I think this is slowly changing. During my time at the college I noticed more male students would elect to do courses in the Textile and Fibre Arts Department, with a few even majoring.

Once again I think this is in part due to the lack of awareness of the diversity that exists within the visual arts and art media. This is where I believe art educators come in. It is very important for art educators to expose their students as early as they can to the possibilities that exist and to have discussions with them about all kinds of art, concepts, methods, media and artistic intent.

It seems to me that storytelling is central to your work as an artist. Am I correct in this assessment and is this why text is such an integral part of the work that you produce?

I’m not sure I’m trying to tell a story as much as I am trying to prompt a memory or a feeling. I think the text acts as the prompt to start conversations, whether they are internal or with other viewers. I always like when people share their thoughts with me about my work. It helps me to decide whether I’m achieving what it is I set out to achieve. Besides that, I’ve always enjoyed writing poems and letters so I think this is a perfect way to blend everything together.

You have written that human relationships are a central theme in your work. Can you expand on why you believe this to be so, and can you foresee any other kinds of other relationships (with the environment, for example) taking hold in your work?

I believe this is so because there is so much that can be extracted from that idea and that is a subject that has always fascinated me. We are social beings and the dynamics of our relationships affect us on a daily basis. The body of work that was featured in the exhibition Explorations 3 was based specifically on separation and loss. There are just so many roads that can be explored, but at the same time I don’t rule out exploring other kinds of relationships. You mention the environment; I would say it is a possibility. I’m not sure what it will be yet, but my goal is to have work that turns the viewer into a participant and co-creator.

I am intrigued by the fact that after many years of living and working and teaching in Jamaica, you relocated to the United States. This made me wonder, firstly, if you had seen any changes in your work since living off the island. I am also curious to know the reason you chose to live off the island, in so far as your artistic practice is concerned. In other words, do you find it easier to be a visual artist in the United States as opposed to Jamaica?

I’m not sure if there have been any changes yet as I’ve had very little time to focus on the creation of my art work. I left the island to be with my parents who currently live in Florida. My father hasn’t been well and I felt I needed to be closer to support them both. But I have been mulling over ideas of what I would like to do. I find that I have always needed dedicated periods of time to really generate work that I’m connected with and that truly embodies what it is I would like to express. So at the moment I would say no, it is not easier. I’m still trying to devote time to that side of me but it is difficult and I miss the creative environment that I was a part of at the Edna Manley College. The positive side to that would be that I am very aware that this kind of discomfort could very well be the prompt for the beginnings of my next body of work.