I <3 Bad Art
Art is not a privilege, it’s a right. It’s a fundamental part of being human.”
-Carmen Lomas Garza
You might notice the editorial team is looking a bit different this week. Kia ora, I’m Bella, and I’m Salient’s Designer: the secret third member of your favourite editorial team. Maia and Fran have kindly let me take the lead this week!
Welcome to the ‘Art’ issue: an exploration of all forms of artistry and manifestations of creativity!
It’s hard to define art. You could simply say that art is the product of any artistic medium: painting, photography, music, dance, theatre, film, or literature. But there are endless ways to create art. For me, any form of art is a tool for creative expression and storytelling. Sometimes that means creating something that helps others tell their stories, as I do every week in Salient. Other times it means using creativity to bring my inner world into reality. Fran would say the magical world inside my head is because of my Aquarius moon, but I think every person has it, regardless of whether you’re a ‘creative’ person or the stars aligned to say so. Art is a manifestation of whatever is going on in your inner world.
Despite the endless possibilities and outlets that come along with creativity, it’s hard not to get caught up in making ‘good’ art. Under this capitalist system, we are told our creative expression only has value when it’s profitable. We get split into artist vs non-artist; the creator vs the consumer. As a child I never once thought I would study Design, simply because the world was telling me being an ‘artist’ wasn’t a viable career path. Designing boring logos for exploitative corporations is a good backup plan, ^right?
Creating art for art’s sake is the ultimate form of rebellion. Don’t get me wrong, there’s privilege in being able to do that. When you’re studying in a creative field or working in the industry, it often feels like you don’t have the time or energy to create anything for yourself. Art can be pretty draining when you’re in a position of constant critique and high standards.
But don’t forget to take the time to create for yourself, even in small ways! Art can be whatever you want it to be. Have a craft night with your flatmates or pick up that old guitar that's been collecting dust since high school. I often find allowing yourself the space to make ‘bad’ art (whatever that means) is all you need to progress and leave behind the imposter syndrome telling you you’re not good enough to make something ‘good’. If you can’t find the energy to create, let the amazing art already in this world inspire you! Sometimes all it takes is discovering a new album or finally reading that book that’s been in your tote bag since January.
If all else fails, hopefully the stories in this issue will help! This week Nari Letap (F.K.A Kiran Patel) argues that professional wrestling is a form of ‘high art’. Phoebe pulls the curtain on the exploitation happening behind the scenes at the fantastical musical Wicked. Alfie explores the future of Gen Z cinema in an industry where the writers’ Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild are striking against Hollywood studios. Local drag performer King Markiss discusses the way RuPaul’s Drag Race has impacted the world of drag performance. Pippi asks four poet bros if publishing poetry gives them the ick, and Jia talks to all your fave Wellington street performers.
We know you all can’t get enough of our centrefolds, so we decided to run our first ever centrefold art competition, and were absolutely blown away by all the beautiful mahi. There are four amazing pieces of art in this issue ready for you to add to your flat’s Salient centrefold wall, because one just isn’t enough!
The Salient News team hits the supermarket to put the 5% student discount at New World to the test. Ethan R investigates the impact of a badly communicated change to advanced graduations for international students. Our ‘Candidate Kōrero’ series continues in Rongotai, including interviews with Labour candidate Fleur Fitzsimons and National candidate Karunā Muthu.
Much love,
Bella xx