10 Questions with Lana Eileen

Lana Eileen is an artist, photographer, and musician who creates original sculptures, creatures, and puppets by hand, as well as photographic and mixed media work. Her work combines elements of fantasy and magic realism, inspired by her research into world mythology and folklore. In 2019, she undertook an artist residency in remote Iceland. She was also an artist-in-residence on the island of Hrísey near the Arctic Circle in 2021, before participating in a residency in Egypt in 2022, furthering her research into the influence of mythology on contemporary art. As a musician, Lana has travelled extensively, touring and recording internationally. She has previously worked with Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Nina Persson) and Mike Coykendall (M. Ward, Blitzen Trapper) in the United States, and Brett Shaw (Florence and the Machine, Robyn, Daughter) in the United Kingdom. Originally from Australia, Lana has lived in many different places. Most recently, she is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

lanaeileen.com | @lana.eileen.art

ARTIST STATEMENT

Lana Eileen's sculptural work draws inspiration from global mythology, 1980s cult fantasy films, and the eerie storybook illustrations of Brian Froud, while her photographic and mixed media output incorporates abstract elements that create a sense of surreality. Starting out as a touring musician, she spent many years travelling the world, playing shows and recording, before picking up a camera and finding a passion for fine art photography. This newfound interest eventually evolved into more experimental mixed media work, before she finally landed on sculpture as her favoured medium, finding a new form of expression in creating life-size sculptures from scratch using clay, fabric and recycled material. Now, Lana balances music, photography and sculpture, moving between disciplines and mediums, enjoying a sense of creative freedom.

INTERVIEW

Let's start talking about you. You were a musician before becoming a visual artist. How did you get involved with art?

I've always made visual art in some form since childhood. As an adult, I would create intricate little ink drawings, most often just as gifts for people; I didn't take it too seriously or feel that I was particularly good at it. I was quite shy about my art. Later, I picked up a camera, and I found a passion for fine art photography. My work as a photographer was well-received, and that gave me the confidence to explore further, which led to the sculptural work I'm making now.

Did your background and past experiences as a musician influence your work as an artist today? And how do you blend these two different focuses of your work?

To me, they are very separate and distinct. I actually find it quite hard to shift my focus from one to the other, particularly when I'm very involved in the process of making something. The main similarity is that I put the same amount of energy, time, and heart into both.

As an artist, you work with sculptures, puppets, and photography. How did you choose which mediums you wanted to incorporate into your practice?

While working as a fine art photographer and musician, I had been traveling for several months around the world, from 2021 to 2022. I had visited new countries, lived in Europe, and had many experiences along the way. I felt like a different person when I returned from that journey, and I knew my work was going to change.
A week or two after returning from overseas, I had an idea in my mind that I wanted to try making sculptures and puppets, inspired by glitchy old '80s films like Labyrinth and Gremlins. I like the nostalgia of those old films; even though I was too young to have been around when they were released, I still saw them as a child, and there is something I appreciate about how perfectly imperfect they are.
I have always enjoyed making things, and had previously made jewellery and skin care products by hand, but obviously large-scale sculpture was going to be very different. After a little experimentation, I developed a method that works for me, and now sculpture is the main focus of my work as a visual artist.

Your work is influenced by folklore and mythology. What inspired you to pursue these themes?

I have always loved stories, and mythology is full of rich and imaginative narratives. My work is specifically influenced by figures in mythology, and I seek to represent those figures in my sculptures. It is interesting to observe the similarities between different cultures globally in the form of their creation myths, their heroes and villains, their gods and goddesses. You might have the Kitsune of Japanese folklore, or the Cerberus of Greek mythology -- and each of these countless mythological figures will have an intricate history, with a wealth to learn about and draw inspiration from. Mythology is ancient and universal.

How strong do you think is the grip of such ideas, such as myths and superstitions, on today's society? And how can this help your work?

I think they present archetypes that are still highly recognisable today. We are collectively familiar with the moral structure of a fairy-tale, and didactic stories with similar themes occur around the world. No matter where we are from, as human beings, I think we can identify with the universality of mythology. Even if the stories feel highly removed from the fast-paced nature of modern society, on a deeper level, it is still easy to understand the core of those stories.

The Language of Water, Photography, 2021 © Lana Eileen

You recently took part in several residency programs that helped you further develop these themes, such as the one in Iceland and one in Egypt. What are your favorite memories from these experiences? And how did they influence your work?

Iceland is special to me. It has left a mark on my soul, so to speak. I first visited for a residency in 2019, and then returned for another residency in 2021. Iceland always brings my sense of reality to a deeper level, reminding me to live in the present moment. Whether it be a night flight on a tiny plane seeing the world below soaked in bright moonlight, or a hike on a snow-covered island in the middle of winter with the sky blazing orange, I am always revived by the unique landscape there. It is also full of artist residencies and it is a very artist-friendly country.
As for Egypt, I went on an eight-hour road trip from the south of Egypt to the north when I first arrived. Then I stayed in Cairo, which is full of energy and life. It was an intense experience. I went to Egypt almost immediately after leaving Iceland, only stopping briefly in Italy, which was a huge change. I had been walking down a street in Akureyri between buildings covered in icicles with cars hidden under mountains of snow, only to suddenly be travelling across a vast desert. From Egypt, I went and lived in Poland for a few months, before heading to Canada and the United States, so it is hard to say how it has influenced my work, as I was consistently taking on new information, new experiences, and I have only been back for two months. I think the influence on my work is probably still happening now, as I continue to process the whole journey.

The Wanderer, Sculpture, 2022 © Lana Eileen

Do you ever miss your life as a touring musician? And is participating in residency programs comparable to touring?

Touring is something I only stopped doing due to the pandemic, but now that restrictions are easing around the world, it will soon be possible to tour again. I'll always play shows and tour for as long as I'm able to do so. Making music is an integral part of my life; it comes as naturally to me as breathing, and I could never stop doing it. Music is simply who I am.
Taking part in residencies is very different from touring and playing shows. When you are undertaking a residency, you are staying in one place for a dedicated period of time, and you are focused on whatever project you are completing while there. With touring, you are travelling constantly, going to different places, performing at venues, meeting a lot of people. I enjoy both experiences, and I plan to keep doing both.

Your works are delicate but eerie at the same time. How do you achieve such a result?

That isn't something I consciously try to achieve. It might just be a reflection of my taste. Most of the music I listen to is like that: I love Jason Molina, I love Sparklehorse. I would describe them in that way. I think there is strength in vulnerability and beauty in subtlety. The process of making my work is a happy one: I'm usually having a lot of fun, completely absorbed in the task, with music playing or a Podcast on. It takes a lot of time and work and I love every minute of it. I don't have a clear intention in my mind about what kind of atmosphere the work will have when I am in that zone. In truth, I don't personally find my work delicate and eerie, but I can certainly see that existing as an aspect of my taste, and perhaps of my personality.

Are there other themes you would like to experiment with?

The way my work is developing, I can see it moving into making hyper-realistic life-size and large-scale sculptures, as I think that is my strong point, and I get the most enjoyment out of that kind of work. Most of what I'm working on right now falls into that category. That said, I do enjoy making masks and puppets, and I know I will experiment more with those. I am very interested in designing things for film and theatre.
Outside of sculpture, I think my photographic work will change, as I don't find conventional photography challenging enough to keep doing it. I have definitely moved away from photography, at least in the traditional sense, but I am still excited to finish some large-scale hybrid photography projects that incorporate different mediums, like paint. But sculpture is where most of my energy and experimentation is going right now.

And lastly, what are you working on now? Do you have any new projects or exhibitions coming up?

I am working on a series of sculptures inspired by global mythology, to be completed by the end of the year. I will have a solo exhibition in 2023.

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