10 Questions with Fadilah Mahmud

Fadilah is a Digital Artist based in Sydney, Australia, and has been practicing her craft for over ten years. Her work is a window into her experience as a female, first-generation Muslim migrant living in suburban Australia. First and foremost, she is inspired by the community. Much of her work is influenced by the humble and hard-working people that make up the thriving suburbs of south-west Sydney. Her work explores the intersectionality of faith, culture, and gender through a predominantly western lens. The emergence of the "third culture" is a recurring theme in her art as it explores the dichotomy of the East and West and how it has influenced her upbringing and her art. Her approach as an artist is a unique blend of traditional and contemporary mediums, using her illustrative skill in a digital space whilst incorporating technology-inspired elements in her work.

fadilah.design | @fadilahmah

ARTIST STATEMENT

Fadilah Mahmud is an illustrator and works in a predominantly digital space. Her work is a unique blend of the old and the new, taking traditional mediums of art and translating them into the digital world. Similarly, the subject of her work explores the intersectionality of culture and the immigrant experience and how old traditions and customs have survived and evolved in the new western world. She strives to use her work to give a voice to people in marginalised communities, such as herself and many of my generation who share her experiences.

Her background in User Experience Design has inspired much of her art. The relationship between people and technology is of great interest to her. She feels that the digital world that humans have created today is a reflection of humanity itself, not the antithesis. Humans think and feel in linear and binary ways, and the digital space is designed in a similar fashion.

INTERVIEW

Could you tell us a little more about your background, and how you began making art?

Growing up, I loved films, so I studied Film and Digital Art. I developed an interest in moving images, and I loved the idea of creating something in a medium that could evolve and develop over time. But I've always had a love for illustration. I think drawing has always been at the core of my work. 
When I graduated, I worked as a Digital Designer, it was then I started developing an interest in art that existed in the digital space, something that could live forever but also change infinitely. I liked the idea that the digital world we've created operates in a linear way just like humans do, and then I started thinking about how I could incorporate these elements into my work. I found really interesting ways to merge traditional illustration with modern technology.

What do you wish you knew about contemporary art before you got started?

I wish I had known more about the Australian art community. The contemporary art scene is so small here, but it's so diverse and talented, and it's only recently that I became more involved in local group initiatives and programs. Being an artist doesn't have to be individualistic. For the most part, it's a collaborative effort shared amongst your peers, and you will be surprised what you'll achieve when you work with others who share the same goals as you.
I genuinely feel that sharing experiences with others can really inspire the best work for an artist. The Australian story is a shared experience of people from all walks of life, yearning for a second chance, mateship, and new beginnings, and that's what makes this community so unique.

In your work you often refer to the intersectionality of culture and the immigrant experience. How do you translate these themes into your work? 

I try to incorporate these themes in a way that everyone can connect to, or even be able to relate to, regardless of their race or nationality. For example, my work "Ramadan Nights" had such an impact and I think it resonated with so many people because food is a love language for many of us. Food is how we show each other we care, it's a ritual of sharing a meal with loved ones, and it's such a universal experience. When we don't have words, we have food. 
The concept of the "third culture" is a recurring theme in my work which was defined by American sociologist Ruth Useem as "the mixed identity that a child assumes, influenced both by their parents' culture and the culture in which they are raised." As a "third culture kid" I have insight into both worlds, the world my parents left behind and the world I was born into. My work "404" conveys the conflict that comes with these experiences in a digital space. The work ties in the journey we take as first-gen immigrants and visualises it as a user journey. Oftentimes we are conflicted and have to choose between the path that has been laid out for us and the path we want to create for ourselves, and I think that's something everyone can relate to.

Your work seems to be highly influenced by your own experience. How can art address important themes like the ones you work with, and speak to a broader audience? 

Firstly, I recognise that my experience is not unique. The story of immigration is not uncommon, and there is a whole generation of people just like me who know what it feels like to be a stranger in your motherland and to feel like you don't belong in the only country you've ever known. As humans, we understand yearning, loneliness, conflict, joy, and compassion, and if you can evoke those emotions in art, then you can connect to that wider audience. It's a shared experience for many and one that brings us together as people. I feel that it's important to address these experiences, as marginalised communities in Australia have often been overlooked, and it's our duty as artists, creators and storytellers to draw attention to the issues that affect us, so we can write our own stories instead of relying on others to write them for us. 

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

My process begins with an experience or a discovery. If I want to explore a feeling or a thought, I try to deconstruct it so I can better visualize it. For example, my work "Not your habibti" is a commentary on the objectification of the female form. This is an issue that is very complex and layered, so I thought about what that issue means to me as an Australian Muslim woman and how it affects those around me. Once I make sense of that, then I can simplify the message. Is the message clear? Does it tell a story? Who is the story for? What visual elements do I want to use to better tell the story? This part is crucial, and I try to use elements that audiences can recognise. Just like any designer, I also think about composition, layout, and visual appeal. I find that this deconstruction process is 90% of the work, and 10% is the actual creation of the art.

What is the most challenging part of your work? And where do you find inspiration?

The most challenging part is knowing when the work is finished. Digital Art is a double-edged sword in the sense that the process never ends. Its potential is limitless, and it can be difficult to know when it's achieved its purpose. My art is open to interpretation, and I want the audience to be able to take something from my work and possibly learn something from it. 
I'm inspired and intrigued by the human experience, not just my own but others' as well. I like to take inspiration from my community and the world around me, and my work "Ramadan Nights" is an example of that. Each piece of the artwork is a snapshot of a memory, a meal shared with loved ones, and it almost feels like a communal artwork that my community helped create.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

I am getting involved in a lot of community initiatives and connecting with the local art scene in Australia. Right now, I'm part of an.othercollective, a collective of female artists, designers, and creatives focused on the intersection of faith, identity and culture. I'm currently collaborating with these amazing artists to create a space and a platform for creatives alike. I hope to continue collaborating with local artists and eventually put together a solo exhibition in the future. 

You work with different mediums and techniques. Is there anything else you would like to experiment with?

I'd love to experiment with film. Film is such a broad medium, and you can easily get lost in it. It's laborious work but bringing something to life in that way would be an amazing thing to achieve. 

What do you think of Crypto art? As the Crypto market has been having a significant crash since the end of the pandemic, do you think this is the beginning of the end for NFTs?

I think, just like any new technology, Crypto will evolve. Nothing that exists in digital space will ever die, and I think that can be a beautiful and scary thing at the same time. It's the first time artists have truly been able to commodify their work in a fast-paced consumer environment, and I don't believe something like that will disappear easily in the near future. 

Finally, what do you wish to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life? 

I hope to build my career as an artist and focus on what kind of art I want to create moving forward. As much as I'd like to hit the ground running and keep creating, I think the most important thing about being an artist is doing the inner work and making sure you know what it is you're trying to achieve. I'm also focusing on refining my creative process. Deconstructing a thought is a skill I hope to be better at, as I think it's essential to being an artist. People won't be able to understand your work if you don't understand it yourself. That's a skill that has really helped me in my career and my personal life.