Areez Katki is a Persian-born, independent textile practitioner based in Auckland, New Zealand. He specialises in creating pieces of knitwear & apparel that are locally crafted by hand. Each body of work is carefully researched and the materials he uses are considered, ethically sourced and are limited editions. Areez considers himself as an object maker and craftsperson, having worked with his hands since the age of 9. Areez has developed a creative practice that places emphasis on maintaining integrity of originality, developing ideas from a range of sources and working symbiotically with other makers.
We were excited to have him join our #MediaArtsWintec fashion class for a guest lecture as part of Ramp Gallery’s public programme. Areez has work in the current exhibition ‘Beauty is in the Street’. You can check out more details of this work or get details of upcoming artist talks at Ramp Gallery.
Here are 10 things we learnt from Areez’s talk:
- There is no rule book, it’s all about intuition and compromise.
- Research is important. Derive inspiration from the things around you, from sculpture, buildings, history, trees, a cane chair.
- Fossick through shops, family history, through wardrobes.
- Travel, explore and document, there is so much inspiration to be found outside of one’s comfort zone.
- Embrace playfulness in your creative process, ideas, colour, line can develop into something meaningful.
- Collaborate. “Collaboration can work in your favour when you are a young practitioner.”
- Draw. It can often be playful and ideas can form out of blank spaces of your mind. “I often embrace this meditative state and ideas flow from this continued practice.”
- History is a place to draw inspiration from.
- Stop competing and help each other. Embrace symbiotic relationships with other creatives. Be helpful, offer advice and nurture one another.
- Look for inspiration outside the internet. Contextualise, document your research, record your experiences and acknowledge your sources. Make work that has meaning.
