Mirabel Wigon shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Mirabel, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
My typical studio day (when not running off to my day job) starts off early, especially right now with all this summer heat. I wake up at around 6am after snoozing my alarm clock dog, Pan. He tries to start waking us up at around 5:30am with a combination of paw-to-face pats, bodyslams, and hand licking. I eat breakfast, drink coffee, walk a couple miles with Pan, and then water the plants. No matter where I might be, walking is so pivotal to my practice. If I’m at a residency or on a trip, I love to explore the place that I’m in and let the surrounding environment inform the direction of my work. Right now, I photograph plants that I find on my walks and create 3D models based on those plants which are reference materials for my paintings. I’m in my garage studio by 8:30am or 9am and work in there until it gets too hot. After which, I work on water-based things inside the apartment, read, and do admin-y stuff such as website updates, grant, and residency applications. I consider all this labor part of my studio practice. My goal is to be in the studio as much as possible even if I’m not always painting. An ideal week is where the next day is an exact repeat!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My practice has always been about how I navigate space and place. Over the years I recognized that even though the subject matter of my work has shifted, it always comes back to this understanding how space and place shapes us. In my work the characters, or the viewer. are positioned in a way in which they must traverse or navigate the imagined space of the painting. Additionally, the painting itself is informed by, or references, spaces or places that I’ve been to or would like to be in. Looking back (to childhood), I always loved to make up stories and accompanying pictures. I am also a voracious reader of fantasy and sci-fi adventures and I can see this influence on my work.
My current work challenges ideas of progress by referencing ecological degradation as a stage for mythopoesis; centering non-human actants to displace an anthropocentric position. I’m really trying to embrace my love of fantasy and sci-fi as a way to imagine a place where plants basically take over. Within the fantastical, imagined space of my paintings, specific lessons gleaned from plants take center stage.
Over the past couple of years I’ve become increasingly interested in plants; learning, observing, and interacting with them. Plants, specifically the flowering plants in my work, represent absolute otherness and inspire speculative activity. I draw from a range of mediated source materials, such as photogrammetry scans of particular plants ranging from weeds to invasive botanicals. In my paintings I (de)construct plant forms to reflect on ecological instability. The pictorial space of my paintings depict a space of visual disarray where shifting, non hierarchical forms mirror terrestrial cycles and cosmic revolutions. This fractured space is compost for emergent forms to rise from disorder. I reflect on mediation and processes of translation as acts of “becoming with”—collaborative world-building in which blooming flowers demand active collaborators in a speculative future that encourages transformation, adaptation, and perseverance.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I was making a lot of work about disasters and it felt so bleak. I’ve spent a good chunk of time reflecting on why I was making this work and why I wanted this kind of work out in the world. I thought to myself is this cynicism? Or a form of catharsis? I was making work that depicted a cataclysm. Although there was disruption and decay, there was always a hopeful element beyond reach at the horizon. It made me sad to think that I couldn’t imagine a better way; my work just visually exaggerated my own neurosis and fears about the current moment. I felt invigorated when I shifted directions, I wanted to imagine a better way to point out relationships that should be more important: ones that value care and cultivation.
I don’t think there was one single defining movement that shifted my view, but I’m determined to change. To change is to adapt and this is an important lesson that is taught by many authors that I’ve had the privilege to read, from Octavia Butler to Donna Harraway. An un-williness to change is equivalent to stagnation, an invariable end of all things. I’m also trying to embrace the idea of not only needing to change but giving myself the grace to change and grow at my own pace.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
My creative practice is my life’s work and a summation of values that I hold to be important. That said, I have to push through the fear of failure every day. It can be very debilitating and at times I don’t want to take risks because of that fear. Although not mutually exclusive to the latter, I also have a fear of missing out. I think there is a lot of overlap between the two. I want to be involved, I have dreams and aspirations, but I fear that they will not happen or something will pass me by. Lately though, I’m trying to reevaluate what is important to me, why the goals I set for myself are actually important and worth pursuing. I’m still learning to give myself the grace to work through things on my own pace and try to not compare myself to others. The important thing is to return to the “why’s” of my practice. My practice is a way for me to process the world, to imagine possibilities, and to highlight values of transformation, perseverance, and adaptation as important qualities that need to be cultivated.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Perhaps this is a silly response to this question, but I truly believe that committing to something doesn’t preclude the possibility of transformation and change. Like, I’m committed to my work and if it needs to change, then it must. And I can’t really see any painting or group of works as a bad idea that must be abandoned. An idea can be shelved or a painting doesn’t execute the idea, but I don’t think it reflects poorly on me nor do I think moving to a new idea is a loss of commitment. Rather, I’m growing and changing my mind everyday. Therefore, my work shifts and changes based on what I’m informed by. Everything is malleable and flexible, nothing is static or rigid. A painting’s outward surface appearance is a literal solidified mass. That mass unfolds once you realize the surface is just layers of accrued, indexical marks that show the very nature of change, right before it solidifies.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Well, I really hope I leave some kind of impact on someone! Even if it is only one person, but I’d prefer to impact at least a handful of people. I hope my work is able to live on and tell people what was important to me and hopefully that resonates with someone. My greatest hope is that someone would like to live with my work and it brings them not only joy but contemplation. My biggest worry is to be forgotten, that the work I make has no impact, leaves no impression, and at worst is considered vapid. The story I hope to leave behind is one of a sincere individual who truly wanted others to feel encouraged that they too can take control of their lives – to embrace transformation, adaptation, and perseverance. I want my work to exhibit these qualities, but I also recognize these are all qualities I want to also cultivate in myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mirabelwigon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirabelwigon/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
