Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Essie Somma. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Essie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My work in Kathmandu was a huge turning point in my creative practice. I’d been trying to figure out the connection between my work as a painter and travel for over 2 years. I spent three months as an artist in residence at Space A in Kathmandu, Nepal, where I removed all expectations from my studio practice. My only goal was to work consistently and follow my curiosity. The resulting project was Honey Hunters, a series of surreal portraits that framed contemporary Nepali culture with historical narrative through the lens of Western tourism. Honey Hunters sought to capture the magic of Nepal, its culture, and its people, discovering what’s overlooked by tourists traveling to meet their expectations. Throughout my time in Nepal I got to know several Nepali artists and really engage with the art community in Kathmandu. Getting feedback on my work from local arts journalists, learning that it resonated with them, was all I could ever ask for. My project even took me to Everest Base Camp, where I shot a series of film photos that were part of my exhibition. Overall, my time in Nepal and the work I created are some of the most meaningful experiences I’ve ever had.

Essie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an oil painter with an artistic practice deeply rooted in interdisciplinary research. I’ve always had an interest in narrative and history, and believed that who we are today is a product of disparate factors and events predating our existence. My work relies on reading novels, newspapers, and journals, watching documentaries and films, and immersive experiences. For the last several years, I’ve backpacked around the world 3 times, participating in residencies in Mexico, Malaysia, Portugal, Iceland, and Nepal while exhibiting all over. As a UC Santa Barbara student, I discovered collage’s ability to layer ideas and media to create a surreal world. I still collage compositions for my paintings, combining patterns, figures, and landscapes to achieve a holistic view of cultural identity. I now live and work in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I’m exploring the fragmented figure and researching subcultures and anti-patriarchal femininity in the American South.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish someone had told me galleries don’t matter and pushed me to self-curate. Young artists get so hung up on getting permission to show their work from a gallery that they forget the whole point of showing work. Creating alternative spaces to exhibit – a janitor’s closet, a brewery, your studio – is often free and gives artists more power over how their work is viewed. Curating your own body of work, finding a space, and hosting an opening is a great way to kick-start a career. I’ve self-curated four exhibitions, the first at a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, and the most recent at Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taipei. Self-curating can take you a lot of places, and it’s something I want all young artists to know about.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Pure compulsion. I’m fully aware of how cliche this is, but I’ve always made art as if it was the only option. Sometimes it feels that way. Last year, I painted a small series of figurative works that personified black holes. The idea was to use female liberation and theoretical physics as reflexive narrative devices. It was dense work – hours of research trying to understand event horizons, all leading to 3 paintings of headless women dancing in a radiating tundra. Colleagues at the time asked about my ongoing projects, and when I told them about this one, they stopped emailing me back. It was a nonsense idea, but I had so much fun with these paintings. The mission behind my creative journey is that it’s just what I do; it fills my cup, and if I’m lucky, maybe someone else out there resonates with my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://essiesomma.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/essiesomma
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/essie-somma-6006601b7