We interviewed Ally as part of our proposal to offer insight into how practising artists were coping with these unprecedented times. She has provided us with a window into her current practice and inspiration. (TW: eating disorders)

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Who are you? Introduce yourself

Hi There, My name is Ally Zlatar. My work examines, instigates and provokes notions of the individual experience through specifically focusing on philosophical discourse, body image, embodiment & ethics. I was born in Mississauga, Canada. I hold a BFA in Visual Art & Art History from Queen’s University & a MLitt Curatorial Practice from the Glasgow School of Art. Currently, I am pursuing my Doctorate of Creative Arts with the University of Southern Queensland.  I have been involved in many exhibition creations & have had personal work shown globally. 

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What is your artistic practice?- What drove you to work as you are now? How has this been impacted by lockdown restrictions and the pandemic?

I think my work tends to be auto-ethnographic. Focusing on what I am experiencing in the current circumstances.  From my experience, isolation is proven very difficult, especially for those who suffer from mental illnesses. In my case, I have had to deal with my thoughts and mental torment from my eating disorder. My artistic voice comes from a profound understanding of both the illness, philosophical knowledge, and educational institution experience. On a very personal level, I held the belief of equating achieving thinness with happiness and fulfilment. However, what transpired was horrific and corrupted from the innocent intention. I became confined to my body. The reality of living with the inner torment derived from this disease was unbearable, it is incredibly difficult to express how having an eating disorder can impact the identity of someone who is ill. My art practice acknowledges there is power within the un-well body and believes there is tremendous value and potency through examining these subjects through the contemporary art lens.

The pandemic has been difficult to say the least. For someone such as myself my illnesses have gotten worse because of the isolation. Being stuck with yourself for so long, makes you truly aware of who you are and how strongly an illness can consume you, if you do not try to address it correctly.  The pandemic has made it more apparent that taking care of your mental well being and psychological state is crucial in order to survive the current situation and to preserve long term success.

Social isolation altered my process/practice profoundly. I think my practice has become more self reflective, when the world around me is constantly changing, I tend to seek comfort in the things I know well. I have created these  pieces  to examine how my mental health has been affected during these strange times.

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What are you currently working on? (virtual exhibitions, creative movements, collaborative projects, maintaining production of work)

At the moment I have been involved in some amazing projects.

I have been involved in White Rectangle’s  After Greed Became Form Curated By Amy Jackson. Also my first digital artist residency has launched with Art Dream Foundation  which is an artist-run project led by talented and creative curators.

What is next? – How, if at all, has this pandemic inspired further progression?

Fingers crossed, if all goes well. The pandemic has actually led me to some artist residencies so hopefully, as restrictions ease up I can start on these as soon as possible.

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Where can we find you? Extra projects you are working on, social media, website, exhibitions you will be in, etc.

My Website: https://ally.pb.studio/

Shop: https://society6.com/allyzlatar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allycardone/