SKIMS: THE LIFE-DRAWING CHALLENGE

A former banker, Tanzanian self-taught artist Sungi Mlengeya is known for a distinctive use of negative space in her portraits of black women. Self-discovery, empowerment and the everyday lives of women are common themes for her minimalist canvases.

You left a career in banking to pursue art full-time. What do you love about creating art?

“I feel complete with art. Creating is fun; I get to play and bring out my inner child. It is free – I decide what to create and how to create it. It is alchemy, being able to create value from almost nothing and evoking reactions from an audience. Art has the ability to influence, provoke, spark change and even take part in culture creation, and I feel privileged to be part of this.”

A distinctive signature in your work is the use of negative space. How did this technique become part of your practice? What does it represent?

“I was making one of my very first paintings; it did not make sense to me to paint what the subject was wearing… The result was an interesting contrast of white against the dark skin. Over time, I learned that this represented a part of myself. I value my freedom a lot, and often, I am indifferent to opinions and do things that might make sense to me alone. When painting, I place my subjects in a free space, too – they have the ability to pursue their true preferences in the absence of or in disregard to unfair settings that could tie them down.”

How did you approach the painting you’ve created for SKIMS?

“I selected two models to paint and, since most of my work is centred on women around me – most of whom are black – it felt comfortable painting the black models. [In line with] my usual aesthetics, I didn’t paint what they were wearing. SKIMS is an underwear brand and fabric could be their focal point – the unpainted underwear could [instead] raise interesting questions for the audience.”

You’ve previously talked about how your work has been shared more widely this year alongside the increased visibility of BLM, saying that “when I started painting it didn’t feel a lot like activism, it was natural for me to be inspired by and depict people that surround me in my community, people who are black.” Has this year changed your views on the relationship between art and activism?

“A male collector bought my painting of four women and mentioned how it made him think of his brothers. I was aware of the strong relationship that existed between art and activism, I just thought I wasn’t doing it yet, or that since I’m passionate about fairness for women that it would mostly be that niche who could relate. My views that art is a bringer of change have been cemented; its ability to connect with people, move, uplift, inspire and motivate even in a small or quiet way. My work is a representation and acknowledgement of a black existence, bringing African art onto the world stage so that audiences can experience a black perspective. I intend to continue creating and consciously illuminate my personal realities and tell my truth unapologetically to inspire thought and change in the collective reality.”

You may have spotted French artist Frédéric Forest’s evocative line drawings on Instagram or someone’s body – at last count, over 4,000 tattoos of his art are out in the world. He focuses on “attitudes, moments and gestures” in his work, and he aims to draw his subjects “like they are, not like I would like them to be”.

Who or what inspires you in your work?

“Inspiration strikes at random moments: it could be a smell, a sound, someone I pass on the street… Paris is the perfect place to have this kind of chance encounter. Sometimes, I have to draw with urgency because if I wait, the ‘it’ won’t be there anymore, whereas sometimes I am reminded of it at a later time.”

Your speciality is line drawing. What is it about this medium that appeals to you?

“Simplicity is about the process, more than the result. I look at someone or something, draw her, him, it, again and again. I’m focused on lines and shapes and what they can tell us. In many ways, I draw like I ski or skateboard: I try to catch the perfect line. It very rarely happens at first. It exists in my mind, but I have to try again and again, and then, suddenly, it appears on paper and expresses all that I was looking for.”

How did you approach the challenge of capturing Kim Kardashian West’s pose in the form of a drawing?

“It was about finding a way between the images Vanessa Beecroft made of her and the image that Kim Kardashian West diffuses around the world. For me, I feel like a photographer with a pen, and I made a few dozen drawings before finding the best line… The impact of her poses put forward both a powerful and gentle woman; [there’s a] balance between strength and an openness to her popularity. With SKIMS, women see the possibility of being themselves according to their own bodies and shapes – this is what I tried to capture.”

You’ve built a huge Instagram following and have mentioned that there are thousands of tattoos out there of your work. What’s your view on the power of social media to amplify art? Is Instagram the new art gallery?

“I look at [Instagram] as if someone else is looking at me. It’s a continual running dialogue and critique session. An open diary. In a way, it’s like a mirror with two sides. But, it is also something that is definitely not real. It’s crazy fast and endless. Good things take time… From the screen of a smartphone, you can’t feel the full energy of a show, the light in a gallery, the size of a painting, the textures of a cloth, the feelings of it on your body. Social media are just fast messengers driven by powerful algorithms. Most of my [work] comes from reality – walking in the streets, chatting with friends, meeting people, going to museums or bookstores, reading magazines, travelling, skiing, skateboarding, surfing, drawing, painting.”

A recent SKIMS collaborator, LA-based artist Alika Cooper explores sexuality, beauty and unease in her work. Through art that often includes classic patterns and fabrics, she invites her audience to see, as she puts it, “the body as a landscape”.

You’ve worked with SKIMS on recent projects – how did this collaboration originally come about? 

“I’ve become friends with Vanessa [Beecroft]. I’ve admired her work since I was a very young artist. It’s so fun to know her now that I am a more mature artist and reflecting on how her work influenced me when I was young.”

The female body, body image and idealised beauty feature as recurrent subjects/themes in your work. How did you communicate these in the work you’ve created for this SKIMS project?

“I try to convey natural beauty, [and] also power and sensuality, and ruminate on the relationships between [them]. The context of life drawing was fun to work with, thinking about anatomy and glamour together.”

You’ve previously talked about wanting to always make “something I haven’t seen myself already do” with each new artwork. When you came to create this SKIMS artwork, what did you do differently?

“I wanted to show the robustness of Kim’s body, and the vulnerability, and this mindfulness about being in your own body.”

What message or perspective does this artwork convey?

“I love that it’s a side view of the squat; it’s a power stance but also has privacy. Intimacy with the self.”