We had the good fortune of connecting with miya ando and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi miya, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The making of art is inherently a risk-filled pursuit on many levels. There is an intrinsic vulnerability in expressing openly and publicly all of ones thoughts and feelings, soul and technical abilities. Personally, every work I put forth is my very best effort and a culmination of everything I know and think. I always feel that showing work is like that scene in Indiana Jones’ The Last Crusade called The Leap of Faith. You feel that you’re walking out to potentially fall into a chasm or abyss, but you actually walk onto a transparent crystal bridge. Artmaking is a practice of finding the braveness and courage we all have within.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a conceptual artist, I employ a variety of elemental mediums. Primarily the work is an observation of the natural world as it changes from moment to moment, and a crystallization of this ephemerality. The main thing I’ve learned is to remain calm, have perseverance and to be disciplined.
Currently I am working on large-scale drawings that investigate a relationship between tides and the moon. My concern with climate change has led me to begin these ‘sea change’ drawings. My use of an ancient material to depict our rapidly changing environment is an investigation into timelessness and change, continuity and evolution.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since this inteview is occurring during Covid lockdown, it changes what I may normally like to do with my best friend. In this case I’d love to walk on the beach with her, hang out on my deck and look at the stars.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every single success has a group of hardworking people associated with it, regardless of who gets the credit for that success. In my case I have deep gratitude to my parents, my husband, all of my art dealers, collectors, the wonderful curators and my colleagues and assistants. In LA, I’ve been very fortunate to have an incredible group of women who I’m privileged to work with and call my friends, including Hollis Goodall who is curating an upcoming exhibition of my work at LACMA, Joey Lico of The Cultivist who has sponsored me as an artist ambassador and Kris Lewis of The Fowler Museum, whom I adore.
