I think that first and foremost, an artist needs to understand what it is they are depicting, then draw a conclusion about how they feel about it. Nowadays, people are mostly guided by their initial emotional responses, which is how the general public gets manipulated through mainstream media. I think that in-depth research is required before even considering making a social statement with their work. If, after understanding the entire situation, the artist feels the need to portray it, then they should go for it, but let it be known that there will always be criticism for their works, so they need to be ready to face the heat.

Looking back on your own experiences and achievements, what advice would you give to emerging artists who aspire to reach similar levels of success and recognition in their careers?

My advice is to create work that you truly believe in. If you believe in and love what you do, other people will notice it. There are different ideas of what success is. In today’s banal world, it’s mostly measured by currency, but to me, there are more important aspects of art than the price tag, such as the ideas, quality, and philosophy behind the works. An artist who chooses to make art their path must first decide what it is about art that is most important to them and then give it their all in this direction, putting in 100%, nothing less than that.