Ones to Watch: D’arcy Darilmaz

 Find out more about D’arcy’s work…

D’arcy has exhibited in Ones to Watch twice now, and last year was awarded a Ones to Watch residency. She has spent lots of time in our studios and derelict mill spaces creating new work.

1. Your full name, and university course/year.

D’arcy Darilmaz, BA Fine Art (International), University of Leeds, 2019 Graduate.

2. Can you describe your work to us in 3 words?

I’d like to think it might be playful, inquisitive, and constantly evolving.

3. What medium do you prefer to use?

I have always tried different ways of working, though I would say that my main medium is often moving image. Although, in recent years, I’ve experimented with clay and mixed media sculpture. Lots of my ideas also originate with rough drawings and watercolour paintings, and I think they are also a part of my practice.

4. What is the inspiration behind your work?

I think I am often inspired by people and their idiosyncrasies, and how these are expressed in different contexts. For a while now, I’ve been inspired by ideas of memorialisation and the way that objects and places are imbued with meaning for different people. In terms of the video that I am showing in Ones to Watch, at the time I made the footage, I was reading a book called The Spring Voyage which explored the events of a documented pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the 15^th century. I saw parallels in the way that the pilgrims travelled to a place they felt was meaningful, and my grandmother’s journey back to a place from her childhood. I was interested in the way that she spoke about her memories to people, and I think there are some parts of the video that also touch on themes of death and loss, romanticised past, and community. I’m inspired by the dash of dark humour that creeps into these subjects.

5. What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?

I think probably when making moving-image work, I need my laptop and some form of video-editing software. I also need a sketch book/paper, pencils and my water colours which I use to sketch out some ideas. Other materials really depend on what I plan to make.

6. During this uncertain time what will you do to occupy yourself?

I work full-time as an Archive Assistant and I’m lucky that I’m able to work from home during this period of isolation. In my downtime have been watching a lot of Netflix, reading (when I feel like it), talking with and video-calling friends and family, and (sometimes) exercising. To try and keep my practice motivated, I’ve signed up to the 12’o Collective’s 30 Works in 30 Days project in which they send out a daily brief/prompt during the month of April and you have to submit a piece of work each day. So far it has been liberating to make some rough things and to not be too precious about them.

7. Which artists are you most influenced by?

I think I am influenced by all the art I have ever seen (hopefully that doesn’t sound too pretentious), I find that with the decisions I make and the outcomes I produce, I realise that I’ve probably unintentionally (sometimes intentionally) taken little bits and pieces from all over the place. I admire the moving-image and multi-media installation work of artists like Basim Magdy, Laure Prouvost and Tony Oursler, and sculptural work of Phyllida Barlow and Rachel Harrison, and a million other artists I can’t remember right now!

8. How do you seek out opportunities?

I usually find opportunities through CuratorSpace, which is where I applied for the Ones to Watch exhibition and other opportunities that I’ve been involved with previously. I also see a lot of things advertised through Instagram from various organisations and collectives.

9. Which current art world trend are you following?

I don’t know if I necessarily try to follow a trend, or as I mentioned above, it may be that I do so unconsciously. For a long time, I’ve been fixated on ‘post-internet’ art and digital art etc. I think I have also become more interested recently in docufiction in an art context.

10. Plans for the future?

At work, I’ve just been trying to get to grips with everything as I’m still sort of new and always learning, but I think when things get ‘back to normal’, I’d really love to start using all the resources around me in the archives to create some new work. I’m very fortunate to have access to a whole world of archival material from the 12^th century to the present day, and I need to make the most of it.

11. Tell us about an exhibition that has stayed with you

One of the most influential exhibitions that I ever saw was the 2016 exhibition ‘Electronic Superhighway’ at Whitechapel Gallery in London which aimed to show the impact of computer and Internet technologies on artists from the mid-1960s to the present day (then 2016). I think it’s where I first got to see a lot of post-internet/digital artists like Cory Archangel, Olia Lialina and Oliver Laric, and it definitely impacted the work that I made following the visit. Another exhibition that has really stayed with me was ‘Grand Dads Visitor Centre’, a solo show of Laure Prouvost’s work at the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca Gallery in Milan, that brought together installations, videos and projections, sculptures and found objects, and was one of the most large-scale, strange and playful exhibitions I’ve seen and experienced.

12. Any books/ films/tv series that you’d recommend for anyone interested in art?

I don’t think I’ve really read/seen any books or films/tv specifically about art in a while. If someone was interested in learning more about post-internet/digital art then a few books I’d recommend would be ‘Art in the Age of the Internet’ ed. by Eva Respini, ‘Contemporary Art and Digital Culture’, by Melisa Gronlund, and ‘Mass Effect’, ed. by Lauren Cornell and Ed Halter. LUX, an arts organisation which collects artist film and video, has several online exhibitions where you can view selected artist films https://lux.org.uk/whats-on/online-exhibitions. I would generally also recommend Grayson Perry’s documentaries, particularly ‘Rites of Passage’ and ‘All in the Best Possible Taste’ which aren’t necessarily about art, but include artistic responses to the people and situations that Perry encounters. I believe he’s also making a new documentary about art-making during this period of isolation.

13. What are your favourite Instagram accounts?

I follow a lot of accounts, especially arts organisations and platforms, so it’s hard to really narrow it down. I’m inspired by the artists and works showcased on yngspc, subsidiaryprojects, 12ocollective and digitalartistresidency to name a few. I like seeing the zines and community projects that shybairnsgetnowt get up to. One of my faves is also my friend’s account inkwellspells, shout out to her for her lovely illustrations and cute creations.

14. What is your dream project?

I don’t know if I have a dream project in mind, I’m just trying to keep on making and see what opportunities may come along in the future!

15. What is your most successful piece of work and why?

I think my most successful work so far might be my video ‘Conversations with Andy’ (2018) because it’s been shown in a few exhibitions now and I  think lots of people have been really interested in the project behind it and the different connections that I made when researching Andy Warhol’s gravesite. I really like that people have found it humorous and I see them smiling when watching it, because I think my work is successful when it gets people thinking about the themes I present, but is also a bit tongue in cheek.

 Find out more about D’arcy’s work here.

Check out all the artists in Ones to Watch here.

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