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When it comes to visual artists from Gen-Z, it’s hard to put them into a simple category. Aryan D Nayyar or Arena Vitch is an experimental Gen-Z artist, with a strong penchant for dabbling in an active dialogue through artmaking, portraying the young adult experience, and doing quirky photo-dumps that will have you hooked!
Shying away from conforming to commercial art spaces, there is a provocative sense of intimacy attached to Aryan’s work that resonates with his audience - an affinity for the colour red, some artistic revelations, coupled with a dose of incredible visuals and all that jazz!
We get candid with the eccentric artist whose fun and innovative online artistic endeavours make him a creative to watch out for!
Homegrown: Can you start off by telling us a little about yourself and your background in art?
Arena Vitch: I don’t really have a background in art per se. I was always a science kid, even now. I always liked working with my hands and drawing things as a kid though, and I always listened to lots of music. I’m heavily inspired by the anime I watched growing up in Moscow in the 2000s.
HG: What inspired you to start creating content? If you had to describe your artistic flow in three words, what would they be?
AV: I only started making stuff when I was 18 or 19, because I had this urge to create and nothing to do. So I would take my favourite songs and edit random videos to them and upload them on Instagram. If someone asked for the name of the song, it was a win for me – because I made videos primarily (at the time) to share music. Because if you just send links, nobody really listens. People need to feel like they discovered the song themselves. My three words would be: Have fun experimenting or something cliché like that.
HG: Your art transcends medium and has an experimentative feel to it. Could you elaborate on that?
AV: It’s usually a product of experimenting, looking at different ways something exists. I think sometimes when you make something you find hilarious, and you’re giggling throughout the process because of how funny and stupid it’s going to be - that’s the feeling I chase. I realise that having fun with the process is super important to me, and I can’t have fun if I’m not trying new things.
HG: Your go-to song right now?
AV: Idwtgtbt by the Booyah! Kids.
HG: Your secret talent? A random quirk?
AV: I can pick my nose with my tongue. I can’t really think of anything else. I can hang upside down on a pull-up bar using just my feet?
HG: What keeps you inspired and keeps your creative juices flowing?
AV: Just the practice of trying to make something as often as I can. If I’m not ideating or creating or doing something creatively, I can feel myself growing frustrated and irritable and restless. It’s like going to the gym, or meditating, or whatever. Viewing it as a practice rather than as ‘Ooo I’m creating art for Instagram today!’
HG: Your take on the current homegrown creative landscape?
AV: I feel like it’s incredible how much talent we have. My favourite artists are those that make work that is true to themselves, where they come from, and their vision and culture, and not an imitation of what we necessarily see from the west. The impact of the west is undeniable here, but I prefer artists that can make the influence feel genuine.
HG: Your advice to budding creatives out there?
AV: If you want to learn absolutely anything – figure out what you want to make, and then figure out how to make it. That’s 80% of the work. And don’t let the judgment of ‘this is good’ or ‘this is bad’ intercept that. Just make shit.
Check out his Instagram here.
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