Monki x Vanja Ivarsson

 

What made you want to collab with Monki and create this artwork for the store? What was your vision?
When I heard about the campaign for the first time, I thought it was a really fun idea. I immediately started to think about what I could do and had it in the back of my mind while planning for my graduation.

Empowering women is a hard topic, but I thought to myself, “this is a fun, lighthearted way to approach it, with power and an offbeat spin to it.”

 

What are your favourite details from the illustrations?
The shoe, laughing with its mouth and sharp teeth. It’s just vicious! And the cat, wearing boots and a thong. It’s a bit teasing. I wanted to communicate the empowering message in a cheeky, humoristic way. By taking on this serious topic, but with a mischievous smile — just like the cat.

 

Is there a message or theme you always try to portray in your work?
Maybe not always, but I’m very drawn to the surreal and I think a lot of my work reminds one of a dream. I like it when you can’t tell what’s real and what’s only happening inside a character’s head.

 

Which challenges did you meet during the creation of the artwork?
I wanted to create something to show that I really care, in a way that you haven’t seen before. Which in turn made me scared about failing, because I want my thoughts and feelings connected to the theme to be perceived as they are — genuine. I wanted to create something for young girls and women that could be both fun to see and to feel empowered by.

 

 

Any advice on how to find one’s style?
It’s important to not be afraid to draw something that’s not trendy or feels embarrassing to you — if you feel that way, I think it’s a good sign. Personally, I work a lot with nostalgia, like old movies and video games. But I also take a lot of inspiration from my dreams. I would also recommend asking yourself, “What moves me? Why am I interested in this?” Also, before making art, try to copy stuff you like to understand WHY you like it.
Knowing your art history can be good too, it was after I took a course in art history that I knew that I wanted to create art instead.

 

What are those nostalgic things that still inspire you?
My childhood bedroom and the objects in there. It can be old clothes, curtains, jewelry or books and video games. One video game I remember fondly is Spyro the Dragon, which was the first game I played. TV-shows and films that I watched growing up, like Sailor Moon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Resan till Melonia by Per Åhlin. I used to watch my dad’s VHS of Yellow Submarine over and over which really made an impact on me. As I got older, I discovered manga. The one I remember the most was called NANA, — it’s about two girls moving to a new city, sharing an apartment and the challenges of adulthood.

 

If you could talk to your 15-year-old self, what would you say?
It might sound cliché, but I would probably say something like appreciate your brain and your world, don’t try to hide it. And maybe don’t stretch your ears that much — you will regret it.

 

What does female empowerment mean to you?
I try to create female characters that don’t necessarily have the stereotypical attributes of a woman. When drawing self-portraits, my characters have been perceived as male in the past. I think that says something about our visual expectations on women.
 

However, I still love giving my characters typical female attributes like big lashes, hair, or lips — but at the same time they can have broad shoulders, big noses and bodies. I like to think of my characters as blobs — they can shapeshift into different versions of themselves (something I’ve noticed that happens from frame to frame in my comics) and it doesn’t really matter if they are a boy or a girl. I guess I’m trying to create a middle ground between the Tomb Raider woman and the hyper-masculine one.

 

What makes you feel empowered?
When I solve a technical problem - usually in Blender (3D software). Just because you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of dudes when browsing YouTube for tutorials and it can be a bit tiresome. It’s always nice to see girls making 3D tutorials. Shout out to Intranetgirl!

 

Who is your greatest inspiration?
My classmates — we collectively grew and learned from each other; I think that’s very beautiful. Other artists I look up to right now are Austin Lee, Lala Albert and Sophie Koko. And my friend Sara Kupari — I love her. I’m wearing a tee right now that she made. 

 

Which values are important to you in your work? 
Hmm, honesty is very important to me, creating things that feel genuine. It means so much to me when I’m able to reach someone through my personal stories and I think those are my strongest memories from experiencing other people’s art as well.

 

What do you think are the biggest challenges for young artists in the creative industry? 
A lot of artists my age feel like their art needs to save the world, which I feel is somewhat unfair. At the same time, there is much that needs to be done and we all want to inspire change for the better. I think it’s about finding a balance.

 

Do you feel like the illustration and design industry is empowering? 
I feel like my friends and I are very good at taking care of each other! There can be a lot of competition and sometimes unnecessary comparing of art styles, but we're also good at having each other’s backs. The creative world should be more like a big collective, where we collaborate, create, and lift each other up.

 

Do you feel there's a lot of competition between artists? 
It can be a lot of competition, but I think we’re also good at looking out for each other. Often the competition comes from the outside rather than from the actual artists. It’s important to not let that affect us.

 

Any tips of other artists and illustrators to keep an eye open for? 
There are so many — I’m very into Lala Albert and Austin Lee right now, but in my magazine Katla you can find lots of people that I think you should keep an eye out for!

 

You’ve just graduated, tell us a little bit about your biggest learnings?
To me, trusting your intuition is very important. You shouldn’t be scared to do something even if it might be far from the assignment. You’re there to learn, but also to create something that you can feel proud of. I think experimenting, collaborating, and spending a lot of time at school, hanging out with your classmates while discussing different ideas and emotions, is the most important thing.

What is your dream for the future, career wise? 
Hmm, that’s hard - I want to do so much, haha. But I would like to write a graphic novel at some point and keep doing illustration and design work. Also work more with 3D, animation and hopefully create more films. I love when I get to combine my two biggest interests: art and music.

 

Do you have any other exciting projects coming up?
I’m a co-founder and editor of a comic zine called Katla together with my friend Mattias Wallenius. I do comics for a Swedish publication called “Det Grymma Svärdet”, so keep an eye out for my work there! This fall, I’ll also be working on my BA project, which is a 3D animated film, and submit it to some festivals. 

 

Tell us about your magazine, Katla?
I founded Katla together with Mattias, and we’re both also editors. 
Katla is a space for new artists where it’s not so important to do perfect work, but rather a place for having fun and experimenting with visual storytelling. For us, the images are as important as the written word. 

 

Where to buy Katla: 
Konst-ig – a bookstore specialising in publications on architecture, art, design, fashion, graphic design & photography, found at Södermalm, Stockholm. 
  

Rönnells – an antiquarian bookstore specialized in fiction, art, & academic literature, found at Östermalm, Stockholm.

 

Where's the best place in Stockholm, for you, to get inspiration?
By the water, it’s something about the sea and the bridges. I enjoy walking around Skeppsholmen, but also the Slussen area. I love to just walk around and look at ornaments, different color combinations and windows. My childhood bedroom had a beautifully arch window, and that has really stayed with me and features a lot in my work.