Karima Baadilla

Karima Baadilla’s work has a strong focus on creating a narrative of everyday life, migrant identity, and community. Her art practice includes exploring collaboration as a way of making art.

Karima is a co-director of The Artists Guild - a social enterprise with a focus of championing women in the Arts - and the founder of Open Close Gallery, a moveable and nomadic gallery.

Tell us a bit about your work. I work across different mediums depending on the context of the work. But generally I do sculptures in ceramics and paintings in oils and acrylics

How long have you identified as being an artist? Probably about 5 yrs-ish!

How does where you live affect your artworks? I think it does - I can clearly see the colours of the season affecting my work

How did you come across this medium / your style? I studied ceramics in RMIT but I have always loved painting and drawing

Best advice for new artists? Keep making work, sometimes you don’t know where it’s going but with time it will make sense

What motivates you to create? I see it as a practice, some people practice yoga, art is mine. And you do yoga daily as a way of life - same with art

Who or what are your biggest influences artistically? My friends and community are probably my biggest influences, they inspire me with their friendship and my desire to collaborate and share with them

How have you developed your career? Slowly, lol

Where do you find inspiration? From my friends mostly - but also just from random daydreaming

When are you at your most creative? After a good sleep haha

How has your style changed over time? My style is probably still changing and probably will be for a while

What do you listen to whilst you create? Podcasts, audiobooks and music

Tell us about this exhibition? This exhibition is about my friendship with Marisa and how we both have been encouraging each other to do art and keep going when things are hard. Friends makes everything better.