If Art is a reflection of the times, then Artists, artmakers and creators of things, continue to give us clear insight into our ever changing world-s at any given moment in time. Artists continue to document our existence, very often inventing lives we can only dream of, reminding us of what was, but always I think, revealing the range of worlds, parallel streams, coexisting simultaneously, hidden in plain sight – as we navigate our own course.
The more I listen to artists, the more it becomes obvious that it is necessary for us to not only acknowledge Artists and creative folks as “gifted and talented” but rather as essential guides in the process of understanding and seeing… (“Ways of Seeing” inspiration from George Lamming).
Have Your Cake and Eat it Too, 2023 By Mahrinnart – Marinna Shareef
49 ¾” x 39 ¾” Art print on canvas, embellished with pearls and sequins, Mixed media
Marinna Shareef (1998, B. Trinidad & Tobago) is a multimedia artist aka Mahrinnart completed her Fine Arts degree at the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago) in 2018. She has exhibited at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago and was a part of the Emerging Artists group exhibition during Carifesta in 2019. Shareef was the recipient of the Eastman-Christensen Award for Visual Arts Award for Excellence in Year II (UWI, 2019) and received the Catapult Arts Grant in 2022.
Shareef’s most recent exhibition entitled GOD OF MANIA, opens the door to uncharted territory for many of us, as it focuses on Bipolar Disorder, a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). Shareef recalls her early experience with bipolar disorder as “cycling rapidly through manic and depressive episodes” during her studies at University, as a child, she remembers the “good girl” and the “bad girl” within, constantly competing, fighting for her attention.
With work that references the personal, it is necessary to take the time and go beyond the surface to fully grasp what the artist wants to share. My first encounter with Marinna Shareef’s work goes back to 2017/2018 when I was in search of a younger generation of Caribbean and Trinbagonian artists who were talking about unconventional stories via my cultural writing (CULTUREGO). Marinna’s digital collages on bipolar disorder – a somewhat taboo and underrepresented subject back then, and still – caught my attention for several reasons: her age, a female Caribbean voice, Indo-trinbagonian identity, her incorporation of mixed media, Caribbean motifs (real curry powder used in her Curry Gyal series, 2018. Exhibition blue and orange, Grundlos Kollektiv,Trinidad & Tobago) and her openness about the real-life challenges of managing bipolar episodes. Shareef’s work reminded me of my long gone obsession with Lisa Frank stationery – with loud, bright, imposing colours and bold, clean graphic lines. However a closer look made it clear that this was no fun-filled, dopamine- rush Lisa Frank party.
Fast forward to about 6 years later, Shareef’s GOD OF MANIA while not as sensorially immersive as her UWI degree show “The Attack Room” (2019) at the National Museum and Art Gallery (Port of Spain, TT), still guides us through the episodes of mania and depression, with a series of large scale paintings, mixed media and 3D works. Using the Birthday party as the backdrop or mise en scene, the works translate the literal highs and lows, from euphoria to extreme despair (and everything else in between) which one may experience during a bipolar episode.
In her artist statement Shareef explains/ writes:
“I have begun to use the concept of a continuous birthday party to describe mania. The constant high that mania gives can be compared to the overly saturated look of a birthday party, where intensely sweet items are eaten and constant enjoyment is to be had – to the point where you cannot keep up with the high. Similarly, I have been using dream and sleep motifs to symbolize depression, as low functioning depression feels like a tired, sleepy, crippling spell has been cast on you.”
I had the opportunity to chat with Marinna about this show, the direction of her ongoing work/ research and most importantly the hows and whys of it all. How does Art help us beyond the aesthetic? How could we create more space for artmakers to engage us about their concerns and desires? What about Art as therapeutic and cathartic? Are we really looking to Art and artists as an integral part of our healing on a personal and societal level?
God of Mania, 2023 Mahrinnart – Marinna Shareef
Exhibition Image
Interview
AG: Can you talk about the time period of the body of work presented in God of Mania and the process of making intimate work like this?
MS: I started after graduating university in 2019 and wanted to continue making. My last piece that was on show, ‘The Attack’ room installation was my biggest success to date and I was ready to further my investigation into exploring my bipolar disorder visually. I thought of creating a sort of ‘bipolar mythology,’ where there is a tale of two gods, the manic and depressive gods that live in their respective worlds and rule over the mortals – as in rule over me. So how do I create this world for others to see? I began to plan and write and sketch and even research other gods in other cultures like Hathor the god of happiness in Egypt. I ended up with about 12 large scale paintings and a similar amount of digital portraits where I played and performed as these gods. It was a time where I felt like an artist. I know I am an artist but I think due to my age sometimes I feel like an imposter. Getting up, putting water in your paintbrush bowl and just getting back to a painting that you’re pleased with is such a beautiful feeling. There were many days where the opposite happened of course, where I hated everything I touched, but I got through them in the end. It was a beautiful time for the most part.
When did you decide to incorporate your personal story of bipolar disorder in your art practice?
I’ve always used art as a sort of outlet to express emotion, even in my art for exams in CAPE. It was only in university, my lecturer Alex Kelly made me question why I was using other portraiture in my work to explore my emotions instead of doing self exploration using my own face. It made so much sense that I had no idea why I hadn’t thought of it before.
Clowning Around, 2021 By Mahrinnart – Marinna Shareef
57” x 54” mixed media on canvas
You reference your personal story “as an Indo-Caribbean woman…, cyclic trauma” as well as intergenerational memory and negative family relationships in your practice since 2018/ 2019. Why are these important points of departure for you?
As an Indo-Caribbean woman who has had some negative experiences due to the rigidity of that culture, I’ve begun to explore trauma in my work. I haven’t publicly shown too much of this work yet, but will later this year. That doesn’t mean it isn’t connected however. Bipolar disorder is triggered by something or various things and of course growing up in a household where you feel like you have to perform to be a perfect woman can have some effects on your life, ones that you will realize coming into your 20’s. Creating these paintings have made me realize a lot about how my brain worked, but didn’t scratch the surface on things I had suppressed. Things have gotten a lot better however, and through creating work, I have been able to face things along the way.
Your pieces have always included collage & 3D elements (UWI ‘The Attack room’ installation, curry (Curry gyal Series), glitter, balloons, in this show: sewing & pearls, a rug…) how did this decision come about or what’s your fascination with collage and installation work?
If I feel a work is too flat or needs an element of interest to it, I will definitely try to add something that makes sense theoretically to the piece. I love anything that can immerse the viewer more, and make them ask why? We’ve as artists have painted for so long on canvas, it’s cool to add more to that.
Kiss Cake Rug, 2022 By Mahrinnart – Marinna Shareef
10” x 10” Yarn
Are there any artists who influence and inspire you (regional & international) and what do you enjoy in their work-s?
Devan Shimoyama from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has had my interest for a while! His work is equally as glittery and colorful and focuses on folklore. He definitely has inspired me in my own work with his use of texture and graphic sort of collage work. I also admire Suchitra Mattai’s work and the way she uses Indian clothes and fabric to create objects or fiber installations. They are so unlike anything I have seen before but are made with things so familiar to me. Her work reminds me of Indian fairytales and I would love to live in them.
This show creates a “mythology” around bipolar disorder; you’ve also elevated the “emotional poles” to God status. I find that a very interesting choice, given the obvious association to power & control. Can you tell me more about that thought process?
When I was younger, I always used to think of this about myself. That there were three people in my head, one good, one bad, and they would be fighting with each other and I could do nothing but watch and feel the pain of them fighting. That is how I think I explained my mixed episodes before I knew words for anything. So from that sort of metaphor I came up with my two gods and their mortals. These emotions were just so uncontrollable that they felt god-like to me. People who experience mania can tell you- really bad episodes can make you feel like you can accomplish anything, you can feel like a god. So that good person in my head wasn’t good, she just had power and energy, which my depressive side never had.
Blueberry Cake, 2023 By Mahrinnart – Marinna Shareef
10” x 10” mixed media, cardboard, clay and resin.
What are your intentions and hopes with this current series of work for the persons who view/ experience it?
I usually just hope that the work can de-stigmatize and help others understand bipolar disorder or even those that experience it, but I realize that particularly for this show I would love to inspire people to create. I love to be able to go to a show and see paintings and be in love with how they paint or their use of color or texture and be able to experiment myself when I go home. My hope is always to bring awareness of course, but to inspire others and uplift artists.
Exhibition: GOD OF MANIA, Marinna Shareef
Curated by Ashraph
The Frame Shop a Space Inna Space
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
02 September – 16 September, 2023
BIOGRAPHY
Marinna Shareef (1998, B. Trinidad & Tobago) is a multimedia artist Mahrinnart (aka Marinna Shareef) completed her Fine Arts degree at the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago) in 2018. She has exhibited at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago and was a part of the Emerging Artists group exhibition during Carifesta in 2019. Shareef was the recipient of the Eastman-Christensen Award for Visual Arts Award for Excellence in Year II (UWI, 2019) and received the Catapult Arts Grant in 2022.
In 2021, Shareef further explored her craft at the Momentum virtual recent graduate residency and continued to do so as the sole recipient of the Alice yard x The Caribbean Digital Residency in 2022. Since 2021, Mahrinnart has been one of the 20+ contemporary artmakers highlighted on HOT SUN Caribbean Contemporary Art.
Mahrinna continues to use both mixed media painting and digital media to explore her experience as an indo-caribbean woman and to navigate her thoughts and emotions on cyclic trauma and bipolar disorder.
IG: @mahrinnart