January 2023 AIR: Natasha Moustache
WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE THE WORK OF OUR JANUARY ARTIST IN RESIDENCE NATASHA MOUSTACHE
Q & A
Q: CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE INTERSECTION OF CULTURAL INHERITANCE AND COLONIAL INFLUENCE IN YOUR WORK? ARE THERE ANY CULTURAL OBJECTS YOU HOPE TO INHERIT FOR YOUR HOME?
Photographing the domestic spaces my subjects inhabit is a significant part of my work. It’s one of the ways I am able to visualize the pervasive threads of colonial influence woven throughout the Diaspora. In my childhood home there are two sitting rooms. The living room – the most unlived in room in the house, and the family room – where my Mother and I spent most of our time together. Tonally the family room is warm, with dark, wood furniture, hand-carved Kenyan sculptures on the mantel, and worn coasters featuring idyllic coastal scenes of the Seychelles islands. The living room is much brighter. The couches are Ethan Allen, white-ish with a blue floral pattern. On the wall hangs a vaguely impressionist painting of a generic landscape in a baroque style frame; across the room an upright piano stands alone. The rooms couldn’t feel more dissimilar and only one is saved for guests and holiday gatherings. Looking at the décor now, I can see clearly the British and French influence that came to signify wealth and class. However, as my mother grew up in a colonized Africa, the significance of the Euro-aesthetic is also part of the cultural inheritance.
In subjects born in the States, I noticed similar aesthetic choices. For example in Call To Serve, the Mona Lisa hangs next to an Obama magazine cover on the wall of a South-Side apartment in Dearborn Homes. The colonial influence is so inescapable, at times it’s part of the cultural inheritance.
I have a few pieces around the house that I feel culturally tied to. A Maasai shuka from Kenya is something I wear often at home. However, every Seychellois family I know has a Coco De Mer; the national fruit of Seychelles. It is the largest nut in the world and only grows on the Seychelles islands. In order to bring one home, one must first purchase an official ticket and license. My Mother’s is placed directly under the coffee table in the living room.
Q: PERSONALLY, I LOVE TAILORING INSTAGRAM'S ALGORITHM TO SHAPE WHAT I WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD. HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR ART MAKING? WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU LIKE OR DISLIKE ABOUT THE APP?
Oh gosh. What’s to like? I say this as someone who is admittedly addicted to the doom scroll. I certainly take advantage of the stories feature. I appreciate the impermanence. I find usefulness in sharing and gathering information – whether that’s social justice related, political, queer-specific, or for self-promotion. When freelance photography was my primary focus I used social media to build a brand and found much of my work that way. However, I don’t use Instagram to engage with artists’ work so much as I use it to engage with artists and friends. It’s more of a rolodex than a visual aide.
Q: FILM PHOTOGRAPHY IS A SLOWER PROCESS AND MANY EXPECT TO SEE THE RESULTS OF SHORTLY AFTER IMAGES ARE TAKEN. HOW DO YOU CONTEND WITH THIS DURING A PHOTOSHOOT?
I don’t find that to be an issue so much as an opportunity to continue engaging with a subject in the future. There may be a moment of disappointment when the subject realizes there’s no instant gratification, but once I explain the process and the time involved folks tend to understand - especially when I’m photographing with equipment that looks archaic to most people. Most importantly, I always come back with a print and often times that is the difference between the beginning of a relationship and a ‘photoshoot.’
Q: I APPRECIATE THE LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS THAT YOU MAKE WITH YOUR SUBJECTS. FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS INTERESTED IN MAKING SIMILAR CONNECTIONS, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT MEETING NEW SUBJECTS AND GETTING INVITED INTO THEIR SPACES?
I’m an intuitive photographer, and I’ll only photograph people I’m drawn to. If I chose to make a portrait of someone it means I’m already interested in their story. I ask a lot of questions and I’m genuinely curious. I think that’s the key. Be interested, and don’t be shy about it. If given the opportunity, people will tell you anything. We all want to be listened to. All you have to do is ask.
Q: WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WATCHING, LISTENING , AND READING ?
I don’t watch too much TV but I do edit to CNN and every so often I binge watch a series. (I not-so-secretly binged Love is Blind but I’m watching it through a lesbian lens so I feel like it’s particularly terrifying.) I listen to a lot of country music and if that seems unexpected, ask me about Kenyan’s love of country music - speaking of the intersection of colonial influence and cultural heritage. Glissant’s Poetics of Relation is always on my desk, but post-grad school I’ve just finished my first non-academic novel- though one could argue it’s research-adjacent: What My Bones Know. There’s a lot to dig into for those who grew up first-generation, in particular the traditions and language that are often left behind.
NATASHA MOUSTACHE
Natasha Moustache is a photographic artist based in Chicago. Moustache’s work reflects their experience as a first-generation, Seychellois-American and explores the interconnectedness and transnationality of the Black Diaspora. Their work regularly engages strangers as collaborator-participants. Natasha’s work has been exhibited at the Houston Center for Photography, the International Center for Photography, and the Center for Photography at Woodstock where they were an Artist in Residence. Most recently Moustache received the Snider Prize from the Museum of Contemporary Photography. Moustache holds a BFA from Simmons College (2004) and an MFA from Columbia College Chicago (2021) where they received the 2019 Stuart Abelson Travel Fellowship.