Artist Sarah Bahbah transforms her messages into neon in her new collection, in partnership with yellowpop.
Sarah Bahbah 's film photographs capture the emotions of everyday life. From intense situations to ordinary moments, her work combines powerful human subjects with provocative and sometimes cheeky captions. As part of her collaboration with yellowpop, launching on March 22, 2021, Bahbah brings some of her favorite phrases to life. The collection is a limited edition. Each neon will be made in 50 pieces. From Hello, Bitch à Dreams in Melancholythe yellowpop x Sarah Bahbah collection perfectly expresses the different mood swings we can all have. We can't wait to share these pieces with you. To celebrate the launch, we interviewed the artist to talk about her creative process, designing art in the digital age, and loving all aspects of her personality.
Tell us about your journey as an artist. When did you start making art? How has your practice evolved over time?
I started as a photographer in festivals and concerts. I photographed people in full freedom, full of emotion. I was fascinated by the idea of photographing these people who were living moments of intense intimacy, and then I realized that there was a great imbalance in me. That's when I started to work on my traumas and meditate on my emotional landscape. Through this, I gained the confidence to express my true personal art. My art practice grew as I became more comfortable with my vulnerability, as the two go hand in hand.
Today, the Internet and art are inextricably linked. Has having an immediately available audience impacted the way you create? Does the Internet influence your subjects or your approach to art making?
The convergence between the art world and the social media world is fairly recent, so it's a dynamic we're all still trying to figure out. Personally, it has no influence on the way I create, but it does help the format I use in many ways. Through social networking, I can present my work to the world, being solely responsible for its distribution. Also, the accessibility of social networks is what makes them great. People can see, enjoy and share art in a way that has never existed before.
For young women like me, your comments about love and dating really ring true. Do you think it's always been this difficult, even though we now have the tools to communicate in real time? Or has the internet culture made things even more confusing?
I think it's both. Although there is still a lot of progress to be made, more women now have the safety and support to speak their truth. Society has changed and the internet has been both a blessing and a curse. It has certainly helped us get our voices heard and listen to others, but I'm not convinced that we really know how to understand and emotionally control what happens "online." That's a pretty small way of describing the complexity of love and the world.
If you could do it all over again, would you be a teenager in 2021?
I never really thought about it, but I don't think so. I am enjoying my learning process and I am happy in my life.
If you had one piece of advice to give to the young girl you were, what would it be?
In a way, my work speaks to the teenager I was. My art is about exposing, but also about looking at myself and protecting myself. So my advice to my younger self would be to love yourself. That means respecting and appreciating yourself, not only for your positive sides, but also for your more unpleasant sides, challenging yourself with sincerity and vulnerability, and most importantly, LOVE ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR PERSON.
We love the energy of your Sex & Takeout series from a few years ago. Do you think the culture that has emerged from the pandemic makes the story even more current?
You are absolutely right. It's perfectly fine to revisit Sex & Takeout and interpret it through the narrative of Covid's pandemic. I never thought Sex & Takeout would come back to the forefront like this, but I'm glad it did and hope it can bring some comfort to those who have been locked up for a year.
Your art has a distinctive cinematic character. How did your subtitles and filmic framing come about?
My work is definitely inspired by cinema. I am really attracted to foreign films. This is partly due to the way I perceive them. Although the beauty of foreign films is difficult to access, subtitles are an active attempt to understand. Back in my tumblr days, I was always drawn to screenshots and clips from foreign films. I would catch myself interpreting the subtitled images with my own narratives. That's when the idea came to me to create a story that would look like a movie, but would actually be a photograph. The combination of the caption and the still image allowed me to personalize my work while keeping the themes accessible and interesting.
We can't wait to launch our brand new collection, in collaboration with you! Would you like to tell us about it in a few words? Or tell us about its creative process?
I really enjoyed exploring having stand-alone neon subtitles! Finding new ways to practice my art while telling my story has been an exciting experience. These neon lights really transform the mood of a room and I would love for everyone to turn them on with the intention of embodying what the captions express.
Besides neon lights, do you have any alternative media you would like to explore through your art?
Absolutely! Last year, I launched my Lazy Cake sweatpants brand. The subtitles are embroidered on the joggers (and cakes). I may also write a TV series.
Have you ever jumped on the NTF (non-fungible token) bandwagon? As an artist with a viral reach, do you think the concept is valid?
Yes! I can't wait to launch my first collection. I think this concept has merit as long as the crypto community is interested in serious art collections, curators and art lovers who buy NFTs because they appreciate the art, not just the name.
What's next for you? Are you working on something fun or exciting that you would like to share with us?
Yes, I have created a new series that will be released on April 1st. And I can already say that it is my favorite series so far ;)