Artists in Conversation -India Mullen & Johannah Lordan
H.A.B. presents ‘Strange Quarks’ - India Mullen and Johannah Lordan’s exhibition, curated by Allegra Venturi
Photography by: John Armour
1. Hey! It’s lovely speaking with you all. Could you please introduce yourselves and share a bit about your backgrounds?
India: Thank you for chatting with us! I’m India, I’m from Ireland originally, though I’ve lived in East London for the past 7 years. My background is in film and theater, primarily as an actor, and also writer/director, but like most east London creatives, my job description is getting more and more ambiguous haha, as I work across lots of different mediums now.
Allegra: Hi! It’s so lovely to chat with you. I’m Allegra, I was born and raised in London but am originally Spanish-Italian- so most people can’t quite pinpoint where my Transatlantic accent is from! I studied Art History and Film Studies in New York, which is where I began Curating exhibitions and working in Event Production. After college, I studied acting, and have recently started working as a Producer and Director on different projects.
Johannah: Hello! My name is Johannah, I’m also from Ireland. I’ve lived in London for just over three years and before that I was living in New York. My background is in design – I studied Art History, Visual Communications and Exhibition & Installation Design in Dublin and New York. My work has been a moving practice, often taking me through various disciplines. I work with textiles under An Mhaith Studio, a environmentally & socially conscious fashion brand, and have been focused on painting and writing for many years – they are integral to my practice.
2. How did each of you get into your respective fields - acting, photography, painting, designing, show curating…?
India: I grew up in a very creative family, my Dad’s an architect and photography lover, my two brothers are a graphic designer and an artist/architect, and my Mum and sister work in caring roles but are both very creative and love theatre and art. I think by osmosis I picked up my interests from them all. And learned so much from watching them all create things and work on various projects in the house. Different family members taught me how to use a camera or draw and my sister is an incredible actor even though she went into social work. So I stole my identity from them all!
Allegra: My dad was a travel photographer and went on to open his own Publishing company, whereas my mom continuously worked on diverse projects- from designing jewelry, publishing books, and most recently starting her own company. I was inspired by their creativity and found myself always trying new things. My mom first instilled my love for Film from a young age. I remember watching all the classics and endlessly reciting quotes from each film. I grew up going to exhibitions and seeing theater, which helped me develop my own perception and taste in Art. I began curating shows while in college as a way to provide young artists working in different fields with opportunities to showcase their work.
Johannah: Honestly, I think I was trying to understand life in a different way to what I grew up with. I resisted my creativity and it wasn’t until I made a series of misguided choices that I eventually gave it my full attention – I think I still need reminding. I was naturally quite artistic as a child and always loved fashion and clothes but I didn’t know that ‘work’ could be creative. When I started studying art I devoured it, then Visual Communications taught me process and gave me a framework allowing me to develop ideas and concepts in a more pragmatic way which I have applied to An Mhaith Studio. Painting, drawing and writing were always an outlet for me, I’m not sure what inspired and encouraged it but I always found myself making something or doing something with my hands.
3. Can you tell us how the concept for "Strange Quarks" came to life? Why did you feel it was important that you told this story together?
India: Johannah and I went to school together and were in art class together but it was after school that we became really close, and one of our huge connections was always around the ideas we had, or the work we were making across different mediums. We realised this year, that each of us had been exploring abstract iterations of unseen elements- from very different standpoints and in very different styles, but that we had unconsciously both been exploring elements of physics and metaphysics. I think we both try to understand the world around us, and the parts of life that don’t make sense to us, through our art. And we wanted to share as we explore, and break down the idea that work isn’t worth sharing until it’s perfect. It’s not about that in my opinion. It’s about connecting with other people and collaborating on mutual interests.
Johannah: We had been speaking about doing an exhibition for about a year, and wanted to collaborate on something for years before. I respect India so much as an artist and creative, and I have always felt that she similarly held me. Doing the exhibition together was a chance to be brave and bold, knowing we were 100% supported. We spend so much of our time discussing abstract ideas, and at the beginning of this summer we realised we were obsessing over the same themes, energy, space and time, the unseen, death & rebirth. We both have a tendency to wait for perfection but we wanted Strange Quarks to be a lesson in letting go, to share our findings in the now, in this specific moment, not because it’s finished or perfect but because it’s a snapshot of where we are at now.
4. What made you feel that your individual works would complement each other for this joint project? How did you find the balance between your different styles?
India: We felt that it was interesting that you could be working on similar ideas and the visuals to be almost opposite to each other. Because all opposites are still on the same spectrum, and for this particular show we chose similar mediums and a traditional style of hanging etc, even though we both work in many other mediums. But paintings and contained imagery was the commonality for this show, almost like small look-ins to a wider story and conversation Jo and I are having together.
Johannah: When we looked at our work we could see how clearly we were working with similar themes but our execution and process were very different. There is a conversation happening between our work, highlighting two distinct voices and further highlighting that the same stories can have multiple narratives, which is very Strange Quarks! Our respective work seems to fill in the negative space of its counterparts – when I go in, she goes out and vice versa. The balance is in the juxtaposition, there is movement or the suggestion of movement that creates this unexpected flow – the shapes and colours riffing off eachother.
5. We are aware this is your first exhibition - Congratulations! What has the experience been like curating this show? What were some of the highlights?
India: Thank you!! Without sounding twee, the highlights for me were definitely the people. Allegra and Johannah are such impressive artists and humans and it was all done with such love and generosity. And then once we met HAB it was pretty magic how supportive and nurturing the whole team were and continue to be. So the people involved were what made it so fun for me.
Allegra: Putting together this exhibition was such a rewarding experience which I feel endlessly grateful to have been a part of. India and Johannah are such passionate, hardworking, and talented artists. They place so much importance on collaboration, which is something I truly value when working on any project. The team at HAB have also been such a dream to work with- like India said, it’s the people involved that really helped shape the show.
Johannah: My highlights were the team for sure! Allegra and India, the whole HAB crew, it was such a joy to be in a space where we felt equally proud of the work and those we worked with. My paintings explore the human experience, and the moments that inform my work are times like this. To be able to look back and say we all worked together on this show brings a smile to my face. I am so proud of what we have accomplished and even prouder that we got to do it together.
6. Can you share the inspiration behind the pieces in this series? What themes or ideas were you exploring?
India: My paintings are based on a sort of 2D visual interpretation of lattice QCD, a quantum field theory. I’ve been obsessed with reading about it lately, very nerdy, but it explores time and space and dimensions. The paintings are inspired by abstract visuals of this grid which represents it at a macro scale, and the photos are based on pockets of fixed moments in space and time and the way we perceive those two things as humans, on a micro scale.
I shot most of the pictures on 3200 film so they are unclear and grainy and ambiguous, a bit like how we perceive memory, and the constant change of the spaces and objects that we interact with.
Johannah: These paintings depict my various states of emotion, closest relationships, hope, enlightenment, my greatest loses and highest achievements over the recent years. I was trying to gain clarity and immortalise a certain moment, a feeling, and subsequently transmute it whether it was deemed negative or positive at the time, it still ‘was’ and is part of my story, irrevocably changing me from the before. I have a habit of needing to transmute my energy in order to decipher it, and find deeper understanding of where I am at and where I am going. The work can become a talisman and other times a gentle reminder of how far we’ve come.
7. Are there any artists, photographers, or other creatives you look up to? How have they influenced your work?
India: Ooooh so many. My parents love mid century artists like William Scott, Ben Nicholson, David Hockey, so their abstract, minimal works definitely influenced me. And I adore photographers like Lisetta Carmi and Nan Goldin who record intimate moments, particularly moments that capture queer experiences and communities.
Johannah: My goodness, yes. Hilma af Klint is my obsession. Once I found out about her sceances, queerness and that she was in fact the ‘mother of modernism’ I was hooked.
I saw GR Santosh’s painting last year at Frieze – seeing his work gave me more insight into my own, encouraging me to go deeper. I’m heavily influenced by the Bauhaus designers and their principles. For me concept, function, material are all intrinsic parts of my work – I’m constantly considering the human experience, keeping in mind how an object will engage with people, through all facets of a creation.
8. India, do you feel there's a connection between your acting career and your newly found passion for photography? How do these two creative outlets come together for you?
India: Definitely! I almost feel that acting came as the new passion in my life, when I left school. In a way I feel more connected to visual mediums, and as a child was always quite obsessed with film from a visual standpoint and in visual art. But they are all one and the same to me, and each have taught me so much about what I’m in to, and informed styles across the different mediums. Now that I’m directing and writing film, I feel that I’ve learned about the details of what different departments do by exploring the different aspects individually, from design to camera to cast. It feels like a culmination of my various interests.
9. Johannah, your work often explores shapes and movement. Do you see a connection between your artistic practice and your other areas of expertise, like yoga and pilates?
Johannah: Yesss! I love that you asked that question because it’s been during this exhibition process that I have truly come to understand my work a bit more. When I was younger I used to love to dance, was obsessed with choreography and Destiny’s Child, Britney of course. Movement and dance, are still really important to me, but I never really drew the parallels to my painting until now. When I dance I feel in a trance, I allow my body to lead the way through what it feels like it needs, which is also how I paint. And with Yoga and Pilates, you engage with your body in such a mindful way that leads to a deep sense of peace, a place of meditation.
10. How do you feel Have A Butcher's contributed to the development and presentation of your exhibition?
India: Have A Butchers have been such a hugely influential and helpful support network throughout this process. They gave us so much trust and encouragement which was incredibly special for our first show, because it allowed us all to trust our instincts and learn on our feet. And they shared their expertise and guidance in areas that were new to us, all while making us feel so welcome in their space. We cannot thank the HAB team enough. They are truly amazing.
Allegra: Where to begin! Have A Butchers have been incredibly supportive, professional and such wonderful people to work with. They fully put their trust in our vision and helped us make it the best it can be. I looked forward to going into the gallery every morning!
Johannah: Have A Butchers facilitated Strange Quarks in a way I can’t imagine we would have found anywhere else. It feels serendipitous. I feel like we walked in and were instantly treated like an extension of the team. Everyone was so helpful, and excited to hear about our work and be a part of the exhibition. I felt so supported by Have A Butchers and giddy that they wanted to work with us.
11. Finally, what’s next for both of you after "Strange Quarks"? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations we should look out for?
India: I’m returning to acting and film next- I’m shooting a series in Wales over the Autumn and am in pre-production to direct my first short film with the greatest team, which I’m very excited about.
Allegra: I am currently working on a few projects in Event Production and am in Pre-Production for a short film as a Producer. I’m really excited to see what the future holds!
Johannah: I’m working on a new project focusing on the community and creating more opportunities to connect to ourselves on a deeper level. Alongside that I am deepening my understanding of the physical body, training as a Pilates instructor and using the body as the medium.
Follow the artists to stay up to date with their work: @indiamullen, @i_reckon, @allegraventuri_, and @have.a.butchers to catch up with our upcoming shows!