In this era where technology influences our human experience, from the way we interact with what surrounds us to the way we build our human relationships. It is inevitable that for new generations mobile devices will become an essential part of our daily activities.
In this scenario, Amaan Jahangir, a young 25-year-old artist from Birmingham, United Kingdom, emerges. In his work we can find figurative and impressionist elements, when looking at some of his paintings they remind us of artists like Picasso. Jahangir also uses textual elements that complement his work, such as poems written by him and, more recently, iMessage screenshots.
These latest works are what have earned him notoriety on social networks such as Twitter and Instagram. In them we can see a piece of an iMessage conversation on which an image is placed that increases the emotional connection with what is being read.
It is this combination of simplicity and authenticity that defines Jahangir’s work. For the artist it is impossible to separate his art from his personal experiences and this is what makes his work so recognizable for the young people.
Jahangir’s work is constantly changing, but one variable remains fixed, the idea that his art emanates from his life experiences and that inadvertently, they have also managed to become a beautiful portrait of the human experience in today’s modernity.
César Ríos —Can you tell me your age Amaan?
Amaan Jahangir —Yes, I’m 25 years old
Amaan Jahangir —Do you believe in astrology?
César Ríos —No, but I know many friends who do. I’m Capricorn.
Amaan Jahangir —Guess what I am?
César Ríos — I think because of your energy I could assume that you are an earth sign.
Amaan Jahangir — Yes, I think I’m an earth sign, or at least that’s what I think, I’m a Libra.
César Ríos — How would you describe your art style?
Amaan Jahangir — My art style is probably expressionism and impressionism combined, that’s a good way to put it. I like to write a lot, I don’t outline although I’m trying to learn how to do that. I usually just write or have a paragraph in my mind and then recreate it and especially if you can see it in the iMessage series it’s like poetry in its own form. By the way, all the messages are real.
César Ríos —I was wondering that, are those messages real?
Amaan Jahangir — I’m upset because after we broke up I deleted all the messages and then I realized I might have a ton of these.
César Ríos —Were these messages with a person you were dating?
Amaan Jahangir — Yes, with a classmate, who was my high school sweetheart, we had known each other for about seven years and then we dated for about two years and we broke up and I wanted to make a positive experience a truly negative experience for me and I said I’m going to make art about this and I felt physically bad wanting to post it, but something in my head told me that I had to do it and when I posted it, it resonated with everyone. Which I think it became one of the best performative tweets I’ve ever made and I’ve been tweeting for five or six years.
César Ríos —It’s very cool that you did it in this artistic way and let all your emotions come out.
Amaan Jahangir —Yes and I said screw you if you’re not going to talk to me it’s going to be for my reasons not yours hahaha
César Ríos — I think I once read something like “take your broken heart and turn it into art.”
Amaan Jahangir — There is another one that says, “every time a good writer is born, a family dies,” in the sense that he is going to expose everything about his relationships.
César Ríos — That’s a beautiful thing about art, you can use your emotions to make something beautiful. Since when did you start to realize that you had an inclination for art?
Amaan Jahangir — The reason that attracted me to the world of art is that when I was a child, I was a big fan of Spider-Man and I asked my dad to draw me one . He drew me one with a cowboy hat and I felt very insulted, and I said if you’re going to draw me a Spider-Man with a cowboy hat then I don’t want it I’m going to have to draw it myself.
So from there I started doing my own things and I think it was inadvertently a way to get my parents’ attention. Like that thing when I was a kid when you said my dad didn’t do it right, I’m going to do it right and it’s such a stupid thing hahaha.
César Ríos — Did you decided to study something related to art?
Amaan Jahangir — Yes, but they kicked me out because I wasn’t good hahaha because I didn’t understand it and then when I grew up and started to know Cy Twombly, Basquiat, Marc Chagall, you know all the pillars of art.
Because the problem is that they introduce basic contemporary painting in the sense that they show you a painting with red, blue and yellow, but for me it didn’t say anything and then I started getting more into it and looking at artwork and I thought, oh my god, this It’s the most amazing and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and then I saw that there were people making money from it so I said, I can do this too.
César Ríos — Do you consider that your art has evolved since you were 17 until now?
Amaan Jahangir —Yes, it’s sad because there are works that I did when I was 17 and I love them even more than what I do now, although I’m not perfect with the technique yet, but at that time I didn’t know that much. Everything was more raw, it was like feeling totally fine, not afraid of the consequences or doing something wrong and I reflect on these pieces and think how did I know that, because essentially they became my own hieroglyphs in the sense that I go and I can go back to it years later and say, is that how I felt at that time?
For example, if I was afraid that someone would upset or betray me, I would paint a dagger hidden on my back, and then years later they would betray me, then I would see that piece of art and say damn, I knew it, why did I trust him? ha ha ha
I do everything based on experiences because I feel like with people you can’t say everything you feel, but with paintings there are no reservations because you can essentially say everything you feel.
It’s interesting because you’ve seen the series of messages. Have you seen my poetry? I also write, for example, you can see how I have things in 2017 and if you notice you can see how it has evolved to become the iMessage series.
Something interesting is that my practice is not linear, it starts in one place and ends in another, I make references to the past but also to the future. I also made some love letters and as you can see the concept is the same, but the execution is different.
César Ríos —Yes, the concept is the same, but the execution is different, I can see it. It’s very beautiful because I know several artists who I consider to be good writers and also good visual artists and I think the mix you are achieving here is very beautiful.
Amaan Jahangir — Thank you very much
César Ríos — That’s what I feel about your iMessage series, but I didn’t know you also made them on paper. Now that I’m seeing it, can you explain to me this one that says “I’m love drunk?”
Amaan Jahangir — I really like Cy Twombly’s work, but I didn’t know him because I first knew Basquiat’s work, like everyone, but I don’t know if you knew that Cy Twombly influenced Basquiat and then when I discovered it I said “oh my god” This is where Basquiat got his sources from so I love poetry too.
Also, at that time I drank a lot, I went to parties. Thematically, I was a younger person, I went to more parties, and I dated more women. I’m not saying I’m not young, I still am, but I drank until I had constant blackouts and this piece of poetry seems to be the perfect representation of having those elevated feelings. Like there’s no real shape, everything is distorted. In the same way as when you are drunk or drugged.
With these pieces the intentions were that there were many words to represent those unnatural moments or those exaggerated states of consciousness. Like love drunk that would be a moment and then something else would emerge and this is an attempt to create abstract poetry in a way that has never been done. I want to make this again in my own way.
César Ríos — Is there a specific reason why you were drinking so much alcohol?
Not many people admit it, but anxiety is an excuse. For example, if you are at an art meeting and someone offers you a glass of wine, the easiest thing you can do is say yes. When you’re young and you go to a club and there are a lot of beautiful women and you don’t know how to talk to them and someone comes up and says here’s this magic potion that’s going to help you potentially talk to them or kiss them, you’re going to say, yeah right!
The problem is that you don’t build the pillars for yourself and for example it may be a situation where you are walking and you really like someone, but you don’t have that courage, but if you say maybe I’m not going to drink as much as you build those muscles. I think that’s what I’m trying to figure out right now.
César Ríos — And what do you think it is like to be an artist in these times where we are constantly bombarded with distractions?
Amaan Jahangir — I think I’m going to answer that question in the opposite direction than everyone would answer it. I think in some secret way everyone wishes they were that artist from the 1800s in front of a window, drinking wine without a cell phone around them.
But you have to realize that many artists were not able to become painters in those times, it was much more difficult to be a successful artist, you had to be a unicorn or be supported by the royal family and the living standards were shit and I think we wouldn’t be able to do it if it weren’t for the luxuries of technology. Even right now we wouldn’t be able to have this conversation and learn from each other. Me inviting you to my studio, you inviting me to Mexico.
I think the best thing we can do as artists is not complain, because we live in the easiest time to have social mobility in the history of the world, with the internet and access to everything we have. I have sold many of my works online, I have discovered other works of art online and I wish it were the case that a millionaire came to me and said, “I love you, work for me”, but I think that for the majority of people people that’s not going to happen.
I think we have this unique responsibility where we have machines that are the first generator of dopamine. So that is our responsibility, just as the responsibility of the past was to fight for clean water and clean food. Our battle is against the brain and I am not comparing those battles because each battle is relative
Like I say, I’m not perfect and I’m still trying to figure out my responsibility, we exist in a time where medicine is amazing and we can talk to each other. Human communication is at its best and even more people can see my work. The exhibitions are online and pictures are taken, it’s great when you meet open people, but the problem is that because there are so many people and especially the artistic environments it can be a bit suffocating because there is a lot of noise, but once you block out the noise and you have a sense of direction becomes the perfect recipe for me.
You know that when you have conversations with people you relate to it’s fantastic, but the problem is that, especially with art, it becomes a kind of niche and surely more in Mexico have to say “why are you talking about art? ”, because I imagine that in Mexico the art scene is not that developed, or rather the average person is not very interested.
César Ríos — The art scene in Mexico has a lot of history, there is Frida Kahlo, there have been many great artists in the history of Mexico.
Amaan Jahangir — What is the relationship with art for the average person in Mexico? It’s like in all places where the majority of people don’t care, but there is a small group that does.
César Ríos — Yes, I think the problem in Mexico is that there are many people who believe that art is for intellectuals or the elite and I think that the purpose of our medium is to let them know that this is not the case, to try to democratize it. We believe that perhaps by reading the way artists think you can relate and begin to feel a greater inclination towards art.
Have you seen this video by Ethan Hawke where he says that “most people don’t think about poetry because they have a life to live and they hardly care about Allen Ginsberg’s poems, until their father dies or someone breaks their heart and it’s “That is when you seek to give meaning to life and that is when art stops being a luxury and becomes a necessity.”
Amaan Jahangir — Lately, they tell me that they know me from the iMessage series, it’s a little annoying because I would like them to know that I have seven years of work, not just the messages lol, although I don’t blame them.
César Ríos — No, in fact, I don’t know your art from your iMessage series, it was a little before, but I think they can function as an introduction to your work.
Amaan Jahangir — That’s what I hope because I like the text message series, but I don’t want to be known just for that.
Amaan Jahangir — I‘ll wait because I don’t want a gallery to come and tell me, we need 800 paintings from the text message series hahaha.
César Ríos — Of course not, and many of the pieces you have on your Instagram are very beautiful and unique. Yes, and in fact I want to talk a little about a painting you recently had that you titled The Cost of War. Can you tell me more about it?
Amaan Jahangir — Do you know Goya’s paintings?
César Ríos — Yes, of course, I was recently writing an article about Goya’s Black Paintings. I believe that art has always served to communicate something to the observer and the fact that these paintings were never exhibited makes me think that Goya made them for his own contemplation. He was also a very sensitive artist and what the war had caused had affected him a lot.
Amaan Jahangir — I think we live in difficult times right now when we think about the wars we are going through, of course, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza, and I think the fact that you use your work to express your feelings about the war It’s very interesting.
See if there’s consent in between the people to go to war, I understand that, but if you have civilians dying for me there is nothing that justifies it on a human level. So that piece was inspired by Goya and I wanted to refer to the fact that the true cost of war is the innocent, the deaths of civilians. My heart was broken and I felt horrible, so I had to make a painting that represented that. I’m not an expert on this, I just know what’s wrong, the cost of lives, no one deserves to be in that situation.
César Ríos — When I see the news I wonder if we as humanity are capable of changing, because I believe that we are.
Amaan Jahangir — I believe that we are capable of trying to change and I think that is what we have to try. I believe that we have the ability to try to change.
And it’s unfortunate how with eight million people existing it only takes two people who don’t like each other for a war to start. I’ve always tried to make my work apolitical enough, but in an honest way the cost is the victims and I was thinking about honoring them in a way without having to choose a side.
In the end I think that I have to express my feelings about what is happening in the world and of course it affects me to see the numbers of civilian victims and I think that as a media we must make it clear that we are against any type of violence and I do not think that That’s choosing a side.
I think that we should be peace, the answer should be that. I also have a Guernica piece, have you seen it yet?
César Ríos — I already saw it, it is very beautiful.
Amaan Jahangir — I think I added a lot of details that are my own. The title of that work is What Did You Do to Me?, and I think that is a reference to how chaotic everything has become and we are victims. In Ukraine the situation felt theatrical, from the outside, it seemed that everything was escalating very quickly. We were all like, “what’s happening?”, and it felt like we were all the audience of a certain scenario that we weren’t responsible for, yet we were all feeling the consequences of what was happening.
I think your art resonates a lot with people because it’s really based on human experiences. I couldn’t tell you why it happens like this, but I think that’s my super talent that God gave me and I’m not a very religious person, but I feel like they relate because it feels real.
I think I have this thing, perhaps to my own detriment, that all my art is ridiculously honest, everything is vulnerably honest, I think it’s that way without being cheesy.
For example, it’s like when you’re listening to Drake, who I love by the way, and he’s 35 years old, and in his lyrics he’s complaining about a woman who broke his heart 25 years ago and I’m like “that doesn’t feel real ”
And I think that’s part of my job, it doesn’t focus on the result, it focuses on the feeling because there are many results and I focus on the feelings.
César Ríos — What music are you listening to at the moment?
Amaan Jahangir — Bon Iver, I fucking love it, especially that album 22, a Million I think really impacted my work because it’s like abstract poetry and even in the poetry series there’s a sense of abstract poetry. Recently, I was listening to Drake’s latest album, let me check, also Kiss Land by The Weeknd is a great album.
César Ríos — What do you think of Drake’s latest album?
Amaan Jahangir — Okay, their albums always have three or four good songs, but if you put them on random you wouldn’t be able to tell which album they are from.
César Ríos — I think the first two songs on your new album are good.
Amaan Jahangir — Yes, there is that song with Frank Ocean, I have been listening to Nostalgia Ultra too, do you know it?
César Ríos — Yes, I love Songs for Women, it’s a very good song
Amaan Jahangir — I’ve also listened to Kanye’s Guilt Trip on Yeezus. I think that’s one of my favorite songs, it sounds like a Bon Iver and Kanye type song
I think Kanye releasing a new album is going to be the best because everyone hates him right now.
César Ríos — Any films?
Amaan Jahangir — No, but Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth comes to mind, I made a painting inspired by that film. By the way, I want to tell you that I had no expectations for this interview and I am really surprised
César Ríos — Really? Thank you very much
Amaan Jahangir — Yeah, I had a good experience, I was like, because I’ve done some interviews and I don’t know the people, but this has been a great experience.
Autor
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Egresado de la carrera de Ciencia Política (ITAM) , amante de la literatura, aficionado del arte, la música y la moda.