Photographer Jess Starr
Vita, your digital presence has garnered immense attention, but could you tell us about your journey in the traditional art world and how it has influenced your approach to digital ^^platforms?
Thank you so much! Going to grad school to get my Masters in Fine Art really pushed forward my understanding of art history and the potential to insert myself into the canon. It provided me an opportunity to read and learn from so many sources I would have otherwise not had access to! Andrea Frazier is a huge inspiration for me. She studied the system of the art institution as a whole, and due to her meticulous understanding of it, was able to insert her own critique and narrative in different ways throughout her performance pieces. I took that approach when it came to my digital work. It felt really important for me to perceive and consume as much as I could from the digital strategies that content creators were using — the three-second hook, the close-up face with a makeup artist's account in mind. It seemed like so many content creators were using a similar tone in their voice, which I tried to replicate and subvert with certain elements being printed out. Similarly, this sparked interruption throughout social media as it created viewers to pause and either gamify their experience or create a more participatory viewership. The most interesting thing was all of the articles, video essays, thought pieces, and other creators making their own version of the "Printed It Out" series. But the entire approach to that, the "Craziest Thing About Being Creative" series, stemmed from my recent graduate school experience, deeply studying video, performance, and other new genres in fine art.
How do you see your role in advancing visibility and inclusivity for non-binary individuals and other marginalized identities within the creative community?
While I was curious if I could interrupt the doom scroll and shift passive viewership to active, the biggest thing that piqued my interest was: what happens if I reach the mainstream? Is it possible?
Could a person who uses they/them pronouns make it to the front page of the Internet?
And ultimately, that's what happened. There was a point where when you first opened any of the apps, I would be one of the first people you see, and for a lot of people, that might be their first experience with a non-binary person. So when they come to the comments and see "they/them," it forces a user to consider gender in a different way or consider queer identity or lesbian identity more personally. I feel like there are so many amazing people that have come before me and will come after me, but I hope to have created a little more space by just forcing my way into the algorithm and making space for others to do the same.
What drew you to TikTok initially, and how do you leverage its features to communicate your message effectively?
TikTok videos, because of their unique style and wide reach, have a significant impact not only on what is being shown but also on how they connect people and influence their actions and thoughts. This makes TikTok and other platforms a potential vessel for fine art, as they're a medium that carries deep messages through their very forms. It can take a video and transform it into a conversation or something that is torn apart and built back up by hundreds of different people, and it's the participatory element that I'm super attracted to! Your series,
"I Printed It Out" and "The Craziest Thing About Being Creative”,
have gained widespread recognition. Could you share the inspiration behind these series and how they reflect your personal experiences as a non-binary creator? It was absolutely to interrupt the doomscroll, and ultimately as a non-binary person, everything I do inherently is about "queering" and "shifting" spaces simply because I'm in them and have to navigate them. So this was my way of learning how to navigate platforms as both a viewer and a complicit creator.
How do you foster a sense of community among your followers, and how does this engagement inform your artistic process?
Being open to listening and coming from an authentic place, and also doing real life performance pieces! Your art is often described as experimental.
What drives you to push boundaries and explore new artistic territories, and how do you balance experimentation with maintaining a cohesive artistic identity?
Honestly, I have no idea! It just feels like I have to do it or I'll literally die. I wish I had a better answer for this haha.
As a Gen Z creator, how do you perceive the evolving role of technology in shaping contemporary art, and what opportunities do you see for digital-native artists like yourself?
I feel like the threat of AI is looming, but I always tell my friends that when the camera first came out, painters were so nervous that it would replace them! When in reality, it became a tool, and now painters almost always reference photos in their work. So I see AI in a similar way; it's something that will become an industry-standard tool for everyone to use and hopefully will have an ethical path moving forward (fingers crossed).
Intersectionality is a key aspect of your identity and work. How do you navigate the intersections of gender identity, sexuality, race, and other facets of identity in your art, and what challenges do you encounter in this process?
Sometimes I struggle to define myself in my work, which is important ultimately in the art world or to give a quick pitch about myself. Also, people are really homophobic in my comments, but I always say it's just more free engagement for me! No, but seriously, it is crazy
Collaboration is increasingly common in the creative industry. Have you collaborated with other artists or activists within the LGBTQ+ community, and if so, how have these collaborations enriched your artistic practice? Absolutely! I'm always collaborating with my partner, Evian X Lucy, and Swsh is a close friend and collaborator as well. I also work closely with so many visual artists! Collaboration is at the center of everything I do, and I wouldn't have an art practice without my long-standing friends and collaborators within my community. They're everything! Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve through your art in terms of promoting diversity, challenging norms, and fostering greater understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ+ experiences? Right now, I hope I can make meaningful space for others to have their space in the digital mainstream too! I also would love to create a tool exchange program where people can borrow tools at no cost throughout our community! It's something I'm actively working on right now.