Bailey Keogh
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Studio Talks
Conversation between Bailey Keogh and BETA about Art and Community | Photography by Mauricio Sauma
Bailey Keogh is an interdisciplinary artist and dj based in Berlin whose work spans from painting to digital animation in effort to distort people’s perceptions of reality, real and imagined.
What does community mean to you as an artist?
This word, community, comes up all the time and I think I am always re-contextualizing what it means to me. Most recently my performance practice with Kani Lent has opened me up greatly to the community that can be attained with a really joyful creative pairing. In preparation for our piece, Come Here to Suffer, Lent and I developed a research practice that included fictional writing, simulated band practice and larping.
Do you have a network of other artists you rely on - and what do you do to support each other?
I find the community amongst painters to be so nurturing. Painting can be a practice you pour your entire soul into, hours into, last two brain cells into, and what ends up on the canvas is absolute shit. For this reason, I think it's best to share my ‘work in progress’ specifically with other painters. And this is not so say we are telling each other our work is good when its not, the contrary. However we are trauma bonded by this medium and know to be very thoughtful in our negative critiques.
Conversely my digital art community exists in a more functional realm. I am a member of multiple WhatsApp groups where we can send each other quick questions for technical issues. Or even ask someone to help you with a long render in a short deadline.
But I think these two examples really differentiate that different communities provide different community aid.
Do you feel that your art community challenges existing barriers and assumptions?
In 2021 I co-founded a collective called, I’m Daddy, that subverts power structures and questions relationship dynamics through creative explorations with music and art. Through I’m Daddy I myself I have taken on a more curatorial role and have had a platform to share with my artistic community that challenges existing barriers and assumptions specifically through the lenses of sexuality and gender.
What's your biggest barrier to being an artist? How do you address it?
Right now I am at a place in my art career where it is more important for me to focus on dismantling barriers and creating opportunities for other artists in my community rather than myself.
Have you ever said 'no' to an opportunity? How did you decide to say no?
I don't work with rapists or racists.
From my position Its hard to change
What are you working on at the moment?
What is your next project or exhibition?
Right now I am working on something really fun for CTM and Transmediale’s Vorspiel program. A video piece animated in C4d but I am a Scorpio and prone to secrecy so I think that is all I will say at the moment.
Bailey´s exhibition with STUDIO BETA
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Bailey´s exhibition with STUDIO BETA |