Welcome to the 351st installment of A View From the Easel, a series that invites artists to reflect on their workspaces. This week, Rah Naqvi paints with soil and approaches his studio as a garden of creativity.
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Rah Naqvi works in Amsterdam Noord, Netherlands, where he has been based in this space for almost four years.
Asked to describe an average day in the studio, Naqvi said his routines change considerably because he does not believe in working only from within the studio; much of what inspires him comes from outside. Lately, he has been listening to the anarchist audio library while he works, and on a studio day he begins with coffee before experimenting with the work he plans to make.
The soundtrack to his process tends to alternate between a world radio station and passages from the book he is listening to. He often works on several pieces at once because he gets bored and distracted easily, and he finds that shifting between different interests keeps him engaged longer. Naqvi also has a ritual of writing a line, word, or poem that stayed with him from an audiobook or song onto the wall of his studio, a practice he says helps him remember what moved him.
