Artist Statement
My art practice and research explores connection and communication through intervention and participation; reflecting on my identity and experiences living with invisible health conditions.
I create self-initiated artist-curator projects that explore multiple perspectives in response to my own anxiety, inviting artists to collectively participate in the process of making together. The process of developing these projects is healing, and working collaboratively is rewarding. I focus on live, durational events designed to disrupt conventional art experiences. This need for disruption stems from years of stillness due to fear of rejection and exclusion because of my sexuality.
Artist Bio
Dan Auluk (British/South Asian, b. 1970) is an artist, writer, and filmmaker with 25 years of experience in emotional health and wellbeing, coaching, mentoring and wellbeing 121’s within NHS, charitable, and educational settings. He earned an MA in Fine Art from The School of Art, Birmingham City University, in 2014. As an artist-curator, Auluk has developed successful projects such as FEATURE PROJECT (2016-2018), an online video collaboration, and GRASSLANDS (2015-2017), an outdoor residency in his garden for artist to make, discuss and test out artworks without the pressure of having to publicly talk or showcase their experiments.
Auluk’s current research is into neuroplasticity & compassion. He says “I’ve been leaning deeper into themes such as identity, trauma, belonging, ageing, isolation, and grief, as a way of unpacking my childhood and adult lived experiences. I’ve been especially drawn to ideas around self-compassion - how self-kindness, shared human experience, and mindfulness play a role in emotional health and wellbeing. Creativity has become a way for me to take care of myself, be kinder to myself and as a way to unpack difficult emotions and to embrace vulnerability. It’s led me to explore these ideas through public workshops, spoken word, drawing, digital painting, video and creative writing. The ongoing connection an exploration of family photographs, videos, collected objects from childhood, postcards, greeting cards, letters, text messages, sound recordings of conversations and conversations in real time, help with reflecting on the research and as a check-in for my own safe space.
