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Truth In This Art (Sounds)
Only a couple months no longer. No new. I think I recognize.
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Rob Lee
Welcome to the truth in this are your source for conversations connecting arts, culture and community. These are stories that matter, and I am your host, Rob Lee. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with a visual artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation rooted in philosophy, psychology, and education. Her practice explores existential questions through a fictional universe she's been building since 2017.
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Rob Lee
Please welcome to the program. Mia Ntenta So, thank you for for joining me today. And as we we start off, for the listeners who are just discover, you are curious. How would you typically introduce yourselves and your practice, please. You know, enlighten us.
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Mia Ntenta
Yeah. So first of all, thank you for having me. This is my first podcast, and I'm really excited to have, like, this conversation with you and I think at the end of it, I might have learned like a little bit more about my work. Because, like, when you get to discuss your work, you always realize so much more things about it.
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Mia Ntenta
And, so I'm. My name is Mia. My last name is Dante. So it's a weird Greek name. Originally. I am from Greece. I'm currently based in Boston, and you could say I'm a visual artist, but usually I say that I'm not an artist. I just make paintings and sculptures and, my background is in philosophy, and I got into art, as I was trying to find a new medium to do philosophy in a more tactile way so I could explore ideas with a new medium other than writing.
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Mia Ntenta
So. And also, I wanted to make philosophy less and intimidating for the viewers, because with the painting, it's not so intimidating. As if I was like handing you a philosophical essay or a book. So it's more, they read, and yeah, that was my idea. So that was that the beginning of it?
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Rob Lee
No, that's that's that's really that's really helpful. I mean, and thank you because here's the thing. Here's the thing about podcasts like this one. Yeah, yeah. You knocked out two questions right there, which I really appreciate. You make making my job is you make me sound like I know what I'm doing.
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Mia Ntenta
Okay. Actually, you do. You do that with stuff.
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Rob Lee
But. And also, I love that you're you're enjoying your protein right now. So shout out to you.
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Mia Ntenta
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
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Rob Lee
So the so the intent in going into philosophy and using that as a an additional medium to it, using art as an additional medium to present like philosophical ideas and concepts. Like when did that idea to explore that originally hit you? What was that like? Like was it one day it's like, this is a challenge for folks to get this.
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Rob Lee
Maybe if I presented it visually, they'll get it. Or as a sculpture, they will they will maybe get this or at least have the conversation. Actually,
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Mia Ntenta
Or this I understood all that. Like I figured it out later on. So the reason why I got into art was more, like for me, it was having, like, an additional medium to explore ideas and create this, because all my work is within this dystopian imaginary universe I've created. So, it's like having, a toolkit to explore philosophical ideas and, concepts in this vacuum chamber, where I have this whole universe when where I didn't test different, hypotheses that might hold true within this universe, but they are not, like, valid in our world.
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Mia Ntenta
But you still get insights for the world. So first, everything started with me wanting to have something additional to better, like facilitate my philosophical thinking and have an additional method other than writing. And then I realized that this is actually better to communicate things. It's it's not as efficient as like if you want to like to, do philosophy like really, like an effective way, you, you can either avoid writing the essay or in the book, but in order to get people start thinking about these questions, it's, it's a really good starting point because otherwise it's like, it's like triggering their curiosity about these things and motivating them and making them realize
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Mia Ntenta
that philosophy is not something, like, scary or it's not something that only that it lives, like in an ivory tower. And so only for the academic people. And what is it's like for it's not for everyday people. And, it's philosophy is something that actually can help all of us live better lives. So, but that that realization came afterwards.
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Mia Ntenta
So initially it was, a new way to facilitate my thinking and start to experiment and with ideas and different concepts and having this universe as a playground for my ideas, communicating to others came of later. So that's why, even though I began like, painting eight years ago, my spring break installation was the first time I ever so gravity.
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Mia Ntenta
So.
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Rob Lee
Oh, since since we're since we're around the how. Okay, that's that's like that's how I became aware of your work. So right there. Bravo.
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Mia Ntenta
Yeah. Thank you. Oh, yeah.
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Rob Lee
What was that experience like? Installing something like public, showing your work publicly for the first time, where, you know, I know that I get nervous when I'm presenting something and showing, like, hey, I do this. I've been doing this a lot. This is for me and you right now. I'm the first time. And I was like, me is I know this is going to be fun and it's going to be interesting.
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Rob Lee
And then we we have a conversation and we build on it. But sometimes when presenting sort of the work and I'm confident in the work we're presenting in a different way and debuting something, I'm never sure how it's going to go. So I'm curious about what that experience is like building out such a vast because this, you know, there's some numbers, there's a vast amount of work, but revealing and showing it for the first time at spring break.
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Mia Ntenta
Yeah, that's that that's a really good question. But, I would expect it. I would have expected it to be like more stressful than like the exposure to be more stressful for me. But it wasn't like the stressful part was getting the installation up and ready, getting everything, like large. So probably before the first viewers would arrive, because we had like only, four days to put the installation up.
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Mia Ntenta
So that was the, the, the most stressful thing. But for me, working all those years without really having like, external validation and without really knowing if people would like my work or not. And I was like, I, I was like, I don't even know if this is art. I'm not sure this is art. So having all these questions, but at the same pull at the same time, because I am used to working without having external feedback.
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Mia Ntenta
So it's something that very personal and the, the motivation is intrinsic. So I don't rely on external feedback. So, I wasn't stressed about the feedback. It's always nice to hear someone who likes your work, but I wasn't afraid of that. I was, afraid that, not afraid, like, maybe worried that maybe I wouldn't be able to fully communicate the work and open this dialog with the viewers.
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Mia Ntenta
So that was my main concern. But after I think after the first couple hours of the first day, when I first started interacting with people and I saw that they the isolation was well-received. And yeah, that's a nice thing to, to have. But, I starting feeling more, content, I would say. And I had some, great, commercial options and directions with, people that came over, like, during this week.
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Mia Ntenta
And I also, I got some great ideas because of this interactions. And that's something I miss often because I work alone. So if you don't have this interaction with the viewers or with a group of artists or whatever, you you miss out on this. Feedback that generates new ideas. So I think that's, that was the most powerful thing, during, the installation week.
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Rob Lee
And that makes a lot of sense. I mean, when you're doing work in a vacuum and I'll, I'll go back a little bit. So for, for this particular for me being a podcast or not even this podcast, but me being a podcast, I had my small group of friends to help record with. And then you like it, man.
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Rob Lee
Yeah, it was good, man. That was kind of bad. But once I started being a part embedded in the community and talking with other artists and exchanging ideas and being able to be a bit more open, that's where sort of those other considerations will people get will. My intent is will they understand what I'm doing? Will they understand why I'm asking this question?
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Rob Lee
Will they like it? Or so on? I'm always happy to do my interviews and but at the end of the day, I am still putting them out there, put them out there, they're being released and they're being consumed. And sometimes it's no feedback and sometimes it's like, hey man, that was a really it was a really good conversation.
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Rob Lee
So there is some validation. But the majority of the time that I've been a podcaster, we're talking sense. 2009.
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Mia Ntenta
Okay.
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Rob Lee
So for the first ten years, a long.
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Mia Ntenta
Time.
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Rob Lee
Is a very long time. Yeah. The first ten years of me doing this and just kind of went to this, trusted in myself with, oh, yeah.
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Mia Ntenta
You do it because you have to do it. You cannot not do it. Yes. Yeah. Because some people rely on the others and expect to be validated and expect that if their work is not, well received or it's if it's not like, validated by the others, then it has no true value, for them. But, it shouldn't be like the others are great.
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Mia Ntenta
Too. Like I say, they it they I don't know, I think they make you like they ignite your imagination. They make you have more ideas, but you shouldn't worry about, like, what they will say or what they were saying or they feedback. Yeah. I don't know if they're saying I carried away a little bit.
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Rob Lee
No, no, no, no, this this is the point of it. And yeah, I think the feedback is or the conversations that are happening are they're part of it, but shouldn't be the focal point. Like we shouldn't be reaching for that. It's just like there is a lot of unsolicited advice that comes over. I hear it all the time, you should do this type of podcast, or you should have this conversation or talk to those types of guests.
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Rob Lee
If there is alignment, door. But yeah, I'm doing this because I'm curious. And as I, you know, we're sharing sort of, you know, the experience I had going up there for, for me for the installation week. I was, it was referred to go out there. I have a buddy who I interviewed, Jay Barnett, who told Jay, period.
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Rob Lee
They always call him Jay for, he told me to go up to spring break. He's like, that's where you're going to see some art that you're going to like, you know? And this is the second time I've interviewed him, right. As far as this batch of new a follow up interviews. So he had a gauge on what type of stuff I was into.
00;13;09;04 - 00;13;11;28
Rob Lee
And he's like, you're going to see some interesting work up there.
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Mia Ntenta
And yeah.
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Rob Lee
Your work is one of the, one of the people I reached out to and you said yes, you said, hey, let's do it.
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Mia Ntenta
Yeah.
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Rob Lee
For you to do it. Yeah. And it was sort of that suggestion. But then also sort of the curiosity, those two things came together and sticking to the sort of theme of the retrospective, what that experience was like. So or for the folks listening who are at the where, who were fortunate enough to go up there, what about the work that that you had at spring where that you knew you installed there and sort of some of those numbers?
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Rob Lee
I teased it a little bit earlier.
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Mia Ntenta
Okay. So first I have a question for you. Like, did you did your step only on the drops or did you steps like all over the floor? Did you follow the rules or not.
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Rob Lee
Didn't follow.
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Mia Ntenta
Oh you didn't. Thank you. Okay. So for the people who, haven't seen, like, photos of the installation we had covered, the, the installation was called The Island of the others. The, the whole floor was covered with this very fragile, iridescent like reflect. It's, paper. And you were supposed that were drops, and you were supposed to follow the drops and step only on the drops and get to the cloud, which for the purpose of the installation was the island and be surrounded by the gaze of the others, the gate, the others in this fashion, were these, faces that I draw and for the installation I had installed,
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Mia Ntenta
like for around 400 of these faces, which are cold or megans, and they are these are they citizen of this dystopian imaginary universe I've created. And you are supposed to stand on the island, face the gaze of the others, and be like, okay, I can deal with, judgment and everything. I don't really care. And like, across the, that the cloud was, a framed print that read, like to them watch, like, whatever.
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Mia Ntenta
Let them watch them judge. And the whole installation was, around a phrase by French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre. The phrase is called, shapes other people. Are you familiar with, the phrase.
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Rob Lee
Yes.
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Mia Ntenta
It's, in one of his plays, called No Exit. And he said, people interpret this phrase as meaning that the others are bad, but in fact, it's not that the others are bad. Is that the, the torment is that we are constantly under the judgment. And in realizing that the others constantly judge us, even if they don't, even if they don't, it's like, an existential shell for us.
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Mia Ntenta
So, so that was the whole idea to face the others and which word like feel make sense and realize that actually you can restructure the meaning, that you create, with, in your interactions with the others and your relationship with them. And you can be like, take full control and say, you know what? I don't I don't really care about what the others saying, and I'm gonna do what I feel it's right for me to do.
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Mia Ntenta
So. Yeah. So that was, how I mean, there was a lot of, like, being it goes the whole. So what? What did it what was he like, your first impression of the room when you. And that's when we have this, like, really agonizing, repetitive, music like the tune that you do to. Yeah.
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Rob Lee
So the, the, the prevailing thing that came up was you've touched on two pieces of it. I was just like, I feel like there's judgment in this room. There's a lot of faces. Yeah. And and that it was, it was very tank. And it was one of those things where, you know, there's a degree of, of, of trepidation that I have and I'm like, I should I what should I do here?
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Rob Lee
So having that, that extra context you just provided there, which it's now it's just like I'm seeing it in a whole different vibe down a whole different way now. Kind of adds to it, adds to that experience. So that's sort of the point of what I wanted to talk. Yeah.
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Mia Ntenta
And, you know, I think most people when they were like first seeing the room from the outside, they were like this, this looks so cool and so fun. So being and so the faces are so cute. And they would describe us basically a playground that once they were inside, they realized that there is something dystopian going on.
00;18;30;05 - 00;18;57;21
Mia Ntenta
So that's the whole idea with the esthetics of my work to be this colorful, like cartoony environments, that serve us traps to lure people inside and then, like, hit them up with those, hard questions. With, fears. What they were also. Did you did you did you, drop your fear down the, the monster.
00;18;57;24 - 00;19;03;15
Rob Lee
I believe I did. It's a little it's a little far back now. It's a lot of interviews I did because.
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Mia Ntenta
I was I was asking people like, there was this, like, monster, at the entrance, and I was asking people to write down, like, their irrational fear. And they were feeding them to the monster and the monster as also, like everything you show within this room, are all symbols that I use in my work, like repetitively. So I have this visual language that comprises of symbols and characters, and they are all of the same, and they have meanings, and I always use them like in different mediums and in different, styles.
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Mia Ntenta
So yeah, the monster is one of them.
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Rob Lee
I think I did, because I do remember that you're saying this in the, in the, in the beginning, he remember writing something down. And I always write when people ask you say, what are your fears when you're afraid? Now, I think I saw something really silly on the air, like pizza or something. You really do. That was in New York.
00;20;01;26 - 00;20;28;00
Mia Ntenta
And that I would never know which one is yours. But, yeah, it might be somewhere in, like, among the others. I would say I'm going to use this for a future project. So yeah, people, people's irrational fears for, a future project to, like, I will draw inspiration, like, from your fears and.
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Rob Lee
Like. Like you said, you described as a trap. I heard you when you said that, by the way. Yeah. It's like it's a paint trap. Is what you're describing.
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Mia Ntenta
Yeah.
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Rob Lee
So.
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Mia Ntenta
Oh, did you did you, in installation, did you realize that there was a performer sitting in the corner?
00;20;47;18 - 00;20;48;17
Rob Lee
No.
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Mia Ntenta
You didn't know there was an actual person wearing a mask, like in the back? Yeah, with, like, so many jumpscares, but because no one would realize. But. Yeah.
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Rob Lee
Why are you so mean?
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Mia Ntenta
What if. Yeah. This was never my intention. Then after, like after like the first, like, I don't know, ten times. So I was like, trying to warn everyone, so I'm not that mean. Yeah. There was an actual person, like, the whole time.
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Rob Lee
So it is almost having a disclaimer. There's like, look, you. Whoa, there's someone in the corner. Just hope you're playing paid attention.
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Mia Ntenta
Yeah.
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Rob Lee
Oh, so I'm also curious about this. So this season I've really been re investigating and talking with folks from like previous, you know, conversations. And the reason behind it is I think in five years a lot can change. The world has changed around us. In five years it's always changing, but there's really drastic shifts. I think we've had social change as autistic changes, the logical changes.
00;21;59;03 - 00;22;09;09
Rob Lee
So in that time, in what ways has that affected how you work? What are the questions you're curious about, or some of the things you want to explore artistically?
00;22;09;11 - 00;22;47;19
Mia Ntenta
That's also a really good question, but to be honest, I don't think my my practice or the questions I explore have changed, but maybe that's because the questions I explore are like are some fundamental ones and they were always there. So questions from freedom are how we define ourselves on or, subjectivity and how we view our world and how we, interact with others and how we coexist with them.
00;22;47;21 - 00;23;02;12
Mia Ntenta
So that's like this. Questions have been always around. So I don't think anything has changed in my practice in terms of solve the world has been changing.
00;23;02;15 - 00;23;04;27
Rob Lee
So that makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense.
00;23;04;29 - 00;23;28;15
Mia Ntenta
I wish I had like something more interesting to say here, but, to be honest, I, I, I think I'm like, I have the same the, the, I have the exact same things in my mind that I had like, eight years ago because, for example, for the, the face is the only guns that I mentioned before.
00;23;28;18 - 00;24;09;16
Mia Ntenta
I've been working on this project like since 2019, which was like before the pandemic. And right now I'm at number 2290 something. And I've been, I've been consistent with this project, and I will continue with this project until I hit like 10,890 or Megan and this are like, these are usually 12 by 16in. Always take cutouts like, on paper and I use them like, for installations.
00;24;09;16 - 00;24;45;23
Mia Ntenta
So, but, but this project began like before the pandemic, and the whole idea was like having these, like, these are the citizens in this universe that they are trapped within this, within a great moment of despair. And then the fact that they have no freedom, that they cannot ever escape. And unlike humans who are free and can escape their like circumstances, this, I don't know, creatures can never escape.
00;24;45;25 - 00;25;13;00
Mia Ntenta
Yeah. So you could say that this only became like a was exacerbated with, the pandemic and. Yeah, but it was something that I. That happened like before. So I began this project before the pandemic. So I don't know, maybe it made a little more sense after the pandemic. But yeah.
00;25;13;03 - 00;25;39;16
Rob Lee
We the the thing I sure you're touching on, though, and I relate and I'm glad that you you mentioned sort of this project started pre-pandemic, this podcast, you know, some talks about how many numbers I have. Your numbers are dwarfing mine. So, you know, you do a lot of consistent work, obviously. You know, that it definitely was a shift though, like in, in 2020, you know, during the peak of the pandemic where, you know, folks are inside.
00;25;39;16 - 00;25;59;05
Rob Lee
And that's when I get so many more interviews in 2019, I may have had 20, you know, and by 2022 I did 322 that year. So, you know, the podcast kind of grew and then sort of the volume grew and the consistency was there. And one of the things you touched on earlier, sort of the questions, right.
00;25;59;05 - 00;26;16;19
Rob Lee
What are the questions? There's still the same questions and sort of and I think it makes sense because for me, the thing that I'm doing, the same questions are there. Maybe how I'm getting to or what I'm curious about and I'm getting there might be slightly different ladies, not college, but at the root of it is still the same.
00;26;16;19 - 00;26;24;10
Rob Lee
Questions. What are the insights? How do people make their work? Whose art matters? Things of that nature? Whose stories matter?
00;26;24;13 - 00;26;31;02
Mia Ntenta
I think, like in most things, like the fundamental questions behind, like most things remain the same.
00;26;31;04 - 00;26;39;12
Rob Lee
It's a it's a solid foundation there where it's like, I'm still not quite there. I'm still curious about it. Interested?
00;26;39;15 - 00;26;40;28
Mia Ntenta
Yeah.
00;26;41;01 - 00;26;57;01
Rob Lee
So so you touched on how you make them. Each one is unique. I also saw you mentioned, just as we were doing the email exchange a bit, you know, you'll never sell any of this. Talk a bit about that. Yeah. Yeah.
00;26;57;04 - 00;27;35;09
Mia Ntenta
So the whole idea is to not, like, sell them individually. Not sell them to a single collector either in the future. So for now, I keep them. So I have more and more of them so I can create larger and larger installations. And so one that you saw was like, waste on the 400 faces. So the next one I want to build, like with 2000 and the next one like 4000, it will be like so much more powerful having these floating faces surrounding you.
00;27;35;12 - 00;28;05;24
Mia Ntenta
So, the idea is keeping keep them together because I've had, like, so many people during spring break warming them like maybe a strand of, faces, to put it, like in their apartments. And I get that people like the floating off the wall effect. But the reason you like them is because you see them all together and that's why they feel powerful when you see, like one of them.
00;28;05;26 - 00;28;41;20
Mia Ntenta
It's it's it's a cute, like, nice, like drawing. But it's not powerful. So in my in this work for this project numbers mother. That's why I'm keeping them together and to sell it like I at some point I hope to get them, at a museum. So give the whole, series to a single museum so they can always be together and be, shown together in, like, large installation nations around the world.
00;28;41;20 - 00;28;55;12
Mia Ntenta
So that's the idea. But I do make prints of them, so. And different iterations. But yeah, the original faces will never be for sale like that.
00;28;55;14 - 00;29;20;27
Rob Lee
Like that, you know, sort of recognizing that there is. Yeah. As you touched on, it's like is powerful when the number, the number is that the thing that's the alluring component of it. And it's so much volume like it's just really consistent and at work and driving at a question. And so talk to me a little bit about like routine and those sort of non glamorous aspects of making this work.
00;29;20;29 - 00;29;32;06
Rob Lee
I think a lot of times folks will see the end result was like, man, this looks so amazing, but I didn't see them. I have not scraped my knuckles making it. So I cut my hand multiple times cutting that looks.
00;29;32;09 - 00;30;07;21
Mia Ntenta
Yeah, actually, I think that's my favorite question so far because, most of the work is, unglamorous. Because remember I told you that was my first time ever showing. So having an installation and interacting with people is like the more glamorous and fun side of it. But making the art is it's a you it's. I think it's a really good like you can feel good when you make it, but then there are some practicals.
00;30;08;24 - 00;30;40;18
Mia Ntenta
Some practical problems. So when do you need to, like, cut out this volume of, faces? Yeah. There are some, like, logistics and there's some, some pain hand pain involved there and. Yeah. And also, yeah. Okay. So the Americans are only six on cotton, so I'm cut from paper. So each one for, for each one to dry out.
00;30;41;15 - 00;31;04;14
Mia Ntenta
It takes like 2 to 3 weeks. So before I cut them out, I need to, like, hang them on the walls. So the walls of my studio and my apartment and my friends walls. And like any walls that I know of, is not already covered with hands, like during different periods that I work more on this project.
00;31;04;16 - 00;31;41;04
Mia Ntenta
So, yeah. But then again, it's during this time when you, draw them or you, when you take your time to, like, do repetitive tasks, like cutting them out or you have to work on another project that requires like, cutting out stencils or anything this, these are repetitive tasks that might seem boring and they are tiresome, like, especially for your hands, but you get so much time to think so at the same moment.
00;31;41;04 - 00;32;10;03
Mia Ntenta
So yeah, this are like the non glamorous but at the same time these are the more productive moments of the work. This are when you get all the how moments are the new ideas and you think of, of your next project. So you have so much time to think when you need to do tasks that require, you know, to think.
00;32;10;06 - 00;32;38;03
Mia Ntenta
Because when you create a painting, it's different than when you are cutting out an amalgam. Because when you like do a painting, you need to figure out where I'm going to put this or this. Of course, it depends on the paintings and your style and, whatever. But, for me, when I do, painting is different from when I have the time to cut out like 100 to my goals that have dried out over, like the past three weeks.
00;32;38;03 - 00;32;39;22
Mia Ntenta
So yeah.
00;32;39;24 - 00;32;56;00
Rob Lee
It's like you, you have a batch to work on. You're like, I have to do this. But it's like, now I have time to think, so I can look at these other. You know, other potential, projects. I know when I'm traveling, you know, like, I always like to take the train.
00;32;56;02 - 00;32;58;16
Mia Ntenta
That. Oh, yeah. Me, too. I love the train.
00;32;58;19 - 00;33;16;03
Rob Lee
And I find that I keep a notepad with me because that's when I'm writing down questions. That's when I'm doing the research. And I think it's the important stuff that's there. So what? I want up to New York and I took the train up from Baltimore to New York. It's almost three hours, so I had a lot of time to get some stuff in.
00;33;16;03 - 00;33;16;28
Rob Lee
And,
00;33;17;00 - 00;33;17;28
Mia Ntenta
I know.
00;33;18;01 - 00;33;18;21
Rob Lee
Yeah.
00;33;18;23 - 00;33;45;02
Mia Ntenta
I used to do that. Like, when I was living in Baltimore, I was commuting to New York for my masters at NYU. So I was going there, like, every week and like the back and forth, like within a day. So, yeah, it was like a bit crazy. Yeah. It was fun. So. Yeah. And also, I love that you are taking notes on like, note that do you use like a pen or pencil.
00;33;45;04 - 00;34;07;21
Rob Lee
Use, I use a pen. And this comes from Austin Kleon where he was, you know, and the sort of still like an artist and show your work at all. He was just like, what I got from it was like, be tactile. I got rid of the phone thing and taking notes that way some of my notes maybe are in there, but the majority of them are written in pen, and I want to have the arrows in there.
00;34;07;21 - 00;34;20;12
Rob Lee
I want to have the mistakes in there because I think it's something better. If I have a pencil, I'm inclined to erase it. If I don't like the way that word is written. But if I had a pen, I can scratch it out. But I still see that it was a terrible point.
00;34;20;14 - 00;34;33;09
Mia Ntenta
Yeah. And somehow, like, the ideas feel different on paper than they do. Like, your phone and yeah, it's I'm the same. So I always get me three.
00;34;33;09 - 00;34;52;12
Rob Lee
And here's the thing that was really funny. I got some work, some awesome, some artwork done. I'm a visual artist, and my, the artist that I work with, I usually just give him some, like, ideas. He put this together. He just puts it together. This time he was like, can you sketch what you want? And I used to sketch.
00;34;52;12 - 00;35;10;08
Rob Lee
I used to draw all the time. And so I took my sketch and he turned it into and he's like, now technically you've done it as well. So you've collaborated on this piece of art. I was like, oh, okay. And this all comes from having that ten and pat on me at the time, and I was able to use the phone and send it to him.
00;35;10;08 - 00;35;14;27
Rob Lee
So combining sort of the analog with the technology, the digital.
00;35;14;27 - 00;35;15;20
Mia Ntenta
Yeah, yeah.
00;35;15;20 - 00;35;17;17
Rob Lee
Yeah, it was, it was really cool.
00;35;17;19 - 00;35;47;07
Mia Ntenta
Oh, and I have another, unglamorous thing about my art look. So for the Omega project, it requires very good archiving. So it's phase have, a number behind them, and I have them, like, separated and different boxes by the number. And I have, like, documents that show, like a photo, a small photo of the Omega and the number and when they were created.
00;35;47;13 - 00;35;51;15
Mia Ntenta
So it takes like a huge amount of archiving and.
00;35;51;15 - 00;36;08;22
Rob Lee
Yeah, it's we're on the same page here because I was doing this, like I guess, you know, sort of almost 900 episodes at this point. I try to have images and bios written for each person in there. So I have to remember, when did I interview this person?
00;36;09;00 - 00;36;19;14
Mia Ntenta
Yeah. What did we talk about? Yeah, it's pain bad. You need to do it. Like when the numbers are high, you need to do it. Otherwise you'll get lost.
00;36;19;16 - 00;36;29;05
Rob Lee
Yeah. And and I'll say, the thing that was funny about it was for the longest time, I didn't have a picture of myself on the site, so it was just an empty avatar.
00;36;29;07 - 00;36;30;11
Mia Ntenta
Okay?
00;36;30;13 - 00;36;32;21
Rob Lee
It was just like I do now.
00;36;32;23 - 00;36;35;23
Mia Ntenta
Okay, okay. That's good, that's good.
00;36;35;25 - 00;37;00;14
Rob Lee
It's just me. I don't like myself, so, like. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. So I want to talk about this one piece. I got, like, two real questions left, and I got those rapid fire questions for you I want to talk about because I do a little, you know, online search. And I was on Instagram a little bit, and, and, your Instagram tagline reads darkest dropping in existence through art.
00;37;00;16 - 00;37;06;13
Rob Lee
What does that mean within your practice? How does that idea shape, you know, the work that you make?
00;37;06;15 - 00;37;43;04
Mia Ntenta
So essentially what that means, like in simple words, is that I try to break down different concepts and ideas that comprise the world, and I try to break them down into the fundamentals to better understand they meaning how they get, came like into existence and how they, interact with each other. So basically I'm trying to like, break the world into like smaller bits to make sense of it.
00;37;43;20 - 00;38;15;16
Mia Ntenta
And, because I use a visual language and I use all the symbols. Then I change the meaning of my symbols, or I create if I don't have, like, the necessary symbols that I need to explore, like, a particular theme, I create a new symbol, and I assign new meaning to it. So essential for the viewer to be able to fully, decode my work.
00;38;15;16 - 00;38;44;26
Mia Ntenta
They need access to this. Meaning that I disclose to different bodies of work, like over time. Yeah. So, for example, at spring break, I was telling people that any symbol that you see that resembles an animal is, within this universe is an irrational fear. And so, yeah. And you could make sense of the work in a way, having this information.
00;38;46;11 - 00;39;16;13
Mia Ntenta
But there are other symbols, like the, or the cloud, for example, was like the island within this, installation. There were other symbols that you can understand what they were without, like having access to the visual language, like dictionary. So, yeah, that's another thing that I do. I play around with concepts. And so I first deconstruct like the different concepts of the world.
00;39;16;20 - 00;39;32;28
Mia Ntenta
And then I construct my own symbols to use them to communicate, my ideas and my view. The, my views on different things. So, yeah.
00;39;33;00 - 00;39;58;11
Rob Lee
I love that. It's, it's it's world building. It's reframing. That is in a sense remixing many things. It's like you have to follow along and be touched on it earlier, making these concepts philosophical concepts that feel really weighty, rarefied and sort of inaccessible, making them digestible and something that can be consumed using art as a means of doing it.
00;39;58;14 - 00;40;06;22
Rob Lee
Having your own like symbols, your own language to further get that across and make a unique and your in sort of your, your terminology and your voice.
00;40;06;25 - 00;40;31;04
Mia Ntenta
Yeah. And basically I'm trying to like trigger people's curiosity to explore those things because I'm not gonna like by looking my words. You you're not. It's not the same as, reading a book on philosophy. You know, to actually read the book. The book you can, like, skip that, but it's like, makes you curious. It makes you want to learn about these things.
00;40;31;06 - 00;40;33;29
Mia Ntenta
Yeah. And so we got.
00;40;34;02 - 00;40;59;24
Rob Lee
So this is the last, last question that I have, because, you know, I think a lot of folks, especially in know artist space, they're in their work. We're doing multiple things, like, I have a day job, we're going to college, and I'm Thomas being divine. So I a about, you're working with children and adults with this sort of conversation around philosophy, cognitive science.
00;40;59;26 - 00;41;04;25
Rob Lee
And so some of these bigger questions, could you tell us a bit about that?
00;41;04;27 - 00;41;37;03
Mia Ntenta
So, so the whole idea is that, I divide my work. I like to say that I divide my work in like two sections. The first one is my work towards the adult, let's say is like my art and my paintings and sculptures installations. So another fun fact is that, every one of the art spring break sounds that my room, like the installation, would be like the perfect place for children because it was so colorful and cartoonish.
00;41;37;10 - 00;42;02;27
Mia Ntenta
But children actually hated the room. Once they were stepping inside, they were like, no, I think we're crying. They were like, we want to leave. And that was like the biggest compliment for me because I would immediately like, catch, like the dystopian vibe. Because you cannot fool children with colors and, cartoons. You can, like trick adults, but you can never trick children, all these things.
00;42;03;00 - 00;42;40;22
Mia Ntenta
So my work for my art is always directed towards adults. But I also believe that, like the future of the world is like children, the future generation. And when I was, in Baltimore and I was, pursuing the master's degree at NYU in bioethics, and I was commuting back and forth, at that point, I became disenchanted with academia, and I started wanting to make something that would have a name box around the world.
00;42;40;25 - 00;43;19;19
Mia Ntenta
And that was the the moment when I started. I around the time was the moment that I started painting. And around the time was when I decided that I would create my own education model. So my work for the child is a new pedagogy, a new type of school. And we begin with, children 0 to 5. So it will be like a smart preschool because these are the most this is the most important aids for the development of the child, not only for the brain, but also for their imagination, their autonomy and their critical thinking.
00;43;19;22 - 00;44;01;07
Mia Ntenta
So, I'm, I think that the common denominator in both is like philosophy and trying to touch the world with the different like mediums. One is like through art and with my paintings and sculptures and solutions and the other way is by creating this smart preschool, which essentially is an Internet of Things environment with proprietary toys, a new pedagogy, totally different than anything you know of, to be able to give children the best learning environment.
00;44;01;09 - 00;44;21;15
Mia Ntenta
And then we, we've moved towards like older age this like for elementary and high school. But yeah. So that's the idea behind it. So no, my, my, my installation wasn't for children despite the, the, the vibrant colors and the cartoons. That was a trope.
00;44;21;18 - 00;44;25;02
Rob Lee
Again, you're trapping people. So okay.
00;44;25;05 - 00;44;26;05
Mia Ntenta
But I, I.
00;44;26;07 - 00;44;46;02
Rob Lee
I love that that's very impressive. I'm glad, that you, you share that, you know, with me because that's just, you know, I think it makes so much sense. And especially in my universe, there's little ones floating around. I have, a niece that's one. And, you know, all of that is like, hey, you know, cultivate these things.
00;44;46;02 - 00;44;53;10
Rob Lee
Let's, you know, here's a class, here's some school for you. Yeah. So for the guy in the corner in the the Omega, they you can't have any of this.
00;44;53;13 - 00;45;11;20
Mia Ntenta
Yeah. Oh. And everything like, always started like in Baltimore. But me painting me wanted to create, like, a new education model and all these things, like the greatest decisions in my life happened while I was living in Baltimore. So, yeah.
00;45;11;22 - 00;45;17;12
Rob Lee
I think I think the listeners are going to really, really like that. Like, thank you for throwing that out there. Yeah.
00;45;17;15 - 00;45;28;04
Truth In This Art (Sounds)
No no no no no no no no no no no.
00;45;28;07 - 00;45;38;25
Rob Lee
Oh so I got three quick rapid fire questions for you. They're funny you know. No no don't overthink. So don't overthink it.
00;45;38;28 - 00;45;46;04
Mia Ntenta
So like the first it's like one horror that's for sure. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah let's hear the question.
00;45;46;06 - 00;45;56;00
Rob Lee
So here's the first one. Because I'm looking at your background and I remember the installation a bit. But I'm thinking of this question. What is your favorite color?
00;45;56;02 - 00;45;58;08
Mia Ntenta
Oh, pink.
00;45;58;10 - 00;45;59;15
Rob Lee
Shocker.
00;45;59;17 - 00;46;12;13
Mia Ntenta
Yeah, I don't know. I don't really have one, but you could say pink. I it's just pink a lot, right? Yeah. So maybe pink maybe subconsciously, I don't know, maybe.
00;46;12;16 - 00;46;17;17
Rob Lee
I'm waiting for you that. Well, pink from a philosophical standpoint means.
00;46;17;19 - 00;46;19;26
Mia Ntenta
No. I just think.
00;46;19;29 - 00;46;27;14
Rob Lee
Okay, it just, you know, it's as short as you can answer this one. And what's the best thing about being an artist right now?
00;46;27;16 - 00;46;56;10
Mia Ntenta
Oh, that's a good question to I don't know, I think freedom spray don't. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. And you need to be able to like, keep that blue sometimes when you sell your work or you need to worry about having like shows and stuff, you lose that freedom over working with commission said. Yeah, but I think you need to find a way to preserve the freedom.
00;46;56;12 - 00;47;14;17
Rob Lee
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Even in doing this, I, you know, independence is so important for me because that means that means freedom for me. If I can do my own thing, talk to I want to. It's important. Here's the last one. So as a person that also enjoys their protein, I saw you. You're getting it.
00;47;14;17 - 00;47;24;18
Rob Lee
I love it. What is your. Because I, I got a vibe that you could throw down in the kitchen. So what is your what is your go to thing to make. What is your go to meal to make.
00;47;24;20 - 00;47;37;10
Mia Ntenta
Oh I don't know. You really just throw it into the protein shake and that's it. Like short art for dinner or.
00;47;37;10 - 00;47;37;27
Rob Lee
Yeah.
00;47;37;29 - 00;47;49;13
Mia Ntenta
To take with me. Like I, you know, hard boiled eggs or some salmon and some greens. Oh, and I love letters. Yeah, yeah, that's.
00;47;49;15 - 00;48;08;19
Rob Lee
I love that it's it's a healthy vibe. It's just like I, I made, I did some, some salmon with some chips, last night. That was my last meal. So I need to really, you know, eat a meal today. But, yeah, I'm curious about the habits that know I've been rereading, daily rituals that, the different artists engage in.
00;48;08;19 - 00;48;20;16
Rob Lee
So I'm curious about, like, what are those habits? So definitely you can tell if a person is into food, their face changes briefly. It's like, yeah, I like to eat this hard boiled eggs and yeah.
00;48;20;18 - 00;48;42;09
Mia Ntenta
I don't know, I think a good tip is like working out like this, resistance and weight training. And it helps a lot because otherwise if you are feigning for hours or if you are keeping like the same stance over long term, like you get pains all over your body. So yeah, I think that's the thing you need to work out.
00;48;42;12 - 00;48;52;29
Rob Lee
I love it. I love seeing a few of your you have the flexibility. I seen a few of you in the the wild lady like squad. I was like, she's really low down. I was like, oh, the knees.
00;48;53;01 - 00;48;55;03
Mia Ntenta
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00;48;56;19 - 00;49;14;21
Rob Lee
So, so so in, in this, this last thing I want to do is two things I want to do here as we close out, one, I want to I want to thank you for coming on. I really appreciate you spending this Friday afternoon with me. Fun conversation. Glad to get some extra texture. Now I'm feeling like I got a little bit smarter to this conversation, so shout out to you.
00;49;14;21 - 00;49;15;12
Rob Lee
Thank you.
00;49;15;14 - 00;49;43;27
Mia Ntenta
Thank you so much for having me. And that was like a, a great first like, podcast experience. So now I'm gonna keep doing that. Maybe, it will come to you like, for my next one too. I don't know, let's say. Yeah, but yeah, it was really fun. I love the questions. And I might have, like, forgotten to, like, answer two of the something.
00;49;43;27 - 00;49;49;03
Mia Ntenta
So I don't know, like, you know how a conversation, like a natural conversation is. So. Yeah.
00;49;49;05 - 00;50;02;24
Rob Lee
But there is there's one request I want to make before we close out here is, but you talked to folks, your website, social media, where they can follow you and stay up to date on everything you have going on to check out some of the images from Spring break, actually, that no one else.
00;50;02;26 - 00;50;30;18
Mia Ntenta
Yeah, actually, they can, follow me or look me up on Instagram. So it's, my handle is Mia. Mia, and then my, like, Greek weird last name. Then I'm going to spell it out. It's n t e n t a. Yeah. And that's always fun to share with. Like, I don't know, wherever I need to get the document or something over the phone.
00;50;30;18 - 00;50;38;13
Mia Ntenta
So yeah. So yeah. My website is, Mia Dent. Don't, studio.
00;50;38;16 - 00;50;44;22
Rob Lee
So for me, I'm probably saying that there's art culture and communities in and around your neck of the woods. You just have to look for it.