In her intimate and powerful artist talk, artist Michelle Baharier offered a raw, insightful discussion on what it means to live as an artist. From early childhood memories of witches and collages to her broad, multidisciplinary practice today, Baharier's story is one of resilience, identity, and unflinching authenticity.
Rather than simply discussing her artwork, Baharier opened a conversation about the role of the artist. Her reflections revealed how personal experiences—grief, discrimination, dyslexia, and systemic injustice—have shaped both her life and art.
Baharier’s recurring theme of witches is steeped in personal and political symbolism. As a Jewish woman, she traced the lineage of the pointed hat back to Jewish identification laws in medieval Europe, highlighting the historic intersections of gender, religion, and persecution. Her fascination with figures of “evil” women—witches, villains, outsiders—comes from a place of critique. In her view, too many female characters in culture are only granted complexity when they are cast as bad.
A vocal advocate for disability rights, Baharier spoke about her struggles with dyslexia and the lack of support in the education system when she was growing up. Her entry into art school was unorthodox: rejected by conventional academic routes, yet despite institutional barriers, she carved a path through persistence, eventually earning a place in a master’s program—without ever passing her A-levels.
For Baharier, everything she does is art. She paints, performs, organises art walks, records sound, and builds experiences.
Her work has been exhibited in institutions like the London Transport Museum and MIMA. Yet, she remains critical of the art world’s failure to represent disabled people and the lived realities they face.
The discussion, organised by artists Natalia Giacomino and Paola Minekov, widened into a collective reflection on childhood memories, political realities, and everyday experiences seep into art. Giacomino spoke of processing trauma through painting, while Minekov reflected on the tension between classical training and creative freedom.
In a culture obsessed with definitions, Baharier’s talk was a powerful reminder that creativity defies boundaries. “Everything is art,” she said, whether it’s the way you dress, the food you cook, or how you decorate your home.
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