HOLIDAY FROM HELL: A CATCH UP WITH NIRVANA TROPICANA
Everybody welcome, once again, our favourite artist, collaborator and spirit animal, Nirvana Selwood. Nirvana is the brains behind this seasons vision of a Byron Bay Holiday From Hell. Nirvana has dreamt up an airbrushed fever dream of ancient actively volcanic Byron Bay, flipping the script on vintage souvenir imagery, creating something you’d actually like your aunty to bring you home from her travels abroad.
A: FOR EVERYONE NEW TO THE NIRVANA CRAZE, CAN YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
N: The Nirvana craze sounds like a rollercoaster!… The Nay Nay craze… is… um…. I….. My name’s Nirvana… Nirvana Tropicana they call me.. well thats what I call myself these days. I’ve been based in Byron Bay, Cavanbah, Bundjalung country for the last 5 years. I’ve been making and creating for my whole life, fully self taught as a little Steiner kid mixing ochre at the creek and knitting, making bread in Kindy and playing with crayons and water colours since I was a wee one. Kinda just followed that creative flair and have been on that journey my whole entire life. I think in the last few years it’s definitely picked up where i’ve just had this urge to create more and do something with it sooooo ive been chasing that wave for a while now. Just trying to figure out who I am as an artist and what I like and the mediums I wanna work with and kind of building that up. But yeah! Im 26 and just riding this crazy life wave I dunno. At the moment life pretty good, I've set some goals and getting some shit done just trying to find a balance with my social life and things I want to achieve in my art practice and integrating that in the community where I live and connecting with other artists. I grew up along the east coast, moved around a lot, went to 4 different schools lived up on mount Tambourine and lived in Brizzy, Sunny Coast, Sydney, did a bit of travelling and ready for more really, its just the beginning.
A: TALK US THROUGH THE HFH COLLECTION
N: Holiday from Hell was a super fun collection to do. Obviously right up my alley and (the brief) had all the elements I like to incorporate in my art. Dabbling with dark and light themes, also tying in the tropicana aspect, Nirvana Tropicana, frangipanis and palm trees, beach aesthetic-surf core street stuff blended in with like the dangers and darkness of Mother Nature and… contrasted with dark and ominous cataclysmic events. I love the irony that comes with contrasting something dark and ominous like a natural disaster with something thats light and enjoyable like a holiday. I love that I could bring that to life with Afends on this one.
A: YOU RECENTLY HAD AN ART SHOW LOCALLY, WHAT WAS IT CALLED AND WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION?
N: Well I guess this is the beginning of what I consider to be my first step in my personal art career. The show was my first solo show called Momento Mori which is latin for “remember, you must die’. Ummm it sounds dark but the undertone of most of my work that 'darkness is contrasted with the light'. So it all depends how you perceive that saying but I applied it in a way that was to help you seize the day and make the most of what we have. The show at Mortar Gallery in Mullumbimby was sick it was based on kind of 14th century mythology and contrasting that with modern day celebrity idolisation. So commenting on how people back in those days would idolise a god or mythical creature like a god or centaur or whatever it was for them, we kind of idolise celebrities in the same way. Everything in my work is embellished and all of my pieces need to have some kind of diamond or sparkly airbrush tattoo embellishments. ‘Its not finished unless its embellished’.
A: OTHER THAN ART TALK US THROUGH A TYPICAL NIRVANA DAY
N: Hmmmmmm!!!! To be honest my daily standard routine would be waking up, going for a run, or some kind of physical activity. Ive been working from home lately up in Bangalow so i do a bit of morning routine then crack into some art. Lately i've been dabbling with some leather work, so practicing my hand at that, ive got some metallic silver pieces over here that’ll be turned into something nice for y’all. Ummm yeah some beach time, maybe the pub, friends, i've recently started pole dancing so i'm on the pole…. Just opening my door and letting any opportunities in at the moment.
A: IF YOU COULD CREATE AN ALBUM ABOUT YOUR LIFE WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT
N: Probably um.. So Fresh 2023.
