Engaging Artists Resident: Dato Mio
What inspires your art making practice?
Inspiration comes from many different places. Reading, walking, memories, and things I hear people say. I work in projects where I can investigate forms and concerns I have.
What are you working on currently?
I have an ongoing collage project exploring the beginning of the 21st Century. The collages are both visual and text pieces on paper, boards, canvas, and wood. I also make collages directly on a flatbed scanner. I continue working on my project "Manufacturing a New Value System for Harlem" which includes photography, video, text, and performance. This project is about gentrification and I began it in 2010. "Una Vida Secreta" (A Secret Life) is a photo project (B&W and Color) exploring my own personal history and poetics. I will begin editing a film this summer.
Where are you volunteering now or where will you be volunteering?
I am working with the Washington Heights Men's Shelter. I will also be volunteering with City Harvest in Washington Heights and other places in the coming weeks.
Describe your thoughts and goals for volunteering
I'm looking forward to connecting with the people I meet and assisting them in any way I can. I am always interested in learning and challenging my own notions about people and ideas. I'm excited about workshops I may begin leading in a week or so, but I'm more excited about what will emerge naturally form the residents. I have been told that several of the residents are into art so I'm thinking about it as a collaboration. Ultimately, I am hoping to continue working with the men's shelter after the residency dates and developing some more art with the residents.
What would you like to accomplish during Engaging Artists?
I'd like to have some meaningful interactions with the people I'm working with. I would like to walk away from the residency with more knowledge about survival within the human condition. I would love to make some art that reflects some of the issues that are emerging from this process.