How did you end up becoming the person you are today? In other words, what has affected your current self the most, or what are some pivotal moments along the way you'd like to share?

I think it's all about coincidences, one thing that leads to the next: people you meet along the way, things that happen to you. I really wasn't an artistic child at all, but I grew up in a very creative home. My father was a fashion designer, and my mother a nurse. And they had me when they were very young; they were basically both still kids when I was born. My parents and their friends were playful, crazy, experimental, and eccentric. I was given a lot of freedom, making me highly independent at a very early age. I guess I became an artist because of my father's untimely death at just 36 years old when I was 13. I lost my voice somehow with him, but I started making fashion drawings to connect with him without knowing it. 

Can you recall your first memory of experiencing art or expressing yourself creatively? What did it look like, and how did it feel?

Art was undeniably a significant presence in my childhood home. We travelled to Italy a lot and went to museums, and our bookshelves were packed with art books and fashion magazines because of my father's occupation. Spending time next to my father at his sewing machine, I would do drawings and loved all the beautiful fabrics and colors. In a sense, it was through fashion that I first encountered creativity and making art. 

Tell us a bit about your current exhibition. What are your thoughts behind it? What purpose do you hope that it serves?

The exhibition is showcasing some of my earliest works from as far back as 26 years ago, with 40 paintings and 100 drawings. The curators wanted to include key works from my career, focusing on a darker side than people usually associate me with. "Let Everything Happen to You," The exhibition title, comes from Rainer Maria Rilke's poem "Go to the limit of your longing" from The Book of Hours. In the poem, Rilke encourages us to embrace the full spectrum of the human experience, whether beautiful or terrible and "Let Everything Happen to You" is, in some way, a call to accept the diversity of life. I think, for me personally, it's about accepting whatever happens. The current state of the world is horrific, with so much destruction at every level, but in a way, we don't have a choice but to accept what's happening, although I don't think we automatically should. Therefore, the title is a bit of a paradox. We all must move forward. Through my work, I want to showcase what I care for, what impacts me, and what touches me. I aim to get into the core of what my compassion and empathy are all about. How it is to be a human and to guide oneself through life - whatever it takes. Having practiced art for the past 30 years, it makes me think about this long journey. How it all began, and who I am now. The subjects I began working with are still the same. When you are young, you feel like the world evolves around you, and you can only speak from your viewpoint. With experience, things shift. Today, my own story is not at all that important to me. But I still use it when I create my work. 

What are your general hopes for the future? In the arts, the cultural world, the world at large, your work, or personally.

I think a lot about how my work can best represent the world we are living in right now. Giving my viewers room to interpret and explore for themselves is essential, with my work functioning as a mirror. I think about the frailty and transcience of us humans and of human presence and absence. And I guess that the most important thing I can bring into my work is the feeling of compassion and empathy. To remind us that we are all connected beyond our differences. As artists, our visual language has a vital role in responding to or helping us reflect on the world and the times we live in. When we struggle to grasp the words to express the reality we find ourselves in, the visual impact of the arts can help heal and perhaps offer another perspective. Art clearly has the power to stir emotions, alter perspectives, forge connections to personal realms of experience, and provide nuanced insight.