Alumna Update: Titas Sen
Titas Sen is a 2021 scholar who attended the University of the Arts London to pursue an MA Fine Art in Computational Arts.
She is an illustrator and designer who has worked with organisations like UNICEF, Smashboard, and Yodapress, among others. Her work has appeared in Feminist Realities – an international magazine published by the Association of Women’s Rights in Development.
In this week’s blog she discusses her learnings from her time at the University of the Arts London.
When I started my MA in Fine Art: Computational Arts at the University of the Arts London (UAL) in 2021 funded by the Inlaks Foundation, I felt like an imposter who had conned my way into the life of an artist with just a handful of digital sketches. A year later, I realise that being an artist has always been central to my identity. I just didn’t know it at the time.
My journey to art has not been straightforward. I made my way towards it while meandering through two degrees in history and quite a few years in journalism. Though I had established the beginnings of a practice between 2017 and 2021 working as a freelance illustrator and designer, I would never have been able to imagine my practice taking the strides it has made in the year I spent at UAL.
I was primarily a 2D illustrator with some competency in animation, and some experience conceptualising interactive works at my job with Economic and Political Weekly (EPW). However, within four months of being at UAL, I made my first short animated film using 3D art.
While my technical skill has evolved significantly, for me, the personal growth fostered by my mentors and the city itself has made an everlasting impression. I had the privilege of being mentored by renowned artists like Jennet Thomas, Max Dovey and Renee Odjidja. We were encouraged to visit exhibitions and engage with everything London has to offer. All of it together made me think quite critically about what art is, what it means to be an artist, and what kind of artist I want to be.
My practice now is far more experimental and process led. I am no longer afraid of the unknown, and rather revel in the difficult questions that often come up. I am interested in creating a body of work that interrogates the relationship between identity and experience. For this, I conducted my research by organising workshops with exercises that explore these ideas. It was an enriching experience.
A workshop participant explaining their visualisation of their identities from one of Titas's workshops.
Being primarily a digital artist, I had never really taken gallery spaces seriously before. I actively thought of them as exclusionary elite spaces. However, the course forced me to think more spatially and exhibit work in physical spaces. I slowly discovered these spaces added more dimension to my work and increased its scope. I exhibited my work, both within the university and with other organisations and work with well-known curators. For my final show at Dilston Gallery, Sourthwark Park, I experimented with installation art. It was the first time my artwork had such a vast audience and received such critical feedback. Through my exhibitions, the many indie galleries I visited and occasionally volunteered with, I found my preconceived notions fading away.
Titas's installation at Dilston Gallery, Southwark Park in November 2022
Titas delivering an artist talk at Camberwell College of the Arts.
Overall, I will surely carry everything I have learnt at UAL forward for many years to come. I will also carry with me an excellent and diverse group of artist friends who support each other, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to art school. I’m sure some of them will have a lasting impact on my practice and my person.
Cover Image: Titas with her tutors Max Dovey and Jennet Thomas
