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| Alana DaCosta at A Swing Thing - The Social Lubricant Photo Credit: Alessandro Abate |
Name: Alana DaCosta
What is your medium(s): Music, Poetry, Multi-disciplinary
What type of art do you
do? Experiential World Music
What inspires you? LIFE,
all the experiences in life influence my creative outlets. Oftentimes, forcing
me to step out of my comfort zone and simply create without bounds and without
regret. All is Divine Order and
What pieces did you
include in the exhibit "L’éléphant dans la Salle" and why? (please
share some of the story behind some of the work) One day while throwing out the
trash, I found a large and heavy table top . I had to have it. Not knowing that
it would become my first painting “Lady Blues”
a depiction of the labels that are often branded on women and
internalized. Yet, this lady chooses to expose all these labels and not allow
them to define who she is. She realizes that she is beyond what she sees, hears
and speaks....She goes within and sees her freedom and is no longer defined by
limited standards of society...
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| Lady Blues by Alana DaCosta |
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| Alana DaCosta performing & co-host at L’éléphant dans la Salle art exhibit at the 1310 Gallery |
Self taught or
traditionally trained? Traditionally trained in music and voice. Self taught visual artist
Share one thing that has
impacted your work? In 2007 my father passed away. This was a major
life-changing event for me. After his passing, it was like my creative flood
gates opened and my music, sketches and poems changed drastically. I began to
create and explore whatever my heart desired with no apologies and no regret. I
challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone and became a creative rebel.
Now, if I have the desire to create something be it a song, poem, drawing,
dance, etc., , I just do it, unapologetically.
Name one thing we may
not know about you or your work? This was my first “official” painting. I have always loved to find discarded objects
that are no longer wanted and change them into something beautiful. However,
because I have no training in visual arts and I would never share any of these
works or any of my sketches because I was afraid of rejection. Also, I have
always been very selective with what music or poems I share. During this
exhibit, I decided to let the “vibes” and energy of the attendees to determine
what songs and poems I shared. As a result I shared “VICTIM”, “QuickSwitch” and
other pieces that I rarely share with others.
If you could change one
thing in the world, what would it be? That people can live life freely and
responsibly in their truth.
If you had access to a
time machine, where would you go? I would go to a time when we never needed a
time machine to travel through time. A time when we as a collective understood
who we truly are and our place in the universe
If you could give one
piece of advice to an aspiring creative, what would it be? Do not allow fear or
doubt to stifle your potential...
If you could have one
super power, what would it be? To fly....
Social Media drug of choice? At this time, Facebook....
Side note from Niki Art Studio: Not only is Alana DaCosta a talented artist, I have had the pleasure of working with her on numerous projects and collaborations. From photographing and designing her album cover to co-producing a couple of art exhibits at the Sailboat Bend Artists Lofts aka 1310 Gallery. Besides being the co-producer and host for the L’éléphant dans la Salle art exhibit, Dacosta is also the co-creator of the movement #WhatsYourElephant - A human experience project using the arts to create provocative conversations around the unspoken. To find out more about that project, click here.
