In Conversation: Maya Luthra

We’re beyond excited to continue our Graduate Takeover season with a conversation between ourselves and painter, print-maker and Fine Art and Art History graduate, Maya Luthra. Having studied at Manchester School of Art, and previously worked with us on Fuse Magazine Issue 01, Maya’s work is familiar to us - which always seems to be developing and growing. We wanted to get in touch and chat about her experiences being a pandemic graduate, finding the next step and not putting any pressure on her own practice.

Hello! Introduce yourself. Who are you? What do you do?

My name is Maya Luthra, I’m a 23 year old postgraduate student. I studied Fine Art & Art History for my undergraduate degree and graduated mid-pandemic last year. I’m currently balancing my Masters, working in a gallery and my art practice. Sometimes one takes over, but I generally find that each aspect of my working/academic life informs and elevates the other.

You describe yourself as an Abstract Painter on Instagram, tell us about your practice and how it came to be? Was it something you knew you wanted to do or did it come about out of the blue?

My practice came to be by accident. I had no intention of continuing my practice beyond uni, but through multiple lockdowns it’s been a saving grace, financially but (most importantly) personally. I’m not sure where it will take me this year, but I don’t want to put any pressure on it.

We've collaborated before on Fuse Magazine's first issue. You wrote "Welcoming Newness by Releasing the Past". How was the reception of it? How did you feel after seeing it go live?

Writing that piece was incredibly important to me. It was written during a transitional phase of my life, hence the title, and gave me the opportunity to reflect and empower myself through sharing my experiences. It felt honest, which is in itself scary, and in a way it felt overwhelming to try and work through worrying about what others thought. I’m not sure I’ve worked how I feel towards it yet.

It's Graduate Takeover season at Fuse - you've recently graduated haven't you? Where did you graduate from and what did you study

I graduated in 2020 (class of covid!) from Manchester School of Art with a degree in Fine Art & Art History.

How were the months after graduation for you, your wellness and for your creative practice? Was there anything you felt unprepared for or did you feel like you knew where you wanted to go?

Graduating from my undergrad was sadly quite anticlimactic for me. Working towards a degree in lockdown was pretty strange. I am lucky though, I created a makeshift studio in my childhood bedroom and immersed myself in my practice. The body of work I produced for my 'degree show’ wasn’t how I had imagined it would be, it was less abstract than work I had created in my uni studio which is perhaps a reflection of being removed from the art school atmosphere. I think I would have felt a lot more overwhelmed had COVID-19 not happened. The world felt (and still, to a certain extent, continues to feel) uncertain, unsafe and unprecedented (I’m not ever using that word again post pandemic). I had no idea where I want to go. But I brought my postgraduate plans forward which was the right decision, my MA has been the most wonderful part of the last year.

A lot of graduates will understandably feel anxious about leaving their studies and where they're going to go next - especially for those of colour who already face barriers within the industry - what would you say to any graduates right now? Is there any advice that you'd love to give them?

I spent a lot of time worrying about where to go next. I still worry and overthink it, but allowing myself the time to just exist and be still has forced me to ask myself what matters to me and what I feel like I want in a job. Graduating is an overwhelming feeling like no other, which perhaps I numbed by throwing myself into an MA. As I get closer to the end of this degree, I am grateful to have stopped and asked what's important to me. That would be my advice: allow yourself the time, whether that be a day, a month or a year, to figure out what really matters to you.

There’s also an Audre Lorde quote that I regularly return to which helps to remind me that vulnerabilities can be reframed: ‘visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength’.

What's next for you? Where can people find more of your work?

At the moment I’m bogged down writing my postgraduate dissertation whilst working in a gallery. I’m not sure what’s next with my practice, but prints are available on my website (linked via my instagram) and commissions are open. I’m excited to see the world reopen and perhaps that will inspire a new phase of my practice.

Make sure you check out Maya’s work here: instagram.com/mayaluthraart & mayaluthraart.bigcartel.com

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Image credits: Maya Luthra