Today I'm thrilled to share a conversation with Iness Rychlik, an incredible artist who also shared deep insights with us about a variety of topics. Let's dive in!

Iness, its so wonderful to finally speak to you for ALLSHIPS, I've been a long time fan of your work. To begin, can you introduce yourself to our community? Your name, where you are from, and the mediums you work in?

Thank you so much for having me! My name is Iness and I am a conceptual self-portrait photographer. Although I was born in Poland, I have been living in the UK for the past twelve years. My work is rooted in my deeply personal experiences, often reflecting on growing up in a conservative and patriarchal society. I suffer from a hyper-sensitive skin condition, which I learnt to embrace as a creative outlet I have been weaving into my photography work.

Titles for below in order: Art in the Age of Digital Puritanism, Beyond Repair, Caution, and Crumbs

Out of all the artists I've interviewed, I think your approach to making work is one of the most unique I've ever seen. One thing I always admire in artists is authenticity, people leaning into what makes them unique, and you are a shining example of someone who does that.

When did you first begin on this particular concept of using skin impressions to make symbolic self portraits? I would love to hear about that specifically then we can zoom out a bit and talk about your creative drive in general.

Thank you so much. The transition from viewing my skin condition as a source of insecurity to embracing it as a powerful tool for storytelling was gradual, without a specific 'Eureka!' moment. During my teens, unsolicited remarks about my skin significantly affected my self-worth.

However, I recall a small attempt to take control by drawing a heart on my stomach during a dull high school class. I began wholehearted artistic experiments in my adulthood around 2017, and since then, my practice has become more and more introspective. It has been a liberating experience.

Titles for below in order: Exhibition, Innocence Lost

I love that explanation, and I admire how you took difficult moments inflicted on you by others, and turned them into personal victories for yourself. Admirable.

How does your process unfold- from ideation to completion of a work? Do you have a clear concept in mind that you work towards, or do you experiment and iterate towards your final artistic output?

I appreciate it, Dave. Usually, I have a clear idea of *what* I want to express, but discovering *how* to do it is a multifaceted process. Before I set up my camera, I will have done a lot of work in research, sourcing the costumes and creating the props. This all happens before I even begin experimenting with the patterns on my skin, which as I am sure you can understand, is a temperamental canvas that cannot be wiped like a neat board.

My body demands a reset time, and my art requires a lot of patience (which is not a trait I possess naturally). I love this process wholeheartedly, because it rebels against the idea of having to constantly produce rather than create; the understandable but misguided need for instant gratification and ‘feeding the algorithm’.

Titles of below in order: Muse, The Awakening

That last line really resonates with me, and is a great segway into another line of conversation. We've all been creating work for social media for many years now- and of course it has its pitfalls, which you've mentioned- how does adding this layer of Web3 change the equation for an artist like yourself?

Web3 can be an incredible tool for empowering artists – for years, I have found the nonchalant attitude towards our copyright in web2 quite distasteful. We are living in a digital world, and yet the mainstream perception of authorship remains a distorted echo of outdated romantic views. Artists are expected to be content with the beautiful idea of ‘sharing our vision with the world’, dismissing the mundane concepts of attribution, consensual use or fair financial compensation.

What frustrates me is that we rely on centralised social media platforms to communicate with our audience, which for me involves a great deal of imposed censorship due to the nature of my work. We are very early indeed, but I am excited for the ride.

Titles for below in order: The Weight of Your Words, Unstill Life

When I first found web3 and understood it as an ownership layer of the internet- the thought occurred to me - it’s time to renegotiate our relationship with the internet. In 2010 it made a lot of sense to trade our content in exchange for a global distribution network- but now that those networks are built and generating many billions of dollars- network participants should be able to participate in the economic upside of the worlds they create. Hoping we can get closer to that dream with web3.

What advice would you have for an artist who is earlier on their creative journey?

My advice to young artists is simple: keep on experimenting. It may seem cliché at first glance, but I believe there is no greater way to develop your craft than to allow yourself to experiment without self-censorship or judgment. Fuck the algorithmic rat race. Remember the bigger picture and create work that feels unique and true to you.

Iness, thank you so much for taking the time to share your world with us. To the reader, please follow Iness on Twitter to keep up with her latest efforts, and share this article far and wide!