For this month’s Art Works we spoke to Emily Grey, member of art collective Moonbuns, who talks about creative connections and nourishing the soul.
This is my newest piece titled Mother, Mother, a work-in-progress for over three years, about generational trauma and learning to uphold boundaries. It started as an outlet for processing raw, emotional pain and became a mirror for my therapy journey. Initially the expressions were rageful and agonised, completely stark in black-and-white, with no breathing room between the figures. Over time I introduced geometric shapes and pushed for exploration, without focussing on outcome. I kept moulding it closer to what felt authentic at that moment, until I felt ready to share. A common motif within my work is golden threads, symbolising connections in life – heritage, loved ones, the world around us, parts of ourselves. These links seem invisible but can build or bind us, and deserve honouring and understanding.
A balance that I’m constantly relearning is that in order to create sustainably, I also need to nourish my soul with delight too; smelling the rich earth whilst potting a plant, loving on my cats, playing DDR at the arcade with my friends, or choosing to go on a walk
I’m Queer, non-binary and Vietnamese-Chinese, born in London from a family of refugees. I studied Game Art & Animation and moved to Notts to work as a professional artist for a mental health app. Unfortunately, after five years I was made redundant due to AI, ironically taking a huge toll on my mental health.
Soon after, I cofounded Moonbuns, an artist collective that has achieved a ton of rad stuff – being commissioned by a museum, collaborating with local independent businesses, running stalls at markets (including our beloved Ay-up), fundraising for Palestine, hosting Queer markets, and we are even developing a video game! (The next ‘Notts Big Queer Market’ is on 24-25 July at Project Gallery, Backlit featuring 70 artists and free drag life drawing – visit @moonbuns.exe on Instagram for more info)
I’m inspired by artists including Mucha, Sargent, Ahad (@wiresandtrees) and Thanh Nhàn; as well as local artists, Dan Watson my partner and incredible illustrator working for Games Workshop, Iulia Matei who inspired me to start making prints of my work, Pink Menace (this month’s cover artist!) who are always working on cool projects and creating politically resonant illustrations, and so many more.
One of my earliest projects was a series of portraits done whilst asking questions about their experiences and beliefs – changing style, colours and medium as I went. I aimed to capture people's essence, and it was rewarding to see their eyes light up, like, ‘That’s me!!’
A balance that I’m constantly relearning is that in order to create sustainably, I also need to nourish my soul with delight too; smelling the rich earth whilst potting a plant, loving on my cats, playing DDR at the arcade with my friends, or choosing to go on a walk with an old friend around The Park. We need input and output to live fulfilling lives. Creating things with our soul is necessary, and so is nourishing it. Don’t let a machine or corporate greed take that away from you.
Find Emily’s work and more at the Nottingham Big Queer Market on Friday 24 - Saturday July at Backlit Gallery.
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