Check out Rielle Oase’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rielle Oase.

Rielle, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I started college at the age of 13 as a result of my stereotypical Asian tiger mom; I’m lucky to have her. And lucky for her, despite being set up for law school, I decided to pursue art.

My interests started in commercial photography, wanting to do anything from weddings, to portraits, to events. But while at the University of Arizona, my professors gave me a passion for conceptual thought and suddenly I was a starving college student pursuing fine art. In 2016, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a Photography Emphasis (a title I beg them to reconsider).

In 2017, I moved to Phoenix. My day job is modeling and being a school photographer. I concentrate on my art between those moments though I’m still trying to find a balance.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a result of being homeschooled until college, I’m very much a recovering awkward person and my work has always drawn from social structures and how people interact. While making, I play with ideas of social norm, taboo, subjects like molestation and incest. I used to prioritize making the viewer as uncomfortable as possible. Curating an exhibition that was protested or being censored from shows were things I wore like badges of honor. But as my work has evolved, I’ve found that using humor starts a better conversation from both sides. With an unguarded stance, I see more open-mindedness towards the ‘opposition’.

My current project, My First Touch and Feel, uses the innocence of children’s board-books to discuss social touch. Just like the multi-sensory children’s books used to teach toddlers touch and smell, this project is colorful and cute. I hand-embroidered the pages so viewers can feel it and interact with it. Once you start paying attention to what you’re touching though, you see the exploration of relationships, sexual assault, and the political climate around these subjects.

As an artist, my ultimate goal is to alter the way people think towards controversy. I will always speak on controversial subjects, but I’ve always found that polarized opinions have a lot more in common than people think. I like messing around with people’s perception of the ‘other’.

What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
To do something that changes someone’s mind. The strongest thing a person can do is modify their ideas. If I’m to consider myself a successful artist, I would have to make a difference in the way people think.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I’ve been lucky enough to go from my first cringe-worthy solo exhibition, to several publications, exhibitions across the US, and even my first in Rome. As of right now, the easiest place to see it all is on my website (www.rielleoase.com) and Instagram (@rielleoase).

The best way to support me as an artist is through criticism and encouragement. Talk to me about your opinions so that I may use them and revise my work. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rielleoase.com
• Email: rielleoase@gmail.com
• Instagram: @rielleoase
• Facebook: @rielleoase

Image Credit:
All photos by me.

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