Kavel Rafferty

Margate, UK-based mixed-media artist Kavel Rafferty manipulates found objects and photographs to create and renavigate their stories. I was pleased to interview her and get a look into the process behind the beautiful art.

Can you share a bit about your background?

I was raised by hippy parents. My dad named me Kavel; more than likely he picked the name up whilst travelling in India. Kavel is actually a Hindi boy’s name meaning lotus flower, which is lovely – thank you for that, Dad! We moved and travelled a lot as a family and I'm sure this lifestyle has encouraged my love of adventure. I have lived all over; a couple of years in Sweden and almost a decade in Barcelona. I feel I have (finally?) settled, in the vibrant sea-side town of Margate. I love being by the sea, I know it sounds trite, but it really has been a god send throughout Covid. This week I’ve been alone on the beach with the dog in a huge snowstorm and then today in glorious sunshine. It’s the best tonic.

I trained at Worthing College as a textile designer, a HND; but I couldn’t continue my studies, so I’ve learnt on the job. My illustration and art practice are all self taught.

I’ve worked in the creative industries for over 25 years. Recently, I’ve been working more on my own work, due mostly to an epiphany after a six week art residency in Mexico City in early 2020.

Since returning home and during this bizarre global pandemic, I have continued this exploration of the new (to me) medium of collage.

What ideas are you exploring in your work?

In my work I examine the possibilities available when using found materials, such as old magazines, appropriated images, abandoned furniture and recycled backgrounds. There is value and beauty in this discarded stuff, and a frugal and relevant way of working in a time of mass production and waste.

I mix abstract shapes, redact, edit and censor the photographs and text to create new stories about form, negative and positive space, women, masks (real and imagined) and sapphism. This work uses subtle visual tricks to make the viewer look again. My work has a slight tinge of nostalgia, because of the use of time-worn, second-hand acquisitions. I love a happy accident and want this spontaneity and unplanned nature to show in my work. It is important to me to acknowledge these ‘mistakes’. Creating order from the chaos.

Can you talk about your artistic process?

Working with authentic materials is integral to my work. What I discover, whether at a flea market in Mexico City or on the streets of Margate, dictates what I make, that day or that week. These ‘finds’ can include anything from old porno mags and cookery books, to cartoon posters and knitting pamphlets. These gathered materials are then examined, altered and combined to form a new image, a new narrative.

I am really missing flea markets at the moment. It’s one of my motivations for making new work. Luckily enough, I have lots of reference at my studio and at home, I’m a collector and a hoarder!

Can you talk a bit about the evolution of your practice and work?

I came out as a lesbian quite late in life, at the age of 43, This has been so liberating for me; it has definitely been a catalyst for stronger and more confident work. I’m happy and comfortable in myself now, as an out queer woman. It’s made me braver in every part of my life, including my practice.

Which artists or leaders do you look to for inspiration?

I’m not great at these questions, so many people to admire. I love Outsider Art, the idea that people create, from the need to create, I can relate to that ethos. The drive to make, just for the sake of making. It often has a purity, with no pretentions.

Which artists do you enjoy at the moment?

Funnily enough I do a ‘Sunday Shout Out’ on my Instagram account every week, where I talk about artists and organisations I admire. I like the idea of sharing. Instagram has become so much about selling, so monetized, sometimes it’s just nice to say, “look at this, it’s interesting, funny, heartbreaking…” an old favorite like @leo.fitzmaurice who is incredibly talented and clever, friends, @parisessex who make the most brilliantly crazy knitted artwork, and a new discovery, collage artist @ritamolav

What would be a dream project for you?

At the moment I am working towards my first solo show in a London Gallery In July, if Covid restrictions allow, fingers crossed.

I guess I want my work to be seen, recognized. I would like to continue with my newfound style, explore, and see where it takes me.

I have in the past worked on a few large-scale projects, murals and street art, I would love to do more of this. I am limited at the moment, by working at home, because of the Covid pandemic. I would so love to go massive again… My hope is, that my work will grow, become stronger and more robust, that I will have a better understanding of my own potential. I am feeling more confident, more dynamic and more inspired by what I am doing than I have for years.

You can follow Kavel on Instagram @kavelrafferty.

Dipayan Ghosh

Claire Milner