Artists in Residence: Shareen Mondala
Guided by a lifelong love of making and a reverence for the ordinary, Shareen Mondala is a textile artist devoted to the stories stitched into the objects we keep. At her core is a belief that nothing is truly junk — repurposing secondhand fabrics and collected fragments to transform the overlooked into something worth celebrating. On the floor at Incu Galeries Womens, Shareen brings that same eye for detail to everything she does — and this season, we turn inwards, celebrating the talent that exists within our own walls.
In collaboration with adidas, Shareen is one of Incu's very own Originals, bringing her quilt Abubot into our store space. She shares what led her to textiles as her medium, the community that shaped her practice, and why the most meaningful things we own are rarely the most obvious.
Head into Incu Galeries Women’s from Thursday July 16th - Wednesday July 29th to explore Shareen’s artwork.
“Abubot”, Textiles & Fabric
TELL US ABOUT THE PIECE YOU’VE CREATED
Growing up, my mom would always tell me, “Linisin mo yung abubot mo!” Translated, this means “Clean up all your junk!” Where majority of the time, this junk was all of my random knick-knacks and little treasures that I held valuable. This quilt celebrates the small objects people choose to keep and cherish. Stitched together from contributions from my loved ones, it explores how everyday objects can hold memories, stories and personal meanings beyond their physical form. I wanted to bring together many individual stories into one shared space and by translating them into a still image made with fabric, capturing moments that show a glimpse into our own lives.
EVERY ARTIST HAS A 'SPARK' MOMENT. LOOKING AT YOUR ROOTS AND IDENTITY, WHAT WAS THE SPECIFIC CATALYST—A MEMORY, A SUBCULTURE, OR A PERSON—THAT DREW YOU TO DRAWING AS YOUR PRIMARY VOICE?
My parents have always encouraged me to be creative. They worked as animators for Disney when I was growing up, and they have always been my biggest inspiration since. Through adolescence, I was always trying to find my “thing” and experimented with so many different avenues such as drawing, digital illustration, rug making, and eventually sewing! I remember seeing Nicole McLaughlin (a designer and artist known for upcycling fashion) on Instagram during COVID in 2019, where she made a pair of shorts using old Carhartt beanies. I was heavily inspired and started to upcycle my own clothes with an old sewing machine that was tucked away in my sister’s closet. From then on, with a lot of trial and error, I kept on challenging myself with sewing and eventually started to make my own pieces from scratch, using patterns that I made up in my head. This project was my first time creating such a big piece which is not fashion or clothing related at all, but it was a great learning experience and I’m excited to see what I will take on next!
HOW DOES THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF YOUR MEDIUM DICTATE THE STORY YOU’RE TRYING TO TELL?
I wanted my piece to be a quilt of some sort because it encompasses homeliness and comfort, specifically when talking about things that we own, and what makes our homes a home. In my few years of sewing I have also accumulated an assortment of fabrics with unique textures and patterns in which I utilised in this project, alongside all the old, scrap and secondhand fabrics I found in thrift stores, last chance bins and at scrap warehouses. I wanted to showcase that what we find valuable aren’t necessarily the most extravagant pieces we own and could be the littlest things we find on the street that holds a memory or special story. I was raised to always treat “trash as treasure” and discovered that the most mundane things I found were always my favourite to keep!
WHERE DO YOU LOOK TO FOR INSPIRATION WHEN YOU AREN’T LOOKING AT ART?
This project was inspired by the way people surround themselves with meaningful objects. I was inspired by the shelves at my own and my parents home, filled with collected treasures. Similarly with the display units at thrift stores displaying an abundance of interesting and unique items that were once owned. When I asked my friends about their favourite pieces, I received so many things of different shapes and sizes which influenced a lot of the composition of how the quilt came to be. The different textures and colours used were also inspired by the uniqueness of every individual person that shared their special piece with me.
WHAT CONVERSATION DO YOU HOPE YOUR ART SPARKS FOR THE PEOPLE VIEWING IT?
I hope this work encourages viewers to think about the objects they keep and why they hold onto them. What may appear insignificant or even worthless to one person can carry deep meaning for another. Through these collected “abubots”, I want to spark conversations about memories, stories, sentimentality and overall curiosity of each piece, and hope to build connections with each other and share their interests, their collections and overall a piece of who they are.
Featuring SHAREEN MONDALA
Photography LIAM CHANDLER
Art Direction AMANDA FUNG
Production KARLI BUTSON
Production Assistant ALEX NOU
