Artists are mostly inspired by their immediate surroundings. But what if their surrounding change? Such is the life of Araki Koman, a nomadic illustrator who’s been around the world quite literally. Currently based in Bali (Indonesia), she has lived, worked and studied in France, UK, China, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, USA, and Japan. A busy life if you take into account her relatively young age.
“Discovering the world and moving abroad has been in my mind from a young age,” she shared in an interview with The Glossary. “Growing up, I managed to find a way to combine my studies and then work with traveling.”
“Coming from an immigrant and working class background it felt completely unrealistic to pursue art after high school, especially in France,” Koman added. “Moreover, I didn’t have anyone around me doing a creative job as a career. I thought people like me were meant to do it as a hobby and only the elite could have thriving careers as creatives. Luckily, traveling broadened my perspective.”
Now, she has managed to turn her passion into a full-time job, and with a growing audience on Instagram, she clearly has her work cut out for her. Her illustrations – raw, minimalist, and thought-provoking – are influenced by spirituality, slow living, visual anthropology, as well as her multicultural experiences.
We’re guessing we’ll see more of her in the future.
