GIPHY Arts commissions hundreds of artists a year, all of whom do impeccable work. Today, we are happy to spotlight GIPHY Artist IIham Al Shahab (eelhum) and share a Q&A that dives deeper into the creative process.
Ilham is a 22 year old artist in Malaysia that specializes in illustration & graphic design. She likes to create narrative art pieces, where she expresses the maximum with the minimum. When creating, she often combines the sequential language of storytelling with visual poetry.
What came to mind when GIPHY Arts approached you for a commission?
Excited!!! Especially since it was a pretty open brief! I had a lot going on in my mind when I received that email.
What is different about GIFs/Clips vs. other art mediums?
I’d say you get to connect with people with more of their senses with GIFs/Clips, manipulating sound, how things move, the pace, it all comes together in a nice little package. At the same time, it’s juuust short enough that you don’t give away too much, I’m certain nobody ever watches a single Clip/GIF only once, there’s always more to see on the 3rd, 4th, 5th viewing, that’s the beauty of it.
What do you hope your audience takes away from your work?
I like telling stories without saying too much, I want the audience to feel what I want them to feel before they figure out what they’re looking at. That intimate connection is why I make the art I do!
Describe yourself with one GIF/Clip
Nothing like a good Spongebob GIF to express yourself
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