WORKING LIFE
Q & A WITH AMAR SINGH
2wenty : Hi Amar , thank you so much for taking your time to meet us today . Shall we get started ?
Amar : Pleasure to talk . Yeah let ’ s go !
2wenty : Great . So , how did you get to where you are in life today ? What path did you follow in your twenties ?
Amar : I went to university in America , but I didn ’ t graduate because I started working on projects outside university to see what businesses could have a positive impact on the world and on issues that matter to me .
That kind of landed me in the art world in my early 20s . Part of the proceeds from sales would always go to help causes important to me . It then kind of grew from there into a bigger gallery and I was able to part my time between art and human right projects .
2wenty : Can you name one of the biggest obstacles you faced on your journey so far ?
Amar : Definitely people , myself included . We are taught by society to follow a certain structure to have success in life . It consists of school , university , and work until we die . But with following this certain structure we put limitations on ourselves . We only have one life , why are we not trying to push boundaries and limits more often ? So yeah , I think the biggest challenge is to tell people you ’ re doing something different that doesn ’ t follow a certain path .
2wenty : What are you most passionate about in human rights and arts ?
Amar : I am passionate about uplifting communities that have been suppressed , and that have been women and LGBT communities typically . And if you look at the art world , which is so important because it is the most important one in terms of timelessness , you can see it is a culture which is truthfully about men . The top 20 of the most expensive paintings in the entire world are all by men . So how do we change that narrative ? We need to look at LGBT artists , at female artists . Women are becoming more powerful , and it is about time the LGBT community is as well . These statistics , the world is changing .
2wenty : Who inspires you the most ?
Amar : I was just speaking with a female artist who loves surrealist art , and she was asking me who my favourite surreal artist is . I love Renee Mar , who ’ s a man of course . But there are overlooked surrealist women , like Helen Lundberg or Jane Gra who were around at the same as other male artists during the surrealism in the early 20th century . And their works are just as beautiful as Dali or Maxs . I also love abstract artists , like Helen Frankenthaler or Joan Mitchell .
And in terms of people in my life who inspire me , probably my family . My mother and grandmother are very strong women . I come from a line of women ’ s right activists , and I appreciate that a lot .
2wenty : What would you tell people in their twenties ?
Amar : Buy more art ? ( Laughing ) And probably just be wild , you know ? You need to remember that we are only living once . I would strongly advise anybody wo can prevent getting a job they do not love from doing so in their twenties . I am not saying to not work . But try and love your work and enjoy your time . And really take moments to explore . Buy and sell stuff , travel the world , fall in love , get into passionate debates . I am worried if I see somebody who is 28 and they ’ ve just spent seven years in an office in misery , and yes , they ’ re earning a lot of money , but it doesn ’ t mean anything if you are unhappy . The only things that really matter are friends , family and creating a positive difference in the world . Fighting for each other . Everything else is irrelevant .
2wenty : If you think back to your twenties , is there anything you regret or you wish you would have done differently ?
Amar : You know , Anthony Hopkins always says you shouldn ’ t have regrets . I would have done quite a lot differently though . Maybe I should have finished my degree . But every decision you make leads you to where you are meant to be , and I am content with where I am today . Not taking time for granted with the people your love . I think that is something we all need to keep in mind .
2wenty : And now please tell us this or that : Summer or winter ?
Amar : Summer , always .
2wenty : Vacation or Staycation ?
Amar : Vacation .
2wenty : Cooking dinner or take away ?
Amar : Cooking . But my cooking skills have gone downhill , I ’ m working on tha though .
2wenty : Night in or night out ?
Amar : Night out . Every night out is a memory .
12 2wenty ISSUE 1