Kat Alyst: Crying Over Something We Never Had, 2022

Texas-born, nationwide-based Kat Alyst portrays her personal experiences through colorful narratives. The Stephen F. Austin State University BFA graduate blurs the lines in art and photography to discuss complexities with mental-health, identity and the human experience generally transforming her messages through being her own subject. You first read about Alyst last year [here] discussing her debut solo show, someone is trying to tell you something, which originally features the current foundation of Alyst’s newest work.

Your work has evolved significantly over the past year. How do you feel you have personally grown?

Thank you. It’s probably cliché to say “in every way”, but it’s true– I feel more humbled, confident, and have an outpour of ideas coming to me to use as new work.

In short, compared to your first body of work [s.i.t.t.t.y.s.], what is the key difference to your newest pieces?

The boundaries push solely beyond my mental-health experiences and dance into topics of the human condition.

Can you share any updates about your upcoming projects?

I’m excited to share a new body of work that covers the different identities I’ve had just to survive sometimes day-to-day moments. I think this will be a supporting role to my solo show, because it will open the conversation to people sharing their own experiences with society’s conformities.

You are all over the map and go, go, go! How do you balance travel with creating new work?

My sketchbook is the first thing I pack. If I can’t bring it, I have tons of notes in my phone too for sourcing into fuller ideas when I can physically build sets and shoot.

Are you currently working with any galleries?

Yes! I’m a program artist with The Shockboxx Gallery, and I’ve been in contact with various gallery representation offers, so maybe more officially with some in the near future!

 Website and social media handles, please!

Mynameiskat.com and @katinthecloudz on everything!

Alyst will make an appearance this year in Miami, Florida during Art Basel, curated by The Analog Film Photography Association (Founder, Jacob Rodriguez), showcasing with Spectrum Art Fair. The show opens November 30, 2022 at 6:00pm ET and spans through December 4, 2022.