Meet Rania Daghmoura | Assistant Producer & Artist Liaison

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rania Daghmoura and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rania, why did you pursue a creative career?
Since ShoutoutLA is all about embracing the prosaic life of artists and creatives, I will say I initially pursued Visual Arts only out of necessity. So at first, it wasn’t necessarily a calling.

But along the way, I discovered that this was the right path for me. My background in contemporary dance, my curiosity for art history & theory, and even my scientific mindset came together in a way that made me feel I belong in this field. In art, a key question is always “where does art belong?”, and I’ve come to realize that one of the ways to feel you’re doing meaningful work is to find your own sense of belonging. And for me, as cheesy as this sounds, that happens through art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always been drawn to invisible worlds, from a tick’s sensory system to a dog’s field of scent, from artists made invisible in art history to the unseen code behind Net Art, the world behind the curtain of performances… All these unseen networks connect somehow, and they’ve made me realize that I naturally tend to work quietly behind the scenes, as part of the invisible fabric that helps artists make things happen. And I’ve found that speaking more than one language is an unexpected asset in navigating these unseen connections.

But what lies invisibly beneath my work as a liaison and assistant producer is a deep yearning to become an artist. I don’t like to call myself an artist, at least not yet. It’s a title I respect deeply and don’t want to assign lightly.

But the impulse to think like one is there. I believe even in non-art fields, people experience sparks of inspiration, artists and creatives just tend to hold onto them longer. Mine usually strike after watching documentaries or reading about animal behavior, which led me to ethology and biosemiotics. These ideas often find their way into my art, not in a literal or illustrative sense. Instead, they inform how I think about perception, interconnection, and what lies beyond the visible, often through new media art installations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some things I love checking out are what’s new in the art world -especially in digital and net art- exploring what emerges online or in public space, rather than through traditional museum/gallery visits alone. In digital spaces, art circulates more freely. I grew up in a home that combined two very different worlds: software engineering and law. That mix made me curious about the boundaries of art : for example, what happens when art becomes “illegal” or challenges systems of ownership?

I find that tension fascinating, and it’s something uncommissioned explores constantly: where should art exist, and who decides what counts as vandalism or public art?

One concept I always return to – whether in my art practice or this job – is “Umwelt”, coined by Jakob von Uexküll, the idea that each being experiences its own limited world, shaped by its senses. I see the Umwelts as a series of windows, each an opening into a subjective space. And I think uncommissioned expands our human Umwelt, by making us see overlooked places in public space as potential playgrounds for art.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My main shoutout goes to the members, artists, collaborators of Nōvo Collective, and everyone involved in the uncommissioned exhibition.

Their mission resonated with me right from the start, championing public art, doing art for art’s sake, and breaking away from the institutional walls the art world keeps rebuilding while claiming to “democratize” it.

Other: https://linktr.ee/RaniaDg Sharing my Linktree since I often update my website, this link stays current.

Image Credits
The other photos I shared are of my own work, you can find more on my website. https://linktr.ee/RaniaDg?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=22735241-8d2b-4a4c-aad4-d0259ef3afd5 The picture with the different time zones is a playful collage depicting the behind the scenes of remote work for uncommissioned, balancing studying, making art, and blending art coordination with everyday life. Website of the project : https://www.uncommissioned.art