Meet Salomé Egas | Interdisciplinary Artist, Educator and Bilingual Children’s Book Author

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

Hi Salomé, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
There have been a few habits that I’ve learnt in my artistic journey that have helped me tons, but I must say that the most important one has been consistency and perseverance. (Whether that’s writing a bit everyday, connecting with new collaborators often, or booking 2 studio hours a week, I needed to create those pockets of time just to be creative independently of any results). Eventually consistency and perseverance create a motivated habit that you don’t question, you just do. I must say though, that if you don’t have the inner conviction that you are capable, you are enough, talented and worthy, it is very hard to commit.
So what happens if you can’t commit to your artistic practice because you don’t believe in yourself? Well, then you need to ask for help. For me, that help was therapy. I couldn’t undo a lot of my insecurities until I started therapy and started to deal with my traumas/ fears. I do have to say though, it takes time, so that brings me back to consistency and perseverance.

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’m an interdisciplinary artist, working in the intersections of dance, theater film, textiles and social justice. It hasn’t been easy to get to this point. A lot of my work has come out from healing and my undoing of many of the barriers I’ve confronted as an Immigrant, woman of color in the US. I was born and raised in Ecuador, and then became very privileged to obtain a US bachelors and master’s education because of scholarships. However, all that education at many points left me feeling that I wasn’t enough or qualified to be an artist. For some time I stopped making art and it was only when I started to question the world around me by reading critical race theory, by questioning the media influence in the portrayal of Latines and immigrants, and by engaging in decolonizing and re-indigenizing practices such as the reclaiming of folk myths, that I was able to reroot myself in my Ecuadorian and Indigenous ancestral heritage and felt powerful in presenting my voice and point of views. Quickly, I realized that this vulnerability and deep introspection brought many audiences to empathize and identify with my work; eventually helping me to become part of a community of emerging, radical and daring artists in NYC.
The biggest challenge? So many along the way but currently, it has been to keep up with NYC’s creative speed. I feel that sometimes, artists are expected to produce new work constantly. I don’t have it in me to jump from one project to the next so quickly, so I’ve been working on allowing myself to take the time each project needs, rest and be kinder with myself as I find inspiration for the next artistic pursuit.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m based in Bedstuy, Brooklyn, and honestly, I love my neighborhood so much I stay within the area a lot. There are a few good restaurants that I love: Trad Room, Saraghina, Sally’s Brooklyn and Warude. All of these are great spots to get a nice dinner and drinks! There’s also bar Lunático, an amazing spot for live music and drinks (it gets super crowded so you better get there early!) As for other bars, I love going to BedVyne Brew and Lover’s Rock, they always have amazing vibes with fun dancing later in the night. For more of a chill hang out, I would recommend 2 bars: Turtles All the Way Down and Barb’s. Fun Fact, I actually met my husband while having a solo drink at Barb’s, so it’s a great spot for singles, lol.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shout out to Brynne O’Rourke! We met while I was doing my Master’s at NYU. We were part of a production of Antigone in 2017 and since then, we’ve collaborated in so many projects. Each project is more ambitious than the last, which is exciting not only because it means we are getting better at our crafts but also because we become better friends each time! Because of Brynne’s incredible empathy and capacity to be a great listener, I always feel so safe, excited and ready to engage in the next collaboration.

Website: salomeegas.com

Instagram: @salomeegas

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salome-egas/

Facebook: Salome-Egas

Youtube: @salocaro

Image Credits
Personal Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk Extra Photos: Photos 1, 2, 5, 8 by Camila Javier Photo 3 by Jordan Quellman Photo 4 by Melanie Flanagan Photo 6 by Asher Almonacy Photo 7 by Yoko Haraoka