How Vita Kari Uses Art And Technology To Make Connection Accessible To All

Last November, I posted an interview with Rebecca Lienhard, chief executive officer of the Tierra Del Sol Foundation. Amongst other topics, Lienhard explained how the Los Angeles-based organization is trying to make art accessible to disabled people. Through the creative process, she said, those in the disability community—particularly those who are nonverbal—are able to have “a voice at the table” in terms of representation. Tech plays a key role in this, as social media allows disabled artists to become self-advocates for their work, Lienhard said.

For Vita Kari, representation and accessibility are everything.

Kari, a multimedia artist based in Los Angeles who has over half a million followers on Instagram, has dedicated their career to creating visual and physical performance art, textile, and sculptural work. Their work focuses on the queer body, diaspora, and community. In an interview with me over email late last month, Kari explained they are “the person convincing the world that virality is a medium for fine art.”

“At the core of everything I do, I aim to make fine art more accessible,” Kari said of the ethos behind their work. “Before my more viral projects, I had a creative venue that served as a hub for other queer artists to use for large-scale projects and performances. Ultimately, I wanted to make the type of space I didn’t have growing up in Los Angeles. While I’ve shifted gears with my recent videos, I love that it brings conceptual art to anyone who’s interested and builds a virtual community. Through my videos, I glamorize the mundane and create an alternate reality [that unpacks] the surreal experience of existing while online. My goal is to make others feel less alone by highlighting connections.”

According to Kari, they were interested in art “straight out of the womb.” Some of their earliest memories are of being enamored by various works of art around the city, with them telling me they “pulled so much inspiration from the Hollywood glitz, glam, and the neon billboard sleaze growing up here in LA.” Kari took a more academic approach to art through a studio art program at NYU, but between New York City’s high cost of living and their self-described “gentle California sunshine soul,” they decided they weren’t built for that road. Kari is currently doing academic work and research as they work towards a Master’s in fine arts. One of their most recent textile works depicts caretaking for their grandmother; Kari told me they would like to do more around interpersonal familial moments, saying those “don’t always make it into the canon of pop culture, but they absolutely should” and added rhetorically “What’s cooler than a super stylish grandma?”

Like the disabled artists working with the Tierra Del Sol Foundation, Kari finds technology vital to their work. They said contemporary technology helps connect those in the queer community connect safely, telling me the internet is “sacred” insofar as it often is the first safe space for like-minded people to forge lasting, meaningful connections.

“I hope to elevate that in my work,” they said of engendering connectedness and amplifying communities via their art. “The community created among strangers in the comment section of my videos is reminiscent of late 2000s internet forums–[helping others find] comfort among the faceless new friends with a common goal.”

As to its practical application, Kari told me tech is used throughout their creative process. Most of the physical pieces they create include new technologies such as holographic fans and augmented reality.

Kari’s comments about using art and technology to connect others and make people feel less alone is a poignant reminder of social media’s power as an assistive technology. Despite social media’s propensity to propagate hate, the other side of the proverbial coin is that social media—staying true to its name—has immense power to bring people together and build community. For Kari, their experience involves the queer community. For the disability community, however, the effect is similar. The truth is social media platforms are an invaluable tool with which many disabled people socialize and connect with other humans. Many disabled people cannot (or should not) venture outside to interact with family and friends due to health and/or logistical reasons; thus, platforms such as Facebook and the like gives them access to those people. In this context, social media can transcend sheer mindlessness and become an accessibility aid. Its value in such cases is not trivial.

When asked about feedback, Kari said they receive all types.

“So many people love to watch the journey and see the new chapter of glitches where I get trapped in the real world–like being trapped in a can in Miami or on a billboard on La Cienega,” they said. “Some just love to try and find the piece that is printed in the videos. Of course, many love to express their confusion or disdain–which always is exciting because I feel like having polarizing work means you’re doing something right.”

Looking towards the future, Kari hopes to soon open another space in Los Angeles, as well as launch an equipment rental program whereby artists can borrow needed tools for projects at no cost. (This is also accessibility.) In fact, they are currently in the process of putting said program together, telling me the project “seems promising” thus far.

“Third Spaces, like do-it-yourself art spaces and community spaces, are what keeps our cities alive,” Kari said.