I’m surprised to hear a thick French accent when Kriss Munsya answers my call, mid May. The only information he provides about himself on his (very aesthetically pleasing) website is that he’s thirty—something, lives in Vancouver, and makes his living through his passions of music, design, and photography.

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Similarly, the 34-year-old graphic designer was surprised to hear from SAD. Having recently moved here from Brussels, Belgium, his only local exhibition was held months ago, with very little publicity. But trypophobia caught our eye, for more reasons than the obvious sparkle and shine.

In this interview, Munsya talks about the importance of making art with a message, designing your surroundings, and being yourself.

SAD: What brought you to Vancouver?

Kriss Munsya: I came in January 2019 because I wanted to work on my art. You know sometimes you want to stay away from your distractions? You want to be by yourself a little bit? I had been to Vancouver about five years ago when I was touring with a band, and I really liked the city. So when I committed to move I said "Okay, I'm coming to Vancouver."

What does being an artist mean to you?

My version of an artist I would say changes through time. Before, I would say it would be someone who has something to say or something to show. Someone who's willing to show their weaknesses and has something to tell. I would say that because obviously, you think you would need some technical skills. But at the end, the art is just you sending the message and people receiving that message you know? So some people will like it some people don't. It's not your entire say. It's 50/50. You say something and people receive it.

How has your art been received in Vancouver compared to Brussels?

I didn't really promote my work in Vancouver and the exhibition I had a couple months ago was only my second in my life. The first one, I put the exhibition together a few days before leaving Brussels.

How did you put together your sole Vancouver project?

It comes from when I moved to Vancouver. Haha, people here are really crazy about mushrooms, you know? I think my first week here someone said "Oh, hey—try some mushrooms" and I had the worst bad trip ever. It was really, really scary. And from that day, I have what people call trypophobia. Because of the visualizations I have. That's how I discovered the name.

What came after— I always want to talk about topics that are really personal to me. So discrimination, racism is something that I experience. So right now, I think I have something to say, it's one of the big issues I show to people. For me, when you are discriminated against, you are attacked every day. You feel attacked, that's one of the angles I had. People will insult you, people will not see you as entire people, they diminish you. So I was presenting all those attacks which you face with these dots on the body.

And the thing is, because you are attacked you need to understand why, understand how. So you have to elevate your awareness of the world higher than most people. You have to be political, you have to be social, you have to understand everything. From those attacks come the light, because you can actually be the light that guides people around you.

The last photo you shared from trypophobia was a self-portrait. It was quite personal and talks about your experience as a black man. Has the pandemic, or the recent deaths of Black men in police custody, changed how that last post resonates with you today?

It's something I could still post today or two months ago or four months from now. Black people are still being shot, so for me it doesn't change anything. If COVID brought some change to the situation, maybe I would have something different to say. But it hasn't changed anything.

Has COVID-19 changed your experience as an artist in any way?

COVID-19 hasn't changed anything for me as an artist, more so just as a human being. Even if they're not coming together, they're starting to think more. It's starting to put things in perspective. When life is normal you act normal. But when life's crazy, you have to think about why this is happening? So for privileged people, who would never put their lives in perspective are actually doing it. A lot of people have that time to do it right now. So that's really really interesting to see.

You seemed to get quite a few local celebrities in your project, and quite a few in the dance and drag communities. As someone new to Vancouver, how did you gain access to those local groups?

It was something I wanted to do before I came. I was thinking, when you grow up in a city, when you're 30-something like me, you're not 100 per cent responsible for your environment. Because of highschool, because of your parents, because of your religion. So the people around you are not your choice. But when you move to a city when you don't know anyone, you have that power. So I'm like, okay, now that I have these really interesting topics, I want to surround myself with people I find really interesting. Artists, activists. You know, it was a bit lonely over the year. But slowly, I created this pool of people that I can now call friends.

What are you working on next?

I am working on my next photo project at a studio, maybe two or three times a week. This one is themed around my childhood. I hope to be able to start showing it around September.

Any advice to artists emerging right now?

I don't have advice yet, I don't think I'm wise enough. But I heard some advice that Dave Chapell gave to Trevor Noah when they were touring together. Trevor Noah asked him [paraphrasing] ‘What am I doing here? I'm not funnier than you, so why am I here?’ and Dave Chapell said, ‘People here, they don't want you to be funny, anyone can be funny. They want you to be yourself. They want to see you as someone with your own ideas and angles.’ So I would say if you are honest with yourself, and have something to say, just say it. Don't try to adapt your message to what you think people want to hear.

Find out more at www.krissmunsya.com or via Instagram @krissmunsya

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MEET JUNE ARTIST OF THE MONTH: KRISS MUNSYA