Metamorphosis

Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Darold and I like doing art. I’m not really picky about what kind of art I do. Recently I got into sculpting, so I sculpted this mask. Apart from that, I paint, sketch, and draw, and I also write poetry.

Cool! When did you realise that you’re into art?
I would hear voices as a child that would make me want to scribble on the walls, or take my mum’s lipstick and scribble on the mirror. That’s when I knew I was naturally born for this.

Is this something that you see yourself pursuing in the future?
Yeah, definitely. Right now I’m doing graphic design, so it’s something art-related, but I’m thinking to branch out into illustration specifically.

Nice! How would you describe your art style?
I would say it’s alternative. I’m currently in my grunge era. I just like to slap on all the filters and colours (laughs). It’s really easy and it’s nice—though I’d like to challenge myself more.

Is there a particular artist or person that inspires you?
Yayoi Kusama. I like how she uses dots and limits herself to it. I find that this is the kind of challenge I want.

Yeah, we get what you mean. What’s one piece of work that you’ve done that you’re proudest of?
I’d say it’s a poster I did unofficially. It was in protest of an organiser using AI art because I thought that was really wrong. So I took the liberty of designing a poster without any AI elements and a lot of people responded positively!

On the topic of AI, there’s a lot of controversy around its use. But with so many people getting into it and using it not just for themselves but for their work as well, what are your thoughts towards this shift?
I think the issue is really about how AI is regulated. If it’s unregulated, it can become a major problem—there’s a huge amount of unauthorised use of content, and that’s going to upset a lot of people, especially when copyright comes into play.

That said, there are databases—similar to Shutterstock—that openly share works that are copyright-free. If AI is trained on or sources from a curated, licensed pool like this, then generating images would feel much more ethical.

True! As an artist yourself, is there anything that you’re doing to protect your work from being stolen?
I’ve designed different iterations of my own logo to help deter theft. I incorporate them into my artworks as easter eggs, so if someone uses my work, I can point out that my logo appears in theirs.

Interesting, and very smart! Now that we’re in 2026, what are some of your goals for the new year?
I hope I can become more open-minded about doing more work outside of my comfort zone and really put myself out there. Right now, I’m still battling anxiety, and it’s hard to push back against self-destructive thoughts while also challenging what it truly means to be an artist.