Jib Peerada (StupidShit)

When I attend gallery openings, I often find myself more drawn to the people than the art. I usually go back later for a proper look if time allows. That’s how I first noticed Jib Peerada, with her flamboyant hairstyles and the quirky objects she often carries around. A quick look at her Instagram revealed a world of colourful paintings, art toys and funny repurposed objects, and convinced me to reach out.

She welcomed me into her home near Bang Wa, where she lives with her boyfriend, surrounded by an ever-growing collection of rescued objects, cheap toys and things waiting to be transformed. As we chatted over a beer, we discovered that we shared a surprising number of mutual friends, from some of her former teachers to artists I had already photographed or collaborated with.

Jib works professionally as a graphic and motion designer, but her personal practice gives her a different kind of freedom. Through her project Stupidshittttttttt, she embraces play, mistakes and things that might otherwise seem useless or ridiculous. Toys, discarded objects and everyday materials become starting points for paintings, sculptures and strange little characters. There is humour everywhere, but also an intentional refusal to make everything polished, logical or correct.

Looking around her home, that approach suddenly made a lot of sense. Sitting on her sofa, she showed me one of her treasures: a giant fish-shaped plate from a sushi restaurant that she had turned into a table. It was far from the only object she had transformed, and knowing how productive Jib is, there will definitely be more to come.