DOWNTIME w/ K Young

Artist workspace

1) Location?

London 🇬🇧

2) Years collaging? 

Since I can remember, but actively for the last four years.

3) What do you love and hate about collage?  

I love that it lets me explore my imagination without me having to use much conscious thought. It's an unpredictable, democratic art form too, and the possibilities are endless. The hunt for images, the cuts I make and how I then piece it all together, also involves a degree of chance, so when all these things collide and it 'works', it feels like magic has happened before my eyes. This reward makes collage a compulsive activity for me; I'm always chasing that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So many things to love! I really can't find anything to hate about it.

4) Biggest influences? 

My biggest influences come from art, music and literature. Most of the Dadaists have had an impact on my work, with Hannah Hoch, Man Ray and Jean Arp being particularly important to me. John Stezaker is my ultimate collage hero, and Louise Bourgeois, Ellen Gallagher, Picasso, Ambera Wellmann, Linder Sterling and John Baldessari have also greatly influenced how I see things, but the list is endless.

5) Analog Vs Digital? 

Analog. It's a personal choice, neither is superior to the other, but they each require a very different mindset. I enjoy using Photoshop on rare occasions, but when I do, it feels more like the work has come from my head rather than my heart. There's less room for accidents, and the undo button feels too much like a safety net. I also miss the feel of the paper and the excitement of cutting into it. John Baldesarri vowed never to make boring art, and I think the actual making of art shouldn't be boring either. If the knife slips, tough. I love that risk.

6) How do you spend your downtime? 

Music is a huge passion of mine; listening to it and going to concerts is my favourite way of using my downtime. Absolutely nothing beats the buzz of a crowd at a special gig; it's magical.

7) Three tips for someone starting out in collage? 

• Have several pieces on the go at once; it helps to keep things fresh.

• Photograph your work-in-progress; it distances it from it, you'll see it with new eyes and later you’ll see alternative paths that you could have taken choose your glue wisely!

• Make sure it's acid-free, if not it can deteriorate and ruin your work within a few, short, sorry years.

8) Up and coming shows or projects we should know about? 

The group shows I was due to be in this year have all been cancelled due to the current pandemic, but my work will be appearing in several publications coming out soon. Onwards.

Links:

Web: kyoungcollage.com
Instagram: @kyoung_collage

Artwork Credits:

Blond Hair with Cushion
24 x 30 cm
2019

Corrected Crossed Legs with Foot
24 x 30 cm
2020

Corrected Figure with Shoe
24 x 30 cm
2020

Figure with Fur Torso
24 x 30 cm
2020

Figure with Leg on Bed
24 x 30 cm
2020

Hands in Head
24 x 30cm
2020

Pink Bathers
24 x 30 cm
2019

Red Sofa and Curtains
29 x 41 cm
2018