Artist Interview: Vahge
Welcome to the whimsical world of Vahge. Taking elements from her childhood, Dadaism, Victorian art, and theatre, she cuts and pastes pictures from magazines to create her collages. Beautifully crafted, her work is a composite of fairy tale and circus, with a hint of punk. Does your work mirror your personal life, or are they merely from your imagination?
Interview by Ashton Chandler
How do you think moving to Brooklyn has influenced your work?My life in Brooklyn has come with a wild assortment of trials and tragedies. I have more confidence in my work than before, and I think I’m more focused and persistent. The city has inspired me to use more industrial materials, like in World, War, the first piece I made when I moved to Brooklyn. I’ve also been exposed to many more amazing artists and friends, and that definitely influences what I’m making. Social contact is a strong stimulus.
Using elements of theater and literature, do you believe your pieces represent a sort of narrative?I think so. I try to tell a story with each piece that I make. I spend a lot of time developing the characters, dressing them, naming them, and building a place for them. The details help to make them into stories. With the portraits, there’s an eerie quality that comes with having a character sit and pose, almost like a performance. I’ve always been curious about old portraits and what the person in the portrait was like, what their life was like. I’ve been told that my larger pieces resemble theatrical sets. When I put together a background, it does sometimes feel like I’m building a set.
Do your pieces portray a message/follow a common theme?I like to say that I celebrate oddity with elegance. I give the misfits and outsiders the prom they never had.
How do you, as the artist, describe your work?What I make is a result of my childhood, my experiences, and what my mind comes up with from day to day. It’s weird, kind of dark, funny, and sometimes sexy.
What inspires you to create these whimsical collages?I have a weird aesthetic, and tend to be drawn toward dark humor, drama, antiques, absurdities, old cultures, and anything involving creatures and meats. I think I chose collage because I’m attracted to the obsessiveness of the medium, to the feeling of the paper, and the challenge of piecing together a work. My OCD thanks me.
What artists are you currently looking at?Allison Sommers is incredible and inspiring, her work is insanely intricate and deliciously gross. I love Erik Sanko’s creepy marionettes, and recently got to see a performance of his Fortune Teller, which blew me away. I just saw Andy Kehoe’s paintings at Jonathan Levine and was thoroughly intrigued by his dancing cats and swirling textures.
Have you ever thought about expanding your art form into 3D pieces like puppets, or maybe placing these tiny portraitures into lockets as jewelry?Definitely. Weirdly enough, I recently bought a spherical locket at a craft fair and have plans to paste miniatures inside. There is a plan in the works to make a stop motion film with collage. I’m working on a children’s book with a writer friend about a little girl who turns into a tree. I’ve always wanted to try a pop up book. And if I ever get the opportunity, I’d love to try an installation piece, with costumed ladies and huge hanging collages and scenery.
Give us a little insight into your studio practice.My studio is in the corner of my apartment, and actually, I love living and working in the same place. It’s more intimate and less complex. I usually wake up early to mid morning, get breakfast, check emails, clean up a bit, and then start working. I’ll either listen to music, NPR, or put on episodes of Bones while I work. Depending on the day, I’ll either be turning through magazines for raw material, cutting out details, or arranging and gluing a piece. I take breaks for food and go for short walks, and usually work late into the night.
In what ways do you see your art evolving? What is your dream to accomplish with your work? Any ideal galleries you wish to show in, any other musical artists you want to work with, or magazine covers featuring your work?I’m working on showing my work overseas, that would be an absolute dream, and my European parts are antsy. Ultimately, I would love to be able to support myself fully with my art, and get opportunities to travel. I’d like to publish a book. I would be blessed to have the cover of any magazine. My fantasy would be to make the cover of one of Tom Waits’ albums. I thrive when I’m busy, so the more work that comes my way, the merrier.For more on Vahge check out www.vahge.com
