ArtAttack is proud to present our latest ‘Artist of the Week’, Steven Quinn. Artists of the week are selected by the ArtAttack team from the diverse and eclectic group of artist users on our app.
Steven Quinn is a collage artist and street photographer, having received his BA and MFA from Belfast, he is currently based in London. He has exhibited internationally including shows in New York, Chicago, Frankfurt and Shanghai; notably he has also exhibited works in The National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain, London.
I had the chance to talk to Steven about his career so far, and find out more about his artistic practise.
How did you become involved in creating art / photography?
I think there is nature & nurture involved. A healthy mix of OCD & hyperactivity combined with a compulsion to create. It’s somewhat vocational I suppose. For me I have little ideas that niggle away until they manifest themselves physically & usually visually. In regards to photography I basically don’t like to not have a camera on me and that’s just been ‘a thing’ for years.
As a collage artist and street photographer, how would you describe your artistic practise?
Playful, experimental & constant. As a street photographer you have to ‘just do it’, Don’t really think before you act. So its not bravery really because I just don’t think… maybe after sometimes? If I get caught. You have to be willing to take risks and wander down streets just to see what’s there. That also acts as a good metaphor for the collage work.
There is often a surreal undertone to your work, what inspires you?
Its hard to place… Odd relationships between objects, people or things I suppose. I did grow up with an interest in art & artists in the same way other people were into music or football. I discovered Punk around the same time as Dada which somehow must have done something. Intelligently crass is maybe what I’m aiming for. It does get a little weird sometimes though… But I like it that way.
Tell us more about your image collecting habits?
It’s awful. It probably is obsessive, Like medically. Endlessly collecting & amassing materials and that’s just the physical collage end of the spectrum. I also have folders within folders within folders of images on my computer of seemingly random yet organised things. The photography of my own follows a similar pattern. Most likely a lot people do that though… Just that I could end up on some ‘Hoarders’ series on Channel5.
How does a strong online / digital presence, enable artists to have a greater dialogue with their global audience?
I do love Instagram… I keep reading how people are selling direct to buyers from it. I kinda think that’s more the investment buyers however… And maybe they aren’t really ‘an audience’ if they aren’t really looking? Just maybe? It’s probably a good idea for any creative to be visible & accessible online. Instagram is a good scrapbook & visual diary for me but with new platforms such as ArtAttack I think its now a great time to market direct to buyers. After all the days of Patrons is gone. I don’t intentionally make ‘a product’ but I am producing art which costs money to make so every so often it requires selling. I don’t feel bad about that either… Damien Hirst sells fucking skateboards for fuck sake.
Have you got any future projects / plans lined up?
I do indeed but most I couldn’t possibly say. I have met a few people recently to try and commission a few projects relating to Belfast, Where I’m from. Something I intentionally ignored for years. These things can take years to happen though. I had my DNA tested as a self portrait when I was maybe 24 years ago… I had that idea when I was 13. I always had visions of the street photography being a nice coffee table book but I have scaled that down (mostly as it’s self funded) to a limited edition handmade booklet which I will release this year.
– Harry Dougall
To see more of Steven’s work, visit his profile on ArtAttack App! GB link below or just search ‘ArtAttack – Share Sell Network’ on App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/artattack-share-sell-network/id1051315058?mt=8
For more information on the artist:
https://stevenquinnartist.com/
If you would like to be considered for ArtAttack’s ‘Artist of the Week,’ please email info@artattackapp.com to find out more about the submission process.
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