1) LOCATION?

I’m based in Melbourne, Australia. 🇦🇺

2) YEARS COLLAGING?

I’ve been working almost exclusively with collage since 2018.  

I initially experimented with collage as a way to get away from my phone, to stop mindlessly checking it all the time. I liked the idea of putting my phone away and doing something with my hands instead. 

Immediately I was enamoured and a few collages spiralled into an art practice which has become a big part of my life- and changed the course of it. I went on to study design, and now work both in house and independently. I’m now hired to do collage work which still just blows my mind.

 3) WHY IS COLLAGE AN APPEALING MEDIUM?

In interviews, many artists note the accessibility aspect of collage, and I agree. There’s low to no cost to get started in re-contextualizing print materials from the past 100 years, and you can go down so many roads with it. It can just be collage, or the basis for another practice. There’s also no wrong way to work with collage. You really can use the material in a way that suits you and take the medium as lightly or as seriously as you want to. 

For me, the biggest appeal is the ability to get into a creative ‘flow’ state, which is a merging of physical action and consciousness. There’s something deeply meditative about working with your hands, becoming fully absorbed in the task and losing track of time.

It counters the amount of distraction we’re subjected to in modern life. 

 4) WHO ARE THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR WORK?

Tough question. There are so many influences.
Firstly, the material itself- the nature of old printing techniques, ad and magazine layout shape my work a lot.
Graphic design from the 60s. The Polish School of Posters- Polish artists who designed film posters from the 50s-80s. Packaging. Book design.
Illustrators- mid century and newer illustrators who still work with pencil and paint- mainly for colour inspiration.
Artists: some of the big names from the 20th century. A lot of the smaller ones - Shinro Ohtake.

 5) ANALOG VS DIGITAL, WHAT ARE THE PROS & CONS OF EACH? 

All of my work begins from an analogue source in my archives, but depending on what I’m working on I’ll move between analogue and digital.
I used to be strictly be pro-analog, but as my skills and personal style have developed I’ve found ways to work digitally in ways that retain my style and the tactile nature of using found materials.

For my personal work like sketchbook and study collages I’ll work in analogue format. I like the nature and limitations of working with papers. 

For commercial work I usually scan my source material and work digitally. This allows me to try iterations for draft approvals without ruining my chosen source material and also allows me to play with scale. From there I either build the collage by hand for the final piece or stick to digitally building it out using my found papers.
That said, in one of my recent commercial projects I made a collage for a 3-metre-wide circular light fitting that was an analog collage made by hand. From there it was printed onto linen and it was satisfying seeing it in person knowing it was a handmade work. 

6) WHAT ARE THREE TIPS FOR SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN COLLAGE? 

Try completely deconstructing an image- old full page advertisements are good for this. You can get some interesting shapes that you may not have otherwise come across by only cutting out the main hero image.   

1. Turn a book/magazine upside down when searching for source material. New patterns and shapes will reveal themselves to you. 

2. Cut into the good stuff- that’s where the magic happens.  

7) HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DOWNTIME? 

Gardening. I recently moved out of the city to an old house with a large overgrown garden & lots of Australian wildlife. There’s a fruit orchard and plants hidden by ivy everywhere. So as much as I can I get outside and tackle it bit by bit. It’s rewarding to me in a way that is similar to collage. Cutting things away to reveal something new.
Then the usual things- going to art galleries, bookstores, reading art and design blogs etc.

8) WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR ART PRACTICE HEADING?

Moving into mixed media. Using digital techniques to push boundaries of my found material. 

I think it will always centre around found images though. 

9) WHICH THREE ARTISTS SHOULD WE CHECK OUT?

@jackfelice - Jack just uses materials and colour so beautifully
@allisonannecollage - Allison’s work is so textural and I love the way they use mid century source materials. 
Shinro Ohtake - a lifetime dedicated to finding materials, pasting things down or assembling them. I was lucky to see a retrospective of his work in 2022 in Tokyo and it was the best exhibition I’ve ever seen. Room after room of collage and assemblage works. It made me feel like less of an outsider for collecting and carefully keeping every little scrap of paper, piece of old packaging, or books and magazines I can get my hands on. 

10) WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LOVING RIGHT NOW?

I listen to a lot of ambient music, jazz, bossa nova when I sit at my desk to work on my own stuff because I find it good to get into a flow state.
If I have a deadline I listen to electronic stuff- anything from Portishead or disco house to harder stuff- it helps me to get moving. 

11) UP AND COMING SHOWS OR PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

In addition to working on my own art practice I also co-founded Melbourne Collage Assembly in 2018. We’re a group of 9 artists who all work with collage in some way in our practice and occasionally exhibit together. We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus, but I’d love do start working on some new projects with the group. 

On a personal level this year my focus is on moving in new directions in my practice.  

See more 👀

Website: simoneesterhuizen.com
Instagram: @simone.esterhuizen
Melbourne Collage Assembly: melbournecollageassembly.com