jacqui biffin
jacqui biffin
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Getting to know the artists in The Social Glue of Sydney exhibition
May 9-24, Chrissie Cotter gallery
Getting to know the artists in The Social Glue of Sydney exhibition
May 9-24, Chrissie Cotter gallery
Jacqui Biffin is an analogue collage artist and primary school teacher living in Sydney. She has been working in collage since late 2018, when she participated in her first open call – the Collage Garden in Kathmandu. Since then Jacqui has been participating in a variety of international collage open calls, making collages in any scraps of time she can find, and attending meets of The Social Glue of Sydney whenever possible.
The underlying theme of her work is an attempt to acknowledge the discomfort of living in a world of spectacular natural beauty and remarkable biodiversity, critically endangered by the proliferation of human civilization and technology.
What materials are you drawn to?
Anything old that will be otherwise landfill - books, magazines, calendars, flyers. I love illustrated birds and other animals, children’s books, landscapes, encyclopedias - there are wonderful images everywhere!
Where do you find your materials?
Many people in my life give me piles of materials to save them from being thrown out - I never have to look for materials! I do like to comb through books and old National Geographics in op shops though.
Do you have some books you've bought for collage that you haven't yet been able to cut up?
Both, sometimes I seek materials for a specific idea, other times I like to just sift through piles of cuttings.
blue bird
collaged page inside 'paris collage collective' book
Do you begin to make materials first or ideas first?
I have many folders of pages and cuttings sorted into rough categories, as well as piles of books and magazines yet to be mined!
Do you have a library of cuttings, and if so, how big is that library and how do you store them?
I have many folders of pages and cuttings sorted into rough categories, as well as piles of books and magazines yet to be mined!
Do you lay out lots of bits on a work surface and let relationships emerge from accidental arrangements, or do you go looking for particular elements to cut?
Mostly the former - I love to be surprised by the way images speak to each other.
paint swatch birds (paper collage onto paint swatches)
Are there cuttings you've made that are years old that you've never found a home for?
Yes, and it always feels very momentous to use one!
Do you glue your cuttings, or put them into arrangements and photograph them and put them back into your cuttings stash?
Both! I often arrange and then leave for a few days (or weeks or months!) before deciding whether I want to glue. I sometimes regret not gluing an arrangement and sometimes wonder what made me decide to glue others!
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