GET TO KNOW ARTIST IMBUE
You will have 100% seen his work on Insta, it’s cool, it’s bold and it totally makes us question our relationship with aspects of contemporary culture, and this British artist goes by the name of Imbue.
Probably his most famous piece is the ‘Always the Real Thing’ sculpture, where he merges the two iconic silhouettes of the Virgin Mary and the shape of the glass Coca Cola bottle to comment on icons, consumerism, and surrounding issues that arise in our society today. Clever huh? There’s also a gummy Jesus, see it to believe it (he’s also diabetic and his relationship with sugar also feeds into this series).
We talk to the artist to learn more about his art world and motivations.
How did you first get into the art world?
I’ve always been creative so I like to think my journey started right from childhood! I was always making things and one of my Dad’s favourite tricks was just to give me a cardboard box and some tape and that’d keep me entertained. It sounds like a bit of a cliche, but I do think it’s something that I naturally was drawn to and there’s never been anything else that I’ve wanted to do.
Throughout school, art was the only subject that really interested me, and I later discovered graffiti and street art which started to shape who I was going to become as an artist. I liked how street art and graffiti were so far from the traditional kinds of art that I’d known before and was encouraged by the DIY nature of it and being able to get involved without needing anyone’s permission.
I started off pasting things on the street and making stickers, then some of my work got picked up by a gallery. Artists and creatives don’t always like to talk about money, but starting to actually sell my work was a defining moment for me and when I realised I could do what I really enjoyed for a living.
What inspires your artwork?
The big themes like science and religion inspire me and have a huge impact on my work. I’ve had type 1 diabetes since I was a teenager and I rely on injecting myself with insulin several times a day. It has often made me stop and think about how it’s only because I was born during the era of modern science and medicine that I’m still here! Sugar is obviously a big thing for people with diabetes, it’s something we always avoid having too much of but also something we desperately need at times when we’re experiencing low blood sugar. This has definitely influenced pieces like my sugared gummy sweet crucifixes (Sweet Jesus) and the cola bottle Virgin Mary (Always the Real Thing). Having diabetes makes me look at things differently and makes me more determined to create and keep doing what I enjoy.
When I was a teenager I was really inspired by artists like Marc McKee and Ed Templeton, without even knowing it at first! They created the graphics on skateboard decks and I thought they were the coolest thing ever. Shepard Fairey and Space Invader were artists that I really got into, seeing new work pop up on the street or seeing it online and going to look for it around London was something I found really exciting, and I’m still so inspired by the concept of seeing a logo or icon repeated in different places.
As an artist I’m definitely influenced by the age we’re living in and the opportunity to make different kinds of art thanks to new and more accessible technology. Things like 3D printing and laser cutting to name a couple. It means I can create art that I couldn’t have before and that makes me more experimental and always wanting to try new methods of creating.
Sum up your look?
My art doesn’t always follow a set style, generally, I’ll have an idea or message that I want to get across and then I decide what the best medium to create that is. I’m always very much focused on the finished piece and the aesthetic too, and I like my art to have that futuristic feel that I achieve using different technology and less traditional methods to create my work.
How do you subvert contemporary culture with your pieces?
I often create work that features an icon or an image that people are familiar with, they make a quick connection with it and then as they look closer, there’s a twist. I think people like the feeling of doing a double-take and noticing that there’s more to what they’re seeing than they first thought.
My New Religion piece is an example of combining two of the most familiar icons in society today, and it comments on the way that technology and social media have influenced and changed the way we live.
Do you have a favourite medium?
I’m always experimenting with different mediums before I’ve completely finished testing one thing I’m already trying something else! I really love working with resin to create a 3D sculpture. I create a mold from silicone and then mix the two-part resin, which quickly becomes a solid plastic that forms the piece. Over the past few years, I’ve tried loads of different processes to make the pieces as perfect as possible and I really like the finish that you can get with resin.
If you can state one piece of artwork, which one is most significant to you and why?
I’ve mentioned being inspired by science and how my type 1 diabetes influences some of my work, so I think I’d say my Always the Real Thing sculptures. The Virgin Mary and the shape of the glass coke bottle are among the most iconic and recognisable images in the world, the shapes are similar and the way they could be seamlessly merged together just worked.
It’s also personally significant to me because I often treat episodes of hypoglycemia with coke, and the idea for the piece actually came to me when I was feeling spaced out from experiencing very low blood sugar!
What drives you?
Making art never feels like work to me and I’m lucky that I have figured out a way to do what I naturally enjoy doing as a full-time job. It sounds a bit cheesy, but for me, there’s no better feeling than just being able to come up with an idea and create a piece from it. I also think it’s great that social media allows art to be shown almost immediately to a global audience. I can create something in the studio and within minutes it’s out there in front of thousands of people.
Which are your best selling pieces and why do you think that is?
My 24 Hour Art Club has been really popular, I think it’s a mix of wanting to be in on the surprise and wanting to get something that’s only available for a limited amount of time. It’s also a chance to own an affordable piece of art, which is important to me because it keeps my art accessible and means more people can discover and collect art. The 24 Hour Art Club has attracted a loyal following and I love that people get excited about it.
What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
Loads! There will be more limited-edition releases and 24 Hour Art Clubs and I’m planning the biggest exhibition I will have ever done this November, with bigger pieces and more work than I’ve ever displayed at once before. The location is still a secret at the moment but it’s going to be experiential and I can’t wait.
Where can we buy?
All limited editions are sold directly through my site, imbuesource.com. If you sign up to my mailing list you’ll hear about all new releases including the 24 Hour Art Club, and I always post previews of upcoming work on Instagram too.
