An interview with DAM Zine
How did your background and experiences lead you to pursue a career in art? Was there a specific moment or influence that sparked your passion?
Ever since I was a child, I had a high interest in cinema. I don’t know exactly why, but I was fascinated by sound and moving images. The combination of sound and visual felt like magic to me, and I found the works of David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick to be some of my favorites.
I made my first professional music video for a local band when I was in High School back in 2009 (that was quite a spark), and many short films afterwards. Later on I pursued a career in video editing, where I worked for various production companies in France. Editing film and video truly built a strong foundation for my artistic career.
With not many resources to pursue filmmaking on a higher level, I decided to dedicate more time to photography, and started to assemble my photographs into books or triptychs. I didn’t feel that this represented me well enough, and therefore quickly leaned into collage, where I found myself by transforming those photographs into creations that truly resonated with me. When I started making collages in 2021, I really started to understand who I was and what I wanted to say. I found true beauty in the narrative of imperfection and transformation.
Can you talk about a pivotal turning point in your artistic journey—perhaps a project, realization, or challenge—that significantly shaped your approach to creating?
A pivotal turning point for my artistic journey was when I changed my environment, and moved to Ireland in 2021. I have to believe one’s surroundings have a deep impact on the mind. Being surrounded by great people, and breathing the culture from this island has inspired me greatly. Many of my artworks are now crafted from the photographs I have shot here in Cork. This city’s urban landscapes are incredibly rich, giving me a boatload of material and ideas to work on.
The textures, graffiti, and everyday scenes of the city have become central to my work, allowing me to capture both the vibrant energy and fleeting moments of its streets. This change in environment shaped my art into a more reflective and layered expression of place and memory.
What drew you to your current medium, and how does it allow you to express your ideas or emotions in ways that other mediums might not?
I was drawn to the medium of analog collage because it embodies imperfection and transformation. By piecing together my own photographs, as well as fragments of discarded materials—old magazines, discarded books, posters and more—I create something new from the past. This process allows me to visually express resilience, growth, and the beauty in what’s been shattered to pieces or disregarded, a concept that resonates deeply with me. Unlike other mediums, collage gives me the freedom to merge chaos and consciousness, allowing layers of emotion and meaning to emerge naturally in each artwork.
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How has your artistic process evolved over time, and what recent developments have you found most exciting or transformative?
I’ve kept bouncing back and forth from photography, to video to collage over time. This combination of mediums has allowed me to develop my aesthetics and vision. The use of these mediums have always been best for me to translate the ideas I receive from the universe.
Just recently I started making an abstract painting before creating a collage on top of it. Not all over it, as I do leave parts of the painting visible. So I was asked: “What’s the point of painting If you’re going to cover it with a collage !?!?” - The answer to that is not exactly clear, as I don’t think everything an artist creates is supposed to make sense all the time. That’s how I experiment and evolve, by doing things that make no sense.
I will say though sometimes I have a deep urge to paint, and it brings me back to my childhood, making me a kid again.
By doing painting and collage on the same canvas, It feels to me as if I were combining the past and present. I don’t always want people to know of my past, so I create something on top of it. I some ways the painting also inspires the collage, and gives me some direction in the crafting of the piece.
Looking ahead, where do you envision your art practice in the next few years? Are there any particular goals, projects, or directions you’re eager to explore?
I’ve come to a point where I realized it is now important for me to document my artistic journey as much as possible. Every process or creative endeavor undertaken is now filmed and documented. Answering the questions from this interview is also a part of that. I’d like for others to connect more with my work in the tangible world, and in order to make that happen I found it a necessity to document and share my journey.
I am very content in the present moment by exploring the ways in which seemingly random and disordered elements can be weaved together to create something unique and meaningful. Nonetheless, finding new ways to transform my photographs, remaining in a state of play and making mistakes is certainly an artistic direction I have in mind.
Exploring and translating new ideas through innovative methods excites me, particularly when it comes to reimagining how photography can intersect with other mediums. I’m eager to push the boundaries of my work by combining different techniques, whether through collage, digital manipulation, or even new physical textures. This ongoing experimentation keeps my creative process fresh and dynamic, allowing me to continually evolve as an artist while staying rooted in the themes of transformation and imperfection that inspire me so deeply.
I will continue to approach my work with a sense of humility, driven by a deep belief in giving abundantly—pouring my creativity, time, and energy into each creation. I trust that the universe responds in kind, returning what you put out in unexpected yet always meaningful ways. This cycle of giving and receiving fuels my artistic journey, allowing me to create freely and generously.
