Matilda is a collage artist working and living in Naarm (Melbourne). Collecting vintage Playboy magazines, National Geographics, and Australian nature books, she explores the intersection of the natural and built worlds, and is intrigued by the changing representation of women in popular media over time.
Matilda Bailey, ‘Phallis’
Matilda Bailey, ‘Milk’
Matilda Bailey, ‘Stuck’
What is your creative practice?
My creative space is very un-glamorous. There’s no plant filled converted warehouse studio or trendy paint splattered overalls. I get out my big plastic storage box full of magazines, books, posters, postcards etc. and sit on my living room floor, legs splayed and begin to flick through the pages. I’m looking for two things: people and settings. Settings can be anything from vast Australian landscapes or built-up cityscapes, pictures of the insides of living rooms or a glass of milk sitting on a kitchen bench. I flick through the pages (often multiple times) waiting for something that jumps out or sparks my imagination - I know it instantly. A candid image of a figure with arms and legs positioned in interesting ways are a jackpot - I can re-home them in so many ways.
How did you get into art-making and what are your experiences In developing your practice?
I grew up in a very art filled house - my brother is a musician and poet, Mum is an incredible visual artist (biased but true) and Dad is a music nut. Growing up there was always some sort of artistic project on the go, so I think I sort of absorbed that appreciation for the arts from a very early age. When it comes to collage though, that sort of happened by accident. I was sitting in my room on a quiet Canberra day during my undergrad and had printed out some photos to stick up on my wall. I had a pair of scissors lying on my desk so I picked them up and cut out the figures of myself and some friends sitting on a bench in one of the photos. I remember thinking it looked almost 3D without the background, and started holding the cut-out figures against different backdrops from a North Journal paper I had lying around. It all sort of domino-d from there - I couldn’t stop. I started cutting out all the figures from the photos and holding them up against different backgrounds. When I went home to Sydney for the holidays I brought back my high-school magazine collection and started cutting them up too. Since then I’ve been collecting vintage Playboys or women’s magazines and scoping out nature books at Vinnies. I’m also very partial to pre-2000s cookbook or any other old book with images really.
Matilda Bailey, ‘Vantage’
You work primarily in collage, what is it about the technique that attracts you most?
I do all of my work by hand as opposed to digitally and I find the whole process very calming. Sifting through pages, carefully and patiently cutting around little curves and odd angles. I also feel quite attached to the figures I cut out - often I cut them out and can’t find quite the right background for them, so I file them away in my little cardboard folder. Every time I flick through a magazine or book, I’ll have those figures in my mind. Could I put ‘bath girl’ here? Would ‘school boy’ work in this jungle? Maybe ‘red beanie skater’ could flip out of this building? There’s a soothing satisfaction to taking apart an image and gluing it to another to create something new. For me it’s a mindful practice. It slows me down, keeps me present and is immensely rewarding when you finally find the right fit - like slotting in the final piece of a puzzle.
What are your creative inspirations and how do they inspire your work?
I think my inspiration comes from all over. Mum (@margaretdixart) is definitely at the top of my list of creative inspirations though, cliché as that might be. Her artworks share very few similarities with mine, but I think her approach to creativity and artistry definitely seeps into what I do (and who I am). I also find a lot of my inspiration from kids. I’m a primary school teacher and am constantly amazed by the things my kids can create - their imaginations have no end. They also often (accidentally) play with scale and size - the images they create (be they drawings, paintings, collage, nature-sculptures) tend to have a warped perspective… A huge person in a tiny house, or a whale-sized snail riding a surfboard. I love to play with scale in my works, so maybe that’s where some of it comes from. There are also a few collage artists who’s work I love - Tatsuya Uchida (uchi.d.a), Bel (@belcollages), Felix de Gruchy (@felixdegruchy), Maximillian Malone (@maximillion.malone) - and creatives who inspire me - Katie Merchant’s curated collections (@thankyou_ok), Ellie Bouhadana’s cooking (@ellies.table) and Hattie Molloy’s floristry (@hattiemolloy) to name a few...
Matilda Bailey, ‘Cliff’
Matilda Bailey, ‘Victoria’
Matilda Bailey, ‘Slipped
How have you found developing your creative process in Covid and what challenges have you faced?
Very challenging! Very very challenging. Covid has been a bit of an inspiration vacuum for me. Six lockdowns presents you with a whole lot of time but a frustratingly small pool of inspiration to draw from. I never collage when I’m not feeling it - collaging is a passion for me and I don’t want it to ever be a chore or something I force myself to do - that would just take the pleasure out of it. Covid has also presented the more practical challenge of sourcing new materials. I often find my materials from op shops and second hand stores, all of which have been closed during the lockdowns.
Matilda Bailey, ‘Super Market’
What is next for you? And where can viewers see more of your work?
First on the list is to make more time for collage. Life gets so busy so fast and creative outlets always seem to be the first thing on the chopping board. I also want to really give collage a proper go - I’ve finally developed my website and want to start exhibiting locally a bit more and selling more prints. Nothing makes me happier than people sending me pictures of my prints hanging on their walls - I’d love to do more of that. I’ve also got a few projects in the works - a cook book with notes and collages, a calendar.. Lots to do! You can find my works at @tilbai_makes and matildabailey.com.au or get in touch directly either via Instagram DM or email mgbcollage@gmail.com