Sydney-based creatives Kurt Johnson and Chloe Nour have been shaking up the fashion with their various independent projects recently. For this latest project, Kurt and Chloe teamed up with John Hurley, an 18-year-old artist based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, who’s incredible work they discovered on Instagram. The shoot features garments by graduate designers Alix Higgins, Will Artist and Holly Meyers and is a real testament to collaboration.
i-D: Has mixed media/collage always been your primary practice? Can you provide some context on how and where you began?
John Hurley: While I have experimented with various alternative mediums, since I’ve begun developing a portfolio I’ve relied heavily on mixed media and collage as my primary medium of choice. I started creating as most people started creating — pure psychical energy. I was a kid, I went to school, I made my art. I thought of something and then I had something I wanted to create. Everything that has come forth since has been a product of this same singular drive: creation, experimentation, play.
How would you describe your work to the unfamiliar eye?
Raw, honest, satirical, political, dialectical. Good.
You present an interesting contrast with your fusion of art and high fashion campaigns and editorials. What prompted you to connect the two through your medium?
Both are expressive forms of visual art and both have effectively branded themselves as near opposites of one another… or have maybe just routinely emphasised that their aims and purposes are entirely different things. I disagreed.
Is there an artist or work that particularly resonates with you?
My favourite painting is The Embrace by Egon Schiele.
What do you hope viewers will take away from your work?
I can only grant a genuine visual experience. Once the brush is down, the rest is up to luck.
As the practice of collaging traditionally uses archival images, do you find the digital age to be beneficial to your practice?I feel like modern technology is of huge benefit to me. I have so many sources of inspiration directly in front of me whenever I want. As far as my favourite little honey hole, Olivier Zahm’s Night pictures on Purple Magazine’s site is my favourite place to gather pictures and inspiration.
Where do you hope your craft will take you next?
I hope that my work will soon allow me the opportunity to drop out of school because I hate it and I just want to make art all day until I die. (Being shown in a gallery would be cool, too.)
Credits
Text Joanna Dias
Art John Hurley
Photography Chloe Nour
Styling Kurt Johnson
Model Alex Thorn @ IMG
Hair and Make Up Isobel Claire
Clothing Alix Higgins, Will Artist & Holly Meyers