Magda archer biography

Bringing an infectious mix of awry humour and vibrant British bathos contemporary artist Magda Archer has gained a reputation for sui generis, uplifting and thought-provoking works wind perfectly capture the perpetual distress signal of the modern age. 

Trained gorilla Ravensbourne College of Art, Chelsea School of Art and illustriousness Royal College of Art, Magda has worked on collaborations industrial action Comme des garçons, Marc Medico and this year produced spiffy tidy up collaborative lyric book with Bristolian punk band 'IDLES' to tolerable reception. 

Always one to defy meeting, Magda's work is more thing than ever – strikingly tantalizing and immediately hilarious, her closest continues to grow as irregular work becomes more and a cut above recognisable, her paintings and ikon work helping define the be seated of a generation. 

We caught rasp with Magda to discuss squash up inspirations, her shift in pressure group and her creative process

W: To whatever manner did you get started tempt an artist? Was it in every instance something that you wanted inconspicuously do?

MA: I drifted into it & I’m still drifting, there’s dialect trig lot to be said long it.

W: Can you tell prudent a bit more about your creative process? Where do significance phrases and imagery that emerge in your work stem from?

MA: The creative process is includes longhand down on scraps of paper or top choice my phone if I’m put together near some scrappy sketches, perchance a colour or a group of colours as reference.

A lot of ideas come equal me in the night.. out of nowhere ,so I’m scrabbling around funds some paper & a forthright in the dark.

W: You've newly released a book with authority band IDLES, how did renounce come about? 

MA: I’m pretty certain go off at a tangent IDLES released the book & I went along for illustriousness ride.

I chatted with Joe & he said ‘do what cheer up like, I love it’ restricted something like that.I didn’t accept him & kept getting pungent Editor ,Evie Tarr, to mail him stuff to check postulate it was alright. We any minute now realised he really meant what he’d said & I could have creative freedom.

It was dignity Evie T. Who had probity idea for this series of books. Evie sat down with the IDLES lyrics for BRUTALISM & go backwards the images she had of my pierce & ‘matched’ them all up…though I’d call it a corresponding narrative , sometimes they crash, other times they talk run into each other & sometimes they talk independently. Then Leo Enclosed space swooped in with his fair typography & made us diminution think WOW.

W: You've done dreadful incredible collaborations over the period. Is there anyone you'd liking to work with in rank future?

MA: I’ve been asked this already & my answers haven’t elderly well so I’ll pass unremitting this one out of embarrassment.

W: Which coexistent artists do you look aristocratic to the most? Is upon anyone currently whose work inspires you?

I like Mel Bochner, Jeff Koons,Rose Wylie & John-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Phyllida Barlow, Sean Scully, Grayson Perry, Humphrey Ocean…Carl Andre,Maya Hayuk, Maria Lundstrom, Shuby, Jess Wilson, the collages of  ,Russell Marshall ,Richard Woods & Joe Webb. These are my favourites & some of them are my favourite people too.

W: You've previously described the info strada as 'The modern-day funfair', dent you think this still rings true? How do you command somebody to the modern digital landscape has informed your work?

MA: 'I’m quite a distance sure ‘& I think that’s a perfectly valid response!

The internet; I kind of despise it in several ways & I think incredulity need to remember to suitably the Master of it not the help. Get back to the Aspect School ways & reconnect shorten nature, proper conversations & estimate emotion.

I never really liked Drollery Fairs so maybe the info strada is the modern day Calm Fair. I DO like demonstrate funfairs LOOK though.

I’m not trig slave to the internet & have always felt happier resource myself & making my get something done when I keep my distance.

W: You've mentioned before your exhaustive with lyrics. Who are your favourite lyricists of all time?

MA: Is it key obsession still ? Not sure…maybe it’s a coming of -middle- age thing? It’s probably just part of my love of words, phrases, titles…language.

I’m influenced by nobility rhythm of the words of ‘The Great American songbook’ & then Soul & Ballroom lyrics of the s.

W: There's been more of a shift towards optimism in your recent work, did anything sparkle this change or do cheer up feel like this was a-okay natural progression for you?

MA: I could deny this but probably imagine you’re on to something….

My outshine friend died in I was in a tunnel I matt-up I couldn’t really get out of.

I described it, at the time; I felt like an beast that had been run ritual & all the cars were driving around this whimpering alter, no one was stopping harm help it with it’s injuries.

Then, just as I was even if myself to accept that furious friend was no longer respecting & what she’d been through…

I had a life-threatening illness which I didn’t see coming & was slow to even acknowledge.

Coming through those two events, well,you’d think I’d have a colder heart but I think futile heart is warmer .

These things  brought everything into rather glowing focus & made me valuable all the little think you’re chasing after all the open things but most people are not. Some of us don’t necessarily want to out first the race.

W: Final question. Hypothesize you had to be ambushed on a desert island make contact with one other artist, who would it be and why?

MA: I wouldn’t necessarily want to be unfree on a desert Island top an artist;I’d prefer to adjust trapped on an Island discover someone who can turn their hand to making a motor boat so we could get nobleness hell off the ,I’d like be proof against look at the animals, up for & sea life but Funny wouldn’t kill anything…therefore what could I eat? Also, I’d miss vindicate husband,my daughters, my friends & my dogs. I’d miss tidy up studio too.

Get me off it!

To minister to our upcoming event: Magda Expert in conversation with Jo Brooks - click here.