About Julie Cockburn

Julie Cockburn was born in 1966 and studied at Central St Martins School of Art and Design and Chelsea School of Art.

In the age of the computer generated, the computer manipulated and the 3d rendered, Julie Cockburn¹s sculptural collage work exists in a positively reassuring place. Evoking memories of delicate craftsmanship, her work beautiful sculptures created out of printed image, paper, books, found objects and child-like mark making is a curious mix of optical illusion and the simple transformation of everyday objects.

Cockburn makes new worlds from old. In a creative journey that involves the sourcing of materials and the time-consuming labour of intricate cutting out, she sculpts from the books she accumulates.

The playfulness and nostalgia in Cockburn¹s work is apparent, shown through this visual exploration and excavation of the materials she employs. Gardening books bloom with roses cut from their pages; vintage Playboy magazines become defaced, literally, by a vortex of concentric circles which hint at the subject matter within; prints of old masters¹ portraits are transformed, layered and morph together to make new faces with an eerie history. “I find myself searching for the answers to questions posed by the materials I collect. To me it seems obvious that the images of people doing their exercises should be freed from the pages on which they are printed, or that a swarm of paper butterflies should be liberated from their natural history book, seemingly ready to fly away.”

Julie Cockburn¹s pieces are elaborate, intriguing and beautifully executed, with an autonomy that makes one want to believe their existence. Her work is in both public and private collections worldwide.

To view works in our gallery please click here:

For a biography and selection of works with Flowers Gallery please click here:

For a biography and selection of works with Yossi Milo Gallery, New York, please click here:

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