CLUSTER ILLUSTRATION SHOP

CLUSTER ILLUSTRATION FAIR

Through expressive colours and silken surfaces both Irene Bidello and Janelle Barone treat subjects both fantastical and mundane with an unfalteringly equal hand; one that’s simultaneously dreamlike but steeped in the real.

The rich materiality of prints and fabrics used by both Christoph Szkudlarek and Micca Okada adds to the sensuality of their work. As bodies collapse, fold and fuse with one another, each of these artists tactically demonstrate the mechanisms of desire.

Today, we are excited to be talking to Anastasia Beltyukova, aka Tribambuka. The multidisciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator has been part of the Cluster family since 2019, when she made her debut at the fifth edition of Cluster Illustration Fair.

Both Cristina Portolano and Nick Prodromou harness the universal in order to move beyond it; for Cristina, the comic book provides a reliable form to explore new narratives, while for Nick, well-known cartoon characters become cyphers from which to approach reality.

Through sharp lines, bright colours and the precision offered by digital software, both Anatolij Pickmann and Elen Winata merge art and design in uniquely forward-facing ways.

By paying close attention to the quotidian moments we so rarely acknowledge, Ulee’s ‘Cacctone Utopia’ and Shigehisa Kitatani’s humorous illustrations elevate the unremarkable as something, well, quite remarkable.

Through their playful, cartoon-inspired illustrations, bright colour palettes and infectious enthusiasm, Michelle Hird and Valia Black awaken the child inside us all.

Through abstraction and kaleidoscopic use of colour Jin Xia and Nicolle Herrera summon worlds that exist in the unmarked in between; where the physical meets the digital and fantasy permeates the real.

Unbound by the burden of gravity, the illustrations of Lavinia Petrache and Isabel MQ float in their own orbits, quietly encouraging us to join them. Through lithe lines and willowy strokes, dusty shadows and restrained splashes of colour, they hushedly seek out the tender, softening the limits of our hard, physical edges.

Despite working digitally, both Sophie Rawlingson and Samira Huke preserve a sense of the haptic through simplified form and earthly subject matter. Through bold, block colours, they highlight the power of plants as both symbols of beauty and strength, a quiet but consistent source of comfort in an increasingly chaotic world.

While Eve Gentilhomme work indulges in primary-colour positivity, Georgia Ezell channels the frenzied energy of underground music paraphernalia. In their unique ways, each artist embraces maximalism, using bright, block colour, undulating forms and ever so surreal motifs to recall the hallucinatory visuals of 1960s psychedelica.

Loulou Elliott and Hiroyuki Izutsu use landscape to provoke feelings of acceptance, whether it be of our smallness when confronted with the vast power of nature, or of the sometimes, solitary nature of human existence.

Leila Rose Willis and Miao Yang handle organic form in a distinctly spiritual way.
Like all of nature’s great mysteries, they occupy a paradox, arriving at clarity by way of abstraction.

Clare Davis and Mayu Furutani evoke the breathless rush one experiences when encountering a new place for the first time. Through their expert use of colour and liberating sleight of hand they demonstrate the spirit of each place that lingers on in our minds and hearts.

By confronting desire head-on, Pigo Lin and Emma Barducci are challenging the cultural stigma around sex in their respective cultures and far beyond. In transforming taboo, they have liberated acceptance from the grips of denial and manifested unadulterated beauty.

Rebecca Sunnu and Tribambuka both demonstrate that freedom can often be located within limitations. Each artist uses the restrictions of print to their advantage, focusing form and layering to create dynamic work rich with movement.

Life is a stage for illustrators Orsola Damiani and Chiara Bartali, who channel theatrical devices of costume, scenography and juxtaposition to make work as rich in character as it is in narrative. 

Through their unconventional, and sometimes all-out fantastical characters, both Gina Stavrou and Becky Davies challenge taboo, using tattoos as a signifier for the shifting ideals of a new generation.

Through calming waves of intricate line work, Grace Terry and Rachele Amadori foster a meditative space that can be felt beyond their individual processes. With precision they demonstrate how one can find profundity in the simplest of forms; even that of the humble line.

The painter Hilma Af Klint once said of her work, “the pictures were painted directly through me.” Likewise, Laura Stieg and Carlotta Di Stefano favour instinct over reason, channelling colour and form like conduits.

Laura Mestre uses her graphic sensibility to tap into the nostalgic romance of the near past, while Katharina Kran’s graphic style demonstrates a trenchant ability to simultaneously evoke unease and humour. Despite their stylistic differences, these cross-disciplinary artists remind us that the path to authenticity is rarely smooth

With pared-back tonal ranges, the work of both, Pantalone and Rita Reis ring with the wisdom of that age-old truism; that sometimes less is more, especially, in this case, where colour is concerned.

In the age of information, it’s easy to lose sight of oneself. While social media confronts us daily with an oversaturated scroll of carefully curated personas, Catalina Parra and Paola Zoccarato remind us of the value of space, suggesting that, it is perhaps what we bring into the outline reveals us most.

Once it was written “hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul,” and the work of Valeria Puzzovio and Claudi Kesseles share this sentiment, demonstrating a strong sense of lightness and endearing optimism.

William Kandinsky once said that ​​“form itself, even if completely abstract, has its own inner sound.” Through their considered formal experiments in abstraction, the work of Hyein Lee and Surasti Puri manage to visualise this inner sound in their own distinctive ways.

Icelandic illustrator Alda Lilja’s colourful illustrations tenderly dispute societal beauty standards and gender norms, making a powerful case for body-positivity. Similarly, Swiss artist Camilla Cavalli believes that art can be a powerful social and political tool.

Former fashion designer, Susan Hassman works between analogue and digital. Her playful illustrations are made with pencil, ink and watercolour, then finessed in photoshop to give them a distinctively polished, ‘pop’ edge. Similarly, Kelly Bailey is a UK-based designer and illustrator with over 20 years in the fashion industry. Capturing the ephemeral nature of fashion via fleeting runway poses and timely colour and patterns.

In a practice akin to that of a novelist’s, Yiran Jia & Nico Pearleyes take on the challenge of world-building with confidence and finely-tuned attention to detail, and in doing so offer portals that reveal the expanded horizons inside us all.

In the world of cartoons, the unexpected reigns. Despite their differing approaches to art-making, both Loontab and Natalie Elliott refuses the straight-jacket of perfection in favour of more enduring feats; style, authenticity and most of all, play.

Linda Aquaro came to illustration via painting, engraving and architecture, the influence of which can be found in the structural facets of her work. Similarly, the work of Misao Iwamoto embodies a jarring sense of realism.

Through their work, Yuqiao Zheng and Alessandra Cimatoribus create meaning from narrative, harnessing the transformative power of nature along the way.

OCTOBER 2021

MAY 2021

Paula Rodriguez evocative work takes inspiration from the landscapes and rich native customs of Mexico and Latin America. For French illustrator Elodie Lascar, place is also a constant source of inspiration. Her bold imagery is soaked in the dramatic light of the Mediterranian

We have come to the end of our selection and after an interesting journey getting
to know the previous four shortlisted artists we’re excited to finally present the winner!
This is Cluster London Getting to know… Paula Rodriguez,
winner of the first edition of the Cluster Illustration Residency Programme.

Let’s take a closer look at her work!

This is Cluster London Getting to know… Varya Yakovleva, the last of our shortlisted artists from the first edition of the Cluster Illustration Residency Programme.

Cluster London launches a new series of interviews titled Getting to Know…
Here we'll take a closer look at the winner and shortlisted artists
from the first edition of our Cluster Illustration Residency Programme.
This is Cluster London Getting to Know... Sonia Alins.

FEBRUARY 2021

As Cluster London announces the launch of its first artist-in-residence programme, we speak to artists and illustrators who have moved to London from around the world, to discover their experience of the city and its impact on their life and work. This week we spoke with illustrator and graphic designer Patrycja Krawczyk, who is originally from Poland, and moved to London four years ago

This is Cluster London Getting to know… Elodie Lascar, one of our shortlisted artists
from the first edition of the Cluster Illustration Residency Programme.

This is Cluster London Getting to know… Rosie Leech, one of the shortlisted artists from the first edition of the Cluster Illustration Residency Programme.

As Cluster London launches its first artist-in-residence programme, we speak to artists and illustrators who have moved to London from around the world, to discover their experience of the city and its impact on their life and work. This week we spoke with illustrator Oliwia Bober, who moved to London in March 2020, just weeks before England’s first lockdown.

We talk with the AOI Board member, Educator & Illustrator
Montana Forbes

In our series How I make it work, we interview established illustrators to learn how they have built a career in the industry, and the advice that they would give to those graduating from art school this year. This week we spoke with London-based fashion illustrator and artist Joanna Layla.

NOVEMBER 2020

As Cluster London announces the launch of its first artist-in-residence programme, we speak to artists and illustrators who have moved to London from around the world to discover their experience of the city, and its impact on their life and work. This week we spoke with illustrator Djoina Amrani, who is originally from Paris, and moved to London six years ago.

OCTOBER 2020

My London: an interview with illustrator Simona De Leo As Cluster London announces the launch of its first artist-in-residence programme, we speak to artists and illustrators who have moved to London from around the world, to discover their experience of the city and its impact on their life and work. This week we spoke with illustrator Simona De Leo.

Cluster Illustration is delighted to speak with Cluster exhibitor Minju Kim about herself and her exhibition “The Void of Desire” which has now been delayed until further notice due to government guidelines but that gives us all something to look forward to when we can finally get back into the physical world of art.

As Cluster London announces the launch of its first artist-in-residence programme, we speak to artists and illustrators who have moved to London from around the world, to discover their experience of the city and its impact on their life and work. This week we spoke with illustrator Ilaria Antolini, who is originally from Verona, and moved to London in 2015.

My London: An interview with Illustrator Ania Pawlik. As Cluster London announces the launch of its first artist-in-residence programme, we speak to artists and illustrators who have moved to London from around the world, to discover their experience of the city and its impact on their life and work. This week we spoke with illustrator Ania Pawlik.

So, you know you want to be an illustrator, but you have no idea what sort of work is out there and where to find it. Here we summarise some of the key areas of speciality for illustrators and how to discover the opportunities that fit your passion.

London’s House of Illustration is the UK’s only public gallery and education space devoted to illustration and graphics. Sadly for illustration fans, the gallery has remained closed since the UK’s lockdown in March, but this summer has announced that it will be reopening in Autumn 2022 as The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, which will be the world’s largest public arts space for illustration.

Cluster London is delighted to announce the launch of its first artist-in-residence programme, which will offer early-career artists living outside of London the opportunity to experience the capital’s creative vibrancy through a fully-funded residency, and to develop their network in the city through a tailored mentorship programme.

Illustration news: the British Library purchases the visual archive of Mervyn Peake.

This year the British library has announced a major purchase, the visual archive of the brilliant and idiosyncratic artist, writer, and illustrator Mervyn Peake, which contains over 300 original illustrations, and will now become fully accessible to the public for the first time.

Computational Creativity: Can AI Programmes Become Artists?

For those who think of ‘art making’ as a distinctly and wholly human capacity, art-producing AI technologies are a cause for concern. But should we fear the works of these computer artists?

Catch it now: Aubrey Beardsley at Tate Britain

For anyone interested in the history of illustration, this year’s Aubrey Beardsley exhibition at Tate Britain is an unmissable event. Featuring more than 200 works, Tate’s show is the first major Beardsley retrospective to be held in the UK for over 50 years.

Paying it forward: The Artist support pledge.

There are few careers as intrinsically rewarding, yet financially precarious, as that of an artist: while megastars of the contemporary art world enjoy a level of fame and success to rival that of their counterparts in film and music, the vast majority of artists in the UK earn less than £5,000 per year from their art.

Illustration online: the exhibitions and events you can enjoy from home this autumn

Although galleries and museums have begun to reopen throughout the UK, many events continue to be held virtually - an experience that perhaps suits illustration better than any other art form - meaning that you can discover new artists from across the globe and learn new skills from the comfort of your home. Here are Cluster Journal’s top picks of the exhibitions, events, and masterclasses that you can enjoy online this autumn.