What are some of the ideas that you explore in your work and the mediums that you have chosen to work with?
I’d been making ‘normal’ collages for years, but one day I was stuck for new ideas and I just ended up staring at my collaged wall. On this particular day, the pieces on the wall looked like a world with its own story and so I wanted to turn the whole wall into an artwork. The wall was obviously too big to fit the paper I had at the time, so I started on a smaller piece of paper which led to the style of my more recent works. I use Blu Tack to stick the pieces to my wall and I liked the way the shadows of the pieces would change throughout the day because of the sunlight. I started to use Blu Tack in my work as well to replicate this and to pull viewers into this world more.
In an increasingly digitized world, how important is your online presence? And what are some of the things that you consider when marketing your work?
I think it’s good to have a social media presence or online website, because it’s a great way to find a lot of artists, both new and local as well. I’m not very good at marketing, but I think the internet allows everyone to have a chance to show their work to people all over the world.
Let us know about any current/future projects – Have you got anything planned in the near future?
I am currently trying to sort through pieces to make a big collage piece as well as making a lot of collages for an exhibition when I go back to Japan at the end of this year. Hopefully things get back to normal very soon!
Tatsuya Uchida is a collage artist from Japan, based in Brunswick, Melbourne. His practice involves gathering and placing together seemingly random images of objects and pieces which would rarely intersect in the real world. His aim is to create a more peculiar and interesting world through playing with these previously ordinary images on paper. More recently, he has experimented with three-dimensional collages in order to pull viewers more closely into his world of collage.
Tell us a bit about what a day may look like for you as an artist. Where are you based and what are some of the things that you do in your daily routine? Tell us about your morning rituals, your cup of tea/coffee, plants, etc!
I’m based in Brunswick, Melbourne. The first thing I do in the morning is go to my local coffee shop for a double espresso, then I usually go around to a few op-shops to find books with photos that I can use for my collages. When I get home, I cut out all the pieces which I plan on using for collaging. Sometimes this process can take the whole day, however I really enjoy it and I find it meditative. I always listen to ambient music during this process. On the days that I work, I usually finish around 3pm and then I go skateboarding with my friends.
How did you start your creative practice and why? Are you self-taught, an art student, a full-time artist, etc?
The first collage I did was for my skateboard - I saw my friend making a collage for his skateboard and I tried to make one for mine as well. At the time I didn’t know how to make a collage or what to use, so I had to teach myself everything. I remember trying a lot and failing as well, but I also remember loving the process. One day a friend said, “I like your collages, you should do it on proper paper as art!” and I replied, “Oh! Okay...”. Four years have passed since then and I’ve been making collages ever since. At the moment, I am also studying Graphic Design.
Have you got a studio/creative workplace? Tell us a bit about where you create and some of the significant things that support and inspire your practice.
View our collection of Tatsuya Uchida’s works in our Stockroom.
I currently use my room as a workspace- I have a desk and I use my wall as a palette. After cutting out the pieces, I stick them to my wall so it’s easier to see all the pieces I’ve collected and it also acts as inspiration. This process always brings me new ideas.