AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON YEN

Hillyer Art Space: What drew you to the medium of collage?
Jason Yen: Money. I used to paint, but I didn’t like to clean my brushes. And I was tired of spending money on paint, spray paint, and canvas– I eventually switched to wood… I’m not sure of anything specific of what drew me to collage, but I guess I started to use it in my old work to give it texture. I then realized I could just keep combining different colors and patterns, to make an over-all color… I started to just use old magazines, junk mail, wrapping paper, etc. Then I just started to use cardboard as a base instead of canvas and wood. Usually you can find nice big pieces on the street… (Especially when someone buys a new TV.)
Hillyer Art Space: Given your preference for found materials, is being environmentally conscious important to your working process? Is your work commenting on mass consumption or the wasteful nature of our culture?
Jason Yen: It wasn’t originally, like I said, it was about saving money. However, I am proud of the fact that I am helping the environment in really teeny-tiny way… No doubt there has been a shift in our culture (especially in DC) to being more environmentally conscious. I’m sure that shift has been influential in my work.
Hillyer Art Space: What symbolic elements are revealed in the details of your collage?
Jason Yen: Sometimes there are things that I love, like, or am interested in. Sometimes there are small passages of text. Sometimes nothing at all… I like color and the patterns in magazines. I use a lot of clothing catalogs cause there is a lot of pattern in clothing design… I like to be clever with things when I can…
Hillyer Art Space: In your artist statement you stress the meticulous and lengthy process of making your collages. Could you elaborate on your working method?
Jason Yen: First, I draw the idea on the computer. Then I print it out, and decide how many layers of cardboard each part of the image will be. Then I cut out the print and paste it to cardboard. After it is pasted, I cut each piece of cardboard and begin to re-paste and re-cut it, to the amount of desired layers. Once I have everything layered and cut out, I glue it all together. Next, I start the colorizing process by cutting from magazines and catalogs. And I collage the piece. (This usually takes about the most time, sometimes I have to measure, cut and glue very small pieces.) After, this I clean up the piece, redrawing some of the outlines of the objects. Then I seal it, to protect it from light damage and to keep the collage in place.
Hillyer Art Space: What do you hope people will learn or gain after viewing your work?
Jason Yen: I really just want to see people smile. Maybe get the few social/political/comical views I have put into my work. However, sometimes there really isn’t anything important about a certain piece. It’s just to have fun, by the fantastic re-adjustment of everyday things. I want people to be more imaginative, maybe this will nudge them to do something creative on their own…