Gifted Queensland bred artist Jae Copp has had a busy artistic career so far, from designing skatewear and starting his own brand, to exhibiting his artistic output in a wide range of shows.

Having worked utilising wood for many years, producing a cool array of works in the process, Jae has branched out into new directions with his upcoming exhibition at Melbournes Gorker Gallery. We caught up with Jae to get the lowdown on what he’s been up to, and what we can expect from what is surely to be a great show …

Can you tell us a little of your formative artistic years, and where your style and work emerged from?

I remember seeing the arrival of American skateboard paraphernalia through the late 80’s/early 90’s and wanted them real bad, but obviously couldn’t afford any of it, so I started screen printing my own T’s like ALVA, Bones, Schmitt Stix etc.etc .. and selling them off at school for $5 a pop to buy the real deal.

I was heavily into skateboarding and graffiti through that period, so I guess it was a natural progression from there. 

You’ve had a wide range of exposure, from magazines to a number of various shows and solo’s – so far what have been the highlights of the past few years in terms of your artistic roadmap?

I couldn’t really say, each has been as fun as the last and I’ve met a lot of damn good people along the way….. It’s all good.!!

“My Illusions architect” is an intriguing title for your upcoming show at Gorker Gallery – where did the name spring from?

It’s a title that basically translates to “the construction of a perfect world in my imagination”. The title was sparked from “misinterpreted lyrics” from a band called “By A Thread”.

Its mentioned that the upcoming show is a bit of a turn around in your style, and you are  experimenting with some interesting techniques with this new show coming up, including paper treatments and stitching – what is it a about this form of media exploration that you believe lends itself to your images?

to tell you the truth it was a straight up happy accident, I simply ran out of room on a piece and thought it would be complimentary to the theme by accentuating the aesthetics of age old communication methods through the use of paper treatments and hand stitching, in turn, giving the series a semi-decayed feel in a contemporary way.

Explain to us your usage of a post-apocalyptic scenario for your upcoming show – what is it about the devastation of civilization that you think gives artists such a cool playground to work within? Is the whole “fresh slate” idea one that speaks to you?

It’s not made aware of how they came to existence nor how the previous inhabitants came to an end. That’s entirely up to your perception. but it sure is fun to play GOD.!!… Haha.

Do the characters that you are portraying as centralized figures in your show have any defined roles, or are they of a more metaphorical and abstract nature?

The majority of my work has always had indefinitive meanings, and totally open to interpretation. I like to approach each piece like writing a book, but leaving the last 2 chapters out, though this series has a strong narrative and will be the base introduction of characters and their role-plays for an ongoing story through follow up shows. The subject matter still relates to my own personal and social views that have been taken out of context, into a surreal or abstract way.

What was different in your process of preparation for the upcoming show – and can you tell us a little about what went into the actual organization behind it?

Previously working with found or recycled wood, I found framing (behind glass) to quite daunting. The obvious work load is extensive and needs to be mapped out to utilize the space, and then there’s the mission of trying to get everything down to Melbourne, unfortunately I couldn’t afford to bring everything – ie. Props and installations – but I’ll work around that.

There appears to be a proliferation of illustrative-styled artists of late, as one whose works also somewhat loosely follow this style, what factors do you believe are attributing to the trend?

I have know idea – I just felt it was time to move away from wood till I come up with a fresh perspective. It just happened that way and I’m enjoying it.

You’ve done a fair bit of traveling through North America and the UK – what did you get up to, and how do you believe these experiences have added to your body of work?

All cities look the same to me – but Mexico definitely hit a nerve. I can’t pin point what it was, I just got a strange kinda vibe from the place which I’m still trying to interpret somehow through my work.

What are your plans for after the exhibition, and what other avenues of artistic output are you looking forward to exploring in the future?

EVERYTHING.!… But at the mo I’m in the process of working out how to replicate my illustrations into life size 3d sculptures….. This could take some time….. 

Jae Copps “My Illusions Architect” opens at Gorker Gallery on September 2nd. Check here for details, or visit the Facebook page as well as his blog.