AWS Feature: ‘Present Antiques,' A Profile on Artist Zac Merle

AWSFeature

25 Jan

Words by Emma Grayson

Artist Zac Merle
Photograph taken by Joshua Tarn

Zachary Merle is the mixed media collage artist of AWS Gallery (#AWSWatch) dreams. Using a combination of muted tones with the occasional pop of colour, Merle’s work highlights what it means to be British and a young artist in the here and now. By encouraging himself to live in the moment, rather than with an idea of what he’d hope to accomplish by the end of his creative process, he captures the essence of human sentiment. This alleviates the need to produce a “perfect” final product, so he can create, and his works can simply be. Using acrylic, oils, newspaper clippings and random found objects, his works are primarily image based and involve a hands-on creative process.

He graduated from Bath Spa University in 2020, where he spent his final year project exploring the work and life of David Bowie, particularly the 1971 studio album, “Hunky Dory.” This past summer, he participated in the TSDAP/Vane Spring Exhibition 2021, co-curated by TSDAP and Vane gallery, UK and hosted by SHIM Art Network. An aspiring visual artist, he is skilled in Adobe Suite and often works with individual clients on personalized commissions. While his individual practice is free-form, for commissions, he explains how very different this can be. A client may have a certain idea of what they want, which Merle takes loosely into consideration, but even in those instances, there really is no telling exactly how one of his works might turn out in the end. Yet, he always hopes to evoke a visceral feeling in the final result.

‘Present Antiques’
Zac Merle
43cm x 81.5cm x 4cm
Acrylic, oil bar, oil pastel, paper collage, cardboard on wood
Photograph taken by Nina Paiva

Currently, he is working on creating a recognizable style for himself, whilst also realizing that as a young artist, he has much learning and evolving left to do. This means taking inspiration from fellow contemporary artists such as Joy Yamusangie and even blue-chip artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Robert Rauschenberg. With Rauschenberg specifically, Merle is “inspired by not only his process of art-making but also his attitude towards art - the fact that anything can be included within an artwork.”

Differentiation in the creative industry is increasingly a struggle, but by layering his collage pieces with paint and other materials, he is able to create depth as well as add a certain level of dynamism to his work. About his process, he states “I love going for morning walks and taking my notebook with me to note down sounds or words which I hear.” For many, being outside during Covid-19 was a privilege often overlooked. For Merle, he viewed the opportunity as a way to remain stimulated creatively. While in the studio, he says that “music is a big inspiration for me. I always have it playing in the background while I’m working. I find myself listening to more calm and instrumental music while creating art.”

‘Pendulum’
Zac Merle
10.5cm x 14.8cm
Acrylic, oil pastel and collage on paper

‘Keyhole’
Zac Merle
14.8cm x 21cm
Acrylic and oil pastel on paper

The analogue aspect of his artistry is, of course, obvious. But the undeniability of the digital world is something that he is coming to appreciate more and more. Nowadays, social media lends enormously to the success of budding artists, and on Zac’s own Instagram, we see a respectable display of the artist’s oeuvre. Not only do his abstract works play into a modernist idea of the transformative nature of Western society, they also allow him to reflect on his own compos mentis and the impact it may have on society as a whole. By interpreting life in his own way and translating that onto his canvases, he hopes “to change people’s perception of the world around them.”