26 May 2010
Degree Show exhibit asks 'What you looking at?'
The menacing, tracksuit-clad alpha male holding a whole housing scheme in the palm of his hand as he glowers malevolently at all who dare to look at him is one of the most instantly familiar images at this year’s Dundee Degree Show.
Graduating illustration student Nick Cocozza (24) was heavily influenced by the gang culture he saw when growing up in Glenrothes and Essex, and the notion of decaying urban territories jealously guarded by young men in sportswear is one which continues to inform his work.
The Degree Show, held at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University of Dundee, is open to the public until Sunday.
Using a mixture of hand-drawn collage and installation, Nick pushes the boundaries of illustration as he injects his own personality into his work and puts a humourous twist on a serious subject.
The anti-hero in Nick's Degree Show centerpiece exhibit is a giant young man, painted on the wall of the display space, whose hand extends from the wall and holds a pop-up model of a typical housing scheme.
Nick's work saw him visit several council estates and take pictures of shops, tower blocks and houses before reproducing them in miniature and in great detail. He is keen to point out that he is not trying to portray his hometown as some kind of urban wasteland inhabited by feral youths with no respect for law and authority.
'I definitely don't go for all that 'Broken Britain' stuff,' he said. 'Glenrothes was a good place to grow up and is no worse than anywhere else, but there were very clear demarcations between territories, and people would try to stop you going into their part of town if you weren't from there.
'It was nothing too heavy, kids stuff really, but it was quite frightening at the time. What I find interesting is that this kind of behaviour is something you see everywhere and it always stuck with me. No matter where ou go, you'll find young guys with a gang mentality.
'There’s a real alpha male trait in that they are running in packs and fighting to protect what they see is their part of town. These things can be relatively harmless, or they can become very serious, but that depends of other problems in the area making it more than just young guys trying to establish their own identity.
'I’m not saying that everywhere is like this, and that society is doomed. I'm trying to say 'yes, there are problems, but they are not as bad as the media will sometimes have you believe'. If you don’t see the humour in the dress, attitudes and behaviour of a small element then you'll start believing everyone is like the tabloids say they are.
'Whilst I'm pushing the idea of the trackie-wearing, hoodie generation, I'm not trying to condemn anyone for how they dress or draw conclusions from their appearances. After all, it’s a good thing to be proud of where you are from - just don’t take it to extremes!'
The urban environment and modern society also influence other pieces of Nick's work. Last year, he won a competition organised the German Embassy in London to create a modern-day version of a traditional German fairytale, which commented on how fast food chains compete to 'steal' children.
Nick chose to modernise 'Hansel and Gretel' and the resulting illustrated book features two teenagers leaving their council estate to go for a BMX ride. They come across a McDonald’s restaurant where the evil owner, Ronald, fattens the kids up before taking them into a kitchen where they are minced down and made into burgers.
After graduation, Nick will take up a placement with a design company in Germany as part of his prize before visiting his parents, who now live in Australia, and taking the time to decide where to base himself as he embarks on his career.
Notes to editors:
Dundee Degree Show
22nd - 30th May 2010 (Preview May 21st)
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
University of Dundee
13 Perth Road
Dundee DD1 4HT
T 01382 385330
E exhibitions@dundee.ac.uk
www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/degreeshow/
Exhibition open:
Saturday, May 22nd (10am-4pm)
Sunday, May 23rd (10am-4pm)
Monday, May 24th (10am-8pm)
Tuesday, May 25th (10am-8pm)
Wednesday, May 26th (10am-8pm)
Thursday, May 27th (10am-8pm)
Friday, May 28th (10am-8pm)
Saturday, May 29nd (10am-4pm)
Sunday, May 30th (10am-4pm)
Graduate work on display:
Animation
Art, Philosophy & Contemporary Practices
Fine Art
Graphic Design
Illustration
Interior Environmental Design
Interactive Media Design
Jewellery & Metal Design
Product Design
Textile Design
Time Based Art & Digital Film
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
