The Future's So Bright
Selected works by Annie Terrazzo
Asymmetric Magazine: Tell us about your series.
Annie Terrazzo: I love portraiture old and new, and my work is a reflection of trying to find a new and interesting way to show it. Using newspapers and magazines, I tell a story. The headlines become the heart of the person I am drawing and creates a fuller understanding of the subtext or narrative of the work. Since 2007, every year 3 newspapers go out of business in the US. Newspapers, and magazines have so drastically changed their format that they have become tabloids just trying to hold on to any gory headline for ad money. The information has all gone digital, and now everybody knows everything and nothing at the same time. It's just the weird hoarders and me collecting this stuff now, and it's just a matter of time before it just isn't there anymore. Even the really old newspapers and magazines–you can't find them, and if you can, they aren't worth anything. I take the piss out of them, but I also have a deep appreciation for newspapers and magazines and want to preserve them in my own unique way.
AM: What is your biggest inspiration?
AT: My biggest inspiration is my materials. I am constantly finding new things that bring ideas to me!
AM: We love your collage style. What's your process for finding the pieces to each collage?
AT: Finding the pieces for the collage process is the fun part of my job. Usually it involves me not working very hard. I try to just let it happen. I am constantly picking up things from around the world and just throwing them in my studio. I’m a big believer in fate in art, and usually the right materials find me.
AM: What role does Los Angeles play in your work?
AT: I travel quite a bit, and it’s always nice to come back here. It’s my home, and I feel it’s easy to make art in such a beautiful place. I love the art scene and the artistic community. It’s really growing and changing all the time. And I’m still quite proud to go out and say I am a fine artist when introduced at parties.
AM: What themes do you typically pursue in your work?
AT: While I do branch out into male portraits and beyond, I mostly draw women and have since I was about 16. I feel it has and always will be a direct connection to an event that happened to me with my mother. I am a trapped 16 year old in my art.
AM: How do you think art impacts social change?
AT: I like to think art can lead to social change. I like to think it has the power to open people's minds to new ideas and feelings. I like to think that it is possible. I’m not sure though…. It’s a nice idea.
AM: What can we expect to see from you next?
AT: Right now, I am working on a follow up to my solo show (Kill Your Selfie), which I did in Chinatown last year. It this series, I will be using well known actors and performers as models to depict how we now use emojis in everything to communicate due to lack of emotional expression in modern technology. Words will never be enough in the modern age.
Annie Terrazzo is an LA-based artist. After graduating from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, CA, Terrazzo began her career in trash portraiture, focusing on using found objects, newspapers, and magazines. You can find more of her work here and on Saatchi Art.
