There are worse ways to start your career than photographing George Michael for the Faith album cover. That was the job that kick-started Russell Young’s career as a celebrity photographer, followed not long after by a stint as a music video director. From there, Young turned his hand to painting but kept his work away from the public’s prying eyes until 2003, when he showed his first collection, Pig Portraits. Since then he has established a reputation as a renowned pop artist, recreating images from history and pop culture, and has become one of the most collected artists of today.
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FAULT: Why did you choose to keep your paintings secret for so long?
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Russell: I was the only audience I needed.
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FAULT: How do you decide which images to recreate?
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Russell: I’m normally working on many series at the same time, researching my ideas and finding images from multiple sources. Sometimes it takes years of searching to find the right image…but when I find it, it’s a real “fuck, that’s it” moment.
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FAULT: Do you have a favourite painting?
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Russell: I saw a stunning exhibition last year, at White Cube in London, of Georg Baselitz. The series was titled Mrs Lenin and the Nightingale; all the paintings were magnificent but my favourite was ‘Andy does more Cock than Pussies’.
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FAULT: How long does it take for you to do a painting?
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Russell: 4 minutes or 40 years.
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FAULT: What made you decide to leave behind directing videos and photography for painting?
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Russell: The upcoming birth of my first son in 2000.
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FAULT: What made you decide to leave behind directing videos and photography for painting?
Russell: The upcoming birth of my first son in 2000.
FAULT: You’ve done some quite controversial paintings, such as Kate Moss and Pete Doherty as Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. Would you say you court controversy?
Russell: I’m obsessed with the relationship of fame and shame to each other, so courting controversy is a perfect fit to help convey those themes which are throughout my work. I’m stunned I don’t get into more trouble, such as with my painting of JFK [John Fitzgerald Kennedy] on the autopsy table. His hair’s peeled back from his scalp, and the hand-painted guns, such as the one that killed John Lennon, I created using my own blood as the ink.
FAULT: Is there always a message behind each painting?
Russell: Each painting is a small part of a larger picture.
FAULT: What do you make of pop culture today?
Russell: I love that punk is back, cut and pasted, fucked up and photocopied.
FAULT: Are there any artists you would cite as being influential on your own career?
Russell: Polke, Prince, Close, Warhol, Richter and Baselitz.
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