Hey! I'm Isabeau Colls (Beau, they/them) and I am an illustrator, animator and street artist specialising in the human form. A signature characteristic of my work is manipulating the body into unnatural flowing forms with an emphasis on hands. During the last 3 years of studying Animation full-time at Swinburne, I have been given amazing opportunities such as directing and creating my short-film Bite (2022), becoming the 2021 NAIDOC Design Competition winner where my design was printed onto shirts and bags for purchase through Swinburne, a Content Ambassador for Swinburne in 2021 designing digital art for their mascot’s Instagram, as well as amazing commissions including a 20x10 metre mural for a Disability Support Centre in Grovedale. I am proficient in many physical mediums as well as digital with my favourites being graphite and Adobe Suite. I will invest myself into any form of art that challenges my thinking, whether it be in a group or solo.
I am a highly emotive artist, I use my art as a way to purge my emotions with the help of music and exterior influences. It is really important to me to use my art as a release, especially for harder or more painful emotions I find it really soothing to have a physical representation of what I am feeling. It allows me to sit beside the emotion and create a separation, it transforms into a physical entity that I can come back to instead of letting it ruminate in my head. I hope that through communicating tougher subjects like trauma and identity in my art, I will be able to heal as well as give others a safe space and the courage to speak.
My end goal as an artist is to own my own gallery with a connected café, employing staff below the poverty line to support those in need. As well as ensuring that I scout for artists for more than their social media connections, I want to exhibit extraordinary artists who aren't seen because the industry is so flooded. Artists are now only respected for their connections and how well they can advertise themselves on social media which makes it hard to stand out. I want to find artists who make art for themselves and not for others, allow art to be invasive and beautiful and raw without the fear of exterior judgement. I want to create a safe space for people to express themselves.