The beginning is always staring at it
Worrying about it
Concerned over my process
Even though I've done it successfully multiple times
Every time brings doubts
Because every time I am staring at something new
Welcome to the collage work of Tobias (Toby) Laurent Belson.
Toby is a multi-disciplinary artist based in West London where he practices community arts, design and education.
Self-taught from a young age, 'Samplism' is a style and technique of collage that has been developing as his personal practice since 2011. This intricate style of collage resists the common collage style of juxtaposition (placing sometimes awkward or contrasting images together) or a 'painting by numbers' pixelation (building up small fragments by tone).
Instead 'Samplism' is a bold invitation to see what the artist has seen, as he manipulates forms and textures in broad strokes, spending many hours at a time looking and re-looking through source materials and moving pieces around one another. In this often intensive practice that makes use of print media and archives, including his own, fully recognisable images are located, cut and reversioned. Clearly recognisable portraits contain numerous scenes, often with a direct or subtle connection to the subject of the portrait.
Unseen or unknown narratives are created by chance, synchronicity and the viewer who sees what the artist sees with fresh eyes and a different lifetime of experiences.
Armet Francis (British African Caribbean photographer) said to me that without a face we are just abstract forms. The face is the window and the portrait must reflect that. I see how much I can fit into the face. Never enough to reflect a lifetime, but enough - I hope - to reflect that we all have a lot going on.
Recent work includes the 'London Brew' album cover. A contemporary jazz masterpiece that reimagines Miles Davis’ legendary album 'Bitches Brew'.
The first works in the style are the 'Women of Colour' series. Cut from a variety of magazines, they depict well known and lesser known women of the African diaspora.
The second works are the first of the 'Family' series, portraits and self-portraits of family members.
The 'Mother, Father & Child' triptych series was completed in 2018, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Stephen Lawrence.
A fourth series - 'Pioneers' - explores the achievements of members of the Black British community