Julie Cockburn 'Yin' Embroidered Photo Available

Artist: Julie Cockburn
Title: Yin
Medium: Hand Embroidery on Found Photograph
Size: 20.3 x 25.4 cm
Edition: UNIQUE
Price: £3,550

Julie Cockburn is a British visual artist, born in London in 1966, who is celebrated for her transformative approach to found imagery. Currently residing and working in Suffolk, England, she utilizes a meticulous hand embroidery technique to reimagine vintage photographs, postcards, and second hand paintings. Her practice is deeply rooted in her background in sculpture, having studied at Central Saint Martins and the Chelsea School of Art. This training informs her perception of flat images as three dimensional objects, leading her to treat the surface of a photograph with the same physical consideration as a carved form.

Cockburn's work often features vibrant geometric patterns, colorful dots, and intricate line work stitched directly through the paper or canvas of her sourced materials. By obscuring the faces of strangers or the details of landscapes, she creates a dialogue between the original historical artifact and her own imaginative interventions. This process is not merely decorative but serves to anonymize the original subjects, inviting viewers to project their own narratives and personal histories onto the work. Her aesthetic is characterized by a playful yet disciplined contrast between the rigid, formal poses of mid-century portraits and the energetic, modern bursts of color she adds by hand. Her art is represented in major international collections, including the Yale Center for British Art and the Wellcome Collection in London.