Innes Maclellan - Full Interview

Scotland-based artist Innes Maclellan is currently in his last year at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

Statement

I wish to push the boundaries of visual art through a unique exploration of the interplay of process and interconnectedness—a journey where meaning emerges naturally rather than be deposited in a single place. Honesty drives my practice, and I find that through fidgety moments, on the periphery between control and chaos the most intriguing transformations occur.

I would use the word eclectic, as well as fidgety—always in motion, constantly exploring multiple creative processes simultaneously. This restless energy prevents me from confining my art to a single style or method. I embrace the diversity of aesthetics and techniques, allowing my work to evolve organically, much like my own shifting state of mind.

I am particularly interested in how prolonged focus on a subject can transform our perception of it. When you focus on something for a long period of time, it becomes important to you. My intention is to use this principle within my practice to enhance the impact of my work, making the grotesque not only more noticeable but meaningful.

My work is embedded in process. I want to understand how things work, how they are made, and how they might transform. This excites me. It is important to me that this curiosity is present in my work—not explicitly, but as a suggestion, a hint of something just beyond reach. The fusion of diverse materials and approaches reflects an interdependency that is crucial to my art, echoing the intricate relationships found in nature and human experience.

My work aims to blur the boundaries between humans and animals, challenging traditional distinctions and emphasise shared aspects of suffering. It is not merely a celebration of the macabre but a reflection of the complex conflict in responses drawn by that which is grotesque.

My background—growing up on a shooting estate in the picturesque Scottish Highlands—has permeated all aspects of my artistic flare and sensibility, adding an edge of the grotesque and the raw into my work, which has always deeply inspired me. This eclectic mix of influences fuels my constant need to experiment and redefine the boundaries of my creativity.

Driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand and reveal the processes that underpin our existence.