Meet the artist who turns hate into beauty
How Conor Collins is challenging trolls through his artwork.
In an increasingly interconnected world, everyone can have a voice. Whether through Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, your message can be carried around the world within an instant. That is precisely what happened to Conor Collins, a 29-year-old Manchester-based artist. He is more interested in sharing his art through social media than in a gallery. Arguably a good choice: at the age of 24, his portrait of Tom Daley caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres and subsequently the world. It was one of the most talked about images on the internet for quite some time. Lightning struck twice for Collins when his portrait of Caitlyn Jenner in 2015 was seen by over one million people within 24 hours of it being posted. Then in the 2016 US presidential election, Collins’ portrait of Donald Trump hit the news again. It became one of the most viral images of the American election.
These three pieces have each attracted millions of views, but that is not the only connection they share. They have also all been exclusively displayed online, on Collins’ website and social media. Furthermore, Collins drew inspiration from the very same social media for the portraits. After reality star Caitlyn Jenner came out as a transgender woman, she suffered immense abuse on Twitter. Collins included the numerous insults and death threats into the portrait. Seen from afar, the tiny hand-drawn scribbles make out Jenner’s outline — the horrific ugliness from these online trolls turned into captivating beauty. The portrait incorporates the real Twitter names, as Connor felt it was “inauthentic to remove them.”
Caitlyn Jenner’s portrait wasn’t the first artwork of Collins’ hand in that style. In 2014, he created an image of Tom Daley using hateful and homophobic online comments that Daley received after coming out as gay. On the LGBTQ theme of his paintings, Collins says: “They [Tom Daley and Caitlyn Jenner] are targets of bullying. That resonates with me. It doesn’t matter if the bully is a troll typing racist junk at 2am on Twitter, or the President of the United States — which arguably is the same person, now I think of it. It’s bullying, and it just brings the whole world down.”
Collins admits he too receives online abuse because of his work. However, he sees this as a good sign. “If I don’t get abuse from a good few people, then clearly what I created has little or no impact. I mean, if everyone agrees with what you’ve said you haven’t really said anything new”.
Collins’ work is undeniably politically engaged. Asked if this is a necessity for artists, he responds: “I am not sure if it is important for just artists, but rather we should all be politically involved. I think as an outsider (being queer) often just existing is seen as an act of rebellion against the norm.” Through his art, he tries to hold up a mirror to society and encapsulate the current socio-political and cultural issues. “Every few years something in the world happens and we all become politically engaged,” he adds, “and then without realising become politically lethargic.” Collins hopes his artworks increase the longevity of public debates on important topics.
Abusive Tweets aren’t the only provocative material Collins uses for his artworks. He has also created two portraits with blood. He used blood from gay men to paint a portrait of Alan Turing, the gay English mathematician who cracked the Enigma code and contributed to bringing an end to the Second World War. It is a stance against current blood donation laws, which are prejudiced against gay people.
The second portrait to use blood as its source material is Collins’ interpretation of Princess Diana. It is arguably his most recognisable and unique work, and differs from the Turing portrait as the blood used is HIV positive. When asked about his reason for painting the Princess in this unusual way he replied: “The world was shocked when Diana held hands with a patient with HIV (1987). Decades later, HIV stigma is still rife.” A close friend of Collins contracted the virus. This opened his eyes to the stigma attached to it. That is why he is passionate about re-educating the public about this topic. “HIV is a virus. It has no conscience. It is without colour, without creed, without gender or sexuality. It is incapable of judgement. Stigma, however, is a choice. The HIV epidemic is fuelled by this stigma, shame and ignorance. Science can treat the disease, but it is love, compassion, respect, and understanding that will finally stop the epidemic.”
When asked what it’s like to paint with this unusual material he adds enthusiastically that it is “the best material I have ever worked with”. His love for the art of painting shines through in his description of his artistic process: “It goes onto the canvas like oil paint, but within maybe ten seconds the blood has changed into ink, super thin and moving into every nook and cranny in the paint, then half an hour later it is totally dry and cracking and separating like chalk. It is honestly incredible, and if they could synthesise a paint to work like it, it would make millions.”
Upon wondering how the artist came to acquire this unusual source material, Collins sheepishly replied: “I just asked nicely. The long answer I would need a lawyer to write.”
For more information about Conor Collins you can find his work on his website: https://www.conartworks.com
