From College to Collages

As I sat in Brenna Youngblood’s studio among thousands of
photo clippings, observing what has emerged from the chaos, she
apologized for the mess. “Write that it was pristine,”
she said with a short laugh. But out of this colorful assortment of
clippings, the elements of the Hammer Projects’ next exhibit
have taken shape.

Youngblood is a photo-collage artist in her third and final year
of the photography MFA program at UCLA. Though she began the
program solely as a photographer, through use of her studio space
and by being surrounded by artists of different mediums, she has
expanded her work into photographic collages, occasionally using
other mediums such as paint.

The Hammer Projects are a series of exhibitions that focus on
lesser-known artists, particularly within the L.A. community, who
exhibit promise for the future. As a graduating UCLA student having
had little of her work previously displayed, Youngblood was a prime
candidate for the series.

“Her work is new ““ it’s innovative,”
said James Elaine, curator of the upcoming exhibit at the UCLA
Hammer Museum, which opens Jan. 14. “She is using photography
as a base, then taking her medium and reinventing it for
herself.”

Youngblood’s art reflects the world around her, as she
draws from her surroundings as well as current events for material
and inspiration. A piece reflecting the tragedy caused by Hurricane
Katrina and the national reaction to these events will be featured
in the exhibit, along with other works she hopes will force people
to question aspects of the modern world.

“I want people to look at this and ask themselves,
“˜Where am I in this picture?'” Youngblood said,
looking at another collage that will be featured at the Hammer
Museum.

“I strive to make pieces of art that are a bit difficult
to enter. I don’t want anything to be too easy to understand.
There are a lot of things going on socially that are difficult and
overwhelming, and I want my work to act the same way, reflecting
those things.”

In an attempt to describe how she began working with
photography, Youngblood said, “I’ve always taken
photos. Everyone has something they do to get through the day, and
this is mine. It’s just a reaction to things around
me.”

After finishing her undergraduate degree at California State
University, Long Beach in 2002, Youngblood applied to a few
different graduate programs and was accepted to UCLA. She credits
fellow artists, an accomplished faculty and the program’s
annual open studios as key to her success.

Open studios take place each February at the building in which
several MFA artists have their studio space. This is an opportunity
for the artists to display their work and meet with professors
throughout the day to discuss their progress.

In the evening the studios are open to the public, and gallery
and museum curators come searching for new talent. This is how
Elaine first discovered Youngblood’s work, and he has been
following her artistic progress ever since.

“I was very taken by her work and thought that she would
benefit from displaying her work in a laboratory-type
environment,” he said. “The Hammer Projects series is
an opportunity for the artist to make work for an exhibit with no
commercial influence, with no strings attached.”

UCLA’s MFA art program gives emerging artists such as
Youngblood valuable exposure to curators. In this case,
Youngblood’s exposure resulted in an exhibition at a
critically-acclaimed museum.

“I didn’t really do anything,” Youngblood said
about how she was selected for the project series. She was, in
fact, approached by curators at the Hammer Museum who had been
following her work through open studios and the MFA program. She
began her work for this exhibit in November.

Although Youngblood acknowledges the slightly inaccessible
nature of her work, she does not hesitate to explain it to anyone
who asks. The exhibit will feature 10 pieces of work that she says
are a compilation of her individual experiences and a reflection of
those experiences in the world today.

“There are a lot of personal things that expand into
cultural things,” she said. “A lot of my work is about
being ignored as a human being, being alienated.”

Despite her admitted sense of alienation, Youngblood is well on
her way to finding a place for herself in the art world.