10 Questions with Angela Thouless

Scottish artist and designer Angela Thouless earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting and a Master's Degree/Postgraduate Diploma in Art and Design from Robert Gordon University's Gray's School Of Art in Aberdeen. She has exhibited widely in the UK as well as all over Europe and North America.

In 2017, the NUArt street art festival came to Aberdeen for the first time, where Angela worked as a volunteer and met with other local like-minded people. This completely changed the course of her artwork, and she joined the ThrowUp Gallery, a collective of like-minded Aberdeen street artists and began working on a number of projects and delivering workshops. 

Moving from painting large-scale street art-inspired canvases to walls, Angela's current artwork is all inspired by an idea she had for a workshop painting on old spray cans which would have otherwise been thrown away. In 2019, these paintings developed into her unisex urban t-shirt brand, Tribe All. Both the artwork and the t-shirts celebrate and promote the diverse cultures of the world, motivated by a love of street art and culture. 

Her artwork has been featured in Elle Decoration, 3 editions of House & Garden and Red magazine. She is the owner of Tribe All, a t-shirt brand.  GQ, Wired, London Life, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Vogue have all run editorial on Tribe All and as a designer has participated in the Aberdeen and Milan Fashion Weeks. 

www.angelathouless.com | @angela_thouless-art

ARTIST STATEMENT

Angela’s passion for urban art was sparked during her first trip to Amsterdam in 2012. What attracted her was the impromptu and transient nature of street art as well as its multiculturalism, as many artists would come from outside the country to make murals. Her series of spray can tribal mask paintings was inspired by a workshop she led in her home town of Aberdeen, during which she painted on old spray cans. The suite is an exotic and luxuriant array of tribal masks incorporating elements from African, Asian, and South American traditions. The series has a distinctly metropolitan feel and celebrates diversity through a message of unity: we are one species and one tribe.  

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you start experimenting with images?

I am a Scottish artist and designer based in Aberdeen.  Graduating in 1999 from Gray's School Of Art with a BA (Hons) in Painting, going on to receive her Postgraduate Diploma/ Masters in Art & Design in 2000. I have exhibited my artwork across the UK, Asia, Europe, and North America.

Can you tell us about the moment you first became passionate about urban art? How did Amsterdam and the NUArt street art festival come into play?

During my first trip in 2012 to Amsterdam, I fell in love with the street art there, and that's when my passion for urban art began. I started making it a point to photograph it whenever I saw a piece that interested me.
In 2013, I came across the Spuistraat area in Amsterdam, which, following a decade of non-usage of the buildings there, became squatted, attracting many creative and free spirits, like artists, musicians, actors, etc. It became a creative centre and tourist attraction for almost three decades. I began photographing, documenting, and obsessing over the buildings and street art here. Each trip back to this area, for me, was always different since the walls were always being painted over or removed by different artists.  Sadly, a piece could last a few weeks, days, or even just a few hours before someone else came and painted over it. Once that happens, that piece of art will be forever lost. The paintings I created were from my enjoyment of the urban tapestry found here. I love the energy and colours of street art and the idea that you can turn a corner, and when you least expect it, a large-scale artwork is on your face. It's there one day, and then it's gone.
In June 2015, the work I produced was exhibited at Het Kunstenaarsbal (Amsterdam Cultural Festival), presented by the Peter Klashorst Gallery located in the Spuistraat, where a substantial body of my work was influenced.
In 2015, the NUArt street art festival came to my hometown of Aberdeen for the first time, where I worked as a volunteer. This gave me the opportunity to see firsthand the work put in by the wonderful array of street artists who came to my city and met with other local like-minded people. This is when I joined the ThrowUp Gallery, a collective of like-minded street artists, and began spraypainting for the first time. We have worked on a number of street art projects and hosted workshops.

What does street art mean to you personally, and how has it influenced your style as both an artist and a designer?

Street art is everywhere in Amsterdam. It has a very DIY quality that resonates with the average person. I started making it a point to photograph it whenever I saw a piece that interested me. I fell in love with the street art there, and that's when my passion for urban art really began.
I like to think my artwork is fun, colourful, and vibrant with an urban twist. Drawing inspiration from all corners of the world, my spraycan paintings show a mixing of styles and artistic currents that refer to distant and different cultures, fusing these together on the canvas. 

Can you share a bit about your process when creating these spray can tribal masks? What materials or techniques do you use?

My spray can tribal mask artwork is all painted on canvas using acrylic paint, and sometimes, areas are painted using spray paint.  They began life as an idea for a workshop painting tribal-like faces on old spray cans I had used, which would have otherwise been thrown away.  I spend lots of time first doing lots of research and then sketching up ideas for each piece.

What inspired you to start painting on old spray cans, and how did this idea evolve into your art series and t-shirt brand, Tribe All?

My artwork dramatically after 2015. Moving from painting large-scale street art-inspired canvases to walls, my Tribe All spray can artwork began as an idea for a workshop painting on old spray cans that would have otherwise been thrown away. The idea came to me when I saw how much spray cans were used and simply thrown away during the first NUArt festival I helped at.  I wanted to somehow recycle them and give them a second life.
Since I was in art school, I have had a huge interest in tribal/primitive art. It has inspired so many great artists that is why I first began looking at it. In 2018, I was asked to show some of my artwork at Aberdeen Fashion Week and asked to create a special painting that could be auctioned for a Kenyan Orphanage, GAGH.  I, therefore, decided to come up with a special tribal spray can face inspired by Kenyan tribal masks and pick up on the colours of the Kenyan flag. It was this first piece that got me interested in looking into more African art and tribal art, tribal gods and ritual masks whose non-naturalistic, highly stylised forms embody powerful, highly expressive imagery. 
Designers at the show said the images had real potential to be taken into garments, so with their encouragement, I decided to come up with ten designs that would be printed onto t-shirts and shown at the next fashion week in 2019.  I wanted my artwork to promote all the wonderful diversity there is in this world. The faces are painted on spray cans, referencing my own background and fusing my signature style with the cultural inspiration. Tribe All represents a sense of togetherness. Tribe All – together we are one!
I want to create a brand for all tribes, age groups, genders, sizes, and cultures and to celebrate and promote the diverse tribal cultures of the world, motivated by my love of street art and culture.

Your artwork features tribal masks inspired by African, Asian, and South American traditions. How do you approach blending these cultural elements into your designs?

I began delving into African tribes, which then got me drawing inspiration from all corners of the world, mixing styles and artistic currents that refer to distant and different cultures and fusing these together on the canvas. Fantastic animals come from ancient oriental paintings, exotic animals, South American traits, bright colours, and elements of contemporary everyday life, such as the spray can. I try to transmit an inner energy and fusion of elements, giving the viewer a fantastic world in which everything is possible.  I do lots of research into different cultures and have been lucky to have met lots of lovely people who have helped me along the wayfrom different countries.  They inspire me.

Your brand, Tribe All, has been featured in major magazines. What has that experience been like, and how do you feel it has impacted your career?

I feel very lucky to have achieved all that I have so far.  I never thought that, when I started out, any of that would happen.  I have lots of people, however, who have helped me along the way to achieve this.
My fashion label, Tribe All, is assisted by Fashion Crossover London, where I have worked for 4 years now. They are an award-winning London-based designer service platform that connects global emerging designers with international fashion buyers and industry professionals by providing an online showcasing service, an e-commerce function, a London-based PR showroom, an advertorial print magazine publication feature, and fashion event management. Without their wonderful help, I would not have been able to achieve what I have. Through them, my t-shirts have been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Elle and Cosmopolitan magazines. In 2020, through them, Tribe All won Barclay's Bank Entrepreneur Awards, Rising Star 2020.
All these experiences have helped to get my work seen by a much larger audience than I could have ever thought possible.  It has had a huge impact on my career and has meant that I could reduce my working hours and devote more time to the thing I really love doing.  Interest in my paintings has really grown, so I have been lucky enough to exhibit those, too, in the most amazing countries and galleries.
My paintings and t-shirt brand are about multiculturalism, connecting people on a global scale, a theme that has resonated with lots of people around the world.

You've showcased your work in both art exhibitions and fashion weeks. How do you see the relationship between art and fashion in your work? 

Fashion and art have had a longstanding relationship that has evolved over the years. Throughout history, art has had an impact on fashion, influencing designs and aesthetics, while fashion, in turn, has provided artists with a platform to showcase their work. I see the two working together in conjunction. They both inspire the other.
Fashion is a tool we use to express our inner feelings through the clothes we wear. When art and fashion combine, they can become a topic of deep and stimulating conversation. Design and art share the same fundamental creative visual principles: Shape, colour, line, contrast, balance, rhythm, etc.

What projects are you currently working on, and is there anything new coming up for Tribe All?

I am currently working on a new series of larger-scale paintings, as I have two solo shows coming up in 2025.  One in Madrid and one in Vienna, along with numerous other group shows throughout the year.
I am one of the lucky artists they chose to work with for the past 6 months.  I have been working alongside one of their designers to create a collection of t-shirts, cardigans, trainers, handbags, etc, all inspired by some of my paintings to be launched at the Empório Aragão presents Cruise-Cocktail 2025 Fashion Show, which will converge nature and holograms down the Cruise-Cocktail 2025 catwalk in Japan.   The duo Empório Aragão applies concepts of wearable art to their design and production, operating at the intersection of visual arts, wearable art, technology, and performance. The fashion show will take place at Nanigotoya in Osaka, Japan, as part of the Brooklyn-Japan Fashion Week on November 16th. The runway will feature a disruptive concept where models will walk with 3D holograms on their backs, showcasing the artworks that inspired the patterns used in the clothing.
My capsule collection is a celebration of the fusion between urban and tribal styles, with Angela Thouless' art at its core.  The collection unites urban energy with tribal cultural richness.   The capsule collection is an invitation to experience this vibrant energy and explore the urban spirit like never before.

Lastly, where do you see yourself and your work in 5 years from now?

I have no idea.  If you'd told me 5 years ago I would have been doing all this, I wouldn't have believed it, so I'm excited to see where it will all go.  What I do know is that I'll just keep on doing what I love and having fun doing it.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.