CULT CREATORS: A CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST QUENTIN JONES

Artist, filmmaker and photographer, Quentin Jones’ work is immediately recognisable; confronting and captivating, her signature photographic collage has graced the glossy pages of innumerable magazines, billboards and gallery walls, while her distinctive videography has been employed to elevate the most iconic names in fashion, beauty, tech and... everything (we’re talking Chanel, Coca Cola and Apple, to name but a few).

A Brooklyn-based Brit, Quentin’s work blends beauty, provocation and irreverence – resulting in mixed-media, multi-faceted works that whisk the viewer on a journey of discovery. There’s always more to see – and feel – when gazing at a piece of Quentin’s work, and we're excited to have added our annual Cult Beauty Advent Calendar to her illustrious list of creative projects.

Here, Quentin talks to Cult about her inspirations, muses and the concept behind her mesmeric design.

Cult Beauty: Hi Quentin, you’re famed for your mixed-media approach to art, which blends photography, illustration and film – how would you describe your aesthetic, and how has this developed over the years?

Quentin Jones: I have always been interested in contrasts in my work, and visual surprise. I think that is why I started my career playing with painting and collage within film; I loved digitising something so tactile and often crude. I think some sense of this has remained in most of what I do, despite the mediums shifting over and over.

CB: Our Holiday campaign is a celebration of maximalism and beauty as a form of art and personal storytelling. Which women (past and present) do you take inspiration from that embody this unapologetic approach to self-expression?

QJ: Grace Jones, Yayoi Kusama, Michelle Lamy, Diana Vreeland. Guess they’re all quite obvious – but great maximalists are few and far between!

CB: Can you tell us a bit about your creative process for this year’s Cult Beauty Advent artwork and your interpretation of the ‘More is More’ concept?

QJ: I was trying to think of a direction for the Advent Calendar that could feel like a fun collectible thing, that I could imaging people wanting to keep after they had opened the 25th drawer. After lots of iterations with the brands’ creatives, we landed where we did – it was so fun receiving it and seeing how it had come together. And then the film was thinking about a coll way to bring this to life without shooting any live footage – so, for the first time, I played with AI to generate elements to go into it, which was wild to see what is possible... and how many things still aren’t.

CB: Reflecting on your career so far, which creative project are you most proud of and what makes it especially meaningful?

QJ: I think all of the projects I have entirely self-generated are the ones that feel most meaningful. So far, they have mostly been film projects, but this past year I have been working on a new brand under my own name, and designing tapestries and ceramics and lighting. Huge learning curves in every direction, and I am still not quite sure what gave me the nerve to do something so new – but I feel very proud for always pushing myself creatively.

CB: What’s the best beauty advice you’ve ever been given? What do beauty and self-care mean to you?

QJ: Good question! Probably my mum telling me to never pluck my brows, and countless magazines telling me to wear sunscreen everyday. And beauty and self-care are rooted in food and lifestyle for me – I love cooking nourishing food and don’t really believe in diet culture – I think that goes a long way for one’s beauty.

And there you have it! If you weren’t already obsessed with Quentin’s work, we’re sure you will be. Follow the link to sign up for this year’s coveted Advent Calendar – brimming with the hottest names in beauty – and make sure you’re first to find out when it launches. Watch this space.