Art
No Order Magazine talks with the artist.
My name is Madelaine Buttini, also known as Madbutt, and I am a collage artist from Brisbane, Australia. This year will be my eighth year as a collagist. My artworks are infused with a feminine and vintage feel. I have worked with brands such as Adidas, Goop, Elle UK, Girlfriend Magazine, Abrand Jeans, and more. I have also exhibited in Melbourne, Brisbane, London, and New York. I host the podcast, 1800-MADBUTT, where I highlight creatives and give them a voice.
How did your career begin?
In high school I wasn't pushed to be an artist, even though it was my best subject. I didn't really know what I was doing with my life back then. With the added pressure of seeing all my friends at university making life plans, I felt incredibly lost and as if I didn't belong on any career path. At the time, I was dating another artist, Scottie Marsh. I was watching him work on his artworks and career, which prompted me to think to myself, "why can't I do that too?" I just decided one day, that's what I'm going to do and I started working on it day by day. Even though Faust helped me a lot, I think my career truly began with my first solo exhibition, I.D.K.W.T.F.I.D (I Don't Know What The Fuck I'm Doing) and my first ever private commission with YouTuber, VSauce.
Do you have a set process when it comes to making work and is there a part of that process that people may find surprising?
My process is different depending on what images I have floating around in my imagination. I have international suppliers that I buy vintage magazines from, for both analogue and digital collage. I catalogue everything I love and archive the magazine for safe keeping, just in case I want to dip back in for more content. Sometimes, if I am feeling adventurous, I might use acrylic paints to add some zest to the artwork.
Image courtesy of the artist
Is there a memorable moment in your journey as a creative that you didn’t know would impact your career?
When Lana Del Rey used my artwork to promote her single. I had no idea this was going to happen. The day I found out, I had just gotten back from New York and I was at a friend's house from the night before, I woke up to him yelling at me, "SHE SHARED YOUR ART", and I looked at my phone where I had over hundred messages from people around the world. It was wild. That same day, on my way home my car broke down because I had no fuel. I was literally racing home to get on my laptop to start replying to these emails and I couldn't do anything but wait for RACQ. It was very humbling - yes, I might have had this really great thing happen but I was still a poor artist who couldn't afford fuel. A few weeks later while I was back in New York, VICE wrote an article about it and I collected some magazines from their Brooklyn office, getting waffles and chicken after.
Read the full interview in Issue 03
Published: 16th September 2023