If you were to try to put your finger on the core of Aimée Cast’s art, the resounding message is one of reinvention and transformation, turning the ordinary and overlooked into something that should be celebrated. She recently graduated from Newcastle University, and her degree show featured an entire felted installation of a living room. Using her signature colour palette of bright oranges and hot pinks, she created a sofa, TV cover, rug and decorations. Exhibited at the Baltic, the project reflected her ongoing exploration of texture, colour and storytelling through objects.
Since then, Aimee has returned to the island and lived the life of an artist, pursuing any and all creative work she can get her hands on. Her first mural, created with ArtHouse for their Art in the Arches installation down at Elizabeth Harbour, was a turning point for her. “I learned a lot from it,” she said. “Beforehand, I would have said painting is the one medium I don’t like to work with. But the process made me change my mind… I really enjoyed it, and discovered I was a lot better at it than I previously thought.”
Her whimsical style is often compared to Dr. Seuss, and is immediately recognisable. “I find a lot of kids like my work, because it’s bright and colourful,” she explained. “My main character is Cretin,” she added, laughing. “He’s a pink pigeon who has turned into my mascot.” The bird, with wonky eyes and a depleted frame, embodies the joy, humour and playfulness that permeate Aimee’s creations.
The inspiration behind Cretin mirrors that of the rest of her work: focusing on the overlooked elements of the everyday. The idea came to her while she was daydreaming in her studio space at university. “A few pigeons were flying in and out of the ledge by the window,” she remembered. “No one really likes pigeons anymore,” she added. “I feel like they’re a metaphor for everyone who feels like they don’t really fit in.”
It’s reflective of the level of inclusivity Aimee aims to bring into her work and its underlying philosophy. “He represents anyone on the outskirts really,” she explained. “He’s a mascot for me, but he’s also a mascot for belonging.” Her work aims to reclaim words like ‘cretin’ and ‘scallywag,’ historically loaded with negative connotations, and give them a new, inclusive meaning. The vision is to turn things with bad connotations into something that instead becomes part of the good.
This playful subversion extends to her reinterpretation of myths and local stories. Her mural at Elizabeth Harbour reinvents the traditionally scary legend of the black dog at Bouley Bay. In her painting, she transforms him into a “cute little black dog,” who she named Bad Bouley. These characters interact among the scene of the ruins of Grosnez Castle, encouraging viewers to see the world differently and embrace what sits outside society’s comfort zone.
Currently, Aimee is balancing her time between Jersey and London, continuing to grow her practice, collaborate with other artists, and push the boundaries of her work. Through her felted sculptures, murals and digital illustrations, her work proposes art as a place for childlike whimsy, inclusion, humour and wonder.
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