An interview by Ivy Nina Valentina xx
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IN2ART. Into Art. Inter(viewing) Art(ists).
Welcome back to IN2ART – my super fun series where I interview artists whose work I adore to find out more about how and why they do what they do! We uncover origin stories, inspirations and explore the varied practices of some epic creators.
This fourth issue lives in a little spot that is particularly close to my heart. I have an unabashed love for collaging. There is such a beautiful sense of harmony that can be achieved through the combination of completely contrasting images or ideas in a singular work. The narratives that are formed in the creation of these juxtapositions are often humorous, surreal, stunning and truly satisfying when you’re the one with the glue stick in hand. For this article, I was honoured to interview Isabella Ferrieri also known as Izcarta (@izcarta), an incredibly talented collage artist. Her works pulse with a sense of heightened reality, striking you with the innate strangeness of humanity; together we dissected (and then subsequently pasted back together) the puzzle of modern collage…
Ivy: When did you start collaging and what was it that made you want to start? Where did the passion begin?
Izzy: I started in February 2021, it was a post COVID lockdown hobby that I picked up. I was doing a Bachelor’s degree at the time and I was just feeling really burnt out so I wanted to do something creative. I had a bunch of extra paper and magazines lying around from when I took studio arts classes in high school and even back then I was doing a lot of collage for my assessments and portfolios. I guess I just thought to myself, “why don’t I just start collaging?”. And then I realised it was super fun and it kind of snowballed from there.
Ivy: It went from a hobby into a passion, that’s awesome! I’d love to know where the artist name ‘Izcarta’ came from?
Izzy: I spent so long trying to find a good name. I wanted to make an Instagram page to post all of my collage work and I was looking for something that would just roll off the tongue. Izcarta came about because it’s a combination of myself and what I do – ‘Iz’ is my name, Isabella, and ‘carta’ means paper in Italian.
Ivy: It has such a nice flow to it. Now please take us through the Izcarta collage process! How do we put the pieces together – literally and figuratively! Are you a bostick or a studymate gluestick kind of girl?
Izzy: I feel like it’s a bostick! Okay, my process is kind of unexpected because I actually have aphantasia which is where I can’t visualise things in my mind. I think that might be why collage interests me so much because the pictures are already there in front of me. So when I go to start a collage step one is always looking at the magazines and materials that I have. I really like challenging myself by seeing if I can use just one book, but I also have a bunch of folders of images I’ve cut out and ripped up. So I go through everything and see what’s speaking to me. I spend a lot of time in this first step and then once I have all of the bits I like, it kind of just sets off from there. As for tools I love an exacto knife and my tiny sewing scissors – those are my favourite. You can just get so detailed with them. I also love using tape on the back of my collages! It makes things a lot easier to move around.
Ivy: Wow! I’m really interested in your aphantasia with regards to collage because the two seem to make so much sense together. Did you know you had aphantasia before you started collaging?
Izzy: Yeah, I already knew. Other forms of art, like painting, I’ve always struggled with. Drawing I’m okay with, but painting just intimidates me because I’m used to collage and already having everything I need in front of me. Having to build something up from scratch and trust the process I find a bit scary.
Ivy: You mentioned to me before this interview that a personal favourite work for you was a piece you made titled ‘Frankenstein’. What is it about this collage that makes it your favourite?
Izzy: I definitely have a lot of favourites. But ‘Frankenstein’ really stands out to me because it was the first time I made a character with different individual cut-out pieces, and now that’s become a signature part of my artistic style – almost like a trademark of the Izcarta visual look. I also just had so much fun making it. Then I started adding really big features to these characters I was making like you can see in my collage ‘Smile’. I’ve been getting really playful with it and just having the best time.
Ivy: Speaking of your artistic style, how would you describe it in three words? What is the essence of Izcarta?
Izzy: Off the dome I would definitely say very surreal. I also want to say it’s a bit cheeky and… I want to say sexy. It’s just crazy and random!
Ivy: I see those vibes coming through in your work, 100%. What I also see are echoes of the Dada movement and some of collage’s greatest! Artists like Max Ernst and Hannah Höch paved the way historically in the world of collage and I was wondering whether you find yourself taking inspiration from artists like these?
Izzy: Definitely! When I look back at the history of collage and I see their works I get very inspired. But I find that it’s almost more of a reverse process for me. I find that I’ll make something and then later on come across a work from those early days of collage and start to see the similarities between that and my work. It’s like I’ve unintentionally drawn from them which is cool! I love art history and whilst I find that I usually gravitate more towards expressionist paintings, I do acknowledge where the history of collage has come from and I think it’s an honour to represent that.
Ivy: Other than these artists who were certainly prolific in the world of collage, are there any other art forms such as music, sculpture, interior design etc. that you look to for inspiration?
Izzy: Yeah, there’s all kinds of things. Music is a big one. If I’m not really feeling inspired I’ll put on some of my favourites. A lot of my works have been underscored by Cibo Matto and Enya – two brilliant artists with some crazy music. Sometimes I say that Cibo Matto is the unofficial Izcarta soundtrack. I listen to lots of surreal music – it tends to align with my surreal collages. Sometimes though, I’ll put a movie on in the background and that inspires me. I love Sci-Fi movies that came out of the 90s and 2000s.
I’m also inspired by other artists as well. There’s lots on Instagram that I’m obsessed with. I’ve been really into the work of Mr Cut and Stick (@mr_cutandstick), he does a lot of stuff with modern magazines like Vogue. I also really love Kike Congrains (@canson_city). He makes massive collages with these tiny little pieces in them, it’s so cool. He also runs collage courses – I did one and it was really awesome! Cannot forget to shout out my studio mates Hannah (@hcemeagi) and Chi (@chaptersofchinakila)! They’re awesome and we’re constantly bouncing ideas off each other.
Ivy: Art really is at its best when it is bringing together artists and community. You have been involved in a number of collage challenges, workshops and exhibitions. I’m curious to know what some of these events and experiences have been like from an insider perspective?
Izzy: Well, I’ll start with Februllage which is a month-long collage challenge where you make 28 collages in 28 days according to a daily prompt. Februllage is really what got me more confident with posting my work on social media – my works ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Smile’ were actually both inspired by Februllage prompts! I first did this challenge in 2022 and have now done three in total, they’re super fun. I just love that it’s prompt based and that I always end up exploring so many different styles of collage. I owe a lot to the Februllage challenge.
Then there’s the exhibitions. The first ever exhibition I did was with iSquared Gallery. They reached out to me and asked me to be a part of a show they were putting on. It was really exciting to have my work in an actual gallery and the exhibitions that iSquared puts on are often themed so it really pushes me creatively. It was also quite validating as an artist for my work to be seen and to get to talk about it and meet new artists in person. I’ve now gone on to be a part of exhibitions with Unassigned Gallery and West End Art Space as well.
The workshops are another thing I owe to iSquared. They asked me if it might be something I would be interested in and I thought I’d give it a go even though I’m quite introverted. I was so nervous beforehand, but once we got started everyone just put their heads down and got to work which was a huge relief for me. There were around 10-15 people and I brought all of my books and materials and it just ended up being a really lovely time collaging with some new people! I did that first workshop at Modular Studios and the last one I did was at Neon Parlour.
Ivy: Wow, you are busy! That being said, what’s coming next in the world of Izcarta?
Izzy: I just got a studio with my two beautiful friends Hannah and Chi, so I think there’s lots of excitement to come! Izcarta’s been on a bit of a hiatus in 2025 since I started my freelance work, but I do have big plans. I want to update my website. I’d love to add a shop section with some prints and I think it would be really cute to have more interactive elements. I want to have a page that’s like one of those early 2000s dress up doll games! I want to get back into making reels and just more content in general. Although, my relationship to social media has been changing a lot recently.
Ivy: Speak on that! How do you feel about the fact that in today’s age an artist’s practice has almost become entwined with marketing strategy?
Izzy: I’ve been thinking about this a lot. It’s quite difficult and it’s not something that you really anticipate when you start out, but then it all just kind of creeps up on you. I actually don’t mind the social media side of my work. I find content creation, filming and editing all to be quite fun and I actually want to start putting more time and effort into it. Because I love it and people love it! It can just get a bit overwhelming when you’re constantly on your damn phone! That’s why I think it’s good that I’ve been working on my relationship with social media; giving myself breaks and separating myself from it when I need to.
Ivy: Okay, final question: what is the ultimate dream for Izcarta?
Izzy: Right off the bat, I would really like to have a solo exhibition this year. I have like a million collages that I would love for people to see! Another big dream I have is to have a physical brick and mortar store! I’d love to sell greeting cards and collage kits – cute little things like that! I’ve always had this dream of designing and selling a phone case. I think it would look so cute with the eye and lip cut-outs. But mostly I’m just working towards staying consistent and continuing to branch out in my work.
To see more from Izcarta, please head to her website izcarta.com, or visit her Instagram @izcarta.
I’m loving how this interview series is coming along. I hope you guys are finding it as inspiring and motivating as I am to read about the processes of new artists. Thank you for reading and for supporting my blog! Subscribe for more IN2ART!! LOVE YOU <3 !!!!
Image sources:
Frankenstein (2022) by Izcarta (@izcarta)
Izterior (2022) by Izcarta (@izcarta)
Flood (2024) by Izcarta (@izcarta)
Waterfall (2024) by Izcarta (@izcarta)
Smile (2022) by Izcarta (@izcarta)
Bite #4 (2023) by Izcarta (@izcarta)
All photographs of the artist taken by Ivy Nina Valentina (2025)
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