Challenging the stigmas arround men's mental health, Corbin Shaw has connected with a generation through his use of tabloid-inspired slogans and football insignia. We linked up with the artist to discuss his upbringing, influences, and what he hopes to achieve through his work.
Originally from Sheffield but now residing in Bethnal Green, East London, Corbin moved down south to study fine art at Central Saint Martins. Growing up in a town affected heavily by Thatcher-era cuts towards industries such as mining, the easy route would have been to conform with the disheartened around him. Boxing gyms, football stadiums, and pubs can be the perfect place for men to blow off steam, relax, and connect over a cold one – or seven – but they can also become breeding grounds for conflict, hate, and toxicity. Corbin has lived these experiences and acknowledges the good as well as the bad. His work – a folk-inflected depiction of British culture portrayed through modern tapestries – looks to evoke a reaction from the viewer but, perhaps more importantly, pushes them to question societal norms encompassing masculinity, inclusivity, and the government. “We can’t buy a house, can we? So why not invest in some art” – rightly so, Corbin.
Hi, Corbin! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. For those who aren’t familiar, could you tell us a bit about what you do?
I’m an artist living and working in London. I’m originally from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. My practice investigates English culture and uses football as a vehicle to talk about masculinity.
I’m interested in how men look at other men and express themselves in the way they dress, act, and speak.
What does a typical day in the life of Corbin Shaw look like?
Usually, I’d run in the morning, maybe ramble through a few ideas on voice notes.
I’m probably listening to something proper thumping, been banging out that track from Bend It Like Beckham in the club, you know, Mel C – ‘I Turn to You’. Then I head to my studio in Bethnal Green. Maybe go caf’, Pellicci’s or something, not always. An athlete has to watch his figure, you get me. Scrambled eggs on toast, beans, bacon, and brown sauce, with a cup of tea. Yorkshire tea, strong with two sugars, obviously. Sit an’ look at me notes from me run, decipher what’s worth any weight in gold. Get in the studio, plonk myself on the sewing machine, get grafting or get on my laptop and start plotting new works. I get a lot of inspo from podcasts, radio, and books. I know it’s bad, but I’ve been listening to a lot of Talk Sport at the moment. It’s so wacky and surreal, but I find there’s these nuggets of gold in what listeners ring in and say about their club. Nothing in life should be viewed as valueless.