Robin Duncan

Robin Duncan
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

STATEMENT

I started making art because it brought joy back into my life. When I discovered collage, I fell in love with taking existing images and transforming them into something completely new. I work primarily with vintage magazines, books, and found materials, many of which have been given to me or collected while travelling. I don’t just collect collage materials. I collect the stories that come with them. I think about where they came from, who might have owned them before me, and how they ended up in my hands. I like to think I’m rescuing them, transforming them, and giving them a second life. I rarely begin with a fixed plan. I might start with a prompt, an idea, or a single image that catches my attention, then cut and arrange pieces by hand until the composition feels right. Even after looking through the same magazine countless times, I still discover images I’ve never noticed before. Recently, my practice has expanded beyond the printed materials I collect. I have started photographing textures, marks, and imagery around me and using a scanner to distort images and generate new source material. Finished collages can become source material themselves, allowing my archive to include not only materials I find but materials I create. I can get lost in collage for hours, experimenting and seeing where the work takes me. It keeps me grounded, helps me slow down and pay attention to the stories around me, and continues to give me a sense of joy and discovery.

BIO

Robin Duncan is a self-taught mixed-media collage artist based in Edmonton, Alberta. She creates hand-cut collages using old magazines, books, and found materials. Her work is rooted in the stories and histories embedded in these materials, and she has built a personal archive over several years from materials given to her or collected while travelling. Travel is central to her practice, shaping how she observes and documents the world. She is especially drawn to graffiti, street art, and the unexpected visual details she encounters while exploring a new city. Her work is rooted in the joy of making by hand. She enjoys letting the materials guide her, experimenting with unexpected combinations, and discovering where each collage leads. Connecting with other artists has also become an important part of her practice, giving her space to experiment, encounter different perspectives, and explore new ideas. Robin holds a bachelor of education from the University of Alberta and completed Thompson Rivers University’s Mark and Image drawing course in 2026. In summer 2026, she participated in Kolaj Institute’s Montreal: City as Archive Collage Artist Lab. Her work was featured by MoonLit Getaway in 2025 and will appear in Harvest Moon: Volume Two in September 2026. She has created commissioned artwork for Edmonton bands Hertz & Currins and You Me & Zach, and will participate in the Strathern Art Walk in September 2026.

ARTIST CONTACT

EMAIL

IMAGES