The saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" rings true for Toronto-based artist Selina Yung, whose analog collages are transformed entirely out of discarded and recycled materials. Her vendor booth, Clever Clippings, at Pride is splayed with cutout magazine shreds, newspaper clippings, and plastic that has been upcycled into vivid creations that veil the simplicity of their prior state, fully embracing the art of transformation.
"All my work is actually paper collages. So it's taking things that people throw away and then carving them out to create art." Selina Yung, Founder, Clever Clippings
The energy of the streets is busy and alive. Yung sees it as a reminder that the love of the arts is ever-present in the city, and she's come to recognize how that energy complements her art's core philosophy: "If we all deserve a second chance, why shouldn't these discarded images get a second life?"
Yung's art of repurposing material and embracing its quirks mirrors the celebration, which she believes is about the acceptance of oneself and of humanity. "I feel like people echo that message," she said. "They might feel rejected from the community or by some other person in the world. But they found their own circle, and they found their own worth."
It's a universal experience that many can find solace or some level of relatability in, seeing themselves reflected in her work and at Pride, and ultimately what guides Yung's creations. She credits that philosophy as an inspiration for her love of the analog collage: an art form defined by assembling diverse materials into a unified composition. She keeps a verse from 1 Corinthians 16:14 posted alongside her artist statement in her booth: "Let all that you do be done in love."
[media:m35c3lv]Yung has officially been running Clever Clippings since 2021, but she admits that her path to embracing artistry as a full-time career did not come easily. She spent a decade as an accountant, a career path she acknowledges as the more "respectable" choice, one meant to carry forward her family's lineage, but not a choice sustained by her own dreams. By a certain point, she found herself burnt out trying to live up to the dreams and hopes of her parents, and her own fears were reaffirmed by their doubt.
"Doing art full-time is a scary thought. A stable paycheque is much more secure." Selina Yung, Founder, Clever Clippings
At certain points in her corporate finance career, Yung struggled with deep depressive states and symptoms that felt impossible to confront on her own. Art became the solace that kept her afloat through her evenings, weekends, and any spare time, where she would spend hours cutting and collaging miscellaneous pieces from her mailbox, posters, and flyers into unified creations. Gradually, then suddenly, she began to recognize that art is what fulfills a childhood dream that had been pushed to the side.
[media:mgwsv7z]]"Art actually saved me. I've been doing art full-time, and I'm so happy now." Selina Yung, Founder, Clever Clippings
Yung doesn't romanticize the jump from corporate life to the arts, though, advising that other artists looking to take the leap ensure they have funds to fall back on, as failure can be an inevitable part of any new season of life. "Save your money first before you take any steps," she said, while emphasizing that failure is nothing to be ashamed of. "If you fail, you have to be able to carry that mistake and move forward from there. And there's nothing wrong with failing — at least you tried. But prepare yourself."
She takes a page from her younger self for today's art inspiration, looking back to her years spent die-hard fangirling for Sailor Moon and Studio Ghibli. She has begun to embrace the nerd fandoms she adores with art that complements its more mature fans, spanning across anime, comics, and pop culture. That work has found an audience through her Instagram, and has been featured in the media, in magazines and on podcasts. Now her work has even been seen by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
Her work is sold online at cleverclippings.com, and Clever Clippings will appear this summer at the Washington Festival, the Sunday Variety Market, and the Kensington Flea Market.
