Mayonnaise jars, massive real boobs, bonnets, heavily painted artworks, handmade paper mache & ceramic artefacts, Norwegian troll dolls, beautiful women paired with ugly men, killer clowns and medieval German fonts. Artist, founder and editor-in-chief of the London-based cult art magazine GUT Ami Evelyn Hughes is a genuine, authentic creative. Her ability to mix the grotesque with beauty and art is without equal. In this interview Ami tells us about her fascination for German aesthetics, her instinctual creative process, how quarantine worked out for her - and what to expect for GUT 6. Christmas aficionados, watch out.

Your are the founder and editor-in-chief of the London-based cult art magazine GUT, a publication you created to showcase the instinctual, clumsy and raw while playing on the originality of human existence. GUT is produced annually, and has quickly developed a cult popularity since its inception.
Tells us how everything started. How has GUT evolved since its beginnings?

My best friend, Georgia Kemball (jewellery designer) and I were walking in Regent’s Park about six years ago and talking about how Vogue was so irrelevant now, especially in our lives as liberal and not particularly privileged young women. This lead us onto thinking about what magazines both Georgia and I did actually resonate with? The answer was none. Art magazines such as Elephant, White Review, Frieze Magazine are all very established and well presented, but still so serious. Dazed and i-D Magazine are fashion magazines aimed mainly at teens and have a strong focus on brand alignments, which restricts certain content. We wanted to create a magazine for us and by us. By that we wanted to make a publication about the art we love to see, naïve art, bad art, ancient crafts, nerdy niche writing; a publication that includes an essay on misericords and next page an editorial of a pornstar in medieval larping dress blowing a bottle of water out of her pussy.

GUT references arts, culture, history, eroticism and magic - elves, orcs, goblins, wizards, fairies, trolls, demons. It has a strong focus on Germanic influences. You just added an Austrian pebble creature with tiny pink bows in her hair and her tail to your collection. What is it that fascinates you about Germany and Austria?

My parents met in the British Army and were stationed in Germany many years before I was born, but I think they brought some German treasures and food into our family home. My Dad is also obsessed with both the First and Second World War. We would be taken to war museums all over Europe, any holiday had a military stop off at some point. So, I think my childhood brain soaked a lot of this German aesthetic in. Then as an adult I have stayed and visited Berlin many times as my dearest friend Jay Wright (illustrator) has lived there for about six years now. My trips to Berlin meant days spent in forgotten bric-a-brac shops and porn shops. A now unfortunately closed down porn shop was where my serious obsession with 80/90’s German porn magazines originated. The design of the magazines and the soft film photography, that’s both so raw and so dreamlike. At the same time, it is just still the most incredible photography I’ve ever seen mixed with the handmade or incredibly tacky costumes and hair of the big breasted women - I can’t explain how much I love to see it. Will be using these magazines to create a large-scale story in GUT 6.

Tell us about the GUT creative process. How does your art reflect your instinct?

My process is fluid and that’s how I still enjoy my work every single day. I don’t force anything. The themes come to me naturally through things I see in my day-to-day life. Sometimes I may get really crazed over something. At the moment I’m spending hours a day looking and reading about medieval head dresses and niche under garments, so these will likely be involved in GUT 6. I think it’s really important to make work for yourself and never look at other current artists when you’re creating and don’t follow trends. My vision is mayonnaise jars, massive real boobs, bonnets, heavily painted artworks, handmade paper mache & ceramic artefacts, Norwegian troll dolls, beautiful women paired with ugly men, killer clowns and medieval German fonts - mixing the grotesque with beauty and art. I just go with my instincts and if it doesn’t work out I don’t care, I just start a new idea. I don’t spend very long on any one thing. My one regret is how I let my sewing and textile work go down the toilet. I adore ancient tapestry’s, beadwork, medieval dress and needlework. I sew relatively well, but I’m so impatient. I can’t spend weeks on one thing and to make textile work like that you need to give your soul to it for weeks on end.

How do you interpret beauty in the human existence and the absurd? Is GUT redefining the standards of beauty or creating a new aesthetic?

I genuinely find physical beauty in everyone. Someone considered ‘ugly’ or even people who are actually physically deformed are so unique and interesting looking and make a far more beguiling image. Everyone has a look for a certain character or theme, this is a huge part of my practice in my art direction work and GUT. I have used ‘none model’ or ‘street cast’ people when I create editorials as I find them more exciting to work with - they definitely help create stronger imagery. I am plus sized, so I also feel like where others may sometimes use ‘street cast’ and ‘real people’ they will still tokenise them, use them for gimmick - I don’t do this. As someone who has always felt like the outsider due to my weight, I like to specifically make them as beautiful and sexy as possible - it’s more exciting this way.

In the midst of Covid-19, you are now working on the sixth issue. What will the issue be about and how has the lockdown influenced your creative process?

The issue theme was decided before I even finished GUT 5 when I was still making the previous issue, this happened every time! I am an avid collector of old Christmas decorations and everything Christmas; the visuals are so kitsch and over the top. I also noticed how Christmas features in a lot of the best movies and horror films. This issue is going to be a giant hard back book moving away from the magazine format. It will be a luxury coffee table book item - a perfect gift for Christmas 2020. I will be involved with every single page, whereas before some features I had only commissioned and kept an eye on the execution. I don’t think I want to reference the virus in the issue. At this point I am building up the confirmed collaborators. I don’t really want this book to be made from isolation so there will be no timescale on this. If we aren’t able to do editorials until next year then the book will come out in 2021 and that’s fine.

You are working on a project based on Namio Harukawa’s (RIP) drawings for GUT 6, tell us more about it.

Namio is my king, R.I.P. I started this project in September 2019 and worked on the images with my friend Akinola Davies Jr. (director). However, the images weren’t suitable for work (LOL). So he was photoshopped out and replaced with a giant squished pumpkin when the image was used as part of my large art story within Novembre magazine issue 15. We will be working on these as soon as we can be together with a photographer. He will be role reversing and I will be photographed as the large goddess with many small male models - cannot wait. By using maybe seven or eight of my favourite of his drawings, we will directly recreate them photographed by someone great.

What did your weeks look like before Covid-19? What projects where you working on right before corona hit?

I was working on GUT 6 ideas, I have a sketchbook full of ideas that I have slowly been curating since the end of last year. I was also working on many commercial art direction jobs and the ideas and artworks for my solo show, which I had wanted to go ahead this year. I am continuing to make work for this, but will definitely postpone until next summer now.

How has the quarantine been working out for you: What are you doing to keep inspired during those unprecedented times? What do you do to maintain some level of normalcy?

I am obviously extremely worried about anyone who is seriously ill and all those who have lost their lives, businesses, houses; everyone struggling to cope with the isolation and all the key workers putting themselves at risk everyday. My dear Auntie is a nurse and we are very worried about her. However, personally within my own bubble, within my little London house share flat, I am the most creative, calm and happy I have been in a very long time. This lifestyle feeds my creative energy, the lack of pressure about travelling, parties and the un-disturbed hours in the day where I can focus on a singular artwork work really well for me. I maintain normalcy through waking up at around 7 or 8 AM daily and being at my desk by 9 AM, taking all my vitamins and filling a jug of water that I keep on my desk. I work until the water is drunk up, usually around 5 or 7 PM and then I watch two or three movies a night. I am isolating alone as my housemates are elsewhere and enjoying the freedom of being loud and naked all day and night.

How could art help our mental health post quarantine?

I find it so troubling the attitude towards artists. As soon as we all first knew we were in a pandemic, there was this instant mocking and degradation of artists and freelance worrying about their finances and future work. Art has forever healed and brought meaning to situations and people’s lives. I’m including music, film and literature into this conversation; and it’s definitely what’s keeping everyone sane during this! So I think art always helps, for both the creators as a cathartic process and for everyone who enjoys it in all its forms.

In 2018 you established your studio while working in art direction, publishing and commercial advertising. Your clients and collaborators include Novembre magazine, Sang Bleu, Harley Weir, NTS, Dazed, The Face, Kerrang, Converse and Slam Jam. How do you adapt your creative vision to commercial advertising?

I always think about the brand itself, its past campaigns, who their current clientele is and who they are trying to reach. Once I have worked out all of these aspects, I start to think of a narrative and characters that excite me within a framework that works for the brand. I think the casting and the compositions make it clear. It’s my work and these things can always be commercial if done right.

As an artist, what are your hopes, fears and dreams?

I want to remain inspired and to keep pushing my boundaries. I feel like 3D work is my one true love, creating from wood, D.I.Y scraps and textiles, but I never have time to do it properly. I hope to create some large scale 3D work over the next year and then present it in a solo show in London and Germany.

How will you be spending the rest of 2020? What are your projects?

I would hope I can complete GUT and another big project with a well-known fashion house by Christmas - just to achieve that would be a dream. I’m also content in just working on it. If things don’t work out in terms of launching it for this year, then they will next year. I am not worrying too much about the future at the moment, just keep creating.

If you had unlimited financial resources, what would your next project be?
To buy and renovate an old beautiful house, a house I can make my own in every single way, curating the garden too and building a lagoon/troll dungeon-ike set swimming pool and chicken coop castle.

Which artists inspire you the most (dead or alive)?
Paul McCarthy.

What would be your dream collaboration (dead or alive)?
Paul McCarthy.

Your top 5 Instagram accounts?
@gray_wielebinski
@gabriellapounds
@tovaristch.rip
@florencetetier
@georgiakemball