Mac Collins

Mac Collins (born Nottingham, 1995) is a British artist and designer.

Early life and education Collins grew up in Nottingham, the grandson of Jamaican immigrants to the United Kingdom who were part of the Windrush generation. His grandmother emigrated to England and worked in a factory, and his other grandparents “changed jobs so much that [he] couldn't say what they did.” His father worked as a security guard. He is the youngest of seven children. As a teenager he was a graffiti artist. As a student, he was also influenced by the work of Hella Jongerius, Enzo Mari, and Sergio Rodrigues.

While still a student, he designed the Iklwa Chair for which he received the 2018 Cræftiga prize. This design was later produced by the British furniture maker Benchmark.

Work and career The early success Collins' Iklwa chair, which the designer has described as "a throne to inspire empowerment in the face of oppression", In 2021 he also received a "Black British and POC artist grant" from the British artist and designer Samuel Ross.

In addition to furniture manufacturer Benchmark, his work has been edited by the Finnish brand Vaarnii and exhibited at Side Gallery, The New Craftsmen, Stems Gallery, Harewood House, the Venice Biennale, and Discovered, an exhibition at Design Museum that was curated by Wallpaper* magazine and the American Hardwood Export Company (AHEC).

Collins lectures at both Nottingham Trent University and Northumbria University.

He has said, "I'd like to think I'm having success regardless of my skin colour." 2021 Samuel Ross Black British Artist Grant 2022 Included in Dazed 100 2022 Awarded the Design Museum's 2022 Saltzman prize (nominated by the designer Sam Hecht) 2023 Included in the British Pavilion of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale

Gallery of work