The creatives behind Brutal Collective – an interview with Pagan McKenzie and Lucy Smith

By Jenna Morrison

It was truly refreshing to chat with Pagan McKenzie and Lucy Smith, the inspiring duo behind Brutal - an art and music collective based in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The pair graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2023 and have since worked together organising events that celebrate creativity.

Lucy said: “Since leaving art school and both working in hospitality, we found it hard to keep a creative balance in life.

“Both feeling dissatisfied with this situation, we decided to plan a project that would push us to continue our art practice.”

Pagan believes that there is a strong overlap between communities enjoying contemporary art and electronic music.

“The two scenes have a lot of similarities and if you’re interested in one, you’re often pretty interested in the other,” she explained.

2023 marked the pairs’ early success, “Gait”, an exhibition at The Pipe Factory in Glasgow.

“We got a couple of our pals to Dj, and everyone loved it! It made us realise how class the combination of electronic music and art is.”

Pagan continued: “We realised that we wanted to put on more events incorporating the two and got really excited about it quickly!”

The artists work independently alongside their project.

Pagan studied sculpture at university and now works freelance as an installation artist from her studio in the southside of Glasgow.

Whilst Lucy specialises in painting, using dark humour to explore themes within the mundane every day.

“We feel our work compliments each other's as although our practices are quite different, they share dark, industrial, and unnerving themes,” said Lucy.

Pagan agreed: “we are class partners with a similar vision and are always willing to compromise as we both respect each other's concepts and ideas!”

Though it has not been easy, the project has been extremely rewarding.

Lucy told me: “After art school, we didn’t feel very equipped with the knowledge of how to make it in the creative industry; there was no teaching of how to put on an exhibition, contact galleries or even really hang your work!”

However, the pair have grown confident after recent success and are becoming recognised in the industry.

"I love curating exhibitions and working out the best mix of people’s work that compliments each other and the space. Installing is challenging work but makes it all worth it in the end.”

Pagan added: "It is so satisfying seeing everything come together and for everyone to enjoy themselves so much. It feels like a real celebration of creativity!”

The artists received a great response to their first event of the year, “Excess,” at Glasgow’s Strange Field. The day curated a perfect blend of art and music, displaying the work of local talent.

Pagan said: “The highlight of Excess for me was seeing and hearing how much people were enjoying themselves.

“It made me so happy to see everyone dancing and enjoying art at the same time.”

Lucy explained: “Gallery openings are often very civilised, quiet and follow a pretty standard structure. We wanted the complete opposite.”

The pair aim to facilitate and support new creatives through their work.

Lucy said: “Going to art school allowed us to build a wide variety of connections with different visual artists, it is also where we met some great pals who we have been keen to collaborate with for a while.”

She continued: “We want to create an easily accessible method of expression for early career creatives, allowing people to get involved in exhibitions, club nights or simply just to give people a reason to create something new.”

Pagan added, “We have seen a lot of artists’ work that we feel matches the collective’s vibe and we have been quick to get them involved.

“I would like to give opportunities to get involved through online callouts and applications to reach wider local talent; there is so much talent in Scotland that does not get a platform.”

The two are excited about coming events.

Pagan said: “The collective is just getting started!

“We will be continuing to put on events in Glasgow and Edinburgh blending mixed medium contemporary art and electronic music.”

Lucy added: “We are overly excited for our next big event and are already chatting to a range of DJs and artists who want to get involved.

“We are very keen to share this with other early career and recent graduate artists.”

The artists encourage anyone with fresh ideas to bring them to the scene.

“My advice to anyone looking to create something unique in the industry is to surround yourself with other creatives that inspire and excite you.

“Bouncing off others' ideas and energy is the best way to keep your practice fresh,” said Lucy.

Pagan said: “if you see an opportunity to create something new that you’re passionate about then go for it because it's really fun!”

Lucy agreed: “It is also normal to feel disheartened and exhausted as keeping up your creativity alongside full time work is tough!

“Surrounding yourself with people who understand this is important as it has helped push me as an artist and lifted my spirits when I needed it most.”