"Popular culture isn't a freeze-frame; it is images zapping by in rapid-fire succession, which is why collage is such an effective way of representing contemporary life. The blur between images creates a kind of motion in the mind". - James Rosenquist
Collage is the technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface assorted materials not typically associated with one another. This could include print advertisements, newspaper clippings, parts of a ticket, and fragments of a photograph. We have curated a selection of DegreeArt artists that use collage as a technique, experimenting with materials and surfaces.
Josh Bowe is highly accomplished in his deployment of various materials and techniques including collage. Although his work is primarily figurative the artist engages in an on-going investigation into the fundamentals of representation and abstraction. At once complex and intuitive, his paintings combine form, colour and texture to create a strong sense of vigour and dynamism, the contrasting figurative and abstract pictorial elements stimulating the viewer to see familiar subjects in fresh and challenging ways.
Helen Gorrill is inspired by the contrasts presented by symbolism in paintings. Gorrill trained as a painter but has been increasingly moving towards collage (or painting with paper), finding a lasting vibrancy in found papers that cannot be achieved in paint. Her recent series of vibrant collages of urban flowers in street art vase are created from found papers (including Art Review and Modern Painters magazines, gun catalogue, antique jewellery catalogues, moth guide, graffiti and torn segments from billboard posters and adverts) along with studio debris (inspired by the work of Oscar Murillo) on canvas board.
Anna Garrett combines fashion magazine and interior advertising imagery - using the process of layering and excavation to physically break the perfect media image. The resulting artworks emulate the look of a weathered billboard, which in itself presents the hollowness of the advert.
Maja Beattie creates collages of idealised environments. This series of collages are constructed using a combination of fashion magazine pages, winter sports images and articles about the ongoing issues in Syria (a summary of the popular culture that I have engaged with in the last few months). Beattie describes her creation of these images "I almost wanted to construct a more serene and beautiful reality out of our actual reality."
To see more collaged works browse our selection here.
