FROM KOLAJ #20
How pasting glitch collage in the street helps a Montreal artist heal
In cities with towering wall designs and commissioned murals around every corner, it takes a keen eye to spot the smaller, independent street art gems—the surprise encounters that claim the bricks of an alleyway, the base of a lamppost, or the door on a rooftop—that interrupt the everyday and encourage contemplation. For those fortunate enough to discover a girlplague original, one of her ephemeral collages scattered across Montreal, that brief interruption may leave a lasting impression. In Kolaj #20, Sofia Misenheimer profiles this intrepid artist.
This article appears in KOLAJ #20. To see the entire article, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
Her glitch collage evokes loneliness, heartbreak, rejection, and anxiety. Between Sleep and Awake (2016), for instance, features a faceless woman whose profile is replaced with a silver fractal. The reflective surface, an eruption of metallic polygons, claims the identity of the photographed figure, suggesting an inner turmoil. In contrast, the overlapping hand-drawn outline of a sleeping form exudes an empty calm. So, which figure reflects the real self? Girlplague says her work is up for interpretation. “I like being vague, because I can sometimes be very irrational,” she said.
This article appears in KOLAJ #20. To see the entire article, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
Montreal-based artist girlplague focuses heavily on collage, found materials/objects, and design. In 2011, she received a degree in graphic design and illustration from Niagara College in Welland, Ontario. After freelancing in Toronto for a few years, she moved to Montreal where she works as a freelancer. You can catch girlplague in the streets wheatpasting/stickering collage work and digital art in public places. Follow her at girlplague.com or on Facebook or Instagram.com under girlplague.
Images by girlplague (top to bottom):
Lottery (digital collage and glitch art made from databending; 2017)
Between Sleep and Awake (found magazine, holographic paper, rhinestones and original illustration; 2016)
Empty 00 (found photo and glitch art made from DV tapes; 2017)