4500 pixels x 3600 pixels; digital collage; 2018. Courtesy of the artist.
FROM KOLAJ 32
Abstract Escalation of iuri kothe
Ashley Pryor Geiger writes in Kolaj 32: “iuri kothe is an unapologetic acolyte of abstraction; his work can be read as a progressive renunciation of figuration (especially of the human form) in favor of a patient and disciplined cybernetics of line and plane. This is not to suggest that kothe’s work is cold, insular, or antisocial. Arguably, it maps out alternative pathways of communication where a more predictable patois of figurative form otherwise fails. The recurrent image of a stairway throughout kothe’s work provides a cathexis between his early figurative analog collage (which often referenced environmental concerns) to his more recent architectural series that disguises its figurative reference. While kothe himself resists attempts to read a deeper meaning into this recurrent image, beyond providing a concentrated source for fragmentation and assemblage, the stairway nevertheless provides a constant marker through his early, middle, and most recent collage work. As such, it provides a useful marker of the artist’s progressive development toward a new form of artistic communication, one that focuses on problem-solving, connection, and harmony, against seeming impossible constraints.”
Ashley Pryor Geiger’s article about iuri kothe appears in Kolaj 32. To see the complete issue, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
9.8″x13.8″; analogue collage; 2005. Courtesy of the artist.
Given the wealth of associations attached to the stairway, kothe is perhaps wise to demur in defining the meaning of its centrality in his work, leaving the viewer the challenge of working out this improbable ascent themselves.
Ashley Pryor Geiger’s article about iuri kothe appears in Kolaj 32. To see the complete issue, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
Brazilian collage artist and photographer iuri kothe started making analogue collage in 2003 and switched to digital collage in 2015. His work has appeared in group shows in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand and the United States. Originally from São Paulo, the artist currently lives and works in Brasilia. Learn more at iuri.art.br.
Ashley Pryor Geiger is an Associate Professor of the Humanities in the Jesup Scott Honors College at the University of Toledo. She came to know iuri kothe’s work through Kolaj Institute’s Curating Collage Workshop in 2020. Geiger is also a visual artist with a growing interest in digital and analog collage. She holds a doctorate in Philosophy and has interests and teaching experience in Visual Literacy, Philosophy, and Gender Studies. Geiger embraced the term “artist” in 2018 and began sending out work for publication. Her work has been published widely, including the Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics, Twisting Pixels, Ponder Midwest, Paris Collage Collective, Zoetic Press, and Nunum.