FROM KOLAJ #23
A New Art Fair Is Raising the Profile of Collage
This article appeared in Kolaj #23. To see more, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
A problem of collage is its lack of visibility. Papier Montreal, one of North America’s largest art fairs and one dedicated entirely to art on paper, rarely mentions the medium. And in the press releases about art fairs that parade across the desks of Kolaj Magazine each year, it is strikingly uncommon that they mention collage. Inquiries into what collage will be on view are often met with virtual shrugs. Yet, when we visit fairs, we see collage playing a critical role at the forefront of contemporary art, so much so that reviews of collage at fairs are frequent features of this magazine.
With that in mind, it was refreshing that in the announcement for the Berlin edition of Paper Positions in May 2018, organizers specifically called out the medium: “Drawings, collages, paper cuttings, objects, photography, editions, and art books will be shown in an open exhibition format in the impressive atrium of Deutsche Telekom Hauptstadtrepräsentanz near Gendarmenmarkt.” This is significant and a marker of a growing acknowledgement of collage. Paper Positions started as an exhibition at Bikini Berlin in 2016 and was expanded to an independent fair in 2017. Forsaking the classic booth model, Paper Positions presents artists, backed by galleries, in a grand salon format. As the organizers say, “The limited number of exhibitors also underlines the character of a large theme-based exhibition. The spatial design offers an open overview as well as the possibility to directly approach individual artistic works and to perceive them in a mutual dialogue.”
Paper Positions manifests throughout the year in Berlin, Basel, and Munich. Our inquiry into what collage will be on view at the Basel edition, which took place 12-17 June 2018 was met with great enthusiasm and a list of artists and galleries showing collage. We are pleased to present a selection from the fair in Kolaj #23, including work presented by Galerie Anja Knoess (Cologne), Sandau & Leo Galerie (Berlin), galerie zs art (Vienna), Jarmuschek + Partner (Berlin), and Samuel Freeman (Los Angeles).
We look forward to the Munich edition that will take place at Alte Bayerische Staatsbank, 18-21 October 2018.
This article appeared in Kolaj #23. To see more, SUBSCRIBE to Kolaj Magazine or Get a Copy of the Issue.
Paper Positions Berlin was held 26-29 April 2018 at the Deutsche Telekom Hauptstadtrepräsentanz at Jägerstraße 42-44. Forty-six international galleries showed work on paper. The next edition of Paper Positions Berlin is 25-28 April 2019. Visit www.paperpositions.com for more information.
Image (top):
from the series “Das Staunen des Kleibers”
by Klaus Lomnitzer
appox. 35″x27″
collage
2014
Courtesy Galerie Anja Knoess, Cologne
Image (centre):
from the series “Poesie der kleinen Dinge”
by Irene Woelfl
8″x8″
2018
Courtesy galerie zs art, Vienna
Image (bottom):
Balcony
by David Eager Maher
15.7″x19.7″
oil, acrylic, found paper, and watercolour on wood panel
2017
Courtesy Jarmuschek + Partner, Berlin