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FROM THE PRINT MAGAZINE
Jane Tardo: Artist Portfolio
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. "There is something wonderfully silly and joyful about Jane Tardo’s 'Cat Boyfriends and Girlfriends'. The textile collages show maximalist scenes punctuated with hunky and sensual figures, often in various states of undress and unrealistic bulges. Oh, and all the figures have cat heads." A portfolio of Tardo's artwork appears in Kolaj 38. MORE
Each issue of Kolaj Magazine features portfolios of contemporary artists in each issue alongside critical commentary as a means of developing a deeper understanding of collage as both a medium and a genre.
FROM THE ARTIST DIRECTORY
Stubborn Little Grinning Tricksters
New York, New York, USA. Roz Leibowitz says about this body of work, "As if voyeurs back then never quite understood the secrets they held and so they waited until I could give it a try. So I bought the photos and began doing my weaving with no other intent than to see how I could work color and movement through them and perhaps, discover their secrets. And yet, as any collagist will tell you: images never fully reveal themselves. They are stubborn little grinning tricksters. Which is why after 41 of these collages, I am still trying. MORE
FROM THE PRINT ISSUE
Art, artifacts, & authenticity
In Kolaj 38, Steven Specht, Ph.D., NCS picks up on Mark Vargo's article about AI art that appeared in the previous issue in "Art, artifacts, & authenticity: The Problem of De-coupling Process from Product." He writes, "As a medium, collage lends itself to being mimicked by computer generative algorithms. But I would argue that any generative AI process represents nothing close to the authentic experiences that Kyle [Riecker], or I, or any other collage artist experiences in the process of creating art—even if the process itself is chaotic." MORE
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Altered Logistics
at the Dowd Gallery at SUNY Cortland in Cortland, New York USA through 8 December 2023. For “Altered Logistics: Contemporary Collage and Appropriation Art”, Maximo Tuja (The Weird Show) and D. Dominick Lombardi selected over 50 artists to represent a multinational overview of the state and the influence of collage in Contemporary Art. In thinking about the selection process, Lombardi primarily chose art and artists that push both the boundaries of what one sees as the theory of collage, while still maintaining a clear link to the basis of the genre. When selecting artists for exhibitions or projects, Tuja explores the boundaries of collage as a medium, seeking its connections with other artistic practices that embrace the notions of appropriation and recontextualization, paying little attention to rigid labels and traditions. He is always drawn to that which lacks a definitive name and to the areas where definitions remain elastic and practice precedes discourse. MORE
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Paper Made
at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA through 11 February 2024. Tearing, cutting, binding, stitching, rolling, the nine artists in “Paper Made” manipulate paper to create diverse works that challenge our preconceptions of paper as solely a substrate for the drawn or printed image. Selected from a juried exhibition by Fiber Art Now, a magazine for fiber artists, the work of the featured artists is meticulously crafted and visually compelling. Using various papers with distinct characteristics—thin, thick, handmade, machine-made—the artists demonstrate that a story does not need to be “written” on paper, that paper itself can tell a story. MORE
FROM THE ARTIST DIRECTORY
Experimentation Is a Key Driver
Savannah, Georgia, USA. Scissors, double-sided tape, and a self-healing cutting mat are at the core of Ashley Rainge-Shields' practice. She finds these three simple tools to be incredibly powerful in the creation of her art. Nevertheless, she loves to add dimension to her work by incorporating different mediums, her favorite of which is encaustic wax. She also plays with different formats, from zine-making to 3D assemblage. Experimentation is a key driver of her collage work. MORE
COLLAGE ON VIEW
The Comfort of Crows
Billy Renkl at David Lusk Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee, USA through 11 November 2023. “The Comfort of Crows” features 52 unique collages that collage and multimedia artist Billy Renkl made to mirror each essay in his sister Margaret Renkl’s forthcoming book of the same title. Running alongside the essays, these collages offer a parallel depiction of the seasons. In the manuscript, Margaret’s yard and neighborhood are profoundly meaningful. In Billy’s analogous path through the year, the meaning Margaret finds in the world is underwritten by its physical beauty. MORE
NEW PUBLICATION
POETRY JOURNAL
PoetryXCollage
Volume Five
PoetryXCollage is a printed journal of artwork and writing which operates at the intersection of poetry and collage. Each issue presents six movements of work by artists and curators. Page spreads are meant to be free zones of thinking where the contributor has chosen all elements of the layout: font, image place, composition, etc.
In this issue: Johnette Downing (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA); Stacy DeBritz (Schenectady, New York, USA); maryhope|whitehead|lee (Phoenix, Arizona, USA); Aimee-Beth Martens (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada); Kelly McGovern (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA); Gavin W Sewell (New York, New York, USA)
PRINT MAGAZINE
CURRENT ISSUE
Kolaj #38
Lost Collages; Southern Axis; Poetic Collage; The Abbondanza of Order & Chaos; The Rare Hallucination of Reality…Defragmented; Billboards; The Secret Life of Plants...Kolaj 38 is chock full of news, ideas, thinking about collage and its place in the world. LEARN MORE
Kolaj Magazine exists to show how the world of collage is rich, layered, and thick with complexity. By remixing history and culture, collage artists forge new thinking. To understand collage is to reshape one's thinking of art history and redefine the canon of visual culture that informs the present.
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KOLAJ T-SHIRTS
NEW AT ARTSHOP
"I Cut Therefore I Kolaj" T-shirt
Since we started Kolaj Magazine in 2011, people have been asking about t-shirts. Well, we finally made one. We are pleased to announce the "I Cut Therefore I Kolaj" T-shirt. We hope you like it and wear it with pride. MORE
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
NEW PUBLICATION
Collage Saves the World
The artwork in Co llage Saves the World offers viewers an opportunity to reflect on how collage can speak to issues of racism, colorism, ableism, and sexism; the war in Ukraine; climate change and the importance of permaculture; beauty standards and women’s autonomy. The title is the second book from Kolaj Institute’s Politics in Collage Project, a series of residencies, publications, discussions, and exhibitions examining complex socio-political issues that contemporary society is contending with, in order to spark meaningful dialogue and inspire deeper engagement. MORE
POETRY JOURNAL
PoetryXCollage
Volume Four
PoetryXCollage is a printed journal of artwork and writing which operates at the intersection of poetry and collage. We are interested in found poetry, blackout poetry, collage poems, haikus, centos, response collages, response poems, word scrambles, concrete poetry, scatter collage poems, and other poems and artwork that inhabit this world. In this issue: Jessa Dupuis, Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada | John Rigney, Buffalo, New York, USA | Kait O’Brien, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | sadé powell, Staten Island, New York, USA | Yoomee Ko, New York, New York, USA | Collaborations by Kerrie More, Jessa Dupuis, Julie Byers, Carolina Martins, and Kait O’Brien. On the cover is a detail of Body, a collaboration by Julie Byers, Kerrie More, and Carolina Martins.
COLLAGE BOOK
Folklore of the Upper Nithsdale
Stories of Witches, Ghosts, & Other Spirits from Sanquhar, Scotland
Thirty-three collage artists illustrate stories of witches, ghosts, and other spirits from Sanquhar, Scotland. Using stories collected from William Wilson’s 1904 book, artists reimagine these tales in a 21st Century context and invite us to see folklore as the imagination of the past, understood in the present. The book includes an introduction by Ric Kasini Kadour. MORE
NEW PUBLICATION
The Awakening
by Kate Chopin & illustrated by contemporary collage artists
Set in New Orleans, Chopin’s 1899 novel, focuses on Edna Pontellier, an upper-class New Orleans woman, torn between expectations and desires. In the beginning of the novel Edna appears to live in a semi-conscious state, trapped in the mundane aspects of her life. As the story evolves, she encounters new people and experiences that create an awakening shift within her. The Awakening, touches on 19th century feminism, identity, and societal themes. MORE
VISIT ARTSHOP!
Our goal with every issue is that Kolaj Magazine is essential reading for anyone interested in the role of contemporary collage in art, culture, and society. Each issue of Kolaj Magazine is dedicated to reviewing and surveying contemporary collage with an international perspective. We are interested in collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century art movement.
