One Year Later by Benoit Depelteau
Our fourth issue is finally here, which completes Kolaj’s first year of publication. A first year that allowed our project to grow and evolve each day. Over the course of that journey, we welcomed new collaborators to expand our reach from Montreal to the world, something we will, of course, continue to work on.
This first year also gave us the opportunity, through the submission process and numerous hours of research, to discover new collage artists and, more importantly, to share their work with an expanding and enthusiastic audience. An imperative aspect of our project is to perpetuate the community spirit that brings artists together and, through collaborative initiatives, to help collage to develop and be seen.
Artists have naturally regrouped over the years on virtual platforms that were often created for diverse motives other than sharing art, which at times was frustrating. But Tumblr gradually stood out as a natural place to share images. Its uncluttered layout allows art to breathe, something fairly scarce on the internet these days. Although, as Cory Peeke explains in this issue, artists largely benefit from this synergy in terms of visibility, the repercussions of this vehicle on their careers is still unclear. From a larger perspective, it would be interesting to investigate how these collages can transfer the impact they have online into the real art world. In other words, what will be left of these images when they reach the next page?
It is clear that collage is in a period of change. Maybe not the medium itself nor the way it is used, but the consideration given to it. We sent Kolaj contributor Paul Bright to the New York City spring fairs to examine how collage was represented and we were surprised to observe that it was all over the place. In fact, collage has emerged from smaller independent venues, in which it was often confined, to be shown by some of the world’s major art galleries. Given the importance of this showcase, it is definitely a sign that the perception of the influence and value of collage art has progressed.
In the next year, we will continue to present the variety of practices put forward by collage artists but we also feel that we need, using critical and academic writing, to have a deeper understanding of the medium and its evolving place in the art world.
PURCHASE ISSUE FOUR | SUBSCRIBE | FACEBOOK
Image:
7270
by Zach Collins
5″x7″
found Super-8 movie boxes
2013