NEW PUBLICATION
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, illustrated & interpreted by contemporary collage artists
This new version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s classic 19th century novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus features seventy-six illustrations by International Collage Artists who delved into the novel’s rich narrative and visual potential and created thought-provoking artworks that reflect the essence of Frankenstein in a 21st century context.
Kolaj LIVE Online: Frankenstein Book Launch
Saturday, 7 December 2024 at 1PM EST (10AM PDT; 1800 UTC)
on Zoom
PURCHASE THE BOOK | GET TICKETS TO THE LAUNCH
This new version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s classic 19th century novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus features seventy-six illustrations by International Collage Artists who delved into the novel’s rich narrative and visual potential and created thought-provoking artworks that reflect the essence of Frankenstein in a 21st century context.
“Frankenstein,” writes artist David Edward Johnson, “The name alone conjures a lightning storm of images. From corpses, unholy and unearthed, to gothic laboratories, alive with galvanic impulse, to personal loss, longing, and anger. Shelley’s 1818 masterwork is locked in our collective unconscious like a fever dream. Since childhood, I have been in love with its silent shudders and moss-covered 19th-century tableaus.”
Artists created illustrations that connected Shelley’s text to contemporary issues. Artists explored the role of science and artificial intelligence, queerness, intersectional identities, narcissism, and modern relationships. “Shelley’s timelessness is proven by our ability to use her novel to reflect on our world today,” said Kolaj Institute Director Ric Kasini Kadour. “Collage artists, with their unique ability to transcend scale, place, and history, are well-suited to giving us pictures that bring vintage texts into the contemporary moment.”
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Claire Dannenbaum (Eugene, Oregon, USA) | Emily Denlinger (Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA) | Suzanne Greenberg (New York, New York, USA) | David Edward Johnson (Skaneateles, New York, USA) | Anthony D Kelly (Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland) | Maureen Letton (San Francisco, California, USA) | Anissa Malady (San Francisco, California, USA) | Rebecca Steiner (Lyme, Connecticut, USA) | Jessica TranVo (Boston, Massachusetts, USA) | Anthony Naimo (Spruce Pine, North Carolina, USA) | Elzbieta Zdunek (Berlin, Germany) | Marta Janik (Warsaw, Poland)
KOLAJ LIVE ONLINE
Frankenstein Book Launch
Saturday, 7 December 2024 at 1PM EST (10AM PDT; 1800 UTC)
A cohort of international collage artists worked together to illustrate Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s classic 19th century novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus with the 21st century reader in mind. Artists created illustrations that connected Shelley’s text to contemporary issues. Artists explored the role of science and artificial intelligence, queerness, intersectional identities, narcissism, and modern relationships. Seventy-six illustrations appear in a new publication of the novel and in a folio of twenty-four prints available for purchase and as a traveling exhibition. In this Kolaj LIVE Online, project art director Christopher Kurts will speak about the project and interview artists who contributed to it. “Shelley’s timelessness is proven by our ability to use her novel to reflect on our world today,” said Kolaj Institute Director Ric Kasini Kadour. “Collage artists, with their unique ability to transcend scale, place, and history, are well-suited to giving us pictures that bring vintage texts into the contemporary moment.”
GET TICKETS TO THE LAUNCH
ABOUT KOLAJ LIVE ONLINE
Kolaj LIVE Online is a series of virtual programs in the form of forums, panels, workshops, artist talks, studio visits, and other activities that allow people to come together, learn and talk about collage, and connect in real time to the collage community. Our goal is to bring the community together in a spirit of mutual support and fellowship. Kolaj LIVE Online manifests Kolaj Magazine and Kolaj Institute by bringing together artists, curators, and writers to share ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. Learn more at the SERIES WEBSITE.