Kolaj is a quarterly, printed, 10″x8″ art magazine
featuring reviews and surveys of contemporary collage. The magazine takes an international perspective on collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century art movement.
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INSIDE THE ISSUE
Kolaj Magazine exists to report on the International Collage Community. In this issue’s round-up of collage news, we report on Australian collagist Steve Tierney‘s new large scale collages that draw inspiration from photojournalism of the 1950s and 60s; Finnish collagist Riikka Fransila‘s large, 3D collage on the walls of Akateeminen Kirjakauppa in Helsinki; and Los Angeles artist Wendy Tigerman‘s collaborative book of dog collages.
Sunday June 8, ‘30. A wonderful day by Seattle, Washington artist Joe Rudko is on the front cover of Kolaj 40. Amsterdam artist Bob Bunck‘s collage of Pandit Nehru is on the back. Portfolios from both artists appear in the issue.
In the article, “This, That, & the Other Thing”, we explore the activist assemblage of Norman Barney, Terry Graff, and Laurie Rayner Langford. “Assemblage art gives focus to human-object interactions, steering us to consider what objects tell us about society, history, and culture, in short, to what they disclose about us.”
The review, “Fiber Reimagined“, considers what an exhibition at Gravers Lane Gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania says about collage. “Fabric and cloth is all around us and we often don’t think about what it’s made of or the threads come together but like collage in general, the artwork in ‘Fiber Reimagined II’ has something to say about our world.”
Jennifer Roche interviews Annete Sagal and sisters Katya and Olha Syta about this year’s CUTOUT FESTIVAL in “What does freedom look like?” The annual exhibition in Kyiv, Ukraine breaks attendance records this year in spite of the ongoing war.
Helen Hartmann follows Dutch artist Anneke Stil‘s collage journey in “Attention & Connection”. Hartman writes, “Each collage becomes a vessel of memories, an ode to the people she holds dear. It is exactly these ingredients of friendship, love, companionship, and connection that give Anneke’s work a deep sense of meaning.”
Houston, Texas writer Kelly M. Johnson reviews the exhibition, “Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The first major museum exhibition to illuminate the variety and complexity of Black Americans’ identities and experiences exclusively through collage travelled to The Phillips Collection over the summer.
“Of all the art mediums, collage is about bringing people together, breaking down hierarchies, and celebrating creativity,” wrote Ric Kasini Kadour in his review of collage on view at Intentional Selection Festival at Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland.
In Collage Book News, we report on Black Scat Books’ Fuzz Against Smut, a collaged reimagining of a 1960s beatnik classic.
It was a busy summer for Kolaj Institute in New Orleans. In Kolaj 40 we report on how the new art gallery, residency center, artist studio, library & archive is doing; including the exhibition “Advanced Wound Healing Techniques: Collage by Robbie Morgan”, the upcoming exhibitions “Camera & Collage” and “Temporal Geolocation: Paula Mans, T. Owens Union, Candace Caston, and Jeanna Penn.” We report on the launch of the book, Magic in the Modern World, and the steady stream of solo artists in residence.
And of course, the Artist Directory…
ARTIST PORTFOLIOS
Each issue of Kolaj Magazine features portfolios of contemporary artists alongside critical commentary as a means of developing a deeper understanding of collage as both a medium and a genre. To be considered, register with the Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory at www.kolajmagazine.com.
Bridgette Bramlage
Chicago, Illinois, USA
“Each composition is a conversation or ‘cautionary tale’ that uses humor, rhythm, balance and beauty to explore surreal aspects of feminism, control and power in American culture.”
Joe Rudko
Seattle, Washington, USA
“There was a feeling of the image being stretched into a contemporary context that was exciting. It was a way of being present with an object from the past and relating to something unknown.”
Christine Karapetian
Jackson Heights, New York, USA
“Embracing these elements is what collage is. It is a process that embraces never knowing what I will end with, instead hoping to find something as I go.”
Seth Clark
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
“This pre-aged paper I collected served as a unique texture for the old run down buildings I was making.”
Bob Bunck
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“The mostly monochromatic collage elements seamlessly compliment Karsh’s black & white photographs. The interventions lead the viewer to contemplate the psyche of celebrity and power.”