Collage Art

[cr]

Haven 't found another topic about Collage Art, so let's start this one.
Collage Art - recommended books, used materials, methods of work, etc...

I really like to watch and 'sink' into good collages. I'm also doing some by myself. I cut the (for my taste) interesting-looking bits out of some cheap magazines and glue them on an A4-page, copy it black & white and stick it on my basement door. So nothing special here...
But even if it's a cliché, it's kind of relaxing for me to immerse into putting a collage together.

I think that a good number of noise-people are also doing collages, so I'd like to know and learn more about your experiences and opinions!

Mr. FreakAnimal already mentioned Peter Beard's book by Taschen, that 'If you're buying one book of collages in your life, let it be this'.
I absolutely agree with that, fantastic book(s)!

I'm also looking forward for the Kristian Olsson 'Ghoulson'-book, which should be out on Autarkeia in the near future.

[Duncan]

Great collages (and acrylic work too) from Karen Constance here:

http://chocolatemonk.co.uk/aff_handit_acrylics.htm

[online prowler]

Kudos for thread. Looking forward to follow postings to come.

[aischrolatreia]

Some of my work:
http://paulkerin.tumblr.com/tagged/paperdestruction

I work in other media too (print, digital,sound) but I always find collage to be the most satisfying and intuitive way to create images. From making small, impulsive, low quality "studies" of rough content to spending hours arranging and gluing small pieces together.

[Johann]

Collage and mixed media art are my favorite type. During my more productive periods i will spend upwards of 12 hours a day working on this shit, tends to be rough blown out color mess. constantly constructed, deconstructed and re-constructed. I notice a lot of ripped black and white, porno/grime type collage in the harsh noise scene. it's cool, not totally my bag, i am more into total abstraction.

I like K. Constance work quite a bit, real clean lines. i actually saw some work that was real similar to hers at this fucking mystic/tarot shop i was at a couple weeks ago.

John Olson's work is stellar, http://americantapes.us/ (scroll down, it's kinda like a slide show. seems like mixed media rather than pure collage)
http://www.americantapes.blogspot.com/2011/08/13-24-x-18-inches-mixed-media-on.html

Andy Bolus artwork has been blowing my mind the fuck out recently, i really love his shit. Super inspiring (again seems to be a little bit more mixed media, but whatever)
http://schoolofmeatcutting.free.fr/paintings1.html
http://schoolofmeatcutting.free.fr/print.html

Heath Moreland - Fag Tapes fucking art is also pretty incredible (again, not straight collage but ultra stellar)
http://fagtapes.blogspot.com/p/artwork-by-heath-moerland.html

Edit: Almost forgot. Fucking Ronald Lessard. Incredible fucking Collage and Xerox shit

....

older stuff i'm into is like

Francois Dufrene and Wolf Vostell, might seem a little dated now. But i still really enjoy it

...

and recent stuff that didn't move me at all is Phillip Best - Sex Offender Boyfriend series. Well executed but total bore

[Otomo_Hava]

Names you should check out:

Raoul Ubac
Andrew Nawroski
Karel Teige
Max Ernst

[l.b.]

wilfried sätty



http://beautiful-grotesque.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-art-of-wilfried-satty.html

[HongKongGoolagong]

and recent stuff that didn't move me at all is Phillip Best - Sex Offender Boyfriend series. Well executed but total bore

I feel like AJ Weberman to his Dylan or Nicholson Baker to his Updike virtually rooting through his bins but find his work endlessly fascinating - the shameless in-your-face pervert angle is obvious but it's the other stuff mixed in there which keeps me wondering - the mystic and autobiographical material and the content verging on psychosis.

I enjoyed Dominick Fernow's book of collages that came with the "White Eyes of Winter Watching" special edition - with ripped pages it seems they were made very quickly in some kind of frenzy. The expected cliched imagery: pure cliche which reveals pure archetype.

It's very therapeutic making collages, you can say all kinds of things you can't express verbally.  

[HongKongGoolagong]

"...the mystic and autobiographical material and the content verging on psychosis"

Which collages have all that? All I have seen are National Geographic/Nature images with some children & some smeared paint.

It's the elements of scrying and sortilege which fascinate me the most in the composition.
There's a page featuring Frank Corder who set off on the night of September 11th 1994 in a
stolen Cessna and tried to crash it into the White House. Best seems to hint at a mirror
world, at hidden vistas of reality - from American Campgrounds review I did - always at the edge of the children and nature is this psychosis and horror impinging, newspaper clippings used of people who violently self-destructed, hints at creepy non-linear narrative and hidden forces, a lot of plane crashes too.

[Johann]

"...the mystic and autobiographical material and the content verging on psychosis"

Which collages have all that? All I have seen are National Geographic/Nature images with some children & some smeared paint.

It's the elements of scrying and sortilege which fascinate me the most in the composition.
There's a page featuring Frank Corder who set off on the night of September 11th 1994 in a
stolen Cessna and tried to crash it into the White House. Best seems to hint at a mirror
world, at hidden vistas of reality - from American Campgrounds review I did - always at the edge of the children and nature is this psychosis and horror impinging, newspaper clippings used of people who violently self-destructed, hints at creepy non-linear narrative and hidden forces, a lot of plane crashes too.

This is a very interesting take on Best work. I've only seen the several images online, never having had the opportunity to see a proper show or book (American Campgrounds is a book? or a book of a gallery show?). Maybe I'm to quick to judge his work, given the opportunity i'll be sure to investigate further.

concerning your previous post "the mystic and autobiographical material and the content verging on psychosis", i am not so aware of Best as a person so i am not aware of the autobiographical content within his work but i can see how his work may contain a mystic element.

And i agree with the idea of collage. or even art in general as therapy allowing you to express things that can either not be said or can not be articulated.

..............

Matteo Castro collage work i find deeply moving. I like almost all of the Second Sleep artwork, but my favorites are.

Dave Phillips LP
Sewer Election/Hoffmeier LP
Scorpio & Glass CS

I'd love to see more of his artwork.

[HongKongGoolagong]

the autobiographical content within his work

The overwhelming feeling of destroyed innocence and loss, and his own history as 'child star' of PE being exposed to heavy and dark themes at a young age.

I very much like the work of Danger, a gentleman associated with Koma Books in LA - http://dangercollage.blogspot.co.uk/

Surprised no-one has mentioned Mr Merz himself who influenced everyone in this thread somehow - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Schwitters

[hsv]

Christer Themptander is a Swedish collage/montage artist I really enjoy. Very 70's leftwing style satirical content but often pleasing to me on a purely aesthetical level.


"The Nixons on a bike tour" (1972). Simple but genious



I think most ripped up "transgressive" PE collages in noise zines, tape covers etc. are really terrible and uninspired.

[Johann]

When the word "transgressive" is used, it always seems like the person is trying to play down being offended. I'm not sure I've ever come across an artist who has stated their intent is to be transgressive.

"Uninspired" in what way? For the artist or the viewer? I've seen some stuff that looked like it was pieced together with very little skill but I have no idea if they were inspired at the time of tearing everything up or not.

When i think transgression, i think of something existing purely for shock value. And having no value outside of that. I also think a lot of PE inspired torn black and white is often times just terrible (it's like standing in the street and screaming "i'm fucking angry and i want you to know"), largely because it lacks originality/personal qualities (i think everyone can agree there is a lot of really poor shit out there, being poor "music") that separates it from the rest.

When buying a record or a tape, the artwork matters to me. I'm less likely to check something out i don't like the art (i'm sure many feel the same way) or the name. 

[HongKongGoolagong]

something existing purely for shock value. And having no value outside of that.

Still a lot more appealing and life-affirming to me than Bono. The guy who does his 'fuck everyone who has cancer' tape and ripping wombs from dogs, obviously it's absurd and hilarious and I don't feel any great desire to check out the music, but I'm always happy to know there are people like that around instead of just another competent entertainer who wants people to rock out and forget their troubles after a hard week's work or pimp out phoney love songs.

With these kinds of themes in collage, some work and some don't. Art is a whole other thing from sound and it really helps if someone knows how to lay out the shapes on a page in a way that entrances the eye: it's not just about the themes.

[Johann]

I won't disagree with that, haha.

"With these kinds of themes in collage, some work and some don't. Art is a whole other thing from sound and it really helps if someone knows how to lay out the shapes on a page in a way that entrances the eye: it's not just about the themes." and this i completely agree with....theme is rather unimportant to me, and in art and music i tend to avoid anything that is to theme focused (personal preference)