Collage Project

Initially when told about the collage project, I immediately thought of Barbara Kruger. I first saw her work in high school and was immediately captivated by her collages. Kruger uses a mixture of red/white text over black and white images to portray feminist stereotypes/culture. Finally, when the opportunity presented itself, I got to see a couple of Barbara Kruger's pieces in person at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. This was the first instant where I thought of collage as a real art form. Before seeing her works, I viewed collage as an elementary school project that every child gets to experience at some point in their lives. When I was younger, I would collage pictures of my favorite celebrities using cutouts from TigerBeat Magazine and hang them all over my room. Never did I think that someone could be considered a "collage artist." After discovering this, I began to research more collage artists. Among my research, I came across an artist named Jessie Craig. She is a London-based photographer who has shot with some very elite clients, such as Topshop and Burberry. Born in Canada, Craig began exploring photography as a teenager. Eventually, her work has evolved, thus leading her to create collage pieces using photographs. I absolutely love her work because it combines fashion photography with the "cut and paste" style of collage in order to create really interesting pieces. Finally, the other artist I came across who truly inspired me was Nydia Hartono. She is based in both Singapore and Boston, and is around the same age as myself. Her being so young makes her works relatable and captivating. She uses mixed media including photographs, paint, etc. in order to create pieces that are unique and vibrant. For my own project, I decided to stick with the same concept of black and white photographs, mixed with slight color accents. I am very interested in the fashion industry, so I chose to cut out black and white photographs from fashion magazines, but hide the identities of the models by placing two-toned, gold accents over their eyes. I also included black and white patterns overlaying these images in order to incorporate the "fashion" element in yet another way. Textiles and patterns are so important in design, and I think a solid basis in this is essential in a successful piece. I took inspiration from these artists and now see collage with a new perspective and new found respect.

Links:

http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/

https://jessiecraig.format.com/collage

https://www.nydia-hartono.com/mood-magazine#0