PRESS RELEASE

 

“Montage,” she said, “is an artistic technique in film that composes different narratives.”

 

“To disturb the logic,” another voice arose.

 

Today, we are reimagining the collage form—its meaning, impact, and conceptual expansion—acknowledging its roots in 20th-century modernism (Dada, Cubism, Constructivism, Surrealism). In the face of 21st-century turmoil, surrealist collage remains, as it always has been, a means of responding to the challenges of our time. By repurposing and transforming found objects, collage envisions a world where disparate elements merge seamlessly across art and life.

 

From the photographic work of Eva Stenram in the show first, we might be reminded of Hannah Höch and Claude Cahun, both known for their exploration of the fragmentation of the body within visual culture. Stenram’s distinct style in collage reconstructs the reality of the male gaze in photography, using it as a political tool to disrupt and fracture the so-called photographic “reality.”

 

As stated in an interview: “Stenram uses the reconstructive act of collage as a deft political mode, a way of regaining control over the passive experience of viewing women’s bodies. But her works are always purposefully open-ended—to present and encourage, rather than expose, an interrogation of the way we are used to looking at women.” (Artsy, 2022)

 

Returning to the vitality of collage, we can trace elements of everyday life in the works of Mariana Mauricio, Cecilia Bonilla, and Kate Street, as well as in the paintings of Emily Stevens. One of the most influential filmmakers to capture the magic of the everyday is Belgium filmmaker Chantal Akerman. The political power of her work often emerges from the mundane, compelling the audience to closely observe every detail of a woman’s daily routine. Rather than simply documenting, the film turns into an interrogation of the act of looking itself. Similarly, the collage works in this show reflect the real world through a female lens, inviting the audience to engage in a critical reflection of their own surroundings.

 

Or we could say, this attention to inequality and injustice is also an act of love. Through their work, these artists are creating an alternative world—one that aligns with their vision, a space that playfully challenges the weight of unfairness. In essence, they are asserting a demand for their own truth. Rather than unpacking the term of truth here, perhaps it is better to interpret it by the words of performance artist Vida Vojić: “TRUTH can be heard in THE SOUND. WHAT VIBRATES BENEATH THE WORD?”

 

Drowning in her music and murmur, we might reach a realization: RATIONALITY is OVER. NOISE is ALL. (Vida Vojić)

 

Isn’t that, after all, the nature of the collage today?

 

Written by Emma Yifan Wang

London