Collage is quite possibly the most open-ended technique to gain commercial success in the art world. Its premise is simple: find some objects of visual interest (usually of disparate origins) and arrange them in such a way that the parts constitute a new and compelling whole. Yet in practice, collage art’s place within wider art history is rather narrow: collages that achieve prominence within the art world are two-dimensional and seldom consulted for more than social commentary. Run through a list of famous collage artists and the subject they’ve come to be known for if you don’t believe me: Hannah Höch had anti-Nazism, Richard Hamilton his cultural capitalism, Barbara Kruger her militant feminism… the list goes on. Something about our current cultural moment has prevented these bricoleurs from establishing themselves as aestheticians, relegating them to mere cultural historians. This restrictive status quo is currently being disrupted at moniquemeloche, where “Collage Culture” attempts to showcase the medium’s full possibilities.
