February 6, 2008

Contemporary Collage

Ever since the cubists began splicing newspaper images into disorienting compositions, collage has been a potent medium for expressing social concerns. Now, as print gives way to digital media, contemporary artists turn to multimedia collage to capture the whirlwind of global culture. We discuss artists including Javier Piñón, Deborah Grant, and Hong Hao, who are steering collage in new directions, and spotlight the rough, layered work of Kirstine Roepstorff. We interview Marnie Weber about her eerie, theatrical tableaux, and recommend Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung's net art Because Washington Is Hollywood for Ugly People . Looking at gallery shows around the world, we review Luis Gispert's film about the healing power of hip-hop and Josiah McElheny's glowing glass tributes to failed utopian visions.