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11 Artists Keeping Collage Contemporary

These collage artists are giving a reboot to the tried-and-true analog medium.

By Format Team 2

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ollage has existed as an art medium for centuries, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that collage art really came into its own. The French term *collage* was coined by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, who both made use of collage techniques in their Cubist paintings; collage was also popular among the artists of the Dada movement.

Over the years many artists have incorporated fashion editorials, advertisements, and other material from pop culture into collaged works as a means of critiquing this imagery. Today, digitally-made photomontages and collages offer a new way of exploring the medium.

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Whether they work with digital media or focus on paper, all of these contemporary artists are working with collage in inventive ways. Many are photographers who utilize collage as a space for experimenting with the photos they've taken. Others are painters who make use of found materials to add texture and meaning to their works. They're all sure to offer inspiration, whether you're a collage artist yourself or simply looking for interesting imagery to spark new ideas.

For even more creative inspiration, take a look at our ultimate list of well-made websites from the Format community.

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Mary Gordon Artist Mary Gordon is currently studying Printmaking and Book Arts at the University of Georgia. On her online portfolio, she uses a grid-based layout that works well to showcase the mixed media nature of much of her creative work. www.mary-gordon.com Format Theme: Offset

Emon Toufanian Based between New York and Paris, artist Emon Toufanian has worked with fashion magazines including *A Mag Curated By, Sleek Magazine, Oyster Magazine, Dazed,* and *Vogue Italia.* Toufanian's online portfolio is separated into collage art and fashion galleries; his collage work fills the entire screen with vibrant color and glitched-out textures. www.emontoufanian.com Format Theme: Horizon Left

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Bri Lamkin Based in Colorado, artist Bri Lamkin has been working with photography for more than ten years, but has recently turned her focus more to collage art. Lamkin frequently repurposes vintage imagery in her collages for lighthearted imagery that aims to nevertheless aims to explore complex themes such as feminism and mental health. A grid-based website theme gives viewers a full overview of Lamkin's work. www.brilamkin.format.com Format Theme: Amazon

Jessie Craig Jessie Craig's impressive portrait photography credentials include work in the permanent collection of the UK's National Portrait Gallery as well as shots of the likes of Oprah and Leonardo DiCaprio in her capacity as BAFTA photographer. Craig also creates inventive photo-based collages which offer an interesting contrast to her more formal photography. www.jessiecraig.format.com Format Theme: Foray

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Ariel Aberg-Riger Currently based in Buffalo, New York, self-taught artist Ariel Aberg-Riger creates collages and drawings in addition to her day job as a creative director. AbergRiger uses a full-screen theme to give lots of space to her work, with a footer menu allowing for simple and unobtrusive navigation. www.arielabergriger.format.com Format Theme: Sun

Matthew Grimes Artist Matthew Grimes, currently based in Virginia, works in both ceramics and mixed media collage.

Grimes divides his portfolio into separate projects, with lots of space for news about his upcoming exhibitions. Single image galleries let Grimes share information about each work and ensure that the viewer takes the time to consider each piece on its own. www.matthew-grimes.format.com Format Theme: Offset

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RenĂŠe Mathews Multidisciplinary artist RenĂŠe Mathews says that her work aims to "investigate vulnerability, sensuality, and identity in a Black Canadian context." Mathews' collages make use of cut-out nude figures and superimposed handwriting for works that feel personal. A side-scrolling website layout allows for an easy overview of Mathews' work. www.reneemathews.format.com Format Theme: Horizon

Elizabeth Zvonar Elizabeth Zvonar is an artist based in Toronto who works with mediums including mixed media collage, photography, and sculpture. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the Aimia Photography Prize, one of Canada's most prestigious photography awards.

Zvonar has exhibited widely across Canada and internationally. Her website keeps things simple with ample text adding context and explanations to her work. www.elizabethzvonar.com Format Theme: Offset 12

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Nydia Hartono Based between Boston and Singapore, Nydia Hartono is a photographer and filmmaker currently studying visual and media arts at Emerson College. Hartono's collage artwork includes pieces for *Paper* and *Mood* magazines. A horizontally-scrolling theme with full-size images allows all the detail of Hartono's work to shine. www.nydia-hartono.com Format Theme: Horizon Left

Coco Ho In her photo collage series *Home As I Dreamt It,* Coco Ho reexamines her birthplace of Hong Kong; after living abroad for most of her life, the city is "both a home and a foreign place" to her. Having studied fashion design in addition to art and psychology, Ho is now a multidisciplinary creative working in creative direction as well as visual art. Ho divides up her website into different types of creative work for easy navigation. www.cocosrealm.com Format Theme: Grace 14

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Ben Lewis Giles Collage artist Ben Giles has recently worked with clients such as The Wall Street Journal and Vice; in 2017 he designed a Google Doodle to commemorate the birthday of horticulturist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. Giles' work has a distinctive multilayered, super-colorful feel that tends to stand out on the page. On his website the British artist aims for simplicity, with a side-scrolling theme that keeps the focus on his works. www.benlewisgiles.format.com Format Theme: Horizon Left *Cover image by Emon Toufanian.*

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Intricate Embroidered Photos of Anonymous People

In Melissa Zexter’s mixed media artwork, dreamy photographs are obscured by meticulous, tiny lines of embroidered thread.

By Jill Blackmore Evans 18

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t creates a multilayered image that tells more than one story at once. Whether her subjects are close-up portraits or vividly colored landscapes, the embroidery adds an intriguing dimension to Zexter’s photographs.

Her photos often have a nostalgic feel to them, perhaps because she frequently shoots in black and white film. The images feel anonymous, too, as the people and places Zexter shoots are obscured by her intricate threads. Grainy photos of schoolgirls on a shaded street or a meditative woman in a bath look as if they could’ve been ripped from the pages of a 1960s magazine. This may be intentional. Zexter says, “I always think of the photograph as something from the past and the thread as a reaction to the past and present.”

Of course the art of embroidery has a retro feel to it as well. But it’s been [making a comeback](https://www. format.com/magazine/galleries/art/contemporaryartists-weavers) recently, as a resurgence of artists like Zexter reclaim the grandmotherly past-time with provocative, unusual embroidered work.

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Zexter cites her childhood as an influence on her work: “My parents were antiques dealers and our house served as a warehouse for art, furniture, embroideries, rugs, etc,” the artist told TextileArtist.org. “My mother made all of our clothes, she knitted all of our sweaters, she embroidered pillows, painted murals on walls, she restored a 21-room house, and she did everything by hand. She is probably my biggest artistic influence.”

Scroll down to see our gallery of Melissa Zexter’s embroidered photographs, and find more of her work at her online portfolio, built using Format.

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www.format.com

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