Tecknaren nr 4 2009
Om konst 23/9
Gallery KG52
continues this autumn with an ambitious exhibition
with more than 20 invited artist from all over the world. What links
them together is the collage as a form of expression. The title
"Cut & Paste" refers to its practice with scissors, scalpel
and glue
as well as to a transposed metaphorical meaning in the commands
used in the computers word and image editing programs. But most
of the artist stick to the more traditional hands on approach in their
combinations.
The dada-protest and surrealistic experiments have in the course of time
produced a tradition that is more characterized by nostalgia and a
elaborated artistic language than protest and innovation. This is not
meant as a critique. Above all the exhibition is saturated with love to,
and a belief in, the image itself.
A common trait that colours the comments by the artists in the exhibition
catalogue is the fascination with the unexpected encounters that emerge
when fragments from already existing, but very different worlds of images,
fertilize each other.
The unexpected encounter is instrumental in bringing to life not only new
ideas, but also a deeper understanding. To some degree the collage form
puts the spectator on equal footing with the artist, Pathfinding and old
experiences are weaved together. Without our inner images and
conventionalised words thought dont exist. This condition is something
that the collage makers takes joyous advantage of.
Mia Mäklilä (sweden) borrows ideas from Hieronymus Bosch to give
new
meaning to the light pornography from the last century. Fred Free (USA)
and Kareem Riszk (Australia) plays around with styles from the era of
the Dada movement. Sandra Müller, openly admits her love of the
materials as such especially combined with a fast and inspirational
work method that the collage technique allows. And this is something
most of the artist agrees on. In this interesting exhibition indulgence
in retrostyles is paired with paraphrase, irony, self-sufficiency,
curiosity and a conviction about the superiority of eclecticism.
Susanna Slöör, Om Konst – Translation edvard derkert