Helina Metaferia: Headdress 67, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist and Monique Meloche Gallery.
Written by: Max Weiner
The beauty of collages and their unmatched artisanry are on full display at the Monique Meloche Gallery.
Collage Culture is a showcase of some exceptional collages by a variety of mixed-media artists.Through their collage work, we are able to see a myriad of worlds combined into a stunningvisual cacophony, with each piece’s minutiae standing out on their own. Each work has depth, yes, but nothing too deep that one finds themselves lost within the work. Instead, what we are given is a tasting menu of storyboards that either provide us with the piece’s context or have us asking for more. Because of the nature of the work, much can be overlooked, but each artist’s mastery grants each their own spotlight; their work speaks for itself. Collage Culture opened on June 7 at the Monique Meloche Gallery and has a scheduled closing date of July 27.
Genevieve Gaignard: I Wish you Roses, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist and Monique Meloche Gallery.
A handful of the artists in Collage Culture use photography in their work, like Sheree Hovsepian, Helina Metaferia, Ebony G. Patterson, and most recognizably Mickalene Thomas. These artists use their own work to create their collages, while artists like Genevieve Gaignard and Antonius-Tín Bui incorporate found photography throughout. We are shown two separate schools of thought, but we see no friction. Instead, each artist’s style sings together with beautiful harmony and adds to the beauty of the others’.
Ebony G. Patterson’s work is certainly eye-catching, with bright colors and unique geometrical shapes immediately drawing you closer into her work. Her 2022 piece ...kiss goodbye ... goodbye kiss..., showcases her style perfectly and is one of the highlights of the entire series. It’san explosion of color, but each individual aspect of her collage grabs your attention as if it’s its own singular piece. One glance will have you focusing on one part, and another darting gaze will transport your mind to elsewhere on the image. Her work shows not just tremendous depth, but also her incredible talent as an artist and creator.
Ebony G. Patterson:…kiss goodbye …goodbye kiss…, 2022. Courtesy of the Artist and Monique Meloche Gallery.
Mickalene Thomas is no stranger to the photographic appreciator, and her presented collages only continue to demonstrate her prowess with the lens. Her two exhibited works are from her NUS Exotiques collection, specifically #4 and #1. The eyes of her subject are such a magnetic focal point, and in #4 they stare right into our souls, accompanied by an enticing cock of the subject’s mouth. It’s sensual and intimate, as is its sister image #1. Thomas also incorporates rhinestones onto her collages, their golds popping amidst a backdrop of pale grays and yellows. While the pieces themselves are big, their aura is large enough to fill an airplane hangar. In such a large-scale artistic presentation, Thomas’ work has the intimate ability to make us feel as if it’s just us and her, completely alone in a room with her masterful work. Her pieces have a true gravitational pull to them and command your attention no matter what. True masters have that ability.
Mickalene Thomas: NUS Exotiques #4, 2022. Courtesy of the Artist and Monique Meloche Gallery.
