In The Cut

A diverse retrospective on the volatile art of collage.
Meg Watson
Published on October 09, 2013

Overview

At first mention, collage may seem like that lost art form you left behind in Year 4 art class. Yeah, we all made a few sweet Clag-laden masterpieces, but we don't see many 'BfFs 5EvA' montages hanging in contemporary art galleries these days.

We sense ACCA's new exhibition, In The Cut, may be a little different. For starters, collage and assemblage have a strong tradition with social and political activism. Stretching as far back as the photomontages of Hannah Hoch in Weimar Germany, the act of re-appropriating imagery has always been inherently political. This group exhibition featuring the work of 16 international and local artists, will span the mediums of drawing, sculpture, prints, and photography — all with a focus on historical and contemporary collage.

Some artists to note include Linder Sterling whose work is synonymous with the London punk and post-punk scene; Ellen Gallagher who dissects the representation of race in print media; and Richard Larter, a local addition whose work revolves around Australia's socio-political history in the 1980s.

ACCA claims the exhibition will perfectly complement Tacita Dean's monumental work FILM a piece on show as part of the Melbourne Festival. And of course, the two collections absolutely have crossover — both are tactfully concerned with the mechanics of art production. However, from all the talent on show, it's clear In The Cut will be a standout in itself. This free exhibition is open from October 10 to November 24.

Image: Pretty Girls by Linder Sterling, courtesy of Stuart Shave / Modern Art, London.

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