Cut + Paste: The Practice of Collage

Bright and satirical, political and dreamy: Cut + Paste traces the influence of international movements such as Dadaism, Surrealism, Pop art, abstraction and new media art on contemporary collage in New Zealand.

Over the past century artists have been bringing discarded images and words from magazines and newspapers, advertising, websites and film footage to life through collage. Much more than a simple transfer from A to B, the practice of collage reflects an artist who spends a life time absorbing, collecting, rearranging and critiquing, while leaning on our understanding of visual culture to tell their story.

During its life time, collage has been used to push the boundaries of what is considered fine art, fuel the rally against propaganda, and question the effects of popular culture on individuals. Cut + Paste considers how this practice has played out in a New Zealand context, and showcases artists who select and rearrange images and subjects to challenge the way we see the world, particularly through the mainstream media.

Artists featured in Cut + Paste include Eve Armstrong , Margaret Aull, Richard Bryant, Rob Cherry, Daniel Crooks, Gordon Crook, Tjalling De Vries, Don Driver, Jaqueline Fraser, James R. Ford, Claire Harris, Jae Hoon Lee, Robert Hood, Gavin Hurley, Richard Killeen, Kerry Ann Lee, Peter Madden, Adrienne Millwood, Patrick Pound, J.K Russ , Richard Reddaway, Ava Seymour, Gordon Walters, Kate Woods, Ans Westra and Wayne Youle.