First major exhibition dedicated to contemporary collage

An exhibition opening this summer explores the ways black artists use the medium of collage to address issues ranging from national heritage to sexual orientation, from notions of beauty to fragmentation and reconstruction.

“Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage” is billed as the first major museum exhibition dedicated to contemporary collage and the exploration of the vast array of black experiences and identities in the United States.

Held at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, it features more than 60 works by a multigenerational group of about 45 artists. The exhibition was organized by the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.

“21st-century collage is an arguably understudied and underappreciated medium, especially in museum exhibitions,” explained Katie Delmez, senior curator at the Frist Art Museum and curator of the exhibition. “‘Multiplicity’ is an opportunity to highlight the formal complexity and vibrancy of the technique and to affirm its contributions to the field through the lens of some of today’s leading artists.”

Collage originated with the French Cubists and German Dada artists a century ago, and the tradition was adopted in innovative ways by African-American artists such as Romare Bearden, David C. Driskell, Jacob Lawrence and Faith Ringgold. Some of the artists in “Multiplicity,” such as Mutu and Deborah Roberts, work primarily in collage, though it is only a part of the practice of many others.

“The exhibition asserts that collage parallels how identity is constructed with a multitude of elements that create a singular whole,” said Adrienne L. Childs, senior consulting curator at the Phillips Collection and organizing curator of the presentation. “The process of fusing form and content aptly represents Black life. The artists create multifaceted works through the meaningful use of objects from their own lives that reflect their experiences and concerns.”

A catalogue further explores some of the ideas in the exhibition and includes essays by contributors including UCLA assistant professor of African art Tiffany Barber, Boston University art historian emeritus Patricia Hills, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts curator Valerie Cassel Oliver, and Duke University art historian Richard.

“Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage” will be on view at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC, from July 6 to September 22.

Source: Artnet News