Collage, Each 2.5 x 3 in.
FRED BLAUTH
In Fred Blauth's work, everyday objects are transformed into personalized collages, showcasing a playful blend of found materials from his Queens, New York, community. His work, which avoids a singular theme, emphasizes a creative process that includes unique constraints and a queer sensibility. Blauth anticipates the future of collage as an evolution driven by the changing relationship between artist, materials, and vision, emphasizing the personal and communal essence of his practice.
Collage, Each 2.5 x 4.5 in.
"As a collagist, I must use what I have around me to make what I need. What I need is sometimes a birthday gift, or a game, or an adventure to go on, a friend, a cause— a reason to play. What I have are books from my neighbors or confetti from the dollar store or shells from the beach: the stuff around me. There's always an act of transformation involved. I often have someone in mind when I’m working too."
Collage, Sizes Variable
"I do not have a distinct theme however, I do regularly make collages in the format of trading cards. This practice started a year ago when I began to make suits of cards that worked within a theme, monthly. I have to thank my friend Steve Hohenboken who invited me to trade with him and others in the group, MICPCE, the Monthly International Playing Card Exchange (#micpce). Me and Steve recently founded our own trading card group too called Queer Card (#queencard) and play quarterly. It’s a small group right now–if you’d like to join us, reach out! Since October 2022, I’ve made over 100 cards and have received almost just as many back in trade."
Collage, Each 2.5 x 3 in.
Collage, Sizes Variable
"I don’t have any hard or fast rules overall but often use restraints within project to project. For one series, I forced myself to make decisions without scissors or blades. Another time, I would only us imagery from one source. When I started making collages, I was really interested in fusion and only let myself combine two pieces of paper per work. I also try to only use material I’ve found from the world IRL. I’m queer so there’s always going to be a fairy’s touch in everything I do."
Collage, Each 2.5 x 3 in.
"Most of my material comes from Queens. During Covid, all the libraries shut down. A man in my neighborhood set up tables by the park for people to trade books in the meantime. The Sunnyside Books and Media Swap is still operating today and books from all over the world are traded there day and night for free. When I’m not using books from the swap, I still search the world around me: Thrift stores, libraries, seedy porn shops, the ground, dollar stores...gifts sometimes too will appear from special people in my life, my angels. It's always a game of search and find. As for subject matter, it's not so clear cut why I gravitate toward something.. I always feel like everything’s flying at me and it's only my job to capture what I see–to use it."
Collage, Sizes Variable
Fred Blauth was born in 1993 in New Jersey. He is currently living in Woodside, New York City, USA.
For Your Viewing Pleasure
Ibrahim Ahmed’s manipulations of materials are informed by research into the histories of peoples and objects. His works in photography, mixed media, sculpture and installation engage with subjects related to colonization, structures of power, cultural interactions and fluid identity, generating discussions around the idea of self and notions of authenticity within the parameters of the nation state.
Michael DeSutter is a mixed media artist living and working in Los Angeles, CA. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, in Art Studies with a concentration in Photography, from Purdue University.
Ajit Chauhan's artistic practice is deeply influenced by the concept of chance and the energetic essence of materials, finding poetry in the mundane through interventions that transform everyday objects into vessels of unexpected beauty. Drawing inspiration from Arte Povera, his work transcends the ordinary, inviting viewers to discover the hidden poetry that permeates daily life.
Bruce Nauman, b.1941, is an American artist known for his diverse works across sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance. With an MFA from the University of California at Davis, his art delves into word play, moral dilemmas, and the intersection of physical and mental experiences, often infused with humor.
Ian Woods, currently based in Florida, began gaining social media recognition for his digital portraits of pop-culture and musical figures since high school, marking the start of his artistic career in 2015. Transitioning from digital to both realistic and distorted portraits, Woods further developed his unique style into collage work in 2018, employing brand logos, pastels, crayons, sandpaper, and various materials to craft his distinctive artworks.
Out and About
What to watch, read, and experience, as curated by the Collé team.
READ
Photography – A Queer History
This new book examines how photography has been used by artists to capture, create and expand the category 'Queer'. It bookmarks different thematic concerns central to queer photography, forging unexpected connections to showcase the diverse ways the medium has been used to fashion queer identities and communities.
VISIT
Martin Margiela – Brussels
The Bernier/Eliades Gallery is presents an exhibition of new works from artist Martin Margiela who's visual practice spans a broad range of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, collage and film. His works attest to his fondness for the overlooked and unconventional. Margiela magnifies both disruptions and poetic junctions, seeking beauty in the fleeting.
LISTEN
Ghost Riders – A Compilation
A North American road trip of coming of age garage soul mapped by Ivan Liechti, Ghost Riders is Efficient Space’s latest narrative compilation, hovering in a liminal emotional ravine between moonlight melancholy, teenage heartache and unchecked, unrealized ambition.
