Seattle, Washington, USA. Benjamin Malay assembles discarded materials and found objects to make reverent three-dimensional art. Inspired by wooden sewing machine drawers, fishing tackle, vintage glass, old first-aid kits, auto repair manuals and maps, his work includes a tribute to his grandfather, an appliance repairman and tropical fish enthusiast. Peering through the blue-green slide projector lens to the fishing lure beneath, Malay pictures him tending tanks in his backyard greenhouse Saturday afternoons.

Savannah, Georgia, USA. Axelle Kieffer says about her work, "Selecting an image, cutting a piece of paper and using paper cuts to create another image with a different meaning is a way to be in touch with the world around me. Collaging opens a new perspective of my identity by simultaneously confronting collective memories and individual consciousness. It has been a dialogue with my uncertainty and ultimately connection with the outside world.

at Mackenzie House in Toronto, Ontario, Canada through 7 January 2024. “My house too” is the visual essay written in collaboration between the five young artists using the media of collage and their exploration of themes during their time at Mackenzie House. The artists were interested in the call for social and political reforms put forth by William Lyon Mackenzie, but most were compelled in their work by unseen or underrepresented people such as Mary Ann Shadd, and others players in the stories of change and rebellions that are often untold. The project and exhibition were led by Toronto-based collagist Danielle Cole.

Kolaj Institute is partnering with Madera E. Rogers-Henry and The Recycle Challenge on several projects in 2024. Rogers-Henry will lead a workshop as part of the Collage Artist Residency: Joy as Subject: Mardi Gras. Folks from The Recycle Challenge will join residents and the Mystic Krewe of Scissors & Glue for “The Paper Parade,” a collage-inspired Carnival parade on Sunday, 28 January. Kolaj Institute and the Krewe will in turn join The Recycle Challenge’s Earth Day Parade. The two organizations will work together to bring Kolaj Institute’s network of collage artists in Africa and The Recycle Challenge’s network of artists in Nigeria and Ghana to create an exhibition that explores the intersection of art, craft, and recycled materials. The Recycle Challenge will also be a featured presentation at Kolaj Fest New Orleans.

Silvia Beltrami at Ticinese Art Gallery in Milan, Italy through 10 February 2024. Silvia Beltrami’s “Fragmenta” series is a material investigation characterized by fresco tearing, a procedure by which a fresco is taken away from its original wall, by removing the pictorial part and the surface plaster and then transferred onto a new support (calicot method, from the name of the thin canvas also called “grandmother’s rag”, which is used to remove the fresco) where the artist subsequently intervenes by applying fragments of coated paper. “Fragmenta” draws inspiration from current events, which, mediated by the mass media, become propaganda, not allowing space for free thought and, therefore, feeding homogenisation.

In January 2024, Kolaj Institute will move into a 1200 square foot space in the New Orleans Healing Center on the corner of St. Claude and St. Roch Avenues. The space will serve as an exhibition gallery, residency center, artist studio, library and archive.

Can you help us make it happen?

Next Deadline: 29 December 2023. Kolaj Institute is partnering with A’ the Airts and the Nithsdale Hotel in Sanquhar, Scotland to offer week-long residencies for collage artists in Spring and Fall 2024. Collage Artist Residency: Scotland is a week-long artist residency designed for artists working in collage who seek to make art in community with other artists. The residency will unfold over the course of a week. As part of Kolaj Institute's year long exploration of Castles as Buildings, Metaphors, and Systems of Power, while in Scotland, we will consider the castles of Sanquhar, Drumlanrig, and Morton; their history, folklore, and evolution. Residencies are intended for self-motivated collage artists, regardless of the stage in their career, who want to develop their practice, collaborate with others and who want to develop a practice of working with place, historic sites or history associations to create and present art that speaks to a general community about contemporary issues. Read the full call to artists on the website. 

Deadline to Apply: Sunday, 31 December 2023. In this in-person residency, collage artists will explore joy as subject and consider how to bring joy into one’s practice. Working with the Mystic Krewe of Scissors & Glue, residents will collaborate on a collage-themed, informal-walking parade. Through presentations, guest speakers, and museum visits, artists will explore the history of Carnival, and other artists whose work is designed to bring joy to its viewers. Topics will explore the intersection of craft, contemporary art, social practice, and culture work; collaboration and community building; how to start and maintain a collage community; sharing joy and art with others; and the technology of Art as experience. Read the full call to artists on our website.