5 Collage Artists to Keep an Eye Out For

Collage art emerged at the beginning of the 20th century with the help of cubist artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. The technique is associated with Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism, but you can find it in almost every artistic field, such as digital artwork, photomontage, and mosaic. Collage artists mix various materials and create unique artworks with many perspectives and powerful messages. The materials also vary from painted paper and wood to photographs, newspaper clippings, textiles, objects, mechanisms, and digital design.

More and more artists choose collage art to express their creativity. Collages provide a new dimension and change the way the public interacts with the artwork. Materials enrich the visual story with tactile sensations. Moreover, the juxtaposition of layers creates depth and delivers profound messages that fascinate the public. If you’re curious about the work of contemporary collage artists, keep an eye out for the following artists.

Brian De Graft

Brian De Graft (BD Graft) has an eclectic style and a positive message. Inspired by 20th-century artists such as Matisse, De Kooning, Frankenthaler, and Avery, the artist combines paintings, drawings, and samplings from other artists’ work in his collages. De Graft stays away from technology and makes his collages by hand; it’s a statement of creativity and humble interaction with the raw materials that will become his art.

Raquel van Haver

Raquel van Haver refers to her work as “loud” and places on the canvas paint, resin, paper, ash, and other materials. She uses heavily textured collages to portray people and social issues. If you read between her layers, you’ll find stories about race, cultural identity, colonialism, migration, and poverty.

Rosie Sayers

Rosie Sayers uses collage art to create a fantasy world. La vie en rose concept is transposed into landscapes that resemble Monet’s paintings. Sayers creates dreamscapes with a feminine touch, inspired by the beauty of nature and the liberty of dreams. Collage art is perfect for her juxtaposition of textures, colors, and ideas. The result is a mesmerizing body of work that makes the public daydream.

Derek Gores

When you recycle old magazines and maps to create collages, you bring to life new concepts and old stories at the same time. Derek Gores builds artistically playful puzzles, which turn into photo-realistic artworks when seen from afar. He’s able to use song lyrics, data, charts, and any painted piece of paper in his collages. 

Lola Dupré

Surrealist, intriguing, and made by hand, Lola Dupré’s work has captivated the public’s attention. She uses small duplicated images to reconstruct reality and present surrealist portraits. Using a soft color palette, feminine subjects, and a lot of humor, Dupré starts a conversation about beauty standards. And when the subject matter is a famous political figure, you can see very clearly the power of Dupré’s collages.

Article written by Monica Radulescu
Feature art by Brian De Graft