CLAMP is pleased to present “Sharp Cuts: Queer Collage” a group exhibition including work by sixteen artists. Encompassing a range of methodologies—from traditional scissors-and-glue assemblages to digital manipulations and intricate three-dimensional constructs—the exhibition demonstrates the varied and expansive potentials of collage as a form of queer expression.

Collage synthesizes disparate elements to forge cohesive, albeit multifarious, narratives. This process mirrors the lived experiences of queer individuals who navigate, reconstruct, and recontextualize their identities within societal and political paradigms. The exhibition foregrounds this metamorphic journey, showcasing how materials can be appropriated and transformed to articulate new meanings, challenge commonly swallowed cultural mores, and foster inclusive discourses.

David Wojnarowicz’s assertion, “I make collages of various things from the world and then I find out what I’m about from the collage,” encapsulates the thesis of the show. Here, each artwork is not merely a visual assemblage but an introspective and critical dialogue with its constituent fragments. The act of collaging becomes a practice of self-exploration and socio-political critique, where the juxtaposition of images, texts, and objects engenders a space for subversion and reclamation.

The reclamation of the term “queer” parallels the ethos of collage—both have transcended their pejorative origins to become symbols of empowerment, resistance, and inclusivity. This repossession is inherently subversive, challenging normative frameworks. Through their artworks, the artists in “Sharp Cuts” interrogate the status quo, dismantle binary constructs, and propose an alternative queer utopia.

The exhibition features a diverse selection of artists whose practices are unified by their innovative use of collage as a medium for queer articulation. Florencia Alvarado’s intricate compositions of hands evoke the powerfulness of vulnerability and the urge to connect through touch and human relationships. Anthony Goicolea’s evocative works explore the fluidity of self and identity through coded body language, gesture, and performance, while Ken Graves also employs the human body—in its mortal weakness and its athletic strength—as a metaphor critiquing American culture and its masculine constructs and standardized notions of the performance of gender.

Justine Kurland’s seemingly violent and visceral act of cutting up photobooks of straight, white, male artists who have traditionally monopolized the photographic canon, is ultimately restorative and empowering in its feminist reappraisal and reinvention. And Kelli Connell/Natalie Krick similarly question the history of photography through a reimagining of Edward Steichen’s iconic exhibition “The Family of Man,” thus critiquing what narratives are told, by whom and for whom.

Aaron Krach’s playfully pointed celebration and critique of Modernism and gay male sexuality and objectification ultimately addresses the tragedy of loss.

John O’Reilly’s meticulous collages traverse the realms of fantasy and reality to explore themes of desire and transgression. Antonio Pulgarín’s art critically engages with sociopolitical themes, using the medium of collage to deconstruct and recontextualize narratives of power and resistance. Lovie Olivia’s dynamic works foreground the resilience and creativity of queer communities, drawing from a rich tapestry of cultural references to create vibrant artworks meant to empower.

Jonah Samson and John Cassidy Smith offer visually arresting works that interrogate the intersections of identity, visibility, and representation. Their pieces challenge the viewer to reconsider the boundaries of the self and the other, proposing new modalities of queer visibility. Boris Torres’s and Charles Wilkin’s compositions evoke the fluidity and multiplicity of queer identities, using layered imagery to explore themes of sexuality and transformation.

Guanyu Xu creates temporary immersive installations in his parents’ home in Beijing in order to queer the normativity of heterosexual space challenging conservative taboos of his childhood. Michael Young similarly addresses his formative years by reappropriating vintage gay pornographic calendars published between the time the artist began to recognize his own sexuality and when he came out of the closet. Both artists explore shame, fear, and eventual acceptance in relation to one’s sexual identity.

“Sharp Cuts: Queer Collage” invites viewers to engage with the transformative potential of collage. Through their diverse and powerful works, the artists in the show illuminate the radical possibilities of collage and help conceptualize a societal renewal that welcomes queer people.

Exhibition Details

Interview by Dana Stirling

How did the concept for "Sharp Cuts: Queer Collage" come about, and what drew you to collage as a medium for exploring queer expression?
The concept grew organically. After seeing many strong examples, I, Brian Paul Clamp, began considering an exhibition focusing specifically on queer collage. Upon meeting artist Michael Young and having a series of conversations, I invited him to co-curate a show for CLAMP.
Similar to the resurgence of alternative processes, such as photograms, cyanotypes, salt prints, etc., in recent years there has been a parallel focus from contemporary artists on collage, perhaps motivated by the same desire to engage with the photographic medium in tactile, analog ways, as a response to the ubiquity of digital technologies.

As co-curators, we both also believe that there is a correlation between the lived queer experience and collage, in that our stories and histories are a pastiche taken from the world around us. Typically we are expected to live our lives immersed in a presumption of heteronormativity. We, as queer people, have to pick and choose the pieces we can tolerate and use, and then reconfigure them into a semblance of functionality that works for each of us individually. It is a retrofitting of sorts.

In curating this exhibition, how did you approach the balance between traditional and contemporary methods of collage? What challenges or opportunities did this present?
At the outset we were not particularly concerned with the balance of traditional l (i.e., analog collage methods) versus constructions made digitally, so long as the projects selected demonstrated a high degree of execution artistically while also being supported by a clear voice and message. Given how broadly the term “queer” is used, we also strived to make sure that the exhibition showcased work from a wide range of artistic voices.

A curatorial challenge we embraced was ensuring that the works in the exhibition were in dialogue with each other. For instance, Justine Kurland’s intricate collage made exclusively of cut outs from images in a book by William Eggleston in order to challenge a photographic history once dominated by white men speaks to Kelli Connell and Natalie Krick’s deconstruction of Edward Steichen’s famous publication The Family of Man. All three artists are working with historical publications, inviting the viewer to consider the role and power the heterosexual male had in almost exclusively shaping the way we visually read the world around us and who is allowed a voice at the table when it comes to shaping visual narratives.

*Kelli Connell/Natalie Krick | “Suits”* 2022

Can you speak to the diversity of artistic practices represented in this exhibition? How did you select the artists and their works to create a cohesive yet multifaceted narrative?
First and foremost, we really looked for artists who were putting together solid collages that were charged with an important message, whether it be political, social, or personal. Execution of the collages was also non-negotiable for both of us as we researched artists and reviewed their work. Besides that, we were looking for diversity on a variety of levels to show how the conception of collage is expanding—similar to how the queer umbrella has grown to be more inclusive over time.

Collage often involves the appropriation and transformation of materials. How do the artists in this exhibition use these techniques to critique or reimagine societal norms related to gender and sexuality?
We think that critiquing and reimagining societal norms, or asking that these norms be reconsidered, are the heart of almost all of the collages in the show. One example from the exhibition is Jonah Samson’s work. Each of his four collages on display are hand-cut collages made of two vintage gelatin silver production stills from classic black-and-white films. In each piece, Samson replaces the female heroine with a male character from another film so that the resulting image is an intimate and unexpected moment shared by two male actors. Samson presents the viewer with a utopian version of vintage films that never existed.

What do you hope visitors take away from "Sharp Cuts: Queer Collage"? How do you envision the exhibition contributing to the ongoing dialogue around queer art and culture?
Despite important historical precedents (e.g., Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch, etc.), contemporary photocollage does not receive its just due. It is our goal that the exhibition we have curated with a diverse selection of artists is unified by the innovative use of collage as a medium for queer articulation. The show is meant to foreground how materials can be appropriated and transformed to articulate new meanings, challenge commonly swallowed cultural mores, and foster inclusive discourses.

*John Cassidy Smith | “(14) The Hottest Ass in Town”*2023

What were some of the curatorial challenges you faced in bringing together such a diverse group of artists, and how did you ensure that each artist's voice was represented within the broader narrative of the exhibition?
One obvious challenge was striking a balance among a chorus of such different queer artistic voices. Hopefully we achieved that by making a conscious decision to limit the number of artists in the show. This choice also allowed for most of the artists to present more than just a single piece in the exhibition. By providing each artist with a certain amount of wall space, and expanding the show to incorporate both the front and back gallery spaces at the venue, we were able to provide the viewer with a deeper sense of process and practice.

Brian, as the owner of CLAMP, how does "Sharp Cuts: Queer Collage" align with your gallery’s mission and vision? What significance does this exhibition hold for you personally and for the gallery’s broader programming?
“Sharp Cuts: Queer Collage” fits precisely into the gallery’s wider programming which aims to champion a generous range of contemporary artistic perspectives. The exhibition holds special significance for me in that the concept grew from a small idea, or rather an observation made, many years back, and it came to fruition and was made much more meaningful and powerful through conversation and collaboration with Michael, a person I admire, whose ideas challenge me to think more deeply.

Do any of you have a standout piece from the exhibition? If so, which one resonates most with you and why?
All of the artworks in the show operate in disparate, important ways. But for us, Anthony Goicolea’s “Anonymous Self Portrait LIV” explores the fluidity of self and identity, articulating the challenging reality of simultaneous concealment and disclosure familiar to many queer people

*Anthony Goicolea | “Anonymous Self Portrait LIV”* 2019

Exhibition Details

Aug 16 Brian Paul Clamp and Michael Young

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Aug 16 Brian Paul Clamp and Michael Young

Aug 12 Matthew Finn