Join us in the classroom for a workshop with resident artist Anastasia Kirages!
In this fast-paced workshop, participants will work together to make a one-page zine using collage. Each participant will start with their own one-page zine and then pass it around the table (just like in the game of hot potato!), so that everyone can add a little something to the pages. At the end, you will walk away with your very own unique one-page collage zine!
In my art I explore themes of memory, history, nostalgia, and preservation. I am inspired by family history as well as the history of people and places I visit. I utilize found ephemera through collage and zine-making to reflect on my own family history and relationships, and to create fictionalized memories in new contexts.
My creative process begins with a scavenger's mindset, sourcing imagery and content from a diverse array of materials such as vintage cookbooks and magazines, found photography, discarded textbooks, and old envelopes. This eclectic assemblage forms the foundation of my collages, which seamlessly blend other components such as paper, cardboard, thread, pressed flowers, and even product packaging.
The resulting compositions are underscored by a curiosity toward ephemera and a playful engagement with materiality. Each piece is a meticulously crafted layout of interconnected elements, carrying its own history and resonance. Wallpaper from the 1930s, envelope scraps from the 1940s, torn postcards, and faded ink drawings from an Italian textbook are just some examples of materials I have used.
Looking at artists such as Hannelore Baron, Joseph Cornell, Eugenio Dittborn, Ray Johnson, and Martha Rosler, I navigate the delicate balance between order and chaos, and storytelling and abstraction.
As I explore the realms of memory and history through collage, photography, and zines, my creations serve as both a celebration and contemplation of the impermanence of time, capturing fleeting moments and preserving them within the tangible fabric of my art.