The Photocollage Exhibition Guide
Last month, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch took center stage at Paris Photo to highlight his lesser-known practice as an avid photographer and photo collage artist. As a guest speaker, he curated a selection of photographs for the fair to mark the centenary of surrealism, drawing attention to one of the movement’s most iconic techniques: photocollage. His curated works included photomontages by Carmen Calvo and Deborah Turbeville, and he also hosted a signing for his recent monograph of collages, Some Collages.
Photocollage and the use of found imagery have experienced a resurgence, with prominent galleries hosting exhibitions spotlighting artists who continue to innovate with the technique.
To delve deeper into this renewed interest - and to coincide with Episode 04 of Reely & Truly, which features renowned photocollage artist John Stezaker - we’ve listed some must-see exhibitions exploring this method of image-making.
Linder Sterling: Danger Came Smiling, The Hayward Gallery, London
11.02.25 - 05.05.25
Linder Sterling, a pioneering figure in the punk and post-punk movements, has long used photocollage as her primary mode of expression. Rising to prominence in the late 1970s, Sterling’s work became synonymous with the cultural rebellion of the era. Her iconic 1977 artwork for the Buzzcocks’ Orgasm Addict single—featuring a female torso adorned with an iron for a head and mouths for nipples—epitomized her sharp critique of consumerism and gender norms. Over decades, Sterling has continued to use collage to confront societal taboos, particularly around sexuality and the female body.
Sterling’s upcoming retrospective at the Hayward Gallery will look back on her 50-year career, including an array of her iconic photomontages alongside previously unseen works and new commissions.
Deborah Turbeville: Photocollage, The Photographers Gallery, London
09.10.24 - 23.02.25
The Photographers Gallery pays homage to Turbeville's trailblazing photographic explorations, from fashion photos to her very personal work. The exhibition reveals Turbeville's highly personal artistic universe, which has been credited with transforming fashion imagery into avant-garde art.
She experimented with the developing process, from the darkroom to the studio table. She ripped, cut and tore her photographs; manipulated, pinned and glued them together to create unique hybrid objects. Deborah Turbeville: Photocollage is a new appreciation of Turbeville's ground-breaking contribution to the history of photography.
Martha Rosler and Nancy Buchanan: Entropy, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles
14.12.24 - 11.01.24
Buchanan and Rosler both work across several mediums yet maintain political engagement at the core of their practice, utilizing video, photography, sculpture, painting, and performance to highlight injustice and inequality throughout their bodies of work. The two artists connected in California in the early 1970s, recognizing in one another a distinct multidisciplinary approach to political artmaking and commitment to feminism. The exhibition includes works from two of Rosler’s major series – The Rewards of Money and Off the Shelf – alongside collage works, paintings, and drawings by Buchanan. In these works, both Buchanan and Rosler probe the decaying center of late-stage capitalism and the failed promise of the American dream.
Sara Cwynar: Baby Blue Benzo, 52 Walker, New York
04.10.24 - 21.12.24
Sara Cwynar's Baby Blue Benzo explores the intersections of photography, artifice, and contemporary life through a collage-like assembly of archival and found materials. Using found images, AI-generated visuals, and new video footage, Cwynar weaves a dense narrative that reflects on how images shape perception and productivity in the modern era. Central to the work are recurring motifs like a replica of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and the color baby blue, which connect luxury, consumerism, and personal struggles like insomnia.
Watch Episode 04 of Reely and Truly on John Stezaker here
