C. Grimaldis Gallery is pleased to begin 2018 with a group exhibition dedicated to collage. In the spirit of experimentation, these works assimilate different artistic practices and movements to form new expressions. Collages, An Exhibition showcases the work of seven artists and their unique approaches to a time honored medium.

Several artists in this exhibition found a particular resonance between collage and Abstract Expressionist painting. Esteban Vicente and Lee Hall fluidly translate the language of color field painting to torn and cut paper assemblage. Keith Martin’s masking tape improvisations echo the same layered narratives in his oil paintings, and watercolor collage was so important to Grace Hartigan that she called it a “second expression.”

Incorporating found imagery and material, the collages of Romare Bearden, Jose Manuel Fors and Vivian Fliegel are self-reflective and autobiographical. Bearden’s collage paintings recall memories of Old Harlem and life in the American South, while Fors’s photo-based works are visual records of his family history and cultural identity. Fragmented figures occupy clamorous surroundings in Fliegel’s surreal compositions inspired by everyday life.