Sunday, July 5, 2009

Ofer Wolberger's Anatomy of a Collage and Collage Portraits

Although probably better known for his series Life With Maggie, Ofer Wolberger's lesser known collage work is some of his most interesting. In the spirit of early 20th century collagists such as Raoul Hausmann, John Heartfield, Hannah Höch, El Lissitzky, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Aleksandr Rodchenko, Wolberger's interest in Constructivism, Surrealism and Dadaism is certainly recognizable. However, his collages are not simply derivations of earlier practitioners. Many of Wolberger's collages address 21st century consumer culture by using contemporary advertisements to construct his montages. Perhaps one of my favorite of Wolberger's collages is his clever and indebted nod to photo history, "After Walker Evans, 1998," which pays homage to Walker Evans' iconic photograph "Penny Picture Display, Savannah [Photographer's Studio Window with Portraits], 1936."

Make sure to look at the rest of the collages from both Anatomy of a Collage and Collage Portraits.


From "Collage Portraits"
© Ofer Wolberger



After Walker Evans, 1998 (From "Anatomy of a Collage")
© Ofer Wolberger



Orgy, 2000 (From "Anatomy of a Collage")
© Ofer Wolberger



From "Collage Portraits"
© Ofer Wolberger