Collage art has popularly been associated with punk, since Jamie Reid tore out the eyes section of a picture of the Queen and gave her image some quick body piercing with some safety pins, two icons come together. It is the bringing together the radically disparate that has always been a hallmark of most collage art, from the early Berlin Dada experiments, and Max Ernst's proto-surrealist offerings, to the mediums re-emergence in the mid seventies with a largely musical movement that was just as incongruous at times, and every bit as savage as the knives of the mediums two great innovators, John Heartfield, and Hannah Hoch. Indeed, punk was thought of by some of the art students who participaed in its early form as the new dada.
But collage art, or montage art, whichever you wish to call it, has really been associated with punk by one band in particular, the Dead Kennedys. Their association with artwork didn't just end at the cover, bring home one of their records, and out would fall a booklet of artwork with masterpieces, just as cutting and savage and satirical as the lyrics they illustrated, courtesy of a partnership with collage masetro, Winston Smith, and the Kennedys' then singer, and leader, Jello Biafra.
Collage art suits the needs of some of the more political punk bands out there, and so it should. Be used more often for these purposes, punk needs to get out out of its narrow band of being purely a musical movement, it was started by artists, they should regain their place.
Article written by Jonathon Baker
Jonathon BakerLevel: BasicJonathon Baker is a Collage and Montage artist with many collaborations with magazines, bands and books to his name, he is also his own webmaster, ... ...
Jonathon Baker
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