Piece Work

New York collagist Charles Wilkin entered the world of cut-and-paste by accident. When he forgot to bring the correct art materials to a college drawing class, his teacher let him cut up a pack of photos from another class to create collages — and he discovered he had an affinity for it. These days he mixes ideas with images culled from pop culture and newspapers — stuff that “just gets tossed away” — and makes a living in the process. Wilkin’s work is included in the Month of Photography show The Vital Illusion, a curated display of collage and photo montage on view at Vertigo Art Space through the end of March; as part of tonight’s show’s reception earlier this month, he gave an artist talk about his chosen medium. “Sadly, collage has been seen as a weird craft, a non-legitimate art form, but lately it’s having a resurgence,” Wilkin explains. “A lot of people are starting to pay attention to it and are seeing its validity.”

Collage also has a role as a cutting-edge political tool, he notes: “If you take a look into the history of collage, it always seems to be-come popular on the fringe of social upheaval — the dada movement, punk rock. This is not what you did in kindergarten; it’s all about taking elements from the past and remixing them into the now.”

The Vital Illusion shows collage at its best, with images ranging from handmade to digital — including a few pieces by onetime Aspen habitue Herbert Bayer. Drop by Vertigo, 960 Santa Fe Drive, through March 31. For more details, go to www.vertigoartspace.com or call 303-573-VERT.

March 1-31, 2013