The death of print media has been declared numerous times over the past few decades, with countless local newspapers closing, digital readership surging, and journalism facing significant challenges. However, the exhibition “Multiplicity: Blackness in American Collage” challenges this narrative, showcasing how print can be revitalized through art.
One standout piece is Helina Metaferia’s Headdress 61 (2023), featuring artist Chase Williamson adorned in a striking headdress made from newspaper clippings sourced from Nashville archives, where Williamson worked as a curatorial fellow. The headdress incorporates visible headlines, including one about integration efforts in Birmingham, Alabama, while other clippings reference protests following Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. The aged quality of the clippings lends a golden hue to the piece.
Another notable work is Narcissister’s Untitled Kingston NY Collage Series (Grey hair quilt) (2021), where a face is obscured by triangular cutouts from magazines and art catalogs. The artist meticulously assembles a collage of facial features, topped with a large, elegantly manicured hand that appears to caress the rephotographed materials.
Both artists exhibit a charming enthusiasm for their craft, having clearly spent considerable time in libraries and archives. They transform their source materials, envisioning new possibilities for printed media.
“Multiplicity,” which premiered at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville before moving to the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., marks an important chapter in the history of collage. Traditionally associated with white artists like Georges Braque and Hannah Höch, who used newspapers to provoke thought, this exhibition features nearly 50 Black artists who adopt a more nurturing approach. Their work thoughtfully reinterprets printed fragments without the harshness often seen in earlier collages.
For instance, Kandis Williams’ collage addresses the historical anti-Black sentiments in European dance, presenting a serene composition that contrasts with its critical subject matter. Similarly, Lester Julian Merriweather’s #BetterGardensandJungles (2017–21) critiques the whitewashed narratives of magazines like Better Homes & Gardens, while Tay Butler’s Hyperinvisibility (2022) deconstructs images of Black basketball players, emphasizing their fragmented presence in media.
Cyrus, another featured artist, repurposes print media by cutting and weaving strips of images, infusing them with texts intended as “medication” for the Jet archive he explores. This approach suggests that the archive is not static but open to reinterpretation.
Lorna Simpson similarly reimagines Jet pin-ups, presenting images of Black women overlaid with cosmic maps, prompting reflections on their visibility and identity. While Jet’s last print issue was published in 2014, suggesting a finite archive, Simpson’s work invites viewers to consider the infinite possibilities of space and representation.
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
