Collage is an accessible and democratic art form : clipping and gluing found objects and other materials is something anyone can do. A collage may include any type of material and can be inspired by all sorts things.

Collage Coupee

The archives of the Dr. Guislain Museum are the perfect starting point for artists who are used to working with old photographs, documents, stamps… 14 selected artists from Coupee Collage Collective, a platform for contemporary collage art, scoured the archives and drew inspiration from psychological tests, blotting papers from medical registers and even a quote from a publication by Joseph Guislain. Their surprising perspective has resulted in inspiring, daring and challenging works of art made by means of the collage technique.

Collage #kunstinafzondering (art in confinement)

As a result of COVID-19, the Dr. Guislain Museum had to close its doors temporarily, as did the psychiatric institutions and youth detention centres. Their residents were severely impacted. Already early in the confinement period, a request was made to bring art and culture into these confined institutions. In partnership with Coupee Collage Collective, artists and residents of institutions were put in contact with each other and corresponded throughout April. Together they looked for the perfect balance between the artistic and social aspects as well as digital and analogue techniques, which resulted in #kunstinafzondering (art in confinement).

Artists sent artworks via mail art to one or several residents of an institution, who in turn provided feedback. Some artists asked the residents to get creative with the materials they sent them. Alternatively, cutting up or shredding their artwork so as to create something new could also be a line of approach.  This summer, the Dr. Guislain Museum presents a selection of the artworks produced over the course of the project. It proves that culture can also flourish within the walls of confined institutions, ensuring connection and contact between the residents and the outside world.

The information continues beneath the illustrations.