Deconstructing and Reconstructing Realities: Collage as a Feminist Tool of Empowerment, Protest, and Expression

Abstract

This paper explores the multifaceted role of collage as a feminist strategy for empowerment, protest, and expression, highlighting its significance in the feminist art movement. Collage, characterized by its inherent process of cutting, rearranging, and juxtaposing various elements, is a metaphor for the feminist endeavor to dissect and reconfigure societal narratives about gender and power. We analyze works by prominent feminist artists who employ collage techniques to challenge and subvert traditional gender roles and stereotypes. This study delves into the historical emergence of collage in feminist art, tracing its roots to early 20th-century avant-garde movements and its resurgence in the 1970s feminist wave, when artists used collage to critique social constructs and promote gender equality. By examining contemporary examples, we demonstrate how collage remains a dynamic and critical medium for feminist expression, a mode of resistance capable of accommodating diverse voices and perspectives. Through theoretical frameworks and visual analysis, this paper argues that collage's accessibility and disruptive aesthetics make it an effective tool for feminist protest, capable of forging solidarity and driving social change. The implications of this research suggest that collage not only reflects feminist struggles but actively shapes them, offering a unique and potent means of cultural and political critique.



Author Information
Sadia Mir, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, Qatar
Patty Paine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, Qatar

Paper Information
Conference: BAMC2024
Stream: Visual Culture

This paper is part of the BAMC2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Mir S., & Paine P. (2025) Deconstructing and Reconstructing Realities: Collage as a Feminist Tool of Empowerment, Protest, and Expression ISSN: 2435-9475 – The Barcelona Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 31-44) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-9475.2024.4
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-9475.2024.4


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon