Collage Project - Aileen Herrera

            Taking inspiration from works of Hannah Höch and Wangechi Mutu, my collage represents the transition from girlhood to womanhood, or the coexistence of both within one. Playing with duality, on the left is the girlhood side, having a more playful and whimsical vibe with pastel pinks and greens. On the right side is the womanhood side, having more drama and bold colors. “As Hannah Höch once wrote: “Photomontage could be used not merely to produce things heavy with political meaning . . . but . . . one could also regard it as a means of self-expression and eventually arrive at purely aesthetic works.” (Cash). My goal for this collage was to explore what growing up means to me and how sudden it happens, like a switch where now you are more conscious of the world around you and how you are preserved. “And so she comes to consider the surveyor and the surveyed within her as the two constituent yet always distinct elements of her identity as a woman.” (Berger) Especially for girls, I feel like once you have that realization of how others view you, your whimsy and fairytale constructed world shatters a little. The way I see it , you can still have fun and be playful and carefree but in the back of your mind you have those thoughts of warning, having to be alert. Simple things like walking down the street are now difficult without being catcalled or even assaulted.  I feel like both sides of immaturity and maturity have to be balanced. “it was most surprising to see that they begin as rather classical drawings before they are reworked, manipulated, amputated, ornamented and otherwise transformed.” (Cash) I used mostly magazine cut outs, along with stickers, gems, a bow and flower decoration. When looking back at how all these pictures were originally, it's very interesting to see how much they’ve changed in the process of my collage.  There is also a picture of me and my best friend in the middle, since we’ve gone through childhood together and are approaching womanhood. 

Inspiration:

Hannah Höch “Synthetische Bluemen” 1952

Hannah Höch “Das ewig Weibliche” 1967

My Collage:

Lipstick and Glitter