Hell's Angels, Chapter 7 | Darren Smith

Handmade photo collage of fires from Paris and cemetery statues in Washington, DC; 14x14 in black frame

Kaleidoscopes.

Broken mirrors.

Reflections on water.

I have always been intrigued by things that create new visions of the world around me. I developed my artistic technique–making collages from my photographs–to create my own way of remixing reality, so I can reflect the world in the surreal way I see it. Each collage is handmade using glue and hundreds or thousands of small fragments of my photographs. I shoot many photos of a scene, create a new composition with the prints, cut them into small pieces, and glue them back together on illustration board. The layering of the pieces create a subtle three-dimensional effect, adding depth and a sculptural component.

My work subverts the “truth” that photographs are thought to document and rewards the viewer with visual surprises. In our increasingly digital age, my work transforms and expands the medium of photography with the intimacy, authenticity and creativity I apply through the power of the hand. From a distance, each collage looks like a painting; get closer and you see a photo; and further inspection will reveal the intricate mosaic of its construction.