Untitled 1998

Rosemary Karuga made this collage out of found paper. Look how she's layered the newsprint to create a subtle yet dynamic backdrop for the figures. I imagine her sifting through piles of discarded paper, spotting colors and textures, then carefully cutting and arranging each piece. It reminds me of the way Kurt Schwitters built his Merz collages. I'm struck by the way Karuga uses fragments of text and images to create form, like the figure in a blue dress, collaged from a sheet of blue paper with white text printed on it. The act of collaging involves a kind of alchemy, transforming ordinary materials into something extraordinary. Like all artists, Karuga is in conversation with her materials and with the world. She’s revealing the potential for beauty and meaning in the everyday. It's like she's saying, "Look closer, there's so much more to see.”