Untitled (Woman and Child) 1998

Rosemary Karuga, who was born in Kenya in 1928, made this striking image of a woman and child from cut-and-pasted paper. I love how she has used the paper to create such volume and depth, especially in the figure of the woman. You can almost feel Karuga at work, snipping and layering each piece to build up these figures. She’s not just depicting a subject, she’s constructing it, piece by piece, as if the act of making is as important as what is being represented. I can imagine her sifting through piles of colorful scraps, carefully selecting each piece for its tone, texture, and the way it fits with its neighbors. The collage has a rhythm of sharp, angular shapes against softer, more organic ones. It reminds me of Hannah Hoch, but also points toward something uniquely Karuga's. It's like she’s pulling the world apart and putting it back together in a new way. And that’s what art is, isn’t it? A constant conversation across time and space.