Politics in Collage: Midterm Report on the Rise of Authoritarianism

Politics in Collage: Midterm Report on the Rise of Authoritarianism is a four-week virtual/online residency with Kolaj Institute. The residency brings collage artists together to make artwork responding to the global rise in authoritarianism. Using The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide as a starting point, participants will learn how to read and decode authoritarianism, understand how it operates, and consider strategies for resisting or countering it. Accepted artists will receive a copy of the book. Participants will explore the history of political collage, from its early 20th-century roots in European anti-fascist movements to contemporary political collage practices. Beginning in the second week, artists will present a weekly collage responding to an example of rising authoritarianism or resistance to it, receive critical feedback, and develop statements documenting the history and context of their artwork. The residency is led by G.E. Vogt. Participants will also hear from political collagist Ginger Sisco Cook; artists from the 2025 Politics in Collage residency; and curator Ric Kasini Kadour, who will lead discussions about artist practice, zines as a strategy for diffusing political art, and contemporary art’s role in society. Artwork made during the residency will be published in the zine, Mid-term Report on the Rise of Authoritarianism. Artists will also be invited to speak about their work during a Kolaj LIVE Online event on Monday, 26 October 2026, 7-9PM EDT.