Collage has been a therapeutic practice for me since 2023. After a series of traumatic events and life changes left me creatively stagnant, I returned to analogue photography to reintroduce joy to my life. During a period of depression, I began to repurpose Polaroid frames to create tiny (3”x3”) collages. Working within the restricted space of the small frames helped me focus and gave me a sense of structure and control. Feelings of isolation along with a desire to drift through outer space, away from the pain, are common themes throughout my work. My collage practice has been a crucial outlet for processing grief and loss, sexual assault, isolation, and being diagnosed as neurodivergent at age 41. It does not require specialized supplies or expensive materials, instead relying only on scissors, a glue stick, and saving materials that would otherwise go to waste. I have recently moved towards making slightly larger collages, cutting and tearing vintage magazines to channel my inner world and work through complex emotions, allowing the images to convey and release these feelings beyond the written word. Metamorphosis is a snapshot of my life and the path I am following to transform into the truest version of myself.
Karlie Marrazzo is an Edmonton-born photographer and collage artist. She was free to dream from the time she was a young child, painting and drawing on her mother’s art room wall, and watching photographs develop and come to life in her father’s darkroom. She attended Victoria School of the Performing and Visual Arts in the 90s, where she was immersed in the arts, self-expression, and the DIY punk scene, whose fierce independence and brash attitudes still influence her to this day. Her work has been shown at Art From The Unknown, Bleeding Heart Art Space, Stollery Gallery at Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, The Aviary, and The Next Act Pub. She hosts and curates the annual “It’s Free To Dream” Art Show every Gemini season at The Aviary.