What is collage art? How creatives are going back to basics in the age of AI

Collage art isn’t just a vintage throwback—it’s making a serious comeback, and it’s no coincidence. As AI-generated images flood the creative scene, artists are turning to collage to rebel, reconnect with nature, and restore a human touch to their work.

So, what is it about this hands-on art form that’s got creatives pushing back against tech? Could collage be the answer to artists reclaiming creative control in the age of AI? Let’s dive into the rise of collage art, why it’s trending, and how it’s striking a chord with creatives.

Traditional collage, as an application technique, didn’t originate from a reactionary impulse started by technology—it started long before that. The word comes from the French word coller, which means to glue. This art form focuses on overlapping pieces of different materials, flat or not. The technique is about selecting, cutting, arranging, and pasting materials onto a surface.

The technique was used in China alongside the invention of paper and later in Japan. Fast-forward to medieval Europe and materials like gold leaf and gemstones were applied to panels, religious images, and coats of arms. That was the origin of collage, which some art historians deny because the collage that we know today has a different definition.

According to the Tate Gallery, modern collage is much more than gluing something onto something else. Collage offers a new perspective, analyzes the relationship between the different mediums, and creates new meaning.

Modern collage originated with the Cubist art movement. Artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque described their multi-material experiments as collages. Later, the Dada movement explored the absurd with unconventional materials like tickets, strings, nails, and all kinds of paper scraps. In the 1960s, pop art used the collage technique for social commentary and started using silkscreen on collages.

Collage is an art form that challenges high art and is often used as a revolutionary means of expression. The cut-and-paste, unpolished quality lends itself to the anti-aesthetic movement, trying to make the every day into an elevated style.

The rapid advances in AI are completely changing the way we produce and consume images. For instance, photography used to involve a meticulous process; these days, AI allows anyone with a phone to look like a photography pro.

Plus, with the abundance of visual content on social media platforms, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. The growth of AI is prompting some artists to move in the opposite direction and go back to basics by embracing more physical mediums.

Handmade art tends to have more value due to the connection the artist has with it, as well as the patience and long creative process behind creating it. It all starts with a collage idea, often a commentary on the current social and political situation of the world. As a result, many traditional collages are considered rebellious, not only because of the way they look, unpolished but also because they can include a critical analysis of societal norms.

Going against technology is nothing new. There are many examples throughout art history that emerged from difficult times with technology, a reactionary push to ‘the other side’—the handmade art side. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, the Arts and Crafts movement led by William Morris reevaluated craftsmanship and the condition in which art was produced.

The Dada movement included plenty of collages that challenged the notion of 2D and introduced 3D pieces called ‘readymade’—think collage with voluminous objects or installation art. Photomontages also became popular with the Dada movement, as artists created surrealist images with added meaning based on the political events of the time.

In the 1950s, a few pop artists also made use of the collage technique. They often used irony and humor to depict what was popular in mass culture. After the internet boom and around the early 2010s, we experienced yet another push for handmade art. Screenprinting, collage, and handcrafted items became popular.

A great example of using handmade art to achieve something without technology is the work of the great David Carson in the early 90s. Many of his handcrafted pieces included collage techniques using torn paper, typography, and other materials, while completely ignoring the ‘rules’ of graphic design.

If we turn to the music world, we’ll also find examples of mixed media collage art used for music videos.

Punk band Green Day‘s video, Too Dumb to Die, is a fun and dynamic example of digital collage art. We see a video which uses a color palette of white, black, and red as the main colors, with newspaper typography and fast transitions creating a punk trash aesthetic collage.

Another instance of mixed-media collage art is Coldplay’s Up & Up music video. This is a surreal collage in motion that displays multiple shots being combined in fun, creative ways.

Now, in the mid-2020s, we’re facing another rapid change in technology and a new exploration and push for collage. Not only that, but the popularity of thrifting culture has also brought back magazines, newspapers, and collectibles from the past.

2024 is an election year in many countries. In the UK, the newspaper The Guardian took this opportunity to explore the collage artwork trend. Their editorial design team decided to create their election imagery by hand, resulting in some nice collage artwork examples.

Creative director Chris Clarke explained that they decided to work with hand-made imagery as an answer to the rising trend of AI-generated content.

Wondering how to make a collage? While collage is primarily 2D, it includes subcategories that are more interested in creating volume. Collages can be made with anything and a glue stick—it’s a great way to use up old magazines and newspapers. The advantage of collage is that it doesn’t have to look polished due to the nature of the construction.

Surrealists created art based on dreams and the unconscious, and this led to artists creating three-dimensional arrangements called Readymade. Some of these pieces didn’t make much sense without the artists explaining their side.

The French movement from the 1960s, Nouveau Realisme, was the European counterpart to pop art. The collage technique these artists used was Décollage, a French word that means unstick. By removing or ripping away pieces of the original image, artists used this technique to reveal layers.

Photomontage is another well-known technique within collage that focuses on photographs. This collage art idea helps artists recreate meaning in their work with a surreal touch.

One key advantage of collage is in the creative process, which AI lacks, and this is why I believe there will be a strong counterculture of artists reaching for analog. AI images can be created in seconds, while analog work takes considerably more time. So, what are the benefits of collage?

The urgency of today has led many of us to reach for the mouse instead of the paper. Yes, collage takes time because the pieces you need may be hidden in an armoire from the 1950s, waiting to be discovered. This is where digital techniques come into play, and you can find a balance between two very different mediums.

Technology has given us the option to explore digital collage through different scanned images that we can use and reuse as we please. The undo button has helped us avoid mistakes and, unfortunately, the spontaneity of experimentation, too. Not everything about the digital world is bad! Printers and scanners, codes that result in a glitchy look can give a special touch to a collage—this is all technology.

The option to create a collage by hand and scan it into digital form is great. There are plenty of options here to use: background isolated stock images, texture packs, and other collage-maker add-ons. With the help of digital software, it’s possible to change colors, adjust them, and add textures or other elements, like scanned vintage newspapers, ripped paper, or even tape overlays that can help take the collage to another level.

There are artists who focus on digital collage only, and that’s great too. Digital collage gives us the option to use any font we want and create any image we want.

Combining these two mediums or focusing on only one is great as long as we keep the creative process somewhat similar and artist-focused. Many AI-generated images are untouched by humans, generated with specific elements in mind and not allowing for experimentation or mistakes to happen—and it’s in those mistakes and experiments that the beauty often lies.

Now you understand collage art and how AI is changing the way we consume images. Technological advances are everywhere in our lives. Social media has flooded us with images that may be manipulated and make us wonder what’s real and what’s not.

As we’ve seen over the last 100 years, the overwhelming use of technology often makes artists want to go back to the basics. Connection, slow living, and the need to get back to feeling human again are all part of collage. Also, collage has always been used as a technique to critique social happenings, recreate meaning, and create art that will never be able to be replicated.

Keen to start creating collage? Make sure to explore Envato’s Collage Art Collection! Or, while you’re here, brush up on the latest graphic design trends and check out these 10 expert tips for mastering digital collage. Or, read our interview with the collage queen herself, Beci Orpin!