Joy and Grief: These two deeply human experiences are deeply connected. In New Orleans, our funerals start with grief, the somber second line’s somber dirge, and end in celebratory joy as we shake our asses and march down the street. On Mardi Gras, the Krewe of Saint Anne parades to the Mississippi River, a joyous occasion to pour the ashes of our lost loved ones into the water. In this city, we know that joy and grief are two sides of the same coin. You cannot fully understand one without the other. In this exhibition, fourteen International Collage Artists explore the obversity of Joy and Grief.

“Joy and Grief are complicated states of being and often contain a multitude of emotions,” said exhibition curator and Kolaj Institute Director, Ric Kasini Kadour. “We don’t choose grief. Loss is thrust on us and we are compelled to make sense of it. Happiness is fleeting and joy is something we must choose to cultivate in our lives. Both of these things operate in irrational ways, prompted by historical events but experienced in ahistorical ways. Memory, nostalgia, life experience, past trauma…all of these things provide context to the feelings we are having at any given moment. That statement also explains how collage works in the world. In this exhibition, the artists draw upon their personal experiences and invite us to consider the complexity of grief and joy.”

“Joy & Grief: An Exhibition of Collage”, takes place at Kolaj Institute Gallery from 12 April to 31 May 2025. A reception will take place 6PM to 8PM on 12 April 2025 as part of Second Saturday in the Bywater.

For more information:

https://kolajmagazine.com/content/content/collage-exhibitions/joy-grief/