From cut paper to generative AI, examining political dissent and erasure through the idea of collage
October 10, 2025–March 21, 2026
London EC2A 3BA
UK
Hours: Wednesday and Friday 11am–6pm
Thursday 11am–9pm
Saturday 12:30–6pm
T +44 20 7729 9200
info@autograph-abp.co.uk
This major group exhibition examines how photographs can be deconstructed and reassembled through the idea of collage, offering new perspectives on complex histories and contested social realities.
With deep roots in activism and artistic experimentation, photomontage has a rich legacy as a powerful tool for artists engaging with experiences of political dissent and erasure. Its possibilities are amplified by the relentless evolution of photography - a medium shaped by technological advancement and the shifting politics of representation.
From cut paper to generative AI, more than 90 works by 13 contemporary artists use collage as both method and metaphor, highlighting the fragility of photographic ‘truth’ and the archives that hold it. Sabrina Tirvengadum uses an AI model she trained on family photographs to reconstruct a fractured history shaped by the legacy of indentured labour in Mauritius; Sunil Gupta’s digital collages from the 1990s navigate the intersections of queer identity and diasporic experience; and Qualeasha Wood transforms self-portraits into tapestries that reflect on bodily autonomy and the pressures of internet culture. Jess Atieno troubles colonial archives in East Africa to explore how histories can be restitched into counter-narratives, while Sheida Soleimani creates layered tableaux that link political exile from Iran with the care of injured migratory birds.
As we reflect on the future of image-making, I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies resists completeness, questioning whether constructed images can stand in for disputed – and often entangled – narratives when words fail.
Content note: We'd like you to know before your visit that this exhibition addresses some difficult themes. Some artworks reference violence or contain nudity.
Curated by Bindi Vora.
Free entry. October 10, 2025–March 21, 2026.
Events
Opening Night: October 9, 6–8pm, free tickets
Frieze East End Day: October 12, 12:30–6pm, free tickets
Workshop: Weaving Stories from The Photographic Archive: November 15, 1–4pm
BSL Response: November 25, free tickets - this event will be in BSL only
Workshop: AI and Generative Art: December 6, 1–4pm
Workshop: Collage with Vintage 35mm Slides: January 17, 1–4pm
Photomontage Workshop: When Words Fail: February 7, 1–4pm
