Magdalena M. Arguelles

Venetian Window
mixed media-collage

As a child in the Philippines, I would spend hours cutting out paper dolls. The act of cutting and pasting was child’s play until I saw Matisse’s cutouts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was the first time I’d seen collage as a serious art form. Since then I have discovered the works of Romare Bearden and Joseph Cornell.

I have been making collages for over a decade. I use papers with their own history-whether it is from an old drawing, found papers from the ground during my wanderings or handmade paper from natural fibers such as abaca or rice.

At times the supports I use are found-such as salvaged chair bottoms or old drawers. I combine these different sources to recreate a memory or to address an issue such as immigration.

© Magdalena M. Arguelles