Through his chosen medium of collage, Dario Manjate explores the extents to which he can go through the use of magazines
Although Dario Manjate was born in Mozambique, his family relocated to South Africa 1993 to the township of Alexandra where his profound passion for art developed. Soon after his discovery for his love for art, Dario decided to pursue a professional career in art. Under the apprenticeship of Mr. Steve Mavusu who was a teacher at THUSONG YOUTH CENTRE, the artist honed his skills through various forms of mediums that include oil, watercolour and acrylic painting as well as collage which is the medium he’s widely known for to date.
His compelling collage artistry, speaks environmental awareness a topic near and dear to Manjate’s heart. During his time of working with Mr Mavusu, the artist participated in environmental awareness projects such as “Work To Win which “included several art murals created to uplift his surrounding township community”.In 1996, he won the Freedom of Expression Art Competition ( Gaulloises Blondes). In 1998, Dario decided further developed his art skills, at ARTISTS PROOF STUDIO where he studied printmaking techniques that included drypoint, lino cut, silkscreen and more.
Through is chosen medium of collage, Dario explores the extents to which he can go through the use of magazines. Unlike most collage artists, instead of tearing out paper out of the magazines, he cuts out each and very piece “I started by tearing and using other material to activate the canvas however, through my process I discovered that building my images out of cut out objects cut created a beautiful harmony between my medium and my concept. I use recycled magazines as my source, as I feel this specific paper gives me the quality and subject matter I require. The glossy look and feel of the paper along with the message the magazines carry lends to the overall theme of my art”.
According to Dario his artworks unpack the foundation of consumerism that today’s society is built on. Through the process of him physically cutting out each and every object out of a magazine from its initial intended context, he then begins to build up identities for his subjects. What makes his artwork compelling is that from a distance his portraits look like one beautiful piece, but as you begin to get closer to “the volume of material items begins to overwhelm, creating an atmosphere of obsession and greed. This characteristic of the artwork’s make up reveals the grotesque nature of what is seen as beautiful in today’s time”.
