Collages made from stickers are a hallmark of Markus Diehl, also known as POP.AC or formerly ART COLLART. He creates his works from misprints. What would otherwise be waste products are thus transformed into art. The grid-like arrangement is reminiscent of the mass printing process used for the individual components, whilst at the same time creating a visual language of its own – a tension between close-up and distant views. Only the colour variations of the individual, otherwise uniform stickers differ, thereby creating a pattern, an internal structure. Much like the pixels of a digital image, Markus Diehl’s compositions are calculated using what is known as a ‘sticker formula’ (the number of stickers equal to height multiplied by width). His pseudonym, established in 1989, also alludes to his creative process: the act of sticking (French: ‘coller’) in relation to art (French: ‘art’). However, alongside their formal and aesthetic significance, his works always have a thematic dimension as well. In the case of the FLAGS, there are even several references to be discovered.
Gluing with a clean edge – Markus Diehl, FLAGS. 2006, Collage, 1989
Berlin as a divided city, a journey through a Germany that is no longer divided, and a link between Berlin and Hamburg – all of this is captured in a collage of stickers by Markus Diehl, which is our Artwork of the Month for September.
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