Collage offers a powerful way to re-examine the familiar, transforming fragments into dynamic new narratives. In an increasingly digital world, working by hand brings physical depth, tactile texture, and an embrace of imperfection that screen-based art often lacks.
That human-centered focus is central to award-winning artist Katy Williamson’s work. Originally from New Zealand and now based in the UK, Williamson dedicates much of her work to exploring the human face through analog collage, incorporating themes of movement, repetition, and mixed media.
What caught my attention about her art is how it perfectly embodies her description of being ‘surreal, otherworldly, and tactile’. Her unique reinterpretation of human faces, blending paper and embroidery, creates mesmerizing physical textures that seem to unveil the complex inner layers of the people she represents.
Take a look below at our curated list of Katy Williamson’s vibrant collages, along with two of her favorite pieces.
More info: Instagram | katy-williamson.co.uk | linkedin.com
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As shared with Bored Panda, Williamson discovered collage back in 2011 when she was studying Graphic Design, when she used to bring it to her projects in an attempt to make them less ‘digital’-looking. After finishing her degree, in 2014, she started working full-time as a designer, and stopped making collages regularly until 2020.
During lockdown, she turned again to paper cutting as an emotional outlet: “In lockdown my ‘world’ was kind of collapsing around me and I used collage as a form of therapy. I then started sharing my work, and I haven’t stopped since then!” That raw approach eventually led to major covers for Politico and The Sunday Times Magazine, pushing her to embrace chaotic energy and trust her instincts
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What began as a cut-and-paste-and-assemble paper technique quickly became her signature mix of paper and thread after a commissioned work. She shared: “I immediately caught the bug and have been experimenting with it since.” Blending embroidery with paper unlocked a whole new dimension of vibrant physical texture for her work, bringing her even closer to that desire for tactility.
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Yet stepping into unknown territory comes with its own challenges: “I love that I feel like I am discovering new areas in my work, which is really exciting and also a little daunting.” As the artist shared, pushing past a single fixed style is what keeps her practice alive:
“Because we are told to ‘find your style’, which is a double-edged sword, because you can grow competent but also complacent and stale after a while. I think trying new techniques is really important and to realise that some of them will just be tests and pass by, but some of them will stick.”
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Ultimately, Katy Williamson’s journey shows that an artist’s voice doesn’t come from standing still, but from the courage to keep exploring.
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Photographer: Stanley Morgan (@stanleymorganphotography)
Model: King Kofi
Collage: Katy Williamson
“This collage was created for King Kofi and could only have been this successful with the wonderful photography by Stanley Morgan. The collage went on to win the Single Portrait category in the 2023 Contemporary Collage Awards and also graced the cover.”
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Photographer: Ricardo Delgado (@ritttch)
Collage: Katy Williamson
“A commission for the release of his track 2.22AM.”
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Client: National Theatre of Great Britain
“National Theatre of Great Britain commissioned me to create a collage and animation for the play Cloud 9, by Caryl Churchill.
This project is a great example of how collage can tell complex narratives. The key focal points of the play to be included in the collage were: gender, sexuality, race and the two distinct time periods.
The play is structured by two acts.
Act 1 is set in Victorian Africa and features ridged patriarchal colonial life.
Act 2 jumps to 1970s London, however the characters have only aged 25 years. They explore sexual liberation and the actors also switch gender roles to highlight fluid identities.”
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#20
Exhibition in Devonshire Square, London, 19.10.23 – 13.11.23.
Photography source: Te Papa, New Zealand
“My pieces ‘The Unknown’s’ were created with archival photography from Te Papa Museum, New Zealand. They hold particular resonance with me as I am a New Zealander and having been away from home now since 2017, my cultural identity has been of special interest to me. My blood is English, Scottish and Irish, but I am a New Zealander. I am not Maori though, so what am I?
The sourced photos were titled Unknown, which hit a particular nerve with me. Who were these people who travelled and immigrated to New Zealand so long ago? I’ve often wondered and dreamed about what it would have been like to immigrate to a country that is ‘developing’. It would have been a tough journey, of at least 3 months at sea and then the mystery of what was going to be there to welcome you…
It’s a past that luckily for New Zealand is being looked at, and hopefully healing can continue for the wrongs done to the beautiful and strong indigenous Maori people of New Zealand, KIA KAHA.”
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Exhibition in Devonshire Square, London, 19.10.23 – 13.11.23.
Photography source: Te Papa, New Zealand
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Exhibition in Devonshire Square, London, 19.10.23 – 13.11.23.
Photography source: Te Papa, New Zealand
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#23
Client: David Castellani, International Techno DJ
“David reached out to me to create some EP cover artwork for him and we hit it off immediately.
David’s briefs are always the best – “make it weird” is a common direction and I’m here for it! I appreciate the creative freedom David allows, this allows me to work freely and create more inspired pieces. I also animate my collages, which are used to promote his recent music releases.
Looking to the future, there is more exciting work to come and I’m happy to be a part of David’s creative journey and how his music is expressed to the world. It’s a wonderful partnership.”
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Client: David Castellani, International Techno DJ
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Client: David Castellani, International Techno DJ
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When asked if there is a particular artwork the artist has created that holds a special or memorable story for her, she shared:
“There are two commissioned pieces that stand out for me. The cover of Donald Trump for Politico and the cover of Paul Gascoigne (Gazza) for The Sunday Times Magazine. Both of the pieces needed to convey a sense of madness and chaotic energy. For both of them, I cut the pieces at hard angles and tore the paper. I also layered and created compositions that had a sense of manicness to them. They were a lot of fun to make and forced me to create in a reckless type of way. It taught me to trust my gut with approaching collage and that collage can tell really complex narratives.”
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