ARTIST: Max Rosen
INSTAGRAM: @maxrosentown

“During college, I started making little collages as wrapping paper for presents. Over the next couple years, I got into searching for vintage magazines, like Life and Look and Holiday, in flea markets. Unlike the high-gloss look that took over in the 90s, these magazines have a softer look, warmer colors and more naturalistic photography that make them nice to look through, but that also help disparate elements from each blend together in a single scene. Once I got the nerve to ruin these beautiful things by cutting into them with scissors, I started making collections of pieces, eventually incorporating art and photography books as well, and then more specialized stuff like 80s and 90s wrestling mags. Through lots of trial and error, and sometimes more direct inspiration, certain elements find one another and hopefully make a sum better than the parts.”