This Belarusian collagist creates dreams out of reality

Artist Lesya Pchelka is based in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Her collages, however, are escapes into surreal worlds of slumber.

“I started making collages in 2012 as a way to play with form and colour, in a way I couldn’t with straight photography. It reminded me of a meditative practice: I would put all the images out in front of me and combine them together rather intuitively, sometimes adding text. Later I decided to limit myself by using only print material, and use as few layers as possible. This is the approach behind the Seven Dreams series for which I gather surreal forms, the mood of which is not so different from my dreams,” Pchelka told The Calvert Journal.

Much like the collages of British artist John Stezaker, each composite in Seven Dreams is made up of few components, but amount to dreamlike landscapes and otherworldly vistas. She currently combines collage-making with a photographic practice. For next year, she’s eager to turn her collages into beautiful collectible objects.

“Last year I made a calendar for my friends, with a collage for each month. These were geometric in form with symbols that corresponded to different times of the year. This year I’m planning to make another calendar, this time for sale, keeping some of the best collages and adding new works,” she says.

You more find more images from the Seven Dreams series here.