One can think of a collage artist as a dainty collector whose search for materials never ceases for a moment. Images we never bother to admire in our everyday lives are interpreted in a whole new spectrum after proper handling and presentation. Mario Wagner is such an artist.
Living and working on his orinigal artwork in Cologne, Mario is one of the world's most prolific collage illustrators of our time. In 1999 he founded the Creative Label“Reflektorium” together with Lars Henkel and Anja Struck with an extensive portfolio of paintings, collages, photographs, and animations. Mario's original collages and paintings have been commissioned by Adidas, Vice Magazine, Neon, Spex, Visions, Kilimanjaro Magazine, ROJO, Graniph and for numerous t-shirts, records and CDs.
In his works, Mario takes vintage cut-outs, usually optimistic-looking gentlemen and ladies from old advertisements, puts them together in a remarkable and inspiring manner, accompanying his characters with uneven coats of paint and passionate splashes or other forms of artistic expression.
The images used in his work often bear references to political events or pop culture conveying a strong message in an elegant and tasteful way. Using scissors and glue, Mario puts together a giant shark, several pretty girls, a man wearing a cat mask, big cut-out lips and a playstation3 in the same room, illuminating this marvelous and implicitly meaningful illustration in a beautiful shade of blue. I'm sure the photographers behind the 50's posters used in Mario's works are delighted to see their pictures as part of such a exquisite painting.
Residents of San Francisco have a chance to wear a reproduction of Mario's art on their shoulders: upper playground sells t-shirts with a fantastic print of Mr.Wagner's art, namely two pigeons under a microscope.
For NOVO magazine.