⚡️✂️ Featured Artist in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein: Kolaj Edition✂️⚡️
⚡️⚡️!!!!!ITS ALIVE!!!⚡️⚡️
In the Autumn of 2023, I had the real pleasure of teaming up with a whole crew of creaturely collaborators to illustrate a new version of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. It was macabre delight to work with these monsters on dissecting Mary Shelly’s seminal work of proto-sciencefiction. It was an amazing process to spend time thinking about and drawing out the colourful, magical and fearful imagery within. I had a lot of fun working on the illustrations in this version with our ghastly group, including my dear friend and regular collaborator Marta Janik.
I am delighted to announce that the book is now ready for release!
See more from the publishers below:
”This new version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's classic 19th century novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus features seventy-six illustrations by International Collage Artists who delved into the novel's rich narrative and visual potential and created thought-provoking artworks that reflect the essence of Frankenstein in a 21st century context. “Frankenstein,” writes artist David Edward Johnson, “The name alone conjures a lightning storm of images. From corpses, unholy and unearthed, to gothic laboratories, alive with galvanic impulse, to personal loss, longing, and anger. Shelley’s 1818 masterwork is locked in our collective unconscious like a fever dream. Since childhood, I have been in love with its silent shudders and moss-covered 19th-century tableaus.” Artists created illustrations that connected Shelley's text to contemporary issues. Artists explored the role of science and artificial intelligence, queerness, intersectional identities, narcissism, and modern relationships. "Shelley's timelessness is proven by our ability to use her novel to reflect on our world today," said Kolaj Institute Director Ric Kasini Kadour. "Collage artists, with their unique ability to transcend scale, place, and history, are well-suited to giving us pictures that bring vintage texts into the contemporary moment."“
Participating creatures include:
Claire Dannenbaum (Eugene, Oregon, USA); Emily Denlinger (Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA); Suzanne Greenberg (New York, New York, USA); David Edward Johnson (Skaneateles, New York, USA); Marta Janik (Warsaw, Poland); Anthony D Kelly (Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland); Maureen Letton (San Francisco, California, USA); Rosie Lewis (York, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom); Anissa Malady (San Francisco, California, USA); Rebecca Steiner (Lyme, Connecticut, USA); Jessica TranVo (Boston, Massachusetts, USA); Anthony Naimo (Spruce Pine, North Carolina, USA); Elzbieta Zdunek (Berlin, Germany)
To purchase a copy of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein: Kolaj Edition simply CLICK HERE.
To find out more about this project and the overarching Collage and Illustration program CLICK HERE.
Cover Image: “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus” (2023) - David Edward Johnson
