“Collage allows me to create images freely, without constraints,” reflects visual artist Mat Maitland, introducing his first book, Collages For Magazines. This debut anthology spans 15 years of his transformative, boundary-blurring art, a collection that reimagines what collage can look like in today’s visual world. Far from typical cut-and-paste methods, Maitland’s pieces are strikingly seamless, blending influences from classical art to pop surrealism with a finesse that has made him a mainstay in both fashion and art.
Far from the arcane ideology of collage art, Maitland’s image-making is less about a traditional cut-and-paste aesthetic and more about a refined, polished storytelling technique. He recalls his debut in L’Officiel Paris as a defining moment, where he first saw his collages presented alongside conventional fashion spreads. “I didn’t want the images to scream ‘collage,’” he explains, describing his shift toward a more seamless look. “My goal was to create something harmonious, where each piece looked as if it belonged naturally within the editorial setting.” Since then, his aesthetic has evolved into a sophisticated blend of pop surrealism, embracing both polished futurism and classical elements like Roman and Greek motifs.
This dedication to balancing high art and popular culture has led to standout collaborations — notably his work with photographer Mario Sorrenti for Document in 2022, which is featured in the book. From Vogue to Paper and Interview, these images bridged fashion and art in a way that helped shape Maitland’s current style: sleek, cinematic, and strangely otherworldly.
In Maitland’s world, high and low culture co-exist without hierarchy. “To me, a can of Coke is just as iconic as a Cartier bracelet,” he says. This inclusive approach has made Maitland’s work resonate widely, leading to people often drawing parallels between his work and Andy Warhol’s — particularly in its fascination with celebrity and iconography. Maitland appreciates the comparison but notes a key difference: his style veers more toward the surreal than Warhol’s straightforward pop. A standout example is his project that reimagined beauty icons through today’s cosmetic trends — including a viral piece featuring Marilyn Monroe — which showcased Maitland’s unique twist on pop culture and bolstered his presence in the digital art scene.
Creating Collages For Magazines was both a passion project and a creative marathon. Partnering with Art Paper Editions’ Jurgen Maelfeyt, Maitland curated hundreds of editorial works that narrate his evolution as an artist. The book’s minimalist design lets the art shine, making each spread feel like a curated gallery piece rather than a traditional coffee-table book.
Despite a digital shift in the art world, Maitland remains a champion of print. He likens it to the enduring allure of vinyl records. “[Print] it’s not the main event it was before the digital world took over. I’ve never been bothered by these changes anyway as new things offer new opportunities that weren’t previously there,” he explains. With Collages For Magazines, Maitland aims to present a reimagined take on what collage can be, something beyond fragmented images to an experience viewers can lose themselves in.
For Maitland, this book is both a personal introduction and an invitation to rethink how collage fits into the modern art world. It’s a vivid, kaleidoscopic world of pop surrealism, nostalgia, and futuristic fantasies, all waiting to be discovered. “I hope that the book re-imagines what collage can look like and that people pick up on my combination of eras and themes and take away a strong sense of pop surrealism.”
Collages For Magazines is available for purchase at artpapereditions.org
imagery. Mat Maitland
words. Gennaro Costanzo
