Vahge Transforms Magazines into Gorgeous Victorian-Inspired Collages

Collage artist <a href="http://www.vahge.com" target="_blank">Vahge</a> uses bits and pieces taken from <a href="http://inhabitat.com/francesca-pastine-carves-artforum-magazines-to-make-amazing-sculptural-topographies/" target="_blank">magazines</a>, greeting cards, books, and dolls to create gorgeous creations that evoke a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/incredible-decaying-victorian-home-made-from-110000-lego-blocks/" target="_blank">Victorian flavor</a>. The Brooklyn-based artist is inspired by Dadaism, memories from her childhood, and of course doll houses, which is evident in her work. Using media that most people throw away, Vahge has created a fantastical body of characters and tableaus, each more intricate than the next, giving new life to disused periodicals otherwise bound for the trash.

The self-taught artist began assembling <a href="http://inhabitat.com/rodrigo-torres-colorful-currency-collages-mesh-money-from-different-economies/rodrigo-torres1/" target="_blank">cut up elements</a> into whimsical collages at a young age.

Using a heavy hand on the feminine elements of corsetry, gowns, ornate bows, and complicated hairstyles, Vahge creates a cast of paper dolls that have one foot in heaven and one in hell.

Slicing and splicing faces from magazines, the artists meshes them together to form characters that are both beautiful and eerie.

Vahge’s pieces tow the line between allegory and fashion, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/mark-wagners-dollar-bill-collages-poke-fun-at-money-feature-george-washington/mark-wagner3/" target="_blank">creating collages</a> that at first seem like romantic Victorian creations. Only when one looks closer do they see the modern details, such as the recognizable faces of famous models and other contemporary fashion elements. The paper doll like characters come to life with moveable joints held together with found pins and closures.

Her larger, more complicated tableaus are more allegorical, set in Baroque interiors and bringing in animals, goddesses, wings, and architecture into the scenes.

Using more than <a href="http://inhabitat.com/alexander-korzer-robinsons-stunning-collages-reveal-images-from-antique-books/" target="_blank">scissors and glue</a>, Vahge is able to transform passé fashion magazines into epic metaphorical scenes that delve deeper into the psyche.