London-based artist Laura Mipsum uses collage to reclaim the visual language of fashion and commercial imagery, transforming female figures into powerful protagonists rather than passive subjects. Through surreal compositions that draw from film posters, religious iconography and dreamlike symbolism, her work places women firmly at the centre of the narrative.
The series brings together collages created over the last three years, each assembled on large pieces of scrap cardboard. Working with found imagery, paint and layered materials, Mipsum builds striking compositions that feel both cinematic and symbolic.
Gold paint and gold card appear frequently throughout the work, giving the pieces a kind of kitschy spiritual quality.
“I love using gold paint and gold card to give a kind of religiosity to my pieces,” she explains. “This collection is almost a form of feminist propaganda, calling on women to remember whatever power they hold.”
The works also draw inspiration from tarot imagery and the surreal logic of dreams, particularly the strange, unsettling atmospheres associated with the films of David Lynch. These references create a visual world that feels mystical and symbolic, where familiar images are reassembled into something new
Collage plays a central role in this process, allowing fragments of existing imagery to be reshaped into narratives that challenge the expectations of traditional visual culture.
“Collage is my way of making sense of what’s going on in my mind, as well as the world around me,” Mipsum says. “It’s an escape, but also a kind of mirror.”
By reworking imagery often associated with beauty standards, advertising and fashion culture, Mipsum redirects attention away from the male gaze and toward a more complex portrayal of female identity. Her figures appear heroic, mournful, defiant or contemplative, occupying symbolic spaces that feel closer to mythology than commercial photography.
Laura Mipsum is a queer artist based in London who works primarily with collage. A self-described horror movie enthusiast, her work often blends cinematic references with surreal imagery and feminist themes.
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