{"id":2004900,"date":"2026-06-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2004900"},"modified":"2026-06-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:00:00","slug":"david-daigles-elaborate-punch-cut-paper-pieces-excavate-commercial-imagery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2004900","title":{"rendered":"David Daigle\u2019s Elaborate Punch-Cut Paper Pieces Excavate Commercial Imagery"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1236\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A large paper collage artwork based on the &quot;Birth of Venus&quot; painting by Botticelli with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d (2026), \u201cBirth of Venus\u201d wallpaper mural with layers of birthday gift wrapping paper and magazine images, 59 x 96 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Track 16, Los Angeles, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">David Daigle\u2019s Elaborate Punch-Cut Paper Pieces Excavate Commercial Imagery<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-06-22T12:29:33-05:00\">June 22, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-social-issues\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/social-issues\/\" rel=\"tag\">Social Issues<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F06%2Fdavid-daigle-punch-cut-paper-decollage%2F&amp;title=David%20Daigle%27s%20Elaborate%20Punch-Cut%20Paper%20Pieces%20Excavate%20Commercial%20Imagery\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"475207\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s a large-scale wallpaper reproduction of Sandro Botticelli\u2019s \u201cThe Birth of Venus\u201d or pages of deconstructed <em>Artforum <\/em>magazines, <a href=\"https:\/\/daviddaigle.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Daigle<\/a>\u2019s detailed punch-cut compositions delve into the material and conceptual possibilities of layers, depth, and what is revealed or concealed.<\/p>\n<p>Daigle\u2019s forthcoming exhibition, <em>The Death of Beauty<\/em> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.track16.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Track 16<\/a>, investigates intersections of identity, consumer culture, and desire through a kind of sedimentary approach to commercial imagery, which he excavates with precise holes each revealing tiny tableaux. This method of d\u00e9collage, which involves building up the surface and then removing elements, literally peels away the meanings and intentions behind contemporary visual culture.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1874\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-7.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of a large paper collage artwork with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475214\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe Birth of Venus\u201d serves as the foundational composition for Daigle\u2019s \u201cThe Death of Venus,\u201d which has been completely overwhelmed by the artist\u2019s hole-punched interventions. Tiny vignettes of people, things, and colorful dots completely erase and replace the titular figure. The masterpiece of 15th-century art has been reduced to an inexpensive, mass-market object for home decor and is further disarticulated by a sea of anonymous eyes and mouths. What could be more symbolic of our era of ultra consumerism?<\/p>\n<p>Daigle digs into a wide array of photographs and printed media, from bus shelter advertisements to a panoramic photograph of Gaza taken around 2020, in which almost all of the buildings have been subsumed under the cratered surface. It\u2019s symbolic of the real devastation the city has experienced since the war began in late 2023. In a broader sense, the artist\u2019s works reveal something akin to a visualization of the media\u2019s often obscured undercurrent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am interested in sublimating technical images designed to generate desire,\u201d the artist says. \u201cThrough the subversive act of perforation, I search for the meanings trapped behind them. I want to see past the imagery, through the photograph itself, and ask whether media can become so untruthful that it ultimately consumes both itself and us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Death of Beauty <\/em>opens on July 18 and continues through September 5 in East Hollywood. In the meantime, explore more on the artist\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/daviddaigle_studio\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"\u201cGaza City\u201d (2026), archival pigment print of Gaza City c. 2020 with layers of book pages relating to peace in the Middle East, 24 x 60 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cGaza City\u201d (2026), archival pigment print of Gaza City c. 2020 with layers of book pages relating to peace in the Middle East, 24 x 60 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cGaza City\u201d (2026), archival pigment print of Gaza City c. 2020 with layers of book pages relating to peace in the Middle East, 24 x 60 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"818\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-1.jpg\" alt=\"A large paper collage artwork based on a large image of Gaza City taken in 2020 with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475208\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cGaza City\u201d (2026), archival pigment print of Gaza City c. 2020 with layers of book pages relating to peace in the Middle East, 24 x 60 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1874\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-2.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of a large paper collage artwork with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475209\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1874\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-3.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of a large paper collage artwork with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475210\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cGaza City\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"\u201cBeige\u201d (2026), archival pigment print with Artforum magazines, 22 x 24 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cBeige\u201d (2026), archival pigment print with Artforum magazines, 22 x 24 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cBeige\u201d (2026), archival pigment print with Artforum magazines, 22 x 24 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1814\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-4.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of a large paper collage artwork with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475211\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cBeige\u201d (2026), archival pigment print with Artforum magazines, 22 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-9.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"\u201cSinead O\u2019Connor (Herb Ritts Photo)\u201d (2026), Herb Ritts photo and Vogue magazine with punch-cut holes, 10 x 8 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cSinead O\u2019Connor (Herb Ritts Photo)\u201d (2026), Herb Ritts photo and Vogue magazine with punch-cut holes, 10 x 8 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cSinead O\u2019Connor (Herb Ritts Photo)\u201d (2026), Herb Ritts photo and Vogue magazine with punch-cut holes, 10 x 8 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1773\" height=\"2343\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-9.jpg\" alt=\"a collaged paper artwork with layers of colorful paper in the silhouette of Sinead O&apos;Connor&apos;s head with punch-cut holes creating texture\" class=\"wp-image-475216\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cSinead O\u2019Connor (Herb Ritts Photo)\u201d (2026), Herb Ritts photo and Vogue magazine with punch-cut holes, 10 x 8 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1874\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-6.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of a large paper collage artwork with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475213\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475207\" title=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1874\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/daigle-8.jpg\" alt=\"A detail of a large paper collage artwork with numerous punch-cut holes creating a texture, each also an aperture with an individual image inside\" class=\"wp-image-475215\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside 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href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/06\/willie-cole-mind-body-soul-sculptures-assemblages\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe Death of Venus\u201d (2026), \u201cBirth of Venus\u201d wallpaper mural with layers of birthday gift wrapping paper and magazine images, 59 x 96 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Track 16, Los Angeles, shared with permission David Daigle\u2019s Elaborate Punch-Cut Paper Pieces Excavate Commercial Imagery June 22, 2026 ArtSocial Issues Kate Mothes Share [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2004900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2004900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004900\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2004900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2004900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2004900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}