Hondo Ratkovic
VHS Collage Series
Video rental stores and VHS tapes were an essential part of my teenage years. Today, they have become relics of a bygone era, yet they continue to evoke memories of a slower, more tangible relationship with images and storytelling.
By transforming discarded VHS tapes into three-dimensional collages, I give these obsolete objects a new life. Each piece is composed from carefully selected fragments of vintage and contemporary magazines, packaging, printed matter, and other found materials. Rather than hiding the identity of the cassette, I embrace its fixed dimensions as a creative framework, an opportunity to explore how limitations can inspire freedom.
My practice has gradually evolved from storytelling toward abstraction. In this series, I am less interested in conveying a specific narrative than in creating visual compositions through color, texture, and balance. The VHS tape becomes both canvas and object, carrying traces of its past while opening itself to new interpretations.
An essential aspect of the series is its modular nature. Every tape can be combined with the others, creating ever-changing constellations and visual dialogues. No arrangement is final; each new combination generates fresh relationships and invites viewers to discover their own connections and meanings.
