Life and Death Converge in a Two-Sided Field of 17,000 Steel Flowers by Zadok Ben-David

Detail of “Blackfield” (2021) at Kew. Photo by Roger Wooldridge. All images courtesy of Kew Gardens, shared with permission

At the heart of Zadok Ben-David’s Natural Reserve on view at Kew Gardens is a low-lying plot sprouting nearly 1,000 plant species. The sprawling, ecologically diverse installation, which has traveled to multiple cities like Seoul, Tel Aviv, and Paris since 2006, is titled “Blackfield,” a name tied to the flowers’ dualistic nature: one side captures the vibrancy of life through bright, fantastical colors, while the other is painted entirely black.

Containing upwards of 17,000 steel-etched botanicals, the installation considers the precarious line between life and death and how a small shift in perspective can inspire oppositional feelings of either loss or hope. “The relationship between humanity and nature is one which is central to my work. I have always been fascinated by the idea of how humans rely on nature for survival yet seem to forget this essential fact in everyday life,” the Israeli artist says.

In addition to “Blackfield,” Natural Reserve includes a variety of intricate, sculptural pieces, some of which are based on 19th Century illustrations in the garden’s collections, and is on view through April 24. Follow Zadok Ben-David (previously) on Instagram to keep an eye on where his works are headed next.

 

Detail of “Blackfield” (2021) at Kew. Photo by Roger Wooldridge

Photos by Soupdemots

Detail of “Blackfield” (2021) at Kew. Photo by Roger Wooldridge

Photos by Soupdemots

Photos by Soupdemots

Photos by Soupdemots

“Blackfield” (2010) at Verso Arte Contemporanea in Turin, Italy

“Blackfield” (2021) at Kew. Photo by Roger Wooldridge

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Interview: The Artists Behind DRIFT Discuss the Unparalleled Potential of Technology in Cultivating Connections with Nature

“Fragile Future.” All images © DRIFT, shared with permission

Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, the pair behind the Amsterdam-based studio DRIFT, have spent the last few decades exploring the intersection of technology and nature, an experience they recount in a new interview supported by Colossal Members. Their broad, immersive body of work harnesses the power of robotics, manufactured mechanisms, and even algorithms to visualize some of the most stunning and captivating biological phenomena and ecological cycles.

We believe that we live in a time where technology and nature are no longer opposites but are codependent entities. For DRIFT, inspiration and natural phenomena always stand at the epicenter of our works—technology is merely the means to bring our visions to life—whereas the internet allows us to share our visions with as many people as possible.

In this conversation, Colossal managing editor Grace Ebert speaks with the pair about the origins of their collaboration-driven studio, how recognizing and internalizing patterns can help us realign with the world around us, and why nature and the inevitability of change is the only guarantee.

 

“Shylight”

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Highlighting Life in Ukraine, A Print Sale is Raising Funds for People Impacted By the Crisis

“Ukraine Runs Through It,” Justyna Mielnikiewicz

A print sale from the women-led nonprofit Vital Impacts (previously) is raising money for people affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. The month-long fundraiser, titled Impact Now, offers more than 100 images from National Geographic photographers. Taken globally and diverse in subject matter, the collection includes a variety of landscapes and wildlife, in addition to stunning underwater shots by renowned photographers Paul Nicklen (previously) and David Doubilet (previously)—and multiple shots focus specifically on life in Ukraine. David Guttenfelder documents protestors from the country’s Orange Revolution in the mid-aughts, while Justyna Mielnikiewicz spotlights young dancers from Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in 2015, the latter of which became a hub for pro-Russia rebels the year prior.

Impact Now runs through April 20, and all profits will be donated to Direct Relief, which is providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. You can buy prints here.

 

“Ukrainian Demonstrators in the Orange Revolution,” David Guttenfelder

“Dresses,” Amy Toensing

“Polar Bear Mother with Cubs,” Norbert Rosing

“Central Park on a Foggy Night, New York,” Jim Richardson

“Emperor Reflections,” Paul Nicklen

“Merced River Yosemite Valley,” Michael Melford

“Last Bell Kyiv,” Dina Litovsky

“Chance Encounter,” David Doubilet

“Yosemite Valley after the Storm,” Jimmy Chin

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Macro Photos by Barry Webb Highlight the Spectacular Diversity of Slime Molds

Arcyria denudata. All images © Barry Webb, licensed

South-Bucks, U.K.-based photographer Barry Webb favors the shimmering, gelatinous, and iridescent growths that sprout from decaying wood and plant material. His macro shots magnify the often imperceptible details of small slime molds, capturing the specimen’s unique characteristics with striking detail. From the globular heads of the Comatricha nigra to the spongey forms of the Arcyria denudata, each photo unveils the diversity and intricacies of some of the world’s tiniest organisms.

Several of Webb’s images have been recognized in international contests, including the Close-Up Photographer Of The Year, and he offers prints and a massive archive of fantastical slime molds on his site.

 

Comatricha nigra

Comatricha species

Cribraria aurantiaca group

Stemonitis and insects

Trichia decipiens

Stemonitis flavogenita

Lamproderma scintillans

Blue Cribraria

Woodlouse and Stemonitis

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Glitches Distort Art Historical Figures in Abstracted Marble Sculptures by Léo Caillard

All images © Léo Caillard, shared with permission

The oscillating curves of a sine wave become a disfiguring characteristic in Léo Caillard’s ongoing Wave Stone series. Carved in white Carrara marble and stone with green and gray ripples, the French artist’s sleek renditions of Aphrodite, Laocoön, and Venus appear to have warped, glitched, or transformed into a tight spiral. Much of Caillard’s work is anachronistic, and he tells Colossal that “the face of the statue connects the piece to its reality, a representation of a classical and iconic figure from the past,” while the abstractions create new gaps of negative space.

Caillard has a few exhibitions slated for the coming months, and you can follow news about those shows in addition to new works on his Instagram.

 

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Support Independent Arts Publishing ✨ Join Us

Today wraps up our annual Spring Membership Drive, and we’re just 25 members short of reaching our funding goal—can you help us across the finish line? We know you have options to read independent arts publications that adore things like grandiose portraits of chickens, fungi timelapses, and bread sculptures made of felt, and we’re so glad you picked this one.

Publishing 16 articles each week about our favorite artists and creatives, interviewing the folks behind important projects like the Social Justice Sewing Academy and This Is Not a Gun, and sending over 30 newsletters a month is our greatest joy. Every image we post, every story we tell, and every cause we celebrate is truly a labor of love, and we can’t do it without your help. Now you can join us for as little as $5/month.

It’s also not too late to win some amazing giveaways. Become a Colossal Member by the end of the day, and you’ll automatically be entered to win.

 

Last Chance: Join Today and Win Cool Stuff

Become a Colossal Member at any level between 12 a.m. Monday, March 7, and 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, and you’ll be entered to win one of four amazing artworks, books, and other fun things from some of our favorite creators. No purchase necessary.

• A 5,000-piece CMYK jigsaw puzzle by Clemens Habicht
• A OneClock, the analog alarm that never plays the same melody twice
• The full 7-volume set of Hilma af Klint’s Catalogue Raisonné
• A whimsical paper-pulp mobile from Yuko Nishikawa’s Washed Blueberries series

 

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Ironic Self-Help Titles Painted by Johan Deckmann Cure Existential Woes

All images © Johan Deckmann, shared with permission

A trained psychotherapist, Johan Deckmann (previously) has stacks of books to remedy our most painful emotional struggles and existential dread. His collection includes the massive “Your chances of changing the world,” the much slimmer “Your chances of changing yourself,” and the dismally timely “How to take a deep breath and go on even though everything feels so wrong.”

Often painted on soft, cloth covers evocative of vintage self-help manifestos, Deckmann’s ironic titles are steeped in our culture of incessant improvement and tend to be brutally honest about human limitation. His straightforward messages are not unlike those found in a therapist’s office and harness the power of simple language to confront contemporary dilemmas. “The idea of writing on books comes partly from my work as a psychotherapist, a music composer, and lyricist. I like the idea of distilling words to compress information, feelings, or fantasies into an essence, a truth,” said the Copenhagen-based artist.

Deckmann is participating in a group exhibition up through May 15 at Sala Amós Salvador in La Rioja, Spain, and will be at the Venice Biennale next month with the Gervasuti Foundation. He also has a solo show later this year at San Francisco’s Modernism, and you can find an expansive collection of his poignant messages on Instagram.

 

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