Paper Sculptures by Roberto Benavidez Reenvision Common Birds and Fantastical Creatures as Metallic Piñatas

‘”Javelina Girl (Illumianted Piñata No. 14).” All images © Roberto Benavidez, shared with permission

At once fantastically imaginative and embedded in tradition, the shimmering piñatas that comprise Roberto Benavidez’s body of work expand the boundaries of the conventionally festive object. The Los Angeles-based artist (previously) cuts skinny, triangular strips of material that he attaches to paper mache forms in the shape of birds, hybrid animals, and otherworldly creatures. His metallic works often address questions of identity—the artist speaks about this further in a Colossal interview—particularly considerations of gender and sexuality through the lens of his layered forms.

Benavidez’s gynandromorphs series, for example, reenvisions the phenomenon in common bird species by splicing male and female bodies together into a mirrored sculpture—three of these pieces will be on view through June 14 at The Loft at Liz’s in Los Angeles. He’s also continuing his renditions of Hieronymous Bosch characters and illuminated manuscripts, the latter of which includes the polka-dotted wildcat and portly, tusked “Javelina Girl” shown above. While drawing on centuries-old works, narratives, and myths in these series, each piñata is the artist’s reinterpretation of the classic iconography and themes into an inventive, contemporary form.

In the coming months, a few of Benavidez’s birds will be on view at Heron Arts, and the group exhibition devoted to piñatas that opened last fall at Craft in America will be traveling to the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. Follow news about upcoming opportunities to see his sculptures in person on Instagram.

 

“Illuminated Piñata No. 19”

“Scarlet Glossy Ibis (Halfbreed No. 1)”

“Spotted Wildcat Piñata (Illuminated Piñata No. 17)”

“Pug on Pig”

“Gynandromorph Phainopepla”

“Oyster or Snail? (Birdr No. 1)”

Detail of ‘”Javelina Girl (Illumianted Piñata No. 14)”

“California Quail”

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Fire Erupts From a Gigantic Fantastical Dragon-Horse Designed and Operated by La Machine

Photo © Emmanuel Bourgeau. All images courtesy of La Machine, shared with permission

The street theater group known as La Machine revived one of its legendary beasts for an ongoing show in Toulouse. “Long Ma,” an enormous dragon-horse hybrid weighing 45 tons and standing 11 meters tall, was originally unleashed in Beijing in 2014 and now joins a minotaur and gigantic spider for an ongoing exhibition at La Halle in the French city. Each day through May 8, a team of artists animates the mechanical creature, which can be seen trotting, galloping, and rearing upward through the streets while she greets her similarly massive companions.

Capable of spitting smoke and water, the fire-breathing “Long Ma” is made from a combination of steel, wood, leather, blown glass, golden leaves, horsehair, and textiles. She also cradles a Chinese temple inspired by the Forbidden City on her back, which is big enough for 35 people to join her on her daily adventures.

Tickets to encounter the explosive character are available on the exhibition site, and you can see more of La Machine’s puppet-like creations in action on Instagram.

 

Photo © Emmanuel Bourgeau

Photo © Jordi Bover

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Globular Reliefs and Drippy Mounds Comprise a Technicolor Collection of Dan Lam’s Sculptures

All images courtesy of Stephanie Chefas Projects, shared with permission

Armed with polyurethane foam, epoxy resin, and acrylic, artist Dan Lam (previously) sculpts technicolor forms that ooze, bubble, and trickle in long drips. She layers materials into masses of neon color progressions and textured blobs, forming amorphous puddles and mounds with cavernous insides.

Lam’s solo show Personal Legend expands the artist’s repertoire to include perfectly round reliefs with concentric gradients. Created by pouring and spreading resin over the foundational shape—head to Lam’s Instagram to dive into the process—the wall-based works are coated in droplets that bead on the surface. Mesmerizing in dimension and vibrant color palette, the resulting sculptures are displayed as single circles or large, sprawling clusters.

Personal Legend is on view through May 7 at Stephanie Chefas Projects in Portland.

 

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A Short Film Collages Chicago’s Past and Present in a Profound Look at the City’s History of Activism

A palimpsest of history, politics, and art, a short film by Lisbon-based director João Pombeiro is an ode to the Midwest’s largest city and its people. “Chicago” travels across time periods and neighborhoods in a poetic collage of community and culture: cutout photographs of children sit in front of reconstructed streetscapes, animated snippets depict cars from today and decades earlier driving next to each other, and the El runs through the background.

Created as a music video for Lance Skiiiwalker, the layered imagery mirrors the composition, which infuses audio clips from civil rights-era speeches, police sirens, and news broadcasts into Skiiwalker’s otherwise soft, jazzy track. Opening on the South Side and traveling downtown, “Chicago” is a profound, nostalgic consideration of the activism, pride, and compassion that have shaped the city.

Pombeiro frequently works in this style that melds analog and digital, and you can watch more of his films on Vimeo.

 

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Colorful Characters Emerge From Chunks of Timber in Whimsical Toys by Wood You Mind

All images © Parn Aniwat

Texas-based Thai artist Parn Aniwat, who also goes by Wood You Mind, hews charming figures from timber, embellished in bright colors and playful outfits. Ranging from about four to eight inches tall, each unique character has a distinct personality, whether it’s a sweet face emerging from an owl costume, a bee sitting in a flower, or a vibrantly striped whale. Using traditional tools like a small hatchet and chisel knife, every piece begins with a rough sketch of the design before the contours and details are revealed by chipping small pieces away. The artist then applies vivid splashes of acrylic paint to bring the character’s sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks to life.

Aniwat shares quite a bit of work on Instagram, where you can see snippets of his process and stay tuned for announcements about commission opportunities. Shop available pieces on Etsy. (via Design You Trust)

 

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.ART Wants Artists to Thrive in Digital Chaos

“SKALAR” light installation by Christopher Bauder and Kangding Ray. Photo by Ralph Larmann

Since its inception, the internet has offered its users new instruments on a regular basis. Today, most of us are juggling dozens of social and media platforms, hoping that they will provide maximum exposure to our ideas and endeavors. Yet this buffet of options has had the opposite effect, creating a glut of digital white noise that sucks up attention and traffic.

It’s time to consolidate your digital assets with .ART.

As a fast-growing domain zone for creatives, we decided to investigate how our community of 200,000+ is taking on the challenge of existing in a chaotic online world. We learned that many .ART website owners believe that to persevere in such times, artists need to focus on core values, personal projects, and a clearly-presented image of oneself.

Choosing a .ART domain name allows artists and creatives to stay relevant and recognized while leaving open endless possibilities. A website on .ART can be anything: an online portfolio, a point of entry for all your social media accounts, or a revenue-generating marketplace.

Hear from four artists on how .ART has helped them establish a strong digital identity.

 

Steve Miller is a multimedia artist who makes paintings, screenprints, artist books, and sculptures. Through his art, he explores the influence of science and technology on modern culture.

“I wanted to create a new notion of what my artist website is going to be. stevemiller.art creates a new kind of excitement, and within that, you can now own the freedom to create something new.” —Steve Miller

 

Hilbrand Bos is a fashion illustrator, designer, and musician who lives in Amsterdam, has a few National Geographic covers under his belt, and is currently working on a cartoon project with Universal Studios. His website is a gallery in its own right–full of animated GIFs and rough sketches of his work, it makes one scroll to see more and get a deeper understanding of the artist’s interests and skill. Image courtesy of the artist

“I chose a .ART domain because it looks nice and because hilbrandbos.art contains only what it should—the two things that I have to offer—my personality and my art.” —Hilbrand Bos

 

Shen Wei is a Chinese-American choreographer, painter, and director who resides in New York City. Widely recognized for his vision of an intercultural and interdisciplinary mode of movement-based performance, Shen Wei creates original works that employ an assortment of media elements, including dance, painting, sound, sculpture, theatre, and video.

“People who go to .ART have the same passion about life through art.” —Shen Wei

 

Created by light artist Christopher Bauder and musician Kangding Ray, the large-scale art installation “SKALAR” explores the complex impact of light and sound on human perception. Photo by Ralph Larmann

“.ART is descriptive and short. One can quickly identify the respective genre and its contents. It’s immediately clear that any website within this domain zone is related to art, so the viewer has a clear understanding what works they’ll find within it. I think a .ART domain is the perfect solution to display art-related content on the web.” —Christopher Bauder

To explore domain options, visit get.art or check with your registrar.

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Thin Lines, Dots, and Geometric Shapes Merge into a Minimal Typographic Collection

All images © Adam G., shared with permission

Designer Adam G. is known for utilizing his signature black and red to define the minimal illustrations coming out of the Santa Monica-based studio TRÜF Creative (previously). He describes his style as messymod, or messy modernism, an aesthetic that manifests as an eclectic array of shapes rendered in a tight color palette. Curved components and thin lines leading to perfectly round dots form his interpretation of the 36 Days of Type project, an ongoing endeavor that asks creatives to imagine their own renditions of the alphabet and numeral system.

Emphasizing balance and flow, the collection incorporates some of the designer’s favorite elements from different styles, whether swashes and serifs or western and classic. “I then try to link it all together by using solid shapes, curvy and straight lines, and positive and negative space. I suppose you could say I really love to see how I can make opposing forces work in concert and still make some kind of sense—or at least communicate the letter that it’s supposed to be,” he shares.

Prints of Adam G.’s illustrative designs are available in the messymod shop, where he also plans to release a few pieces from this collection in the coming months. You can follow his work on Instagram.

 

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