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Functioning as a tourist attraction and essential form of infrastructure, the Golden Gate Bridge is what photographer Jake Ricker refers to as a “strange paradise.” His ongoing series by the same name focuses on the lighthearted, alarming, and sometimes bizarre happenings that occur daily at the orange landmark.

Ricker began the project in September 2017, and he’s since encountered a full spectrum of human emotion and experience during the hours he spends towering over the water. “I have photos of some of the saddest things you can see in this life, as well as some of the happiest,” he told Lens Culture. “I think the bridge exists in extremes.” It’s this vastness that makes Strange Paradise a glimpse into both the mundane and surreal, and the photographs capture everything from marriage proposals and weddings to joggers and commuters to people contemplating ending their lives—Ricker estimates he’s prevented about 60 suicides since beginning the project.

Currently, Ricker has a few prints available in his shop, and you can find more of the series on his site. He’s at work on a Strange Paradise book, and you can follow him on Instagram for updates on its release.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Jake Ricker’s Photographs Find the Extremes of Human Emotion on the Golden Gate Bridge appeared first on Colossal.

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Friday, February 10, 2023

In ‘Walks of Life,’ Migwa Nthiga Photographs the Communities Most Impacted by the Climate Crisis

Those living near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya have been experiencing the brunt of the climate crisis. Already a dry, arid region, recurring droughts have left communities without water for animals, crops, and drinking, requiring people to leave their homes for more stable and fertile landscapes.

“Tribes could walk hundreds of kilometers in search for greener pastures and water in the scorching heat with scores of the livestock dying along the way,” says Migwa Nthiga, who recently photographed the Indigenous Nilotic people native to Turkana in his series, Walks of Life. “Often, we get international foreign photographers coming to tell these stories with their own biases and agenda that may not reflect the true nature of the tribes they have come to photograph,” he says, sharing that his first encounters with his subjects were random. “My team and I set out on an adventure with very little fixed expectations. We wanted to photograph any interesting stories we would stumble upon.”

Through intimate portraiture and candid shots, Nthiga documents the daily lives of fishermen as they plunge into the lake or of children at home with their families. Encompassing an array of emotions from joyful to intensely focused, the series shares a nuanced narrative about what it means to live in the region so profoundly impacted by the climate crisis.

Nthiga created Walks of Life with the help of photography assistant Joseph Theo, producer Nina Bola, and consulting creative director Jason Bruckner. He will show some of his photos from March 3 to 19 at The Nook in Nanyuki, where he lives, and is currently working on a climate-centric film about a Turkana fashion stylist. You can follow his latest project on Instagram and Behance.

A photo of two people at home

A photo of a smiling woman

A photo fo a father and child at home

A photo of a person standing outside a wooden home

A photo of two people embracing in a tree

A photo of a woman carrying something through a desert landscape

A photo of a person rested on a rock near water

A photo of two people on a boat

A photo of a person on a beach

A photo of a person outside under a blue sky

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article In ‘Walks of Life,’ Migwa Nthiga Photographs the Communities Most Impacted by the Climate Crisis appeared first on Colossal.

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Mesmerizing Paper Sculptures and Animations by Zai Divecha Convey the Subtlety of Change

An animated gif of white paper scultpures

In Phase Shift, San Francisco-based artist Zai Divecha (previously) translates the illusion of movement to monochromatic paper works. Her solo show, which runs from February 25 to March 25 at Heron Arts, features animations and sculptures that reference early stop-motion devices like zoetropes and phenakistoscopes. Both rely on sequential formations to imply progression, a technique the artist utilizes in her analog pieces that convey gradual changes.

Divecha is known for her singular use of white paper, which draws the viewer’s eye toward the texture, dimension, and depth of her works and the way they capture light and shadow. Mounted on flat planes, the pieces consider that “what we might see as static is actually changing incrementally over time.”

For more of Divecha’s multi-disciplinary works, visit her site and Instagram.

A photo of white paper sculptures in a sequence

A photo of white paper sculptures

A photo of white paper sculptures in a sequence

A detail photo of white paper sculptures in a sequence

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Mesmerizing Paper Sculptures and Animations by Zai Divecha Convey the Subtlety of Change appeared first on Colossal.

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Thursday, February 9, 2023

Monumental Bubbles Pop Up in Public Spaces in Atelier Sisu’s Inflatable Installations

An inflatable installation that looks like large bubbles.

Whether illuminated by the sun or spotlights, the undulating layers of Atelier Sisu’s playful installations are a presence in public spaces. The Sydney-based studio, which is a collaboration between artists Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield, celebrates community interaction and joy in their vibrant, inflatable designs. A buttress between art and architecture, their practice focuses on the interaction between art and the surrounding environment. “Our aim is not simply to create something beautiful or a temporary sculpture but to re-interpret our public spaces through architectural choices,” the studio says in a statement.

Atelier Sisu’s self-described “bubble-tecture” is exemplified in the iridescent spheres of “Evanescent,” which features enormous, translucent orbs that stick one another and appear to tumble across lawns or plazas. Conceived during the pandemic when the artists, like many of us, were faced with uncertainty and began to more closely consider the delicate balance of stability and the fleeting nature of time, the studio “endeavoured to communicate this feeling of transient beauty and the need to live in the moment through the idea of the bubble.” The piece has been displayed in more than 22 different cities in 12 different countries.

“Evanescent” is currently on view at Leadenhall Market in London through February 10. You can find more work on the studio’s website, and follow updates on Instagram.

“Iris”

“Evanescent”

“Alcazar.” Photo courtesy of House of the Arts

Detail of “Alcazar.” Photo courtesy of House of the Arts

Left: “Splendour.” Right: “Sky of Bubbles”

“Evanescent”

“Evanescent” and “Evanescent Droplets”

“Evanescent”

An inflatable installation with colorful walls.

“Labyrinth”

An inflatable installation with donut-like shapes above a European street.

“Splendour”

A detail of an inflatable installation that looks like a transparent blue ring or donut.

Detail of “Splendour”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Monumental Bubbles Pop Up in Public Spaces in Atelier Sisu’s Inflatable Installations appeared first on Colossal.

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Symmetric Flora and Fauna Converge in Kelly Louise Judd’s Dreamlike Paintings

Symmetry and mirroring inform many of Kelly Louise Judd’s paintings, which intertwine flora and fauna in delicate compositions. Ferns overlay the long tails of two cats, a lanky heron gracefully perches among bluebells and sunflowers, and human hands reach upward to reveal sprawling botanicals. Rendered on neutral-toned backdrops, the works evoke the patterns and organic recurrences found throughout the natural world.

Judd, who lives and works in the Midwest, generously shares glimpses into her process on Instagram, and you can shop prints of her pieces on Etsy.

A painting of a blue heron with flowers

A painting of a fox with ferns coming from a planter

A painting of a wolf surrounded by flowers

A paintng of hands reaching toward flowers

A pair of hands reaching toward flowers

A painting of flowers

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Symmetric Flora and Fauna Converge in Kelly Louise Judd’s Dreamlike Paintings appeared first on Colossal.

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Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Dramatic Landscapes and Dazzling Portraits Highlight Global Perspectives in the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

A photograph of a cyclist illuminated by street lamp on a rural road juxtaposed with a city in the background.

Gyu Seob Shim, Republic of Korea, 1st Place, National Awards. All images © the photographers, shared with permission courtesy of the Sony World Photography Awards

From the sinuous lines of a leaping cat, to a giant tortoise gliding alongside a snorkeler, to a lone cyclist illuminated on a road juxtaposed against a looming city, the winning images from this year’s Sony World Photography Awards (previously) showcase a remarkable slice of life captured by photographers hailing from 55 countries around the globe. Now in its 16th year, the competition garnered more than 415,000 entries from more than 200 nations and territories, about half of which were entered into the running for the National Awards, an initiative set up by the World Photography Organization and Sony to support local photographic communities around the world.

Check out some of our favorite images below, and if you’re in London, stop by Somerset House between April 14 and May 1 to see all of the winning images on display, including top picks from the student, youth, open, and professional categories.