Anxious Thoughts and Dreams Occupy the Minds of Johnson Tsang’s Porcelain Figures

“Cross My Mind” (2020), porcelain, fake grass, and trees, 11.8 × 11.8 × 5.5 inches. All images © Johnson Tsang, shared with permission

Through contorted figures, Johnson Tsang continues to stretch the limits of human consciousness as he blurs the boundary between the real and surreal. The Hong Kong-based artist has spent decades sculpting works in ceramic and steel that explore the liminal and invisible, making thoughts and emotions tangible through minimal forms in white porcelain. Vacillating between the calming and disconcerting, Tsang’s works convey many of the relatable anxieties and coping mechanisms that occupy the contemporary mind.

The artist’s Lucid Dream series frequently presents facial features as cushions with “Comfort Zone” and “Impressed” both featuring slumbering figures squashing the nose and forehead. Other works in the collection are more unsettling and use rubble, duplicates, and aggressive hands to warp the forms. The sculptures reflect Tsang’s own pursuit of spiritual growth and recognize the need to “stop the inner war and face everything that happens with peace.”

This sentiment of acceptance and calm dramatically changed for the artist after he suffered a stroke in January 2022. Following brain surgery, a ten-day coma, and extensive recovery to regain mobility and speech, he’s begun to speak about his health and desire to move forward. He shares with Colossal:

When asked how I am doing, I will playfully answer: ‘I’ve been very busy recently. I’m concentrating on creating a new work, which is my body and my life.’ That means, I’m a sculptor and become the clay that I’m sculpting… I just started a different journey, and embarking on this adventure is actually exciting and full of expectations because I know this particular experience comes only once and I must cherish it. I believe in life. Life is based on love, designed with wisdom, and allows us to grow through experience, so there is always a deeper meaning behind everything, and always with love and kindness —even if it seems not, like (with) a stroke.

Tsang postponed two exhibitions set for last year and is currently easing back into his practice. You can find more of his work and follow his progress on Instagram.

 

“Lucid Dream II, Comfort Zone”

“Healing in Progress” (2019)

Detail of “Healing in Progress” (2019)

“Lucid Dream II, Collapsed”

“Still in One Piece III”

Top left: “Lucid Dream II, Searching for Spring.” Top right: “Lucid Dream II, The Moment.” Bottom left: “Lucid Dream II, Self.” Bottom right: “Lucid Dream II, Two in One”

“Lucid Dream II, Impressed”

“Lucid Dream II, Promise Land”

“Lucid Dream III, War Zone”

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The Other Art Fair Returns To Barker Hangar in Los Angeles This March

Friends show off their art purchases at The Other Art Fair in Barker Hangar. All photos by Timothy Musho

Your average art experience might look like this: a sparse selection of art on display, out-of-budget, eerily quiet, and overall a bit underwhelming. The Other Art Fair aims to shake this up and is heading to Los Angeles this spring for its first U.S. fair of 2023 with utterly bizarre immersive experiences, LA billboard queen and guest artist ANGELYNE, live DJ sets, interactive workshops, and more. The fair encourages visitors to step out of their comfort zones and discover art differently—an outlandish and unmissable game plan for the weekend.

The Other Art Fair is a celebration of art in all its forms. Born in London in 2011, the Fair Founder Ryan Stanier had the vision to connect art lovers and first-time buyers with undiscovered, emerging artists and has since expanded the fair to over seven global locations—including Brooklyn, Dallas, Chicago, and Sydney—with thousands of artworks finding homes along the way.

 

Art lovers line up outside Barker Hangar to attend The Other Art Fair in Santa Monica.

Running March 30 to April 2 at Santa Monica’s historic Barker Hangar, the Los Angeles edition, in partnership with Saatchi Art, will bring together the talent of over 140 emerging artists who have been busy creating new work in their studios. The mix of local and international artists is carefully selected by a committee of art-world experts to ensure visitors have an abundance of artistic styles, sizes, and prices to choose from and love.

On the buzzing Opening Night, you might find yourself drink-in-hand, an artwork you landed for under $500 under your arm, surrounded by a group of friends who share your curiosity for new experiences. Alternatively, you could be spotted enjoying a lazy Sunday stroll around the event, come rain or shine, opening your mind to whatever creative conversation comes your way. Whatever your vibe, you’re invited.

Tickets are available at theotherartfair.com.

 

Friends pose for a selfie in front of a mural installation at The Other Art Fair Los Angeles.

Two people look on at a colorful artwork by an independent artist at The Other Art Fair Los Angeles.

Visitors at The Other Art Fair Los Angeles enjoy drinks as they explore art from over 140 independent artists.

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 The Other Art Fair Returns To Barker Hangar in Los Angeles This March appeared first on Colossal.

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Join Us for a Colossal Workshop on Stop-Motion Animation with Clifford Beddy

We’re excited to welcome animator Clifford Beddy on April 22 for a virtual workshop on the basics of stop-motion animation. In this two-hour session, participants will follow a playful storyline about a mouse and its quest to obtain a hunk of cheese, using everyday materials. Clifford will teach the necessary techniques for planning, lighting, tools, movement, textures, characters, and sound that will allow participants to create a variety of stop-motion creations.

All previous Colossal Workshops have sold out, so register today to reserve your seat. If you’re a Colossal Member, be sure to use the code in your account for $10 off. 10 percent of the proceeds for this workshop will benefit the Syrian American Medical Society Foundation, which is working on the front lines of medical crises in Syria.

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 Join Us for a Colossal Workshop on Stop-Motion Animation with Clifford Beddy appeared first on Colossal.

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Traditional Glassblowing Methods Suffuse Kateryna Sokolova’s Modern Vessels with Historical Spirit

All images © Kateryna Sokolova

It is often said that glass is a “slow-moving liquid” because it lacks of the molecular structure of true solids. Like oversized water droplets on the verge of slipping off the edge of a branch or a table, Ukrainian designer Kateryna Sokolova’s sculptural vessels draw on the medium’s natural malleability. GUTTA, a series of vases and carafes, draws on a rich tradition of glass-blowing in Ukraine and evokes a sense of paused time, as if the pieces are frozen in motion. “Through the curvaceous shape of the vases, I wanted to convey the mysterious power of nature and a sense of rhythm,” she says.

Sokolova’s designs are produced in Lviv by artisans who practice ancient glassblowing techniques, imbuing the modern forms with a historical dimension. GUTTA vessels are on view at the contemporary design fair Collectible in Brussels this weekend, and you can find more of the artist’s work on her website. (via Le Journal Du Design)

 

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Explore the Ancient Art of Kumihimo, a Traditional Japanese Braiding Technique

The ancient Japanese art of kumihimo encompasses 1,300 years of braiding and cord-making history. Translating to “gathered threads,” the weaving technique has been practiced for centuries, with the completed creations used for binding historical samurai armor and creating ties for modern kimonos. Many kumihimo are made of hand-dyed silk interlaced using special looms as demonstrated in a short film released by Japan House London.

Accompanying the Kumihimo: Japanese Silk Braiding exhibition, the video captures the meditative and methodical process of the labor-intensive art form. One weaver seated at a takadai loom manually passes bobbins through the upper and lower threads and then uses a bamboo tool, or hera, to hit and tighten the braid. Later, a craftsperson is shown at the round murudai, which involves passing the strands from front to back in a rhythmic sequence.

Watch the video above for a glimpse into the process, and if you’re in London, see Kumihimo: Japanese Silk Braiding, which features installations, looms, and dozens of examples of the braids, through June 11.

 

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 Explore the Ancient Art of Kumihimo, a Traditional Japanese Braiding Technique appeared first on Colossal.

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Highlighting Wildlife in Crisis, ‘The New Big 5’ Celebrates the Diversity of the World’s Animal Denizens

Qiang Zhang, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Foping National Nature Reserve, China. Status: Endangered. All images © the photographers, from ‘The New Big 5’ by Graeme Green, published by Earth Aware Editions, shared with permission

In the Victorian era, big game hunting saw a meteoric rise in popularity, coinciding with Britain’s colonization of numerous regions in the so-called “Scramble for Africa” and the advent of more accurate firearms that galvanized a fashion for amassing “exotic” trophies. Sometimes intended for museums, specimens were often bound for private collections, and creatures that roamed the vast African continent were considered particularly attractive prizes.

Known as the Big Five, the lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo were considered the most difficult species to hunt on foot. Today, many of these animals are vulnerable and endangered and must be protected in nature reserves in order to prevent being unlawfully hunted to extinction. In his forthcoming book The New Big 5, photographer Graeme Green wants to flip the narrative: “Shooting with a camera, not a gun.”

The New Big 5 is the culmination of a three-year project celebrating the remarkable multiplicity of Earth’s inhabitants, which also aims to raise awareness of the fragility of their existence as their habitats are increasingly threatened due to the climate crisis. In April 2020, Green asked people around the world to suggest what animals they most enjoyed seeing in photographs. More than 3,000 people voted for their favorites, and the list includes species found in Asia and North America, too: elephants, tigers, gorillas, polar bears, and lions. Family life is a particular focus, emphasizing the universally tender relationships of parents rearing their babies.

With more than a million species at risk of extinction worldwide, Green wanted the project “to focus attention on all of the world’s incredible wildlife, large and small, and the urgent need to act together globally to save these animals, our planet, and ourselves.” The book brings together more than 200 photographs by 146 photographers from around the world and contains numerous interviews and essays by some of the foremost conservationists, scientists, and activists working today.

Scheduled for release on April 4, you can pre-order a copy on Bookshop, and visit the project’s website to learn more.

 

Vicki Jauron, African Lions. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Status: Vulnerable

Dhritiman Mukherjee, Gharial. National Chambal Sanctuary, India. Status: Critically Endangered

Hao Jiang, Polar Bear. Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. Status: Vulnerable

Aimee Jan, Green Sea Turtle. Ningaloo Marine Park, Australia. Status: Endangered

Left: Majed Alzaabi, Mountain Gorilla. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. Status: Endangered. Right: Nili Mahendra Gudhka, Cheetah. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Status: Vulnerable

Jenny Wong, Polar Bear. Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. Status: Vulnerable

Karine Aigner, African Elephant. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. Status: Endangered

Lucas Bustamante, Spotted Torrent Frog. Santa Barbara Park, Ecuador. Status: Critically Endangered

Antonio Liebana, Iberian Lynx. Ciudad Real, Spain. Status: Endangered

David Lloyd, Black Rhinoceros. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Status: Critically Endangered

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 Highlighting Wildlife in Crisis, ‘The New Big 5’ Celebrates the Diversity of the World’s Animal Denizens appeared first on Colossal.

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Through Incisive Paintings, Toni Hamel Highlights Futile and Inadequate Responses to Global Issues

“Ikebana VII (The Arrangement)” (2023), oil on canvas, 18 x 18 inches. All images © Toni Hamel, shared with permission

It may be human to err, but Toni Hamel’s characters take mistakes and futility to irrational conclusions. The artist (previously) is known for her keen wit and observations of contemporary life, which she translates into oil paintings that place folly at the center: a woman paints red stripes onto a tulip’s petals, a man gestures toward a celestial Amazon logo, and a team numbers clouds suspended in the sky.

Many of Hamel’s works comment on inadequate responses to major issues like the climate crisis and social inequities, and she often paints scenes with figures undertaking unhelpful and unrelated actions to remedy the problem. Her “Activist” paintings, for example, depict a melting arctic and figures attempting to stop the loss of life and landscape through words alone. Laced with humor and satire, Hamel considers her work a form of protest and “a reflection of my general preoccupations as an artist.”

Currently living and working in Kingston, Ontario, Hamel will have many of the pieces shown here at CK Contemporary in San Francisco in the coming weeks. You can find an archive of her works on her site and Instagram.

 

“The tally” (2023), oil on canvas, 18 x 18 inches

“To infinity and beyond” (2022), oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches

“Ikebana VI (Final Touches)” (2023), oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

“Prototype I” (2019-2022), oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches

“The Activist II (Stay)” (2022), oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

“Ikebana V (Spring Cleaning)” (2023), oil on canvas in artist’s frame, 14 x 18 inches

“The Activist I (Last Call)” (2022), oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

“The arrival” (2022), oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

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 Through Incisive Paintings, Toni Hamel Highlights Futile and Inadequate Responses to Global Issues appeared first on Colossal.

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