Kayla Mahaffey Envisions the Self-Discovery of Adolescence Through Vibrantly Energetic Paintings in Acrylic

“Pure Intentions,” acrylic and aerosol on linen, 24 x 24 inches. All images © Kayla Mahaffey, shared with permission

Childhood naivete and nostalgia have always grounded Kayla Mahaffey’s imaginative paintings, but today, the Chicago-based artist considers what happens in the next stage of adolescence. “My previous work centered around more innocent times and how those outside influences (good or bad) interacted with us and how sometimes we remained in a state of bliss and oblivion,” she tells Colossal. “As I get older and as the children in my work grow, I want to move into a direction of awareness and ask the question, ‘When was the turning point in our lives when we started to notice the bad things, and how did this affect us?'”

This act of self-discovery and growing awareness of the broader world are shaping Mahaffey’s new works. Continuing her use of vivid color and energetic movement, the artist has toned down the cartoon details that once created daydream-like commotion for her young subjects, and she’s instead gravitating toward weightier and more ominous themes, including the tension between life and death. Dead birds and sinister snakes appear, while one figure grasps sharp clippers and another cries large, heavy tears.

 

“And Away We Go,” acrylic and aerosol on linen

Mahaffey has a vast archive of sketches to be translated into acrylic and aerosol, many of which reflect the nuanced stories of her native Chicago. “My work reflects how the city directly affects our youth and how they in return react when they are cared for and also when they are not,” she says, sharing that the paintings “are just the tales and experiences, filtered through my mind and put on paper.”

She works quickly, and ideas emerge freely. Once settled on a composition, she works tirelessly until the painting is complete. “I try to slow down my process at times, but it only stunts my thought process and clouds me mentally while painting, so I just do what works for me. My mind works a bit more spontaneously, and I would like to think my pieces flourish because of that,” the artist shares.

Mahaffey will release a limited-edition sculpture with Thinkspace this week, which you can find more about on Instagram.

 

“Glare,” acrylic and aerosol on stacked panels, 48 x 48 x 4 inches

“Chicago’s Hope”

“Retribution,” acrylic and aerosol on stacked panels, 32 x 32 x 3 inches

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Remarkably Detailed Resin-and-Wire Hairpins by Sakae Mimic Elaborate Wings and Petals

All images © Sakae

Continuing a millennia-old Japenese tradition of kanzashi, Tokyo-based artist Sakae (previously) constructs intricately detailed hairpins from wire and resin. In their earliest and simplest form, kanzashi were made of a simple stick or rod meant to protect the wearer from evil spirits. Over time, they evolved to include combs and a wide range of materials, becoming widely popular during the Edo period when hairstyles became more elaborate.

Sakae’s contemporary iterations connect to her rich cultural heritage, adorning customary hairstyles during special occasions like ceremonies or weddings. She creates the luminous surfaces of insect wings, flower petals, and dew drops by using dip resin, a type of liquid material that can be applied between strands of wire and solidified with heat.

Sakae periodically sells her pieces via auction, which you can find updates about on her website and Facebook.

 

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Monumental Paintings by Eamon Ore-Giron Translate Cultural Symbols into Vivid Geometries

“Talking Shit with Amaru” (2021), mineral paint and flashe on canvas, 132 x 204 inches. All images © Eamon Ore-Giron, courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York, shared with permission

A mélange of architectural structures, cosmic mappings, South American textiles, hieroglyphics, and Indigenous symbols emerge in vivid, balanced color in Eamon Ore-Giron’s paintings. Often rendered in flashe and mineral paint on large-scale linen canvases, the works are enveloping and visionary, transporting the viewer into Ore-Giron’s flat, geometric vistas.

Currently based in Los Angeles, the artist is deeply influenced by his surroundings. He was raised in Tucson by a Peruvian father and mother of Irish descent, embedding him within a distinct medley of global cultures from Latino and Indigenous to Andean and European. The visual language of this mixed heritage is evident in his paintings, particularly his more recent Talking Shit and Infinite Regress series.

On view now as part of Competing with Lightning / Rivalizando con el relámpago at The Contemporary Austin, the works make a stark departure from Ore-Giron’s earlier figurative pieces and instead favor symmetries, geometric shapes, and ancient motifs. The more vibrant of the series is Talking Shit, which was born out of the artist’s time in Guadalajara, and engages with the gods of Mexican and Peruvian cultures. In the massive, 204-inch-wide “Talking Shit with Amaru,” Ore-Giron interprets the mythological serpentine creature of Incan and Andean lore. The two-headed beast is thought to transcend boundaries between the spiritual and earthly worlds, which appears in the work through careful cross-sections and a shapely form that leads in several directions.

Infinite Regress shifts to metallics, with wide swaths of gold emanating from a central totemic form. “In philosophy, infinite regress is a sequence of reasoning which can never come to an end: a paradox of infinite regeneration that disproves the concept of fixed knowledge—in connecting one element to another, a third one is always interpolated and so on, endlessly,” a statement about the series says. Through thin lines reaching distant intersections and circles nestled in color-blocked stripes, many of the works evoke a distant horizon, the always unreachable and ever-recurring point.

If you’re in Austin, you can see Competing with Lightning / Rivalizando con el relámpago through August 20. Otherwise, find more of Ore-Giron’s works on his site.

 

“Talking shit with Coatlicue” (2017), flashe on linen, 79 9/10 × 65 inches

“Black Medallion XXIII” (2023), mineral paint and flashe on linen, 72 x 72 inches. Photo by Charles White/JWPictures.com, © Eamon Ore-Giron, courtesy of the artist, James Cohan, New York, and Fleisher/Ollman,
Philadelphia

“Night Shade” (2016), flashe on linen, 84 x 60 inches

“Infinite Regress CLXXXIV” (2021), flashe and mineral paint on linen, 120 x 120 inches. Photo by Charles White/JWPictures.com, © Eamon Ore-Giron, courtesy of the artist, James Cohan, New York, and Fleisher/Ollman, Philadelphia

“Black Medallion XV (Mama-Quilla)’ (2023), mineral paint and flashe on linen, 174 x 300 inches. Photo by Charles White/JWPictures.com, © Eamon Ore-Giron, courtesy of the artist, James Cohan, New York, and Fleisher/Ollman,
Philadelphia

“Infinite Regress CLXXXVIII” (2021), mineral paint and flashe on linen, 120 x 156 inches. Photo by Charles White/JWPictures.com, © Eamon Ore-Giron, courtesy of the artist, James Cohan, New York, and Fleisher/Ollman,
Philadelphia

Installation view, Eamon Ore-Giron: Competing with Lightning/Rivalizando con el relámpago, The Contemporary Austin (2023). Artwork © Eamon Ore-Giron, courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York. Photo by Alex Boeschenstein, courtesy of The Contemporary Austin

The artist at work on “Talking Shit with Amaru”

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Catalina Swinburn Meticulously Excavates the History and Ceremony of Textiles in Her Woven Paper ‘Investitures’

“Il Ritorno d’Ulisse” (2021), woven paper investiture from the scores of ‘Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria’ by Claudio Monteverdi, 150 x 130 x 40 centimeters. All images © Catalina Swinburn, shared with permission

“The cloak is a talisman from harm, keeping one safe and secure throughout transitions,” says Chilean artist Catalina Swinburn, whose elaborate sculptures use thousands of pieces of folded paper to explore world history. Living and working between Buenos Aires and London, she is drawn to ideas around migration and displacement, turning material derived from books, documents, and maps into large-scale wall pieces and intricate, robe-like compositions.

Swinburn is interested in liminality, the process of transitioning across borders or boundaries in space or time that often requires formal procedures. She focuses on investitures, a term that applies to both an honorary ceremony and a type of garment that covers, protects, or adorns the wearer. “My works are what I called Ritual Investitures that extend power and resistance by the way they are constructed,” she says, “also in the fictional idea of how this can be used as an armour to protect, or wings to fly, or become something you wish.”

 

Detail of “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse” (2021)

From meticulously folded pieces of paper comes a draping fabric, often mounted onto a panel or photographed as it wraps around a figure’s shoulders. The historically fraught practices of collecting and exhibiting cultural artifacts, ceremonial materials, and human remains is also a touchpoint for Swinburn, as she considers the nature of ownership, power, bias, and representation. She often uses archaeological volumes for her sculptures, culling pages cataloging ancient Roman floor mosaics or antiquities. “Athánatoi,” for example, is woven from vintage sheets containing documentation of displaced glazed bricks from the Palace of Darius, Susa, an ancient city in modern-day Iran.

In archaeology, textiles rarely survive, adding another layer of mystique to craft and garment traditions around the world. “Textiles are among the most visible signs of sacred spaces and sacred roles,” Swinburn says. Using a technique she calls “inset” or embedding, the artist creates a durable fabric with a robust geometric structure that references built environments and patterns employed by Indigenous groups. “The weaving is designed with a stepped pattern inspired from the sacred ruins and old scaffold textiles used in the Andean cultures,” she says. “Referring to the suyu whipala structure, each module is cut and joined together manually.”

 

“Athánatoi” (2021), woven paper investiture from vintage archeological documentation books relating to the displacement of archeological glazed bricks from the Palace of Darius, Susa, 180 x 150 x 30 centimeters

Books have fascinated Swinburn since childhood, when her father amassed stacks of volumes about architecture and prehistoric civilizations. She finds her source material in charity shops, markets, fairs, and during her travels, often inspired by a unique title or vintage illustrations. “Books for me are like pilgrims: they are also constantly travelling and moving,” she says. “They have passed from different hands, so it holds its narrative, but for me, also the narrative of it’s own journey.” The portability of Swinburn’s materials is a significant aspect of her practice, since she travels frequently. Her technique involves slicing out the leaves, then carefully cutting and folding into precise squares that can be bundled up and taken anywhere.

Textiles have been long been associated with domestic activities and often disparaged as “women’s work.” Swinburn turns the tables on this narrative, exploring the representation of women throughout time or highlighting their absence from the record altogether. She says, “I mostly named all of my pieces out of names for emblematic women: Penelope, Arachne, Inanna, Astarte, Isis, Phoenix, Cocha, Quilla, Copacati, Dido, Aida… I always think, what about if history would have been told from a feminine perspective? I want to bring back these narratives and empower them, for us all to think on how powerful they have been.”

Swinburn will open a solo exhibition in a London chapel with Selma Feriani Gallery this October. You an find more of her work on her website and Instagram.

 

Detail of “Athánatoi” (2021)

“Apadana” (2021), woven paper from archaeological documentation of stone displaced from Persepolis, 370 x 410 centimeters

Detail of “Apadanis” (2021)

“Cocha” (2021), handwoven paper investiture piece made from selected cut pieces from Latin American maritime seafront atlases and maps, 130 x 150 x 45 centimeters

Detail of “Cocha” (2021)

“Penelope” (2020), performative photo with woven investiture made from scores of ‘Il Ritorno di Ulisse in patria’ by Claudio Monteverdi, 120 x 180 centimeters

“Autobiography of a Yogi” (2019), woven paper, 234 x 270 centimeters

Pieces in progress for “Autobiography of a Yogi” (2019)

“Quilla” (2021), woven paper investiture made from vintage music scores of the national hymns of Latin America, 150 x 150 x 40 centimeters

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Endless Forest: Mary Maka Digitally Illustrates Otherworldly Woodland Creatures to Tame Fears

All images © Mary Maka, shared with permission

Inspired by the short stories of the late Nigerian writer Amos Tutuola, Mary Maka illustrates woodland creatures with fantastical characteristics as part of her Endless Forest series. The Portugal-based artist has always been interested in mythology and nature, and after reading Tutuola’s works, she decided to render spirited animals that could plausibly emerge from the pages of his books.

Often hybrid in form, the beasts are based on unique fears. “Hunters gave names to the phenomena and creatures that were most frightening,” Maka says. “By giving them a name and endowing them with human qualities, the fear became less intense. Spirits that had names could now be allies and help in hunting and gathering.” This sentiment grounds her work as she translates each fear into vibrant colors, grainy textures, and playfully exaggerated features, which she hopes ameliorates panic and worry.

The digitally illustrated series began as an animation that is currently in progress. Keep an eye out for that, along with an upcoming poster release, on Behance and Instagram.

 

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Interview: Lorna Simpson On Perspective, the Complexity of Layering, and Doing What She Wants

“Earth & Sky #24” (2016), collage on paper, 11 x 8 1/2 inches. All photos by James Wang, courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth, © Lorna Simpson, shared with permission

Though Lorna Simpson is known primarily as a photographer, she doesn’t limit herself to one particular medium, working across photography, painting, collage, and sculpture in an intuitive process she discusses in a new interview.

I think in terms of making art or working, it’s not always comfortable. It’s not always assured…A lot of times, there’s maybe a lot of questions, or it can have that thing where I’m not quite sure if I’m pulling it off. I’m not quite sure if it’s a good idea or how it works. Time and again, I’ve come to respect being uncomfortable and leaning more into the process of figuring things out as a way of proceeding.

In this conversation with Colossal contributor Paulette Beete, Simpson describes how her perspective and gaze changes over time, why she needs to forestall the analytical when creating, and what it’s meant, as a Black woman artist, to always be loyal to herself and her work.

Read the interview.

 

“Walk with me” (2020), collage on paper, 29 3/8 x 22 1/2 inches

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Immersive Architectural Installations by Sarah Zapata Expand Rich Textile Traditions

“Existing with the moon under our feet” (2022), installation at Deli Gallery, New York, NY. Image courtesy of the artist and Deli Gallery. All images © Sarah Zapata, shared with permission

Sarah Zapata is interested in the presence of textiles. Her large-scale, immersive installations are architectural, with feet-high columns looming over interiors, ladders holding stitched works on their rungs, and structural forms arranged like walls or distant skylines. Expanding the realm of textiles beyond physical touch and practical use, Zapata considers how fibers occupy space and the way traditions and notions of community continue to evolve. “What I’m always thinking about in installation, and why I find it to be so important, is the viewer is literally part of the work,” she says, noting that she tends to use space as a material itself. Enveloping and robust, Zapata’s pieces plunge viewers into a world of bold, exuberant fiber.

This past March, Zapata closed a solo exhibition at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which transformed the gallery into an immersive chamber of dichotomies: palettes of tan and gray jutted up against red and lavender, the sleek lines of painted stripes contrasted with the textured fringe of fiber, and calm, neutral tones were met with the regal, riotous energy of vivid color.

Titled a resilience of things not seen, the exhibition referenced the Book of Revelation, the apocalyptic Christian text that Zapata encountered frequently as a child in an Evangelical home. The installation drew on her adolescent experiences with religious fear, alongside the alarm produced by the early days of the pandemic when everything was uncertain. Color played an important role in confronting these worries, and the inclusion of black, white, and grays became the artist’s opportunity to consider her own predilections. “I’m always very scared of it being too beautiful,” Zapata says. “Beauty is a very important entry point, and I’m always thinking about how the work can be accessible… but (I) have to challenge myself to be using things that are so ugly. And I hate neutrals.”

 

“A resilience of things not seen” (2022), installation at John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Image courtesy of the artist and JMKAC

Centered around hope and the possibilities of the future, the exhibition also hearkened back to textile heritage and was, in part, an homage to Lenore Tawney. The pioneering fiber artist’s delicate “Cloud Labyrinth” was suspended in that same gallery during a 2019 retrospective. While Zapata for many years focused on the ground and its humble nature, she expanded her work in this exhibition to the ceiling, again enforcing the polarity of the space while positioning her textiles in the middle. “I’m always thinking about how to occupy opposites and how to really be both and neither,” she tells Colossal. “I’m always trying to lean into this in-between space, not only physically but thinking about that in terms of time and accessing past, futurity, existing in the present, always this amorphous sense of time.”

This nebulous state figures prominently in Zapata’s practice, which filters longstanding cultural customs through her distinctly contemporary lens. She often refers to her works as ruins and draws on pre-colonial weaving practices in Peru, her father’s native country and a region with a robust legacy of women working collectively with fibers. Whereas textiles today tend to be infused with plastic and are part of a massively wasteful fast-fashion ecosystem, they’re historically linked to longevity and respect for the material itself.

“Textiles are very indicative of time and of course commerce, but I think they’re just such a beautiful indicator of one’s existence,” Zapata says, noting that she frequently returns to the rituals of the Paracas peninsula. The Andean peoples are known for their elaborate embroideries and use of cloth to celebrate life milestones. Much of the artist’s work references these ancient practices, along with Biblical narratives, queer history, and of course, the technical aspects of such an ancient craft.

 

“Existing with the moon under our feet” (2022), installation at Deli Gallery, New York, New York. Image courtesy of the artist and Deli Gallery

Currently, Zapata works on three looms in her Red Hook studio, one of which she recently acquired from her alma mater, the University of North Texas, Denton, after the institution shuttered its fiber program. Weaving in the last few years has become a “way to reset, a way to enter into this new paradigm of the world really,” and what’s emerged is an exploration into variety and potential. Some of her recent pieces, which were on view last year at Deli Gallery in New York, include tall plinths cloaked in patches of shag, tightly intertwined stripes, and conical pockets that stick out from the sides. Rich in color, pattern, and texture, the works continue the artist’s interest in contrast and juxtaposition.

Zapata will have a new installation on view this August at The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri, which alludes to the revolutionary lesbian community Womontown that emerged in the city in the 1980s. She’ll also open a solo show in September at Galleria Poggiali in Milan. Find more of her work on her site and Instagram.

 

“A resilience of things not seen” (2022), installation at John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Image courtesy of the artist and JMKAC

Detail of “A resilience of things not seen” (2022), installation at John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Image courtesy of the artist and JMKAC

“How often they move between the planets II” (2022), installation at Unit Gallery, London. Photo by Marcus Peel

“Existing with the moon under our feet” (2022), installation at Deli Gallery, New York, New York. Image courtesy of the artist and Deli Gallery

Zapata in her studio (2022). Photo by Ignacio Torres

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