Hugh Hayden’s First Monograph Surveys the Inhospitable Nature of the American Dream

“Hedges” (2019), sculpted wood, lumber, hardware, mirror, and carpet, 144 x 208 x 208 inches. Photo by Mark Waldhauser, courtesy of the Shed Open Call. All images © Hugh Hayden courtesy of Lisson Gallery, shared with permission

The first monograph of the incisive Hugh Hayden (previously), American Vernacular celebrates a decade of sculptures and installations that evidence his keen political and cultural consciousness. Published by MIT Press and edited by Sarah Montross, the 256-page volume is heavy with images, featuring 90 photos of Hayden’s work that explore conceptions of race and class through intersections with nature.

Frequently working with trees and bark—the latter even envelops the book’s cover with “HUGH” appearing carved into the rough, protective sheath—Hayden is drawn to wood and often utilizes the material to consider the vast array of issues born from slavery and its enduring legacy. Both “Hedges” and “The Jones Part 3” shown here feature branches protruding from the surfaces of the domestic works that make them impossible to use, a metaphor Hayden returns to as he examines the inhospitable realities of life in the U.S. “All of my work is about the American dream, whether it’s a table that’s hard to sit at or a thorny school desk. It’s a dream that is seductive but difficult to inhabit,” he says.

American Vernacular is currently available from Bookshop.

 

“Hangers #3” (2018), fir, walnut, and ebony with oak dowel, steel, 11 x 28 ¼ x 12 ½ inches. Private collection

“Good Hair 3 (Brainwash)” (2021), white oak, wire-drawn black boar hair (bristle), metal face mask, 10 x 11 ½ x 9 ½ inches. Private collection

Detail of “Hedges” (2019), sculpted wood, lumber, hardware, mirror and carpet, 144 x 208 x 208 inches. Photo by Mark Waldhauser, courtesy of the Shed Open Call

“The Jones Part 3” (2018), sculpted eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) with steel, 78 ½ x 180 x 26 ¾ inches. Private collection

Detail of “The Jones Part 3” (2018), sculpted eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) with steel, 78 ½ x 180 x 26 ¾ inches. Private collection

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Sisterhood and Maternal Bonds Surface in Sonia Alins’ Ethereal Illustrations of Tranquil Swimmers

“Amor maternal.” All images © Sophie Alins, shared with permission

In Greek mythology, the Oceanid nymphs are the daughters of Oceanus, the great world-encompassing river, and a sea goddess named Tethys. Innumerable and present in every aquatic environment, the poet Hesiod described how they “serve the earth and the deep waters,” personifying springs and the sources of marine expanses. For illustrator Sonia Alins, the stories of the Oceanids provide a well of inspiration. “I’m exploring, in a poetic and allegoric way, concepts such as motherhood and sisterhood,” she tells Colossal. Her dreamy depictions of women and children floating serenely in water (previously) evoke maternal care and emotional connection.

Alins’ ongoing series Dones d’Aigua, which translates to “women of water,” focuses on glowing, full-figured figures who float, bob, and dive unselfconsciously in seemingly infinite expanses of blue rendered in ink, acrylic, and watercolor. Despite the apparent isolation from surrounding land or activity, the figures express deep bonds and a sense of togetherness, security, and tranquility. “I’ve continued creating artworks with clear references to (the Oceanids): motherhood, femininity, feminism, and love,” she says. “Those were the main roles of these Greek goddesses, and I feel linked to them, too.”

Find more of Alins’ work on her website, where you can purchase hand-finished editions and limited-edition prints. She often works with her husband Juanjo Barco, a fellow illustrator, to complete her pieces. You can follow her on Instagram for more updates.

 

“Celebration”

“Amitié”

“Written in the skin”

“Família”

“Motherhood”

“Mother with baby”

“Maternidad”

“Las nadadoras del arrecife”

“Oceanids I”

“Plaisir”

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 Sisterhood and Maternal Bonds Surface in Sonia Alins’ Ethereal Illustrations of Tranquil Swimmers appeared first on Colossal.

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From Infancy to Adulthood, Trevon Latin’s Genderless Figures Transform Through Patchwork Bodies

“Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 54 x 48 x 84 inches. All photos by Guillaume Ziccarelli, courtesy of the artist and Perrotin, shared with permission

Large, life-sized doorways and entrances line Perrotin’s New York gallery. Reaching up to seven feet tall, these patchwork planes are made from patterned, sequined, and solid-colored fabrics that evoke the stained glass windows of Christian cathedrals, their curved architectural shapes mimicking the windows and archways of the religious sanctuaries.

The work of artist Trevon Latin (previously), these reliefs can also be seen as portals. Latin is visionary and corrective, using quilted, mixed-media forms to amend historical narratives and envision new realities. Part of their solo show TOYMAKER: Big Blu & the Weeping Walls!! , these works reflect a world that welcomes the fluidity of gender and sexuality and where queer love and joy reign.

 

Left: “I wish I could have listened to my conscience …..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have drank a sip” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, phone, bottle, 72 × 51 × 11 inches. Right: “Soul-flower take me flying with you” (2023), fabric stretched on panel, 72 x 51 x 10 inches

Sewn with distinct, vibrant color palettes, the reliefs consider the process of self-discovery and stages of development from infancy to adulthood. A genderless figure emerges through the works, in “I wish I could have listened to my conscience …..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have drank a sip” appearing as a barrette-enveloped baby grasping for a bottle. Similar, stylized subjects continue to appear in each of the pieces, an arm extending from the mishmash or embracing another as in “Our daily bred | Blue-berries n’ cream.”

The artist’s childhood in a Southern Black Pentecostal community undergirds the body of work and offers an entry point into exploring how the strictures and rigidity of the church affect the formation of an identity. Although experiencing dysmorphia and confined by these religious doctrines, Latin’s figures continually transform and find greater freedom as they break from their structural bases. The freestanding sculpture “Big Blu” is the final form in the series, its fists pressing into the green, earthen base and hunched back appearing ready to rise and move forward.

TOYMAKER is on view through July 28, and you can find more from Latin on Perrotin.

 

Detail of “I wish I could have listened to my conscience …..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have drank a sip” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, phone, bottle, 72 × 51 × 11 inches

Left: “Thumbsucker (Pink)” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, wood, 84 x 47 1/2 x 6 inches. Right: “Thumbsucker (Blue)” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, wood, 84 x 47 1/2 x 6 inches

“Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 54 x 48 x 84 inches

Left: “Lean with the left-lean with the left | Llelow” (2023), fabric stretched on panel, barrettes, beads, boxing gloves, wood, 84 x 50 x 16 inches. Right: “Our daily bred | Blue-berries n’ cream” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, beads, 84 x 50 x 18 inches

Detail of “Our daily bred | Blue-berries n’ cream” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, beads. 84 x 50 x 18 inches

Detail of “Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 54 x 48 x 84 inches

Installation view of ‘TOYMAKER: Big Blu & the Weeping Walls!!’

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Incredible New Drone Footage Flies Over the Latest Eruption of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall Volcano

For more than 800 years, the volcanic system on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula sat dormant. That is, until March 2021, when a fissure vent appeared south of Fagradalsfjall mountain. A throng of scientists, photographers, and tourists descended on the area to capture the long-awaited eruption, with the first event continuing for six months, followed by a second—and very similar one—that ran for less than three weeks in August 2022.

Two days ago, a new eruption began spewing dramatic currents of lava in an area north of Fagradalsfjall, near Litli-Hrútur. Drone pilot Isak Finnbogaso captured stunning footage of the remarkable landscape as it churned molten earth to the surface. You can see more of his footage of Iceland on YouTube and Instagram. (via Kottke)

 

All images © Isak Finnbogason

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Erwin Wurm’s Motley Crew of Suits and Sausages Cuts a Rug at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

“Big Mutter” (2015). All photos by Jonty Wilde, installation at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (2023) courtesy of the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery. Images courtesy of YSP, © Erwin Wurm, shared with permission

Dancing business suits, a handbag with legs, and contorted vehicles are just a few of the uncanny scenes visitors to Yorkshire Sculpture Park will encounter this summer. Acclaimed Austrian artist Erwin Wurm’s first large-scale museum exhibition in the U.K., Trap of the Truth, includes nearly 75 sculptures indoors and dotted around the landscape, plus numerous drawings, paintings, photographs, and videos created during the past three decades.

Wurm began making art with inexpensive, everyday items like used clothes, scraps of wood, and cans. As he experimented with materials and ideas, he had an epiphany: “At some point, I came to realise that everything surrounding me can be material for an artistic work, absolutely everything… That was the decisive step, as then anything was possible.” Now known for playful, surreal, and often humorous installations, the artist challenges perceptions of the human body, quotidian objects, and sculpture itself.

 

“Big Disobedience” (2016)

Wurm often tangles comically with ideas around politics and culture, referencing capitalism, cultural norms, and social conformity. By giving business suits a life of their own and transforming them from dull gray to playful pink, he separates the wearer from the symbol, freeing them to move about on their own. A giant water bottle, a much-loved object of comfort, is personified with a pair of shoes and titled “Big Mutter”—mutter means “mother” in German—along with other references to his nation’s identity and history, like anthropomorphized Viennese sausages.

The title Trap of the Truth nods to the 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes, who immortalized the phrase, “I think, therefore I am,” as he interrogated the subjectivity of truth. Wurm captures a sense of uncanny joy, prompting viewers to question what they see and how they relate to the world around them.

Trap of the Truth continues through April 28, 2024, and you can find more on Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s website. Explore more of Wurm’s work on his website and on Instagram.

 

“Big Hypnosis” (2008)

“Renault 25” (1991)

Left to right: “Big Disobedience” (2016) and “Big Kastenmann” (2012)

Left: “Big Suit 2” (2010-2016). Right: “Step (Big)” (2021)

Left to right: “Untitled” (2018), “Giant Big, Me Ideal” (2014), and “Untitled” (2018)

“Truck II” (2011)

Left to right: “Dance” (2021) and “Trip” (2021)

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A 16th-Century Pop-Up Book of Astrological Ideas Tried to Predict the Future

All images via The Library of Congress

More than 2,000 years ago in Hellenistic Greece, the astrolabe was invented as a kind of analog calculator to decode a range of astronomical observations, survey an area, or reckon latitude and time. Often made from metal, the tool was modified and further developed in the Islamic world, then later in Western Europe, throughout the next several centuries. By the medieval period, it had been adopted by astrologers and some physicians—the latter for whom religious belief and medicine were closely intertwined—to determine the course of the planets and their influences. And in the 16th century, the device found its way to scholar Leonhard Thurneisser (a.k.a. Thurneysser, circa 1530-96).

Thurneisser was fascinated by the workings of the universe, and his wide-ranging knowledge landed him a position as an intellectual and miracle doctor at a noble court in Brandenburg, Germany. Denounced as a serious scientist by some of his peers due to his interest in alchemy and astrology, he nevertheless published his findings in a phenomenal tome known as the Archidoxa in 1569, containing a collection of astrological predictions and ideas. Six years later, he released an addition to the volume called the Astrolabium, which used volvelles, or wheel charts, to provide individual horoscopes.

Richly illustrated with hand-colored plates engraved by an artist named Peter Hille, each page contains a different constellation and Des Menschen Cirkel und Lauff, or “man’s circle of life.” The volvelles, which could be layered on top of each page and spun in relation to one another, include the locations of fixed stars and Baum des Lebens, or “tree of life.” Bound in ornate leather, the book would have functioned as a kind of medieval Ouija board, in theory enabling the user to foresee their fate or predict natural disasters.

You can explore dozens more pages on The Library of Congress’s website, and you might also enjoy another 16th-century gem that can be read six different ways.

 

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 A 16th-Century Pop-Up Book of Astrological Ideas Tried to Predict the Future appeared first on Colossal.

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