Immense Biomorphic Sculptures Snake from Floor to Ceiling at Hamburger Bahnhof in Eva Fàbregas’ ‘Devouring Lovers’

All photos by Jacopo La Forgia, courtesy of Eva Fàbregas, National Museums in Berlin, and Hamburger Bahnhof–National Gallery of the Present

Bulbous, biomorphic sculptures in lavender, tangerine, and blush pink rove throughout the airy Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin. The largest solo exhibition to date of Barcelona-born artist Eva Fàbregas, Devouring Lovers brings massive, bulging works to the industrial hall, juxtaposing the cold iron structures with soft, pudgy forms. Inviting in color and grotesque in shape, the organic, monstrous sculptures appear alive, as if they could grow and swallow up the remaining space, viewers and all.

In a recent interview, Fàbregas shares that the interactions between space and the body continually inform her thinking and how she conceptualizes a piece. “It’s about the architecture. It’s about those masses that you put inside the architecture. It’s about the humans moving around the architecture,” she says. “For me, my sculptures are not just themselves, it’s all the things that happen in the same space that affect that installation.”

Devouring Lovers is on view through January 14, 2024. You can find more from Fàbregas on Instagram.

 

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Delightful Wooden Nesting Dolls by Salakauppa Playfully Reimagine Traditional Designs

“The Bears (polar bear, brown bear, panda, moon bear, and Misha)” (2014), linden, paint, and lacquer, 210 x 120 millimeters. All designs by Aamu Song / COMPANY, produced in Semenov, Russia. Images © Salakauppa, shared with permission

A saltwater food chain, a collection of vegetables, and an acorn maturing through its development stages are just a few of Helsinki-based Salakauppa’s custom nesting dolls. The brainchild of Aamu Song and Johan Olin, Salakauppa—sala means “secret” and kauppa means “shop” in Finnish—was founded a little over 15 years ago to showcase the duo’s contemporary take on traditional matryoshkas. Using linden wood, which is soft and easily worked, each doll is designed by Song, then produced by expert craftspeople in Semenov, Russia, who meticulously turn the pieces on a lathe.

The decorative toys date back to the late 19th century when the first set was conceived by folk artist Sergey Malyutin with the assistance of a wood carver named Vasily Zvyozdochkin. The basic design consists of a set of pieces that decrease in size, fitting into one another, and traditionally depict a mother doll whose children, including a baby, fit inside. Song and Olin playfully reimagine the possibilities of matryoshka sets by portraying a diverse range of families, flora, and fauna, emphasizing the joy of discovery as each set is opened to reveal its inner dwellers.

Located for more than a decade in a kiosk in central Helsinki, Salakauppa just relocated to a new storefront, which they describe as a “home and temple” for their ongoing Secrets series. You can find more on the shop’s website. (via Present & Correct)

 

“Green Vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, artichoke, asparagus, cucumber, and green peas)” (2023), linden, paint, and lacquer, 120 x 180 millimeters

Salakauppa display. Photo by Paavo Lehtonen

“Sea Matryoshka (A whale eats a seal that eats a penguin that eats a fish that eats a calamari that eats a sea cucumber, and finally, there’s a plankton)” (2013), linden, paint, and lacquer, 250 x 120 millimeters

Onion matryoshka display in Salakauppa. Photo by Paavo Lehtonen

“Kärpässieni (A set of four nesting Fly Agaric mushrooms)” (2015), linden, paint, and lacquer, 140 x 160 millimeters

“Oaknut Matryoshka (Tiny green oak nuts become big brown ones, then squirrel is happy)” (2013), linden, paint, and lacquer, 120 x 100 millimeters

“Sauna Family (A peaceful löyly moment in the hot sauna)” (2022), linden, paint, and lacquer, 120 x 245 millimeters

“Apple Matryoshka (As apple flower falls like white rain in the late summer, tiny apple start to grow),” linden, paint, and lacquer, 120 x 110 millimeters

“Trees Lehmusto (Linden forest)” (2017), linden, paint, and lacquer, 260 x 150 millimeters

Aamu Song and Johan Olin in Sarakauppa. Photo by Paavo Lehtonen 

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In an Ecuadorian Cloud Forest, Two Mycologists Catalogue Hundreds of Fantastical Fungi

Marasmius

Scientists believe that less than .04 percent (check out that decimal point!) of the world’s fungi has been documented, which adds up to only a little over 120,000 species out of a conservatively estimated 3.2 million worldwide. Mycologists Danny Newman and Roo Vandegrift have spent the last 12 years focusing on locations impacted by the climate crisis and increasing human interference, like Ecuador’s Reserva Los Cedros. Their stunning photographs (previously) capture the vibrant hues, delicate gills, and thin stems of a vast range of fungi in the mountainous cloud forest.

In 2018, the Ecuadorian government declared the Los Cedros reserve—one of the last unlogged watersheds on the western slope of the Andes—open for mining, putting countless flora and fauna at risk. “In a stunning legal upset, the mining concessions which threatened to turn Los Cedros into a toxic, barren wasteland were rescinded by the Ecuadorian supreme court, who specifically cited…our fungal diversity research in their ruling,” Newman says.

Spanning six expeditions, the duo recently published an in-depth survey of their findings, cataloguing a wealth of previously unknown species and providing what Newman calls “one of the most comprehensive contributions to Ecuadorian mycology in the country’s history.” Vandegrift is also the producer of a visually stunning upcoming documentary titled Marrow of the Mountain, filmed during an expedition in 2018 and 2019. 

Explore more images and descriptions on Mushroom Observer and both Newman and Vandegrift’s Instagrams.

 

Aurapex penicilliata

Favolaschia

Mycenaceae

Fibulostilbum phylaciicola

Agaricales

Ceriporia

Trichopeziza

Physalacriaceae

Physalacriaceae

Longisetae

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Four Medicinal Plants ‘Rewild’ Mumbai in a New Mural Series by Mona Caron

All images courtesy of Pranav Gohil and St+art India Foundation, shared with permission

Four hardy plants soar toward the Mumbai skyline in a new series of murals by Swiss artist Mona Caron (previously). Known for her stunning portrayals of weeds and botanicals thought of as ugly or undesirable, Caron celebrates the resilient specimens native to India that are often found poking through the concrete and along dusty roadsides.

Taking its title from the name of the vegetation, Kurdu, Takla, Chhota Kalpa, Kantakari brings together four medicinal plants that burst through the urban environment despite the harsh conditions. “Unflinching, Kurdu won’t even bother to pick a sheltered spot. No matter how destroyed the terrain, right in everyone’s way, like a cow ambling across a busy Mumbai street, it gently floats the sacred into the midst of our daily chaos, mostly skirted unnoticed,” Caron shares.

The works celebrate this strength and determination and advocate for recognizing their worth. “It takes closeness to the earth to harvest its blessings; it takes traditional knowledge to know the best way to. Let’s honor this wisdom which persists at the grassroots of this bursting metropolis, against all pressures to uproot,” she says.

These murals were created as part of this year’s Mumbai Urban Art Festival organized by St+art India Foundation. Find more from Caron on her site and Instagram.

 

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 Four Medicinal Plants ‘Rewild’ Mumbai in a New Mural Series by Mona Caron appeared first on Colossal.

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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

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 Hugh Hayden’s First Monograph Surveys the Inhospitable Nature of the American Dream appeared first on Colossal.

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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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