Remarkably Relatable Animals Prepare Breakfast and Commute to Work in a New Series by Cat Rabbit

All images © Cat Rabbit, shared with permission

Sporting tiny sneakers and plates of eggs on toast, Cat Rabbit’s newest adorable characters (previously) get ready for the day in style. A frog dons loafers and a stylish briefcase, a self-assured bear presents a plate of breakfast, and a bespectacled Bichon Frisé tucks a bag of chips into a tiny tote. The Melbourne-based artist sends her animals out on everyday activities, like rollerskating or commuting to work, imbuing each figure with an expressive face and confident personality.

The artist currently has a solo exhibition titled Working Through It at Nucleus Portland through August 27, and her children’s book How to Make Friends: A Bear’s Guide, published by Berbay Books, was just released in the U.S. You can find a copy on Bookshop, and explore more work on Cat Rabbit’s website and Instagram.

 

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Flora and Fauna Entwine in Lauren Marx’s Mixed-Media Studies of Life and Death

“Made of Gold” (2021). All images © Lauren Marx, shared with permission

The living and the dead coexist in vivid color in the fantastic tableaus of artist Lauren Marx (previously). From her St. Louis studio, Marx entangles predators and prey with flora and fauna in dense scenes rendered in a mix of pen, watercolor, and colored pencil. Snakes burst open to reveal feathered wings, an owl snacks on the maroon entrails of a rabbit, and a three-headed creature sprouts dried grass from its midsection. Straddling the line between the beautiful and the brutally grotesque, the works intertwine myriad species and states of being.

Given the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic and the increasingly destructive effects of the human-caused climate crisis, Marx says the theme of loss of life has become more poignant and profound. “I feel the tension is even greater now after seeing death become part of our daily lives nonstop for years. It went from a casual observation to a persistent one,” she shares. “It’s honestly very overwhelming for me.”

The artist translates this grief into the mythological, rendering creatures like unicorns and dragons in vibrant hues. Fanciful by nature, these pieces twist lush florals and technicolor serpents around the horned beasts, with their deep purple intestines peeking through white fur. “I felt this urge to create bright pieces in order to cheer myself,” she says. “Now, those subjects play a huge role in where I want to take my work in the future.”

In November, Marx’s work will be included in a group exhibition at Haven Gallery in Long Island. Peek into her process on Instagram, and shop prints and stickers on Etsy.

 

“The First” (2016)

“Starry Eyed” (2021)

“Good Luck Spells” (2022)

“Crow and Blueberries” (2020)

Left: “Unicorn II” (2021). Right: “Unicorn” (2020)

“Queen of the Night” (2021)

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Subtle Hues and Papery Textures Create Intimate Atmospheres in Lea Woo’s Tender Illustrations

All images © Lea Woo, shared with permission

Lea Woo coaxes subtle polarities from her illustrated interactions. Centering on women in moments of quiet affection and admiration, the renderings contrast a vintage style with modern subjects and a largely soft color palette with spots of bolder hues. “Red, a frequently used tone in my works, represents bravery and boldness and green a close relationship with mother nature,” she shares. Grainy, paper-like textures add to the retro feel of the scenes, which convey a warm tenderness between people and the birds, fish, and cats around them.

Based between Shanghai and Hangzhou, Woo draws stark distinctions between her personal works and commissions—recent collaborators include Burberry and The New Yorker. For the latter, she tends to start with a sketch that captures the directive, while other projects are more instinctive. “I open my heart for all possibilities and unexpected ‘accidents,’” the artist tells Colossal.  “I collect and save my daily doodles and pictures I took for future use. With less set-ups, more random arrangements, I find it so much fun to freely combine different elements and they turned out to be harmoniously together at the end.” 

Woo has prints, postcards, and other goods available in her shop, and you can follow her latest projects on Instagram.

 

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For the Love of Dog: A Group Show Fetches Wide-Ranging Interpretations of Our Favorite Companions

Nicholas Bono Kennedy, “Maybe I Can Have Some?” (2023), acrylic, oil, and pastel on linen, 30 x 24 inches. All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission

Dogs have been humans’ best friends throughout the ages, so it’s no surprise that they’ve also been prime subjects of art—the first works depicting pups date back more than 8,000 years. A group show opening at Hashimoto Contemporary this month extends this long-running tradition through paintings, ceramics, and plush sculptures that look to our canine pals and their wide range of antics for inspiration.

For the Love of Dog features works of over thirty artists who dig up adoration, fear, and other affinities for the beloved companion species: Katie Kimmel sculpts scrunched-up rolls on a chunky basset hound, Joey Wolf’s lounging gray bulldog takes on human characteristics, and Debra Broz (previously) splices a chaotic pack of pups that makes it difficult to distinguish heads from tails.

A playful and heartfelt ode, For the Love of Dog is on view from August 19 to September 9 in Los Angeles.

 

Katie Kimmel, “Daytona Peppers” (2023), ceramic, 16 3/4 x 12 x 12 inches

Joey Wolf, “Girl in Pink Armchair” (2023), oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Debra Broz, “Dog Pile” (2023), secondhand ceramics and mixed media, 16 x 15 x 20 inches

Jillian Evelyn, “Olie” (2022), acrylic on wood panel, 24 x 18 inches

Stephen Morrison, “Orchids” (2023), oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches

Jodie Niss, “Untitled” (2023), oil paint on wood panel, 8 x 10 inches

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Enigmatic Scenarios Unfold in Levi van Veluw’s Complex and Confrontational Sculptures

“In the depths of memory.” Photos by Michèle Margot, courtesy of Galerie Ron Mandos. All images © Levi van Veluw, shared with permission

Combining translucent polymer clay with saturated pigments or carving delicate ridges from tulipwood, Levi van Veluw constructs enigmatic, immersive narratives. The Dutch artist has been fascinated by symbols and rituals since childhood, spurred by an upbringing in a religious household. The complexity and conviction of faith and “the stark visual language of its practice made him sensitive to the visual vernacular of religious seduction,” reads a statement for the artist’s series Beyond Matter.

Memory, architecture, and storytelling manifests in Beyond Matter through the portrayal of naves or chapel-like spaces, altars, and mandalas redolent of rose windows. Geometry and repetition interact with light and shadow in meditative patterns, exploring the parallels of spiritual experience and viewing art. Van Veluw prompts questions about what and how we see and our role in completing the picture.

In another body of work, In the depths of memory, van Veluw explores portraiture and interactions between figures in a series of framed reliefs that echo movie stills or storyboard frames. And an immersive room stacked top-to-bottom with identical portraits invites viewers to stand in the center of a mysterious chamber. Mirrors on the floor and ceiling reflect the walls and one another, giving the impression of a space that is both confined and infinite. The artist leaves its interpretation open: Are you in a studio? A fever dream? Inside the artist’s mind?

 

“Dinner”

Van Veluw’s uses portals, windows, and the power of the gaze to invite us into the narrative. “In between,” for example, depicts an unhappy family in a car, viewed straight-on through the windshield. In “Dinner,” an argument has been interrupted, and one subject turns around in his seat to face outward in frustration. “Stared at by piercing gazes, you are made complicit in a situation that unfolds before your eyes,” says a statement. “You are being looked at, but, in a way, you are also looking at yourself from the outside.”

An acquisition of van Veluw’s piece “Planetary Chapel” by the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam is scheduled to go on view soon, and he is currently preparing solo exhibitions for the Singer Museum in Laren, The Netherlands, and Les Filles du Calvaire in Paris. The artist is represented by Galerie Ron Mandos, and you can explore his work in much more detail on his website. He also shares updates and amazing process videos on Instagram.

 

“In between”

Detail of “In between”

“In the depths of memory”

Detail of “In the depths of memory”

“Circular Compound”

“Beyond Matter”

“Distinct”

“Divine”

“Conversation”

“Abstruse”

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Jeff Rubio Chains Ceramic Beads and Childhood Memory in Giant Lizard Sculptures

All Images © Jeff Rubio, shared with permission

Anyone who grew up crafting with pony beads and cord will recognize the iconic beaded lizard. Dangling from backpacks traveling to and from grade school, trading colorful designs with friends, and crafting these tiny reptiles together are fond memories that come to mind when admiring at Jeff Rubio’s giant creaturely sculptures.

Invoking queerness, nostalgia, and joy, the artist taps into childhood experience by creating large-scale versions of the youthful pastime. Based in Philadelphia and working out of the historic Bok building, Rubio first molds dozens of ceramic pony beads, substantially oversized in comparison to the typical craft material. They then introduce vibrant rope to string together each piece to form the evocative, recognizable lizard shape. Rubio also fashions large steel paperclips onto several of their pieces to transform them into keychains, again connecting to the act of crafting as a kid, scrounging around for materials, and working with the most accessible supplies.

“In my studio, I find myself surrounded by tokens of my childhood—Tamagotchis, action figures, and Happy Meal toys. While these artifacts hold great sentimental value, they’re often a lot smaller than we recollect,” Rubio tells Colossal, explaining further:

The small scale makes the childhood memories more distant and wistful. When I was creating a replica of the beaded lizard keychain from my childhood, I wanted to have a deeper reflection on the act of play. Through the use of large-scale ceramic beads, I’ve managed to recapture the sensation of being a small child.

The artist continues to create works drawing from their adolescent memories, focusing on iterations of Tamagotchis, Mr. Potato Head, and more. Rubio is anticipating a forthcoming group show at Commonweal Gallery, opening this November. To see more of their process, check out their Instagram and website.

 

Photo by Ian Shiver

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Tons of Broken Glass Flood Architectural Spaces in Captivating Site-Specific Installations by Baptiste Debombourg

“Black tide” (2023), broken laminated glass from vitroplus , black lacquer, nails, wood, medium, silicone, and tape, 3.5 x 10 x 9 meters. Installed in Maison Hazeur for Passages Insolites in Quebec, Canada. All images © Baptiste Debombourg, shared with permission

“I am interested in individual repeated attempts, which sometimes lead to failure,” says Baptiste Debombourg. “The impression of impotence generated by such situations, and by the individuals themselves, simply highlights the fragile and endearing nature of the human being.”

The French artist is known for large-scale installations that repurpose utilitarian objects like cafe chairs, staples, and windshields into elaborate, immersive artworks. Enormous sheets of glass cascade from the windows of an abbey or slosh around inside of a courtyard, often using many tons of the fragile planes to accomplish a sense of undulating motion.

Debombourg’s most recent work, “Black tide,” combines black lacquer with broken glass, silicone, and other materials to flood a Quebec gallery. A powerful gush buries everything in its wake like a tidal wave, landslide, magma flow, or oil spill. Furniture is half-submerged and strewn throughout the deluge, referencing environmental disasters that humans both cause and experience.

“My inspiration and influences come from everyday life, and more specifically, from day-to-day objects that condition our lives,” Debombourg says. Architecture plays a crucial role in his site-specific installations, providing openings, boundaries, and elements that inspire each work. In “Aerial,” for example, classical columns and high windows at Brauweiler Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery in Pulheim, Germany, inspired a set of giant drape-like windows that appear to billow from the walls as if pushed by a strong wind, turning viscous at the bottom and oozing across the floor.

Debombourg is currently working on several projects, including an installation scheduled to open in November at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest, Romania, curated by Anca Mihuleţ. A commissioned, permanent artwork for Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, is also slated to open in February. Explore much more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

 

Detail of “Black tide”

“(R)evolve” (2017), windshields, wood, nails, screws, and paint, 8 x 8 x 4.5 meters. Installed at Eduardo Secci Gallery in Florence, Italy

Detail of “(R)evolve”

“Aerial” (2012), 33/2 laminated glass from Glas König, wood, nails, and white paint, 3 x 12 x 4.5 meters, two ons of glass. Installed at Brauweiler Abbey in Pulheim, Germany

Detail of “Aerial”

Detail of “Aerial”

Detail of “Aerial”

“Acceleration field” (2015), white laminated glass, wooden structure, screws, nails, paint, silicone3D, 11 x 7 x 1.8 meters, 250 meters² glass at four tons. Installed at Fondation Antoine de Galbert in Paris, France, with technical assistance from Léa Marchalwith the support of Wellmade and Saint-Gobain

Detail of “Acceleration field”

Detail of “Acceleration field”

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