An Enormous New Book Celebrates 308 Latin American Artists Across Three Centuries

Sol Calero, “La Escuela del Sur (The School of the South)” (2015), mixed media, installation view. Photo by Andy Keate. All images courtesy of the artists and Phaidon, shared with permission

Dubbed the essential survey of artists living and working across Latin America, a monumental new book catalogs three centuries of output across 20 Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions. Latin American Artists: From 1785 to Now, forthcoming from Phaidon, spans 352 pages of contemporary and historic paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, performances, and more. Large imagery accompanies brief texts introducing 308 artists who’ve made significant contributions to the canon, including Frida Kahlo, Tomás Saraceno, Leonora Carrington, and Ernesto Neto. Arranged alphabetically, the tome brings together myriad styles, techniques, and methodologies to highlight the vast range of work coming from the region.

Latin American Artists: From 1785 to Now will be released on October 4, and you can pre-order your copy on Bookshop.

 

Simón Vega, “Tropical Space Hostel” (2019), wood, metal sheets, plastic, found objects, and light, 98 2/5 × 137 4/5 × 98 2/5 inches, installation view, Summit Tulum, Tulum, Mexico. Image courtesy of MAIA Contemporary

Sandra Eleta, “Edita (la del plumero) Panamá (Edita (The One with the Feather Duster) Panama)” (1978–80), from the series ‘La servidumbre (Servitude),’ 19 × 19 inches

Sonia Gomes, “Sol” (2018), stitching, bindings, different fabrics, and laces on wood and wire, 36 1/4 × 47 1/4 × 39 3/8 inches. Photo by Bruno Leão. Image courtesy of Sonia Gomes and Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo / Brussels / New York

Tomás Saraceno, “NGTS-2 b/M+MB” (2017), stainless steel, rope, fishing line, metal wire, and mirror panels, 25 5/8 × 41 3/8 × 41 3/8 inches. Image courtesy of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles

Claudia Martínez Garay, “Chunka Tawayuq Pacha (PACHA #14)” (2022), tufting, 98 3/8 × 61 3/8 inches. Image courtesy of GRIMM Amsterdam / New York / London

Eduardo Navarro, “Instructions from the Sky” (2016). Photo by Timothy Schenck, commissioned and produced by Frieze Art Inc. for Frieze New York

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Stephanie Shih Wedges Mass Culture Against Loss in ‘American Gothic’

All photos by Robert Bredvad, courtesy of Harkawik, shared with permission

In a world saturated with logos, branding, and advertisements, is it possible to find comfort in commercial objects? By reconnecting with fragments of her childhood, ceramicist Stephanie Shih replicates domestic items from the ’80s and ’90s, portraying mundane goods with potent emotion. 

Molding each sculpture by hand, the Brooklyn-based artist uses stoneware clay to create hollow forms. She paints each with underglaze and adds a clear layer to some, achieving a finish similar to plastic or glass packaging. Extensive lettering appears in the form of logos, ingredients, nutrition facts, and even newspaper articles, all done freehand. 

The artist’s forthcoming solo exhibition, American Gothic, borrows its name from Grant Wood’s prominent Great Depression painting. Referencing an artwork identifiable with American culture, Shih directs viewers toward the dissonance between Asian immigrants and their children when generational identities become intertwined with consumer goods. Viewing her sculptures as “stuck in time,” she focuses on uplifting the evocative qualities of obsolete objects, in contrast to their fleeting existence in the real world.

Shih explains that while personal reflections are welcome, “the work isn’t exactly about nostalgia. Whereas nostalgia implies sentimentality and longing, for me, these objects gesture toward a sense of loss: lost time, lost usefulness, meanings lost in translation, lost selves.”

American Gothic opens at Harkawik Los Angeles on September 16. See more on Shih’s Instagram and website.

 

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In an Open-Source Stamp Kit, ‘BlockFace’ Gets Tactile With Type

For hundreds of years, typography was an innately physical medium, beginning with ornate metal designs followed by mass-produced wood varieties that were cheaper and could be scaled up or down. In the 21st century, we think of typefaces and fonts as things that come in digital packages, but artist and designer Will Mower aims to bring interaction and tactility back to the art form. His BlockFace Kit, a modular stamp set, plays with elemental shapes that invite creativity and imagination without requiring the space for large sort drawers or expensive presses.

Produced in collaboration with Open Press Project (previously), BlockFace relies on a combination of 3D-printed and laser-cut pieces that attach to the stamp pieces, which you can choose to make yourself with provided instructions or purchase fully constructed. The complete kit comes with a magnetic case, black and red ink pads, and a printed manual that teaches six styles: Bauhaus, lowercase, slab serif, Grotesque, Standard, and curved. The real joy, of course, is in creating your own!

BlockFace is in its final couple of days on Kickstarter, where you can view a demonstration video and pre-order your own. Find more updates on Instagram. (via Creative Boom)

 

All images © Will Mower

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A Heartbreaking Documentary Follows Mohamad Hafez as He Processes the Indelible Imapcts of the Syrian War

“This knob here is a radio switch, but what I see in it is an exploded engine,” says Mohamad Hafez (previously) in the opening of a new short film. The project of Jimmy Goldblum for The New Yorker Documentary series, “A Broken House” is a heartbreaking glimpse of the artist’s life and work and the horrific impacts of the Syrian war.

Born in Damascus, Hafez originally came to the U.S. on a single-entry visa to study architecture. After the September 11, 2001, attacks, travel restrictions changed, and he realized that he had to stay in the U.S. or risk not being able to return to complete his degree. Hafez missed weddings, funerals, and births and an immense homesickness grew. At one point asked himself, “If you can’t get home, why don’t you make home?” That prompted what’s now a mainstay of his practice, which involves constructing architectural miniatures of his native city using found objects. “I wanted to build the Damascus of my memories,” he says.

 

Although “A Broken House” begins with the artist’s studio in New Haven, Connecticut, the majority of the documentary follows the aftermath of the civil war. Goldblum and Hafez visit a refugee camp and speak with a father living there, and they spend time with the artist’s mother in Beirut, who refuses to leave her home in Syria, because it’s the closest city Hafez can travel to without being ensnared in the war.

Ultimately, the film highlights how the war has caused an immense loss of life and destroyed important cultural and historical sites. Hafez reflects this damage in his miniatures, which often feature dust-coated rubble, chipped paint, and fragments of bombed-out buildings. “If something did not look right,” the artist says about his work, “I took a hammer to it, and I snapped it, and I would throw ash on it, and I would burn it.” Although Hafez is intent on humanizing refugees, he tends to leave the ruins devoid of people to instead focus on the grim aftermath of war without blood or bodily harm.

Learn more about the artist in this conversation with Colossal from a few years back, and explore his latest works on Instagram.

 

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Mestiz’s Furniture and Fixtures Meld Vibrant Craft Traditions with Mexican Flora and Fauna

All photos by Pepe Molina, © Mestiz, shared with permission

Wander into the new Mestiz space in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and you’ll encounter suspended cacti lights made of hot pink wicker, wooden tables shaped like spiky fauna, and wool rugs evocative of mythical animals. Founded by architect and designer Daniel Valero in 2015, the studio is known for collaborating with local artisans and makers to create functional home goods and decorative objects that capture the vibrancy and textures of the surrounding environment. Valero’s pieces reflect the traditions of local craftspeople, and he focuses on using “the same tools they have always used to create new things,” he said in an interview.

Mestiz’s most recent designs include a cherimoya chair, which has dried palm fringe and gouged feet that mimic the fruit’s surface. Follow the latest projects, and take a tour of the new workspace on the studio’s Instagram.

 

Valero in the studio

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‘An Indigenous Present’ Is a Paradigm-Shifting Illumination of Native North American Art Today

Jamie Okuma, “Elk Boots” (2017), glass seed beads on Giuseppe Zanotti boots, 21 x 7 inches. Photo by Cameron Linton, courtesy of Ellen and Bill Taubman. All images © DelMonico Books, shared with permission

“Historically, books about contemporary Native and Indigenous art have often been composed of academic essays illustrated with artworks by Indigenous makers,” Jeffrey Gibson (previously) says in the introduction to An Indigenous Present. “The writing often references previously published texts that can be problematic and outmoded.” Released by DelMonico Books/Big NDN Press last month, the nearly 450-page volume renders solid a new paradigm of representation and visibility of Native North American art.

Works by more than 60 artists comprise the monumental survey, exploring myriad practices focused on and intersecting contemporary art, music, filmmaking, choreography, architecture, writing, photography, design, and more. The tome highlights the remarkable diversity of media and cultural influences across the continent, from fashion artist Jamie Okuma’s intricately beaded designer boots to Dana Claxton’s elaborate Headdress portrait series to Northwest Coast artist and Chief Beau Dick’s expressive masks. Gibson continues:

For An Indigenous Present, I wanted to make a lavish picture book (“sexy” was a word I used a lot to describe this project) that invites an audience to consider the creative and conceptual spaces artists need to think freely, disrupt the flow, take chances, make mistakes, and even fail in the process of creating something new.

Find your copy on Bookshop.

 

Melissa Cody, “Dopamine Regression” (2010), 3-ply wool, aniline dyes, wool warp, and 6-ply selvedge cords, 70 x 48 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York

All pieces by Dana Claxton. Images courtesy of the artist

Wendy Red Star, “Awaxaawippiia (Ominous Mountains)” (2021), acrylic, graphite, kitakata paper, and marble paper in 30 parts, overall: 112 x 183 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Sargent’s Daughters, New York

Beau Dick, “Volcano Woman” (c. 2005), red cedar, acrylic, and horsehair, 24 x 20 x 10 inches. Image courtesy of Fazakas Gallery, Vancouver

Both pieces by Caroline Monnet. Images courtesy of the artist

Meryl McMaster, “Dream Catcher” (2015), Giclée print, 32 x 66 inches. Image courtesy of the artist, Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto, and Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain, Montréal

Nicholas Galanin, “Never Forget” (2021), iron, paint, and steel, 59 x 360 feet. Image courtesy of the artist and Peter Blum Gallery, New York

Raven Halfmoon, “Hey’-en, Ina, Ika” (2020), stoneware and glaze, 58 x 48 ½ x 19 inches. Image courtesy of the artist

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 ‘An Indigenous Present’ Is a Paradigm-Shifting Illumination of Native North American Art Today appeared first on Colossal.

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The Supernatural Veils El Gato Chimney’s Magical Paintings of Adorned Animals

“Home Sweet Home” (2021), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 100 x 70 centimeters. All images © El Gato Chimney, courtesy of Tory Folliard Gallery, William Baczek Fine Arts, Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea, and Vision West Contemporary, shared with permission

Strips of vibrantly patterned fabrics, entwined red thread, and everyday objects floating in the sky are a few of the recurring motifs within El Gato Chimney’s works. The Milan-based artist has a surreal vision tinged with metaphysics, spirituality, and myth that he layers into scenes replete with unexpected details: clusters of birdhouses and floral embellishments envelop a bird’s upper body like a garment, a forlorn mule clutches a gold staph while yellow frogs climb its torso and legs, and a detached arm emerges from a cloud grasping an angry snake. Each piece marries the natural world with the occult and magical, firmly placing recognizable subjects and objects within the supernatural realm.

Working in vivid watercolor and gouache, El Gato Chimney is drawn to animal symbolism across folk traditions and cultures, whether it be European mountain regions, the Himalayas, or areas in Japan. “It’s incredible to discover how many similarities there are between these three areas, especially in relation to animals and their symbolism,” he says. “I use birds more than other animals because birds are the animals with more symbolism and magic power for almost all cultures.”

El Gato Chimney currently has works included in the group exhibition Birds Rising at Brassworks Gallery in Portland, with upcoming shows planned at Visions West Contemporary in Bozeman and Denver and at Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea in Milan. Find more of the artist’s work on his site and Instagram.

 

“The World” (2023), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 140 x 100 centimeters

“Unexpected Choice” (2022), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 100 x 70 centimeters

Left: “The Age Of The Trees” (2022), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 100 x 70 centimeters. Right: “Lost And Found” (2021), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 50 x 70 centimeters

“Dangerous Worlds” (2021), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 100 x 70 centimeters

“Ghost of Himalaya” (2023), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 98 x 153 centimeters

“Trinity” (2023), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 100 x 70 centimeters

“Fuochi Fatui” (2023), watercolor and gouache on cotton paper, 100 x 70 centimeters

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 Supernatural Veils El Gato Chimney’s Magical Paintings of Adorned Animals appeared first on Colossal.

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