In ‘The Lost Mystics,’ Kumkum Fernando’s Enigmatic Wanderers Chase Illusions Through Time and Space

“Formally Known as Izah,” 950 blocks composed of upcycled wood, hand- and spray-painted wood, scratched coated brass detailing, and recycled nails, 31.5 x 56.2 x 21.5 inches. All images © Kumkum Fernando, courtesy of Jonathan LeVine Projects, shared with permission

In vibrant color, Kumkum Fernando’s hulking, hybrid figures (previously) wander through an enigmatic and quickly evolving world. “The melancholy characters of The Lost Mystics are searching for meaning, crisscrossing time and space, unmoored and chasing illusions,” says a statement from Jonathan Levine Projects, which presents the artist’s solo exhibition during ArtPrize.

Fernando repurposes found wood, nails, and metal details into modular beings, some of which have removable crowns. The artist draws on a wide range of global traditions, from Ethiopian and Sri Lankan masks to American board games to Buddhist and Hindu folktales. Simultaneously robotic and mystical, each character interacts with its surroundings in a unique way. The duo in “Soul Mates,” for example, are said to have traveled 23 million light years to find one another, and in “Which Way Is Home,” the creature turns its three heads in a perpetual search for direction.

The Lost Mystics is on view at the ArtPrize Clubhouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through October 1. Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

 

“Which Way is Home,” 1,900 blocks made from upcycled wood, hand- and spray-painted wood, scratched coated brass detailing, and recycled nails, 24 x 56 x 22 inches. Installation includes 3 removable heads that articulate 360 degrees and a base made from an antique coffee table found in the Mekong region of Vietnam

“Soul Mates,” upcycled wood, hand- and spray-painted wood, scratched coated brass detailing, and recycled nails, 24 x 28.3 x 12.6 inches each, containing 300 blocks

“Voodoo Veera”, 230 blocks made from upcycled wood, hand- and spray-painted wood, scratched coated brass detailing, and recycled nails, 19 x 19 x 10 inches

Details of “Voodoo Veera”

“Baby Devis Board Game,” 650 blocks made of upcycled wood, hand- and spray-painted wood, scratched coated brass detailing and solid brass halo, and recycled nails, 25.6 x 44.2 × 14.5 inches. Installation includes 180 hand-turned pawns

Detail of “Baby Devis Board Game”

“Formally Known as Izah”

“Yellow Fellow,” 45 blocks made from upcycled wood with added pigments, scratched solid brass ears, and brass detailing, 22 x 30.5 x 13.2 inches

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Ramshackle Dwellings by Simon Laveuve Reach Skyward in an Imagined Post-Apocalyptic Future

Detail of “Le Rocher / IDF2068” (2023), mixed media, 67 x 20 x 20 centimeters. All images © Simon Laveuve, shared with permission

Paris-based artist Simon Laveuve imagines a world filled with anarchic architecture in his ongoing series of detailed, miniature shelters (previously). At 1/35 scale, his recent works continue to explore the possibilities of dwelling in remote or inhospitable places, incorporating tiny tire swings, rope ladders, furniture, and art. The ramshackle, towering structures contain wooden doors, scrawled messages, and a variety of utilitarian objects, suggesting the industrious work of unseen hands. While devoid of figures, an abandoned coffee cup or a door left ajar suggests the inhabitants are not too far away.

In his piece titled “Le Rocher,” which translates to “The Rock,” the artist explores notions of time. “The rock is a survivor. Cataclysm, tsunami, storm. He was there,” he says in a statement. “He saw everything, heard everything. When land and sea give birth to a new world, the rock, against wind and tide, will be there. It’s at the end that everything begins (again).”

Explore Laveuve’s sculptures in more detail on his website, and follow Instagram for updates.

 

“Le Rocher / IDF2068”

Left: “Voir Loin / Hors-série” (2023), mixed media, 47 x 15 x 15 centimeters. Right: Detail of “Voir Loin / Hors-série”

“La Guérite / IDF2068”

Detail of “La Guérite / IDF2068”

Details of “La Guérite / IDF2068” (2023), mixed media, 55 x 12 x 12 centimeters

Detail of “Le Rocher / IDF2068”

Detail of “Le Rocher / IDF2068”

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Stunning Footage of Neurons Forming Inside a Chick Embryo Wins Nikon’s Small World in Motion

For 13 years, Nikon’s Small World in Motion has celebrated the most alluring footage captured through a microscope that spotlights a range of biological processes, from viral infections to blood flow. The 2023 competition garnered nearly 400 entries from photographers and researchers in 41 countries with Dr. Alexandre Dumoulin winning the top prize for his 48-hour timelapse of neurons developing in a chick embryo.

Featuring colorful beams of light streaming across the frame, the video magnifies axons, which connect neurons, as they “traverse the nervous system before eventually forming synapses.” In neurological disorders like autism and schizophrenia, axons are impaired and unable to move in the way shown in Dumoulin’s timelapse. “By studying these organisms, I aim to enhance our comprehension of how the nervous system functions and identify potential factors contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders,” he says.

Find a few of this year’s videos below, and head to Nikon to peruse an archive of winners past and present.

 

Dr. Alexandre Dumoulin, a 48-hour time-lapse of developing neurons connecting the opposite side of the central nervous system in a chick embryo

Benedikt Pleyer, hydra

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 Stunning Footage of Neurons Forming Inside a Chick Embryo Wins Nikon’s Small World in Motion appeared first on Colossal.

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Jennifer Crupi’s Sculptural Jewelry Embellishes Human Touch and Emotion

“Tools for Reassuring Contact, #1,” sterling silver, plastisol rubber dip, and acrylic, 17 x 17 x 6 inches. All images © Jennifer Crupi, shared with permission

How do our bodies communicate? Jennifer Crupi prods this question as she designs metal contraptions fit for limbs and torsos. Following her unconventional collection that considered gesture as embellishment, the artist’s new Tools for Reassuring Contact series similarly focuses on hands while exploring the power of human touch.

Born out of lockdown-induced isolation, the prosthetic-like pieces curve and press the fingers and palms down, presumably into the shoulder or arm of a companion. “Each work implies an empty space where a second user is encouraged to place his or her hand,” Crupi shares. “Once engaged with the piece, a clamp-like mechanism exaggerates the contact and pressure.” Made of sterling silver, the Tools outline and emphasize the value of the touch itself, with common blue rubber serving as a facilitator.

Other series include Guarded and Unguarded Gestures, comprising pieces that hang from wearers’ necks and place their limbs in either defensive, reserved positions or open and welcoming ones. These companion works reflect Crupi’s profound interest in psychology and human behavior, particularly the way we use our bodies to communicate confidence or for protection. She shares:

All frontal-covering gestures are supposed to be subtle but meaningful acts of self-protection. They work to varying degrees, of course, but even slight movements can be all the security we need. Apparently, most everyone locks ankles or crosses their legs when in the dentist’s chair, for example—I have tried a few times myself not to do this, but it is not easy! Likewise, at times when we need to show we are open to someone’s ideas or need to take charge we will adopt open postures. The “hands-on-hips” posture is supposed to have its roots in the animal kingdom, evolving from the way animals fluff their fur to make themselves look larger when in a threatening situation.

Some of Crupi’s works are included in the group exhibition Gestures: Past, Present and Future on view through November 5, 2023, at Koblenz State Museum Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. She will also open a solo show on March 25, 2024, at Indianapolis Art Center. Until then, follow updates to the ongoing Tools for Reassuring Contact series on her site.

 

“Tools for Reassuring Contact, #2,” sterling silver, plastisol rubber dip, and acrylic, 17 x 17 x 6 inches

“Unguarded Gestures, #2,” aluminum, painted wood, and acrylic, 24 x 24 x 12 inches

“Guarded Gestures, #3,” sterling silver and foam, 27 x 6.5 x 3.5 inches

“Unguarded Gestures, #3,” aluminum, painted wood, and acrylic, 28 x 18 x 13 inches

“Unguarded Gestures, #1,” aluminum, painted wood, and acrylic, 28 x 18 x 10 inches

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Sea-Inspired Sculptural Jewelry by Mariko Kusumoto Blossoms from Gossamer Fabrics

“Gathering Blue.” All images © Mariko Kusumoto, shared with permission

Exquisite bulbs, florets, and playful silhouettes emerge from delicate fiber in the jewelry and sculptures of Mariko Kusumoto (previously). Inspired by the myriad geometries and colors of coral, she creates gauzy, wearable forms from materials like polyester, nylon, and cotton. Some pieces sprawl out with a variety of textures to mimic the sea bed, while necklaces or bracelets incorporate confectionery-like shapes and vessels containing tiny objects.

Kusumoto is currently working on a public art installation that will be installed in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this November. And beginning in April next year, she will be exhibiting at Legnica Jewelery Festival SILVER in Poland. Find more on the artist’s website, and follow Instagram for updates.

 

“Bloom”

“Gathering White”

“Goody Bag”

“Skizuku Bracelet”

“Sea Breeze Necklace”

“Seascape Brooch”

Detail of “Seabed”

Detail of “Seabed”

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Barbed Wire, Chains, and Shears Cleave Through Delicate Pottery in Glen Taylor’s Profound Sculptures

All images © Glen Taylor, shared with permission

Far from dainty, Glen Taylor’s teapots, cups, and saucers (previously) tap into the contrasts and contradictions of human nature. Soldering industrial implements like barbed wire, shears, and chains to broken pieces of porcelain and pottery, the artist draws on our associations with aging, decorum, and everyday wear and tear.

Influenced by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with metallic seams to highlight the object’s history, the sculptures allude to our inner experiences and emotions. “I continue on my journey of expressing my wonder, my confusion, my fierce battle with the dilemma of being a human,” he tells Colossal. “My work continues to open wider the wounds of love and living, of walking through this life unafraid to use my heart.”

Taylor will be exhibiting some work in New York next month. Follow Instagram for updates, and see more work on his website.

 

 

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Enchanting Ecosystems Crocheted by Melissa Webb Envelop Interior Spaces with Verdant Fibers

“Lichenvision: Leaf Litter Living Room, Lakeside Home, and Zoom Date” (2021), 14 x 12 x 10 feet. Photo by Brian Kovach. All images © Melissa Webb, shared with permission

Lush, beguiling environments spill across floors and dangle from ceilings in the works of Melissa Webb. The artist dyes and crochets vintage fibers into mossy, botanical forms that when layered and stitched together, become enchanting installations evocative of forests and gardens. Shades of green tend to dominate the textile ecosystems as a nod to “growth, verdancy, and inevitable change,” Webb says. “Through my work, I imagine a reclamation of the earth by wildness—a less human-centered future where we learn to live and thrive in symbiosis with the natural world.”

Often paired or embedded with video projections, the site-specific installations position untamed growth in interior spaces like living rooms and industrial warehouses. For example, in “Local Authorities in the Spirit World Shape-Shift Through Time (We Call it Evolution),” Webb overlaid the soft benches and wooden architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright’s The Smith House with crocheted lichen, vines, and flowers. The altar-like “Verdantine Tabernacle” is similar, as it cascades outward with antique dolls, ceramic animals, and other found objects in the artist’s Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, apartment.

Webb is currently in progress on an installation at The Mill in Vicksburg, Michigan, and recently co-curated the exhibition Mending the Net for Detroit Month of Design, which will show “Verdantine Tabernacle” (shown below) through September 28. Explore more of her works on her site and Instagram.

 

“Local Authorities in the Spirit World Shape-Shift Through Time (We Call it Evolution)” (2021), 16 x 20 x 10 feet. Installation view at The Smith House. Photo by P.D. Rearick and the artist

Detail of “Local Authorities in the Spirit World Shape-Shift Through Time (We Call it Evolution)” (2021), 16 x 20 x 10 feet. Installation view at The Smith House. Photo by P.D. Rearick and the artist

Detail of “Lichenvision Lounge” (2022), video installation, four-foot diameter wood panels with embedded TVs, vintage lamp forms, electrical accouterments, depression glass, hand-dyed and crocheted vintage textiles, 14 x 10 x 12 feet. Installation view at Albert Kahn First National Building, Detroit, Michigan. Photo by P.D. Rearick

“Verdantine Tabernacle” (2023), hand-dyed and crocheted vintage textiles, pillows and stuffed furniture, assorted found objects, 13 x 10 x 11 feet. Photo by the artist

Detail of “Lichenvision Lounge” (2022), video installation, four-foot diameter wood panels with embedded TVs, vintage lamp forms, electrical accouterments, depression glass, hand-dyed and crocheted vintage textiles, 14 x 10 x 12 feet. Installation view at Albert Kahn First National Building, Detroit, Michigan. Photo by P.D. Rearick

Detail of “Lichenvision Lounge” (2022), video installation, four-foot diameter wood panels with embedded TVs, vintage lamp forms, electrical accouterments, depression glass, hand-dyed and crocheted vintage textiles, 14 x 10 x 12 feet. Installation view at Albert Kahn First National Building, Detroit, Michigan. Photo by P.D. Rearick

Detail of “Verdantine Tabernacle” (2023), hand-dyed and crocheted vintage textiles, pillows and stuffed furniture, assorted found objects, 13 x 10 x 11 feet. Photo by 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 Enchanting Ecosystems Crocheted by Melissa Webb Envelop Interior Spaces with Verdant Fibers appeared first on Colossal.

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