In ‘Blend In,’ Calvin Ma’s Ceramic Feathered Figures Yearn to Belong

“For Show.” All images © Calvin Ma, courtesy of Modern Eden Gallery, shared with permission

The figures in Calvin Ma’s otherworldly sculptures soar through the night sky, encounter swarms of insects, or stand among tropical flowers in Blend In: Standstill at Modern Eden. The artist continues an ongoing series (previously) exploring the intense desire to belong or fit in, creating hybrid individuals that don the likenesses of myriad birds, from peacocks to owls to pigeons. In nature, feathers provide protection, camouflage, and communication with other birds; in Ma’s meticulously crafted ceramic pieces, they reflect a yearning for comfort and connection.

If you’re in San Francisco, you can visit Blend In: Standstill until November 4. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

 

“Sleepless”

“Standstill”

“Fresh Start”

Left to right: “Safe Space,” “Wait and See,” and “It’ll Be Alright”

“Looking Back”

Left to right: “Blend In Mask: Eastern Blue Bonnet,” “Blend In Mask: Rufous-Tailed Jacamar,” and “Blend In Mask: Pigeon”

“For Show”

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Pat Perry Frames the Earnest and Eerie Moments of Midwestern Life in ‘Which World’

“Brief Candle #9” (2023). All images © Pat Perry, courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission

In Which World, Detroit-based artist Pat Perry (previously) conjures a sense of whiplash that characterizes modern life, particularly in middle America. “I was thinking mostly about scale, and about how all the grand, contemplative ideas in the world are peppered amongst the banality of daily life, like listening to Hannah Arendt or Richard Rhodes on audiobook while driving to Toledo to buy a matching sink and toilet off of Facebook Marketplace,” he shares. “Our experience of the world in this moment jerks us back and forth between the two poles.”

On view now at Hashimoto Contemporary, Perry’s solo exhibition peers into a range of mundane instances familiar to Midwesterners, all captured candidly and earnestly. Taking cues from home videos and Craigslist ads, the artist paints scenes cropped at strange angles—a young girl’s figure is cut off in “Brief Candle #5” —while other works hone in on the eeriness of everyday life. “Craigslist Still Life 14 (Garden of Togetherness),” for example, features two green squares pinpointing a pair of plots for sale in a cemetery. Many of the works consider how we find dignity and meaning when “far away from the hubs of power or influence,” a timeless question that feels especially pertinent in the Midwest.

While Perry’s subject matter reflects the ordinary, the paintings emphasize the empathy and understanding gained by reflecting on these seemingly common moments. The Brief Candle series is particularly important in this respect as it’s derived from YouTube videos documenting families launching bottle rockets and other fireworks near their homes. “That’s the kind of subject matter I love the most, always has been, probably always will be: the kind of thing that never seemed worth noting until you looked at it for a while longer and realized, maybe it was,” he says.

See Which World at Hashimoto Contemporary’s Los Angeles space through November 4. Perry recently completed several new murals and is preparing for an upcoming solo show next year, which you can follow on Instagram.

 

“Which World” (2023)

“Ameliorator” (2023)

“Recreating” (2023)

“Brief Candle #5” (2023)

“Craigslist Still Life 14 (Garden of Togetherness)” (2023)

“Craigslist Still Life 08” (2023)

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Express Yourself with a .ART Domain

“Omega” by Rone (© rone.art)

In a crowded digital environment where every artist seeks a distinctive presence, securing a .ART domain is not just about finding a niche—it’s about creating a legacy rooted in creativity and authentic self-branding. Let’s explore the rich potential a .ART domain offers for carving out a reliable and future-focused digital identity.

Stepping into this realm grants you more than just a digital address; it’s a statement of your dedication to art and culture.

Brand Reinforcement

A .ART domain not only highlights your commitment to art, culture, and community but also boosts your visibility in art-related online searches, connecting you more readily with art enthusiasts and potential patrons on the lookout for authentic cultural engagements.

Tailored to Your Unique Needs

Individuality is the cornerstone of the .ART domain, meeting the unique requirements of each creative. Artist Ronen Tanchum, for instance, uses ronentanchum.art to host his portfolio and gather links to his social platforms, establishing a unified online presence.

 

Ronen Tanchum’s Rococo series (© ronentanchum.art)

“For me, .ART was a way to distinguish my artistic practice from my other work and general online presence. It is a really good way for me to showcase my artworks online and my portfolio, and it’s obvious for everyone what it is.” – Ronen Tanchum, artist

Numerous creators, including digital artist Stepan Ryabchenko (strangetime.art), illustrator Hilbrand Bos (hilbrandbos.art), and photographer Jon Imanol (jonima.art), echo Ronen’s sentiment, utilizing .ART domains to forge a distinctive online space for their work.

 

Stepan Ryabchenko (strangetime.art), “Dawn” (2020), digital print on aluminum under plexiglass (Diasec)

Craft Your Art Marketplace

Many artists use their .ART domains as robust e-commerce platforms, where artistry meets business. Artist Naomi Vona, for example, leverages naomivona.art as a one-stop shop offering art masterclasses, limited-edition prints, and more. .ART names are also ENS compatible and can function as an ENS name in Web3.

 

Contemporary neon art collage on vintage group shot by Naomi Vona (© naomivona.art)

Spotlight on Art Projects

A .ART domain can also serve as a spotlight, highlighting specific art projects or exhibitions, providing them a dedicated space to shine. A case in point is the Council of Europe’s project, “Free to Create – Create to be Free.” Hosted at freetocreate.art, it acts as a living archive, continually showcasing artworks submitted by member states that depict varying perspectives on artistic freedom in Europe today.

You too can start your creative journey and explore the countless opportunities at the intersection of art and technology with a .ART domain.

Secure your .ART today on get.art or through your preferred registrar.

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 Express Yourself with a .ART Domain appeared first on Colossal.

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Chris Wolston’s Wicker Chairs Weave Bodily Exuberance with Functionality

All images © Chris Wolston, shared with permission

American artist and designer Chris Wolston (previously) conceptualizes the possibilities of melding the human body with the form of a chair. Emerging from his second studio in Medellín, Colombia, Wolston’s Nalgona series highlights the South American country’s tradition and abundance of mimbre, or wicker.

In a video documenting the process of making a chair from this collection, Wolston explains that “Nalgonas are simultaneously a chair and an anthropomorphic embrace, a human form embracing a human form.” By incorporating raised, wiggly arms, arched legs, and bottoms, Wolston’s work imbues playfulness and joy with the practicality of furniture design. The results are unique, exceptionally humanistic, and welcoming.

The artist works with local weavers in Medellín, using wicker sourced from the Colombian Amazon. Beginning the process in his studio by sculpting tentative chair forms out of clay, Wolston then creates blueprints of the final design before welding a frame for the wicker to be woven into. Experienced weavers who have practiced the craft for decades slowly but surely bring each bodily piece to life, row after row, detail after detail.

His forthcoming solo show, Chris Wolston at Hotel Bel-Air, opens in Los Angeles on October 25. For more information, follow along on Instagram.

 

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Swelling With Sugary Pastels, Pip & Pop’s Psychedelic Installations Revel in Food Utopias

Detail of “When Flowers Dream” (2022). All images © Pip & Pop, shared with permission

“I’m fascinated by fictional geographies and paradise mythologies, places where we can escape our earthly realities,” says artist Tanya Schultz, also known as Pip & Pop, whose large-scale candied cacophonies explode with sugary pastels and delicious textures (previously). “These places may or may not exist, are often found by chance, and are impossible to locate again once you leave. I think they can be seen as illusory places where we project our dreams and desires.”

Schultz draws inspiration from mythological utopias of luxury and plenty, like the medieval Pays de Cockaigne, also known as Luilekkerland or Schlaraffenland. In a place characterized by idleness and comfort, “the streets are paved with pastries, houses are built from cakes, mountains made of pudding, and cheese rains from the sky,” the artist says. She continues:

Throughout history, tales of food utopias became popular in times of food deprivation, especially during medieval times. People created stories, songs, and maps of these places as a way to escape reality and imagine a better future, where there would be abundant food. At other times, these lands of plenty were seen not as escapist fantasies but rather cautionary tales of gluttony.

Over time, Pip & Pop’s installations have grown in size and complexity. Schultz and her studio team incorporate sugar in various forms, “from soft, fragile piles to hard, candy-like substances,” the artist tells Colossal. “But it all starts with hand-dyeing sugar in hundreds of shades of pastel and neon colours.” The large-scale, psychedelic installations also employ modeling clay, rhinestones, beads, papier-mâché, rainbow string, pompoms, and tiny polymer cakes and fruits.

If you’re in Santa Fe, Pip & Pop has a permanent work on view at Meow Wolf. You can also find more on the studio’s website, and keep an eye on updates on Instagram.

 

“When Flowers Dream” (2022), installed at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London

“In a place I could not find” (2023), installed at Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles

Details of “In a place I could not find”

Detail of “When Flowers Dream”

Detail of “When Flowers Dream”

“Where the Sun Shines Every Day” (2021), installed at Burlington City Arts, Vermont. Photo by Sam Simon

Detail of “Where the Sun Shines Every Day.” Photo by Sam Simon

Detail of “Where the Sun Shines Every Day.” Photo by Sam Simon

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Spirited Animals Emerge from Salvaged Scrap Metal in Brian Mock’s Sculptures

All images © Brian Mock, shared with permission

The nuts and bolts of Brian Mock’s metal menagerie are often just that: nuts and bolts. From his home studio in Aloha, Oregon, Mock transforms small springs, tools, silverware, and other scraps from auto shops and recycling centers into lively animal sculptures. Each work begins with research into a particular species’ comportment, followed by a sketch that eventually, through the help of grinders, cutting discs, and a welder, becomes a lustrous owl, bear, or prowling snow leopard.

Mock works entirely on commission and has quite a few projects in progress, including cowboy boots, a human face, and several dog sculptures. Follow the latest on Instagram.

 

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Amber Cowan Transforms Flameworked Vintage Glass into Lush Assemblages

“Bittersweet, River and Milk” (2023). Photos by Matthew Hollerbush. All images © Amber Cowan, shared with permission

In elaborate detail, Amber Cowan recycles vintage glass into sculptures that effervesce with botanical frills and nostalgic motifs (previously). Many of the pieces shown here comprise the artist’s exhibition Alchemy of Adornment, now on view at the Museum of American Glass at WheatonArts, delving into the phases of popularity and eventual decline of glassware. “By the end of the 20th century, inexpensive pressed milky white and colored glass candy dishes, vases, and novelties—once proudly displayed in American homes—had fallen from favor,” says an exhibition statement.

Cowan draws on the medium’s legacy in her intricate wall pieces and freestanding sculptures, emphasizing the vast potential of the material. Vessels, kitsch, and decor transform into fantastical assemblages centered around femininity, change, and nostalgia. Using glass found in thrift stores, online sales, or by way of friends, Cowan incorporates antique pieces with flameworked cullet, or waste material that can be remelted. Sometimes, strangers donate their objects to see them revived in an artwork, and many of the fragments originate from defunct regional manufacturers in distinctive colorways that will never be produced again.

Alchemy of Adornment continues through December 31 in Millville, New Jersey. Find more on Cowan’s website and Instagram.

 

“Melanie Walking Snail with Cart” (2023)

“Art Nude Cascade in Jade” (2023)

“Candelabra in Shell” (2023)

“Dreams of a Decendant of Sirenuse” (2022), commissioned by Brunnier Art Museum

Detail of “Dreams of a Decendant of Sirenuse”

“Willie the Mouse with Tractor and Train” (2023)

“Cornucopia in Shell” (2021)

“Lamb and Dog in Sky and Milk” (2023)

Detail of “Bittersweet, River and Milk”

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 Amber Cowan Transforms Flameworked Vintage Glass into Lush Assemblages appeared first on Colossal.

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