Monday, November 27, 2023

A Colossal Conversation: Arghavan Khosravi On Tension, Circumventing Censorship, and the Protest of Iranian Women

two images, both of of a figurative pillar sculpture. the left is the back of the work with blue birds flying upward, vines of orange flowers, and the back of a helmet. on the right is the front of the work, which shows a woman in a persian helment with a white feather. chain mail covers part of her hair

“The White Feather” (2023), acrylic on canvas over shaped wood panels, wood cutouts, plexiglass, metal nails, chainmail, feather, 82 x 50 x 16 inches. All images © Arghavan Khosravi, shared with permission

For Arghavan Khosravi, obscurity is the point. In a new conversation with Colossal, the Iranian artist recounts how she translates the experience of living a dual life—that of immigrating, of presenting differently when at school and at home, and of wanting to deny clear interpretations—into disjointed works that are equally alluring and destabilizing. She says:

I’m interested in this idea of contradiction in general, not just in how the paintings look. When I have imagery coming from different contexts—like historic, contemporary, Western, Eastern—this creates tension, which is like a visual translation of the tension Iranian people feel living in Iran. Most Iranians don’t believe how the governing system is thinking and believing, so there is always this clash between tradition, religion, and then modernity and secular ideas.

Khosravi discusses using a simple visual alphabet to convey complex narratives, feeling inextricably tethered to her home in Iran, and why she needs to paint every day to cope with injustice and heal from trauma.

Read the conversation.

 

a fragmented work with a crying greek statue, two women shown through an open window, another woman obscured by a flowing orange curtain, and Persian imagery in back

“The Orange Curtain” (2022), acrylic on canvas over shaped wood panel on wood panel, 64 1/2 x 49 inches

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 A Colossal Conversation: Arghavan Khosravi On Tension, Circumventing Censorship, and the Protest of Iranian Women appeared first on Colossal.



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Friday, November 24, 2023

The 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest Highlights the Stunning Sights Above and Below the Surface

a fish opens its mouth to show another fish inside

Jack Pokoj, a lizardfish’s open mouth reveals its last meal, Philippines. All images courtesy of Ocean Photographer of the Year, shared with permission

The waters surrounding the Philippines were fruitful for photographers this year, producing several winning images of the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year contest. From a boastful lizardfish to a tiny paper nautilus floating among volcanic debris, the lauded shots document marine life above and below the surface, glimpsing not only the stunning beauty of land and sea creatures but also the threats many face given a warming planet and rampant pollution. Some of our favorite photos are shown here, and if you’re in Sydney, you can see the full collection through May 26, 2024, at the National Maritime Museum.

 

a nautilus with a red eye is surrounded by innumerable bubbles

Jialing Cai, a Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment, Philippines

a polar bear walks toward a waterfall against a bright orange backdrop

Michael Haluwana, illuminated by the Arctic sun, a polar bear walks across a glacier that is adorned by a waterfall, Arctic

a red crab rests in the center of wispy gray tendrils

Andrei Savin, a crab sits in the centre of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current, Philippines

an airborne penguin flies across the water

Craig Parry, a gentoo penguin, the fastest penguin species in the world, charges across the water, Antarctica

a manatee lounges in water backlit by sunlight

Sylvie Ayer, a manatee enjoys the crystal-clear waters of the Homosassa River, Florida

a red nautilus is atop a translucent blue jellyfish against a black backdrop

Renee Cappozzola, a female paper nautilus with egg case rides a small jellyfish, taken on a blackwater dive, Anilao, Philippines

an aerial image of a polar bear grasping onto melting ice

Florian Ledoux, a polar bear cub contends with the fragility of melting ice, Svalbard, Norway

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 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest Highlights the Stunning Sights Above and Below the Surface appeared first on Colossal.



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Hera’s Imaginative New Murals Question the Animal Impulse to Migrate

a rail worker in yellow stands in front of a mural of a big-eyed girl with red hair

“We all are Birds of Migration. Some With Feathers, Some Without” (2023). All photos by Brian Tallman, shared with permission

A mouse-costumed girl sitting on a duffel bag, a bird balancing on a unicycle, and bright blue narwhals swimming along the train line in Stavanger, Norway, are a few characters in Hera’s new murals considering the nuances of immigration and movement. “We all are Birds of Migration. Some With Feathers, Some Without” is a collection of works that ask viewers to recognize that mobility and resettling have been essential to human survival for millennia. The artist (previously) says:

We all exist today because our ancestors at some point either freely migrated to greener pastures, more fertile grounds, greater resources, and safer living conditions, or were forcibly moved from one place to another at some point at some point in history. Not even the most nationalist nationalist can deny the factual reality: humans still exist today because they migrated, they moved themselves, their families, their genes across lands, seas, continents.

Commissioned by Nuart—check out the 2023 edition of its annual festival in Aberdeen—the gestural murals are part of the Planes, Trains & Automobiles project bringing public artworks to high-visibility spots like airports and transit centers. The location also dovetails with Hera’s interest in migration, particularly as it relates to daily commutes. She says, “Some could argue that this does not count as an act of migration. But doesn’t it? Do students not leave their home, travel for miles and miles, to make more of themselves? Do commuters not leave their homes and families in order to make a living, and provide for their existence?”

The figures feature Hera’s signature wide, glassy eyes and costumes that transform them into scavenger-like creatures. Imbued with a sense of resilience, the characters emphasize the innate, animal impulse to travel and migrate that proliferates throughout the natural world.

See some of the works take shape on the artist’s Instagram.

 

a bird rides a unicycle

a mural of a redheaded girl and narwhals in a train station

a woman with a yellow backpack walks in front of a mural of a girl wearing a mouse costume sitting on a duffel bag. a bird perches on a rolling suitcase to her left

two figures sit reading wearing a mouse and cat costume

a mural of blue narwhals behind a train track

a mural of narwahls and a redheaded girl behind a train track

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 Hera’s Imaginative New Murals Question the Animal Impulse to Migrate appeared first on Colossal.



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Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Lone Splendor: A Group Show Revels in the Wonder and Unknown of the Night Sky

Danielle Clough. All images courtesy of Paradigm Gallery + Studio, shared with permission

What lies beyond the stars we see when we look up at the night sky? A group exhibition opening next week at Paradigm Gallery + Studio brings together the works of 18 artists who each capture the wonder of the unknown.

Curated by Colossal’s founder and publisher Christopher Jobson, Lone Splendor draws its name from John Keats’ poem “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art” and conjures our enduring fascination with the cosmos and imagined worlds. The exhibition features works in a variety of mediums and styles, including the dense, thread portraits of Danielle Clough, Hari & Deepti’s illuminated sculptures, and Lorraine Loots’ tiny recreation of the enormous Pillars of Creation.

Lone Splendor will be on view through January 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. Join us on December 1 for an opening reception, and get a sneak peek of the available works on Paradigm.

 

Lorraine Loots

Duy Huynh

Eli McMullen

Graham Franciose

Jeremy Miranda

Andrew McIntosh

Allison May Kiphuth

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 Lone Splendor: A Group Show Revels in the Wonder and Unknown of the Night Sky appeared first on Colossal.



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JR’s Dramatic Cave Intervention Emerges from the Center of the Palais Garnier in Paris

a trompe l'oeil work covers the facade of a building to appear like a cave emerging from the building

“Retour à la Caverne – Acte I” (2023), Palais Garnier, Opéra de Paris. All images courtesy of Opéra de Paris

“Our role as artists is always to search for the light,” says French artist JR (previously) about the second act of his Retour à la Caverne project. “We know this much: You don’t chase away the darkness with more darkness. You chase it away with light, however tiny.”

The work he’s referring to, though, is far from tiny. Cloaking Paris’s Palais Garnier while the building is under construction, Retour à la Caverne is an enormous trompe l’oeil facade, the first part of which depicts a cave carved into the grand structure that houses the opera. Illuminated at the center, the temporary piece highlights the physical and metaphorical interactions between light and dark. Broken into two acts like an opera libretto, the work references Plato’s allegory that emerging from the depths of the cave, and from darkness, brings knowledge.

“Act I” debuted earlier this fall with four nights of projected works, while the second part was held on November 12. “Back in September, we invited you to step out of the cave to go and explore. This time, we’re inviting you back inside the cave,” JR said while introducing the work. Whereas “Act I” portrays the cavern gouged into the center of the building, “Act II” switches perspectives, placing the viewers entirely inside the space.

Titled “Chiroptera,” the performance featured choreography by Damien Jalet and music by Thomas Bangalter. More than 150 dancers appeared through an elevated seven-story scaffolding after an eerie introduction by ballerina Amandine Albisson, who appeared to open the cave, causing a plummet into darkness. As with many of JR’s works, the artist asked the crowd to participate by using headlamps and their phones to illuminate the remainder of the performance, revealing the ways light can emerge from collective action.

Watch the full performance below, and find more from JR on Instagram.

 

dancers create the word "light" in a cavernous trompe l'eoil work

“Retour à la Caverne – Acte II” (2023), Palais Garnier, Opéra de Paris

a crowd gathers to see the performance

“Retour à la Caverne – Acte II” (2023), Palais Garnier, Opéra de Paris

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 JR’s Dramatic Cave Intervention Emerges from the Center of the Palais Garnier in Paris appeared first on Colossal.



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Surreal Anatomies and Architectural Motifs Emerge from Elegant Sculptural Candles

a pale pink architectural candle that looks like steps ascending a pillar. a blue curtain is in the background

Aline Asmar d’Amman, “Aspiration.” All images by Carl Halal, © House of Today

Ten Lebanese designers have collaborated with artisans from the Beit Chabab Hospital Workshop to create a unique, limited-edition collection of sculptural candles. The initiative of the nonprofit House of Today, The Candle Project features ten carved, wax works in varying colors and styles, ranging from Aline Asmar d’Amman’s architectural “Aspiration” with winding staircases to LimbObject’s surreal entanglement of hands and arms. Each piece is available from House of Today, with proceeds benefiting the hospital and the nonprofit’s mentorship program. (via designboom)

 

a sun-like candle with wicks at the end of the rays

Richard Yasmine, “Sinking sun for another one”

two carnal globs in pink and white coil together

Flavie Audi, “Nothing is forever”

a round candle with a diamond shaped pattern all over the surface

Nada Debs, “Spiritual sphere”

a light purple flower-like candle on a green and pink backdrop

Carla Baz, “Chrysalis”

two images, on left is a blue tower of three orbs with splotches on the surface. on left are two candles that appear like architectural ornamentation

Left: Sayar & Garibeh, “Flaws.” Right: 200 Grs, “Blrrrrr”

a red candle in the shape of an orb with braided elements and hands reaching out

LimbObject, “I am here”

a squiggly purple candle

Tamara Barrage, “Silhouettes”

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 Surreal Anatomies and Architectural Motifs Emerge from Elegant Sculptural Candles appeared first on Colossal.



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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Moss, Pine Bark, and Roots Camouflage Tiny Refuges Among the Wild Swedish Forests and Farmland

a man peers out from the hole of a round moss covered hut

“Moss Hut.” All images © Ulf Mejergren, shared with permission

Artist and architect Ulf Mejergren (previously) continues his interest in cozy, outdoor constructions with a new series titled Farm Art. Collaborating with farmer Robert Pettersson, Mejergren built several site-specific structures from materials found around Pettersson’s property in Grödinge, Sweden.

For “Pine Bark Hut,” the pair layered thick, gnarly wood into a slender cabin camouflaged between two trees, a space first used for hunting and then storing tools. Similarly, “Root Hut” entwines gathered branches with the existing roots to create a small, sand pit enclosure nestled beneath the forest, while the circular “Moss Hut” stands 4.5 meters tall among the trees. The latter work “stems from the farmers’ hunting interest,” Mejergren writes. “For many years, he has put food at certain points in the forests so wild boars come to feed there. The problem is they are like bulldozers in the forests, looking for insects and roots in the soil, so they have dug up moss from the forest floor and left them scattered in big droves.” Cloaked in the remaining lichen, the structure is a disguised refuge among the wild landscape.

Other works in Farm Art are more aesthetically driven, like the vivid “Sunset.” Made of dandelion heads at full bloom, the spherical form appears to glow in a field of weeds and wildflowers. Find the full series on Mejergren’s site and Instagram.

 

a hut in between two trees made of bark. a person peers out from the center

“Pine Bark Hut”

a young girl sits underneath a large round circle made of bright yellow dandelions

“Sunset”

a man peers out from the center of a mossy hut

Detail of “Moss Hut”

two girls sit in front of a bright yellow orb made of dandelions

“Sunset”

a child sits under bank with a branch-constructed hut in front of him

“Root Hut”

dried hay envelops a home

“Hay House”

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 Moss, Pine Bark, and Roots Camouflage Tiny Refuges Among the Wild Swedish Forests and Farmland appeared first on Colossal.



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A Knotted Octopus Carved Directly into Two Pianos Entwines Maskull Lasserre’s New Musical Sculpture

“The Third Octave” (2023). All images © Maskull Lasserre, shared with permission Behind the hammers and pins of most upright pianos is a ...