In Heavy Impasto Paintings, José Lerma’s Introduces Background Figures to the Fore

“Leo” (2023), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inches. Photos by Nicolas Brasseur. All images © José Lerma, courtesy of Almine Rech, shared with permission

In just a few deft swipes of thick acrylic paint, José Lerma creates richly contoured portraits that, like a silhouette, impart enigmatic impressions of figures whose full identities remain a mystery. In the artist’s third solo exhibition with Almine Rech, he continues to explore the material quality of acrylic paint (previously), which he applies in a fast and laborious process before it dries. Delicate, flat outlines portray noses, lips, and brows, which the artist augments with heavy impasto paint for hair and accessories. The medium often collides along central seams, separating light from shadow, and extends right up to the edge of the canvas.

The title of the exhibition, Fichureos, draws on a Puerto Rican colloquialism formed around a Spanish interpretation of the English word “feature,” used to reference ostentatious or pretentious displays. Lerma also looks to art history, fascinated by tertiary characters in the backgrounds of paintings that have been rendered in loose, minimal brushstrokes. Combined with the concept of facture, a term used to describe the handling of paint or quality of an artwork’s execution, Lerma embraces “fichureos” as both subject matter and philosophy.

If you’re in Paris, you can visit Almine Rech’s Turenne location to see Fichureos through December 22. Find more on the artist’s Instagram.

 

Detail of “Leo” (2023)

“Mina” (2023), acrylic on burlap, 96 x 72 inches

“Solandi” (2023), acrylic on burlap, 72 x 48 inches

Detail of “Solandi” (2023)

“Liana” (2023), acrylic on burlap, 48 x 32 inches

Installation view of ‘Fichureos’

Installation view of ‘Fichureos’

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In ‘Wharenui Harikoa,’ Lissy & Rudi Crochet a Māori ‘House of Joy’ From 5,000 Balls of Wool

All images © Lissy Robinson-Cole and Rudi Robinson, shared with permission

A decade ago, artist duo Lissy Robinson-Cole and Rudi Robinson, known also as Lissy & Rudi, began crocheting playful additions to their neighborhood in Auckland, New Zealand. The pair yarn-bombed local fences and covered their car in fiber, and by 2018, they were thinking even bigger, imagining a full-size wharenui—a traditional Māori communal house—made entirely from brightly-colored yarn. “Straightaway, the vision was very clear,” the artists told a local news outlet. “We didn’t know how we were going to do it, or anything at that stage, but we just had the vision in our minds of this whare.”

The remarkable, glowing “Wharenui Harikoa,” which translates to “House of Joy,” emerged from 5,000 balls of wool that Lizzy & Rudi hand-stitched into vivid poupou panels, a tekoteko gable figure, patterned tukutuku beams, and an elaborate pou tokomanawa, or center post. Wharenui play a significant role in Māori custom as gathering places, usually forming the focal point of a sacred clearing known as a marae, which connects people to their ancestors, or tūpuna. Neon colors, glowing under black light, add an exuberant touch to myriad patterns and textures, creating an immersive, prismatic space in a celebration of Māori culture and heritage.

“Wharenui Harikoa” opens today at Waikato Museum in Hamilton, New Zealand, and will be on view through March 17, 2024. Explore more vibrant work on the artists’ Instagram.

 

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Zhongwen Hu Meditates on Presence and Emotional Sensitivity in Her Abundant Scenes of Nature

“Pool” (2023). All images © Zhongwen Hu, shared with permission

Throughout Zhongwen Hu’s most recent Day Tripper series, two things ceaselessly pervade: nature and contemplation. Abstract reflections ripple on a riverbank, umbrella-like trees provide communal shade, and figures trek across brilliant terrain in the Shanghai-based artist’s musing acrylic paintings.

Akin to a montage of fleeting moments, each work takes the viewer from scene to scene, depicting meaningful narratives that stem from Hu’s experiences. Deeply observant of nature and sensitive to the wistful allure of mundane life, the artist often takes photos of her surroundings during moments of tenderness to make sketches before painting. This attentive process allows for Hu to seamlessly place an almost tangible tranquility into the viewer’s hands.

Deeply inspired by walking meditation, an introspective practice that originated from Buddhism, Hu cultivates mindfulness within her own work by embracing the beauty of being present. “I’m really interested in the relationship between consciousness and spacetime,” the artist tells Colossal, explaining further:

That is, to discard the distractions of thought, and to embrace the unbridled sensations of objects and our surroundings. At the same time—since time does not, in some ways, exist—the past and future only exist in the mind, and the only moment that can be experienced is the present. Such a fixation on the present can help to extricate thought and judgement, a state of mind that I believe is a gateway to self-healing.

See more work on Hu’s website and Instagram.

 

“Riverbank” (2023)

“Spring Rain” (2023)

“Playground” (2023)

“Deep Breathing” (2023)

“Willow 2” (2023)

“Yellow” (2023)

“To Somewhere Upward” (2023)

“Sprinkler Guy” (2023)

“Security Guards” (2022)

“Willow 1” (2023)

“Explorers” (2022)

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December 2023 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

Work by Diana Beltrán Herrera

Every month, Colossal shares a selection of opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. If you’d like to list an opportunity here, please get in touch at hello@colossal.art. You can also join our monthly Opportunities Newsletter.

 

$1,800 Innovate Grants for Art + PhotoFeatured
Innovate Grant awards two $1,800 grants each quarter to one visual artist and one photographer. In addition, eight applicants will receive honorable mentions, be featured on the website, and join a growing community. International artists and photographers working in any medium are eligible.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PST on December 14, 2023.

The Erin Donohue and Family Ceramics Artist ResidencyFeatured
Hosted by the Artists Association of Nantucket, this ceramics residency will bring one artist to Nantucket to teach two five-week classes, one introductory course for the community and a more intermediate one for students and professionals. The program offers lodging, studio space, a $500 travel stipend, and a $2,000 stipend for living expenses and materials.
Deadline: April 5, 2024.

2024 NOT REAL ART Grant for ArtistsFeatured
Six visual artists based in the U.S. and working in any 2D or 3D medium will win a no-strings-attached cash award of $2,000, plus PR and marketing support. There’s no application fee, and you can find out more on Colossal.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PT on January 1, 2024.

 

Open Calls

Beam Center New Hampshire Open Call (International)
The center seeks proposals for public artworks that will be realized by a community of more than 100 young people at Beam Camp in Strafford, NH. Artists receive a $5,000 award and a $15,000 fabrication budget.
Deadline: 12:00 a.m. ET on December 11, 2023.

BLINK Cincinnati Call for Artists  (International)
BLINK, Illuminated by ArtsWave, is calling for artists working in light-based experiential installation, murals, projection mapping, digital art, or animation to submit proposals. BLINK plans to commission 12 to 15 new murals, 30 to 40 temporary lighted installations, and 30 to 35 projection/digital animation installations.
Deadline: December 15, 2023.

Orange County’s Innovation Lab Public Art Call (International)
One or more artists or collaboratives will be selected to create a public work for Orange County’s Innovation Lab in Pine Hills. The total budget is $77,600.
Deadline: December 27, 2023.

Prisma Art Prize (International)
Open to emerging painters and artists, this quarterly competition awards €2,000 in cash and €3,000 in services annually, plus exhibition opportunities. There is a €29 submission fee.
Deadline: January 11, 2024.

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2025 (United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
This portrait competition is open to all media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textiles, video, performance art, and digital or time-based art. One winner will receive $25,000 and a commission to portray a remarkable living American for the National Portrait Gallery’s collection. Other prizes range from $1,000 to $10,000, and all finalists will be included in an exhibition. There is a $50 entry fee.
Deadline: Midnight MT on January 26, 2024.

Sony Future Filmmaker Awards (International)
The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards elevates voices that bring a fresh perspective to storytelling. The shortlisted filmmakers are flown to Los Angeles for an exclusive four-day event to gain unparalleled insight into all aspects of the filmmaking process to advance their careers.
Deadline: February 15, 2024.

 

Grants

The Puffin Foundation 2024 Annual Artist Grant Program (U.S.)
This grant supports projects in fine arts, photography, music, and environmental artistic activism created with public education in mind. Most grants range between $1,200 and 1$,500.
Deadline: December 2, 2023.

2024 Right of Return Fellowship and Frieze Impact Prize  (U.S.)
The Center for Art & Advocacy and Frieze partner to present a prize of $25,000 and a chance to exhibit at Frieze Los Angeles. The Right of Return Fellowship is open to formerly incarcerated creatives from every discipline for a grant of $20,000, awarded to six people. The additional Frieze Impact Prize is awarded to one Right of Return Fellowship alumnus or one of the new six fellows.
Deadline: 11: 59 p.m. on December 10, 2023.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship (New York)
This $8,000 unrestricted grant is available to artists working in fiction, folk/traditional art, interdisciplinary work, painting, and video/film at any stage of their career.
Deadline: 5 p.m. ET on December 13, 2023.

Newberry Library Artist in Residence Fellowships  (International)
The Newberry Library has two fellowships for visual and performing artists, filmmakers, and other humanists. Programs last one month and grant $3,000 stipends.
Deadline: December 15, 2023.

Nordic PhotoBook Award  (Norway)
Photographers with a cohesive body of work interested in publishing a book are invited to apply for this Kr 200,000 award to support the production, distribution, and promotion of the work.
Deadline: January 1, 2024.

Booooooom Photo Awards  (International)
Photographers are invited to submit images in one of five categories, each with a $1,000 top prize. The winners, plus 20 shortlisted photographers, will be featured in and receive a copy of a special mini-photo publication. It’s free to submit one image, and there is a $15 fee to submit up to ten images in one category.
Deadline: January 12, 2024.

Alden Mason Foundation Award  (Washington)
The Alden Mason Foundation offers three prestigious awards created to pay homage to the enduring artistic legacy of Washington-based artist Alden Mason. One award of $12,000 and two runner-up awards of $1,000 each are awarded to exceptional painters.
Deadline: January 13, 2024.

BBA Artist Prize 2024  (International)
Artists working in all themes, mediums, and experience levels are invited to apply for cash prizes of €1,000, €700, or €500, plus the chance for a solo exhibition in 2025 at BBA Gallery in Berlin, Germany. There is a €29 fee if submitted before December 12, then €39.
Deadline: February 19, 2024.

The Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant  (International)
The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program provides one-time interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen catastrophic incident and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Awardees typically receive $5,000, up to $15,000.
Deadline: Rolling.

Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund (Ukraine)
Adobe’s Creative Residency Community Fund commissions visual artists to create company projects on a rolling basis. Awardees will receive between $500 and $5,000.
Deadline: Rolling.

Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (International)
The foundation welcomes applications from actively exhibiting visual artists who are painters, sculptors, and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. Grants are intended for one year and range up to $50,000. The individual circumstances of the artist determine the size of the grant, and professional exhibition history is taken into consideration.
Deadline: Rolling.

 

Residencies, Fellowships, & More

On::View Artist Residency (International)
Located in the heart of Savannah’s Starland District, this one-month residency provides a free, high-visibility studio for an artist to complete a new or existing project or to research conceptual, material, performative, and social practices. The program is open to artists from around the world working in any medium and includes an exhibition opportunity.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on December 1, 2023.

Foundation House Artist Residency Program (International)
Six residents receive a $500 stipend, a private bedroom and bathroom, meals, and studio space. The residency will run from January 26 to February 4, 2024.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on December 3, 2023.

Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency #193 (International)
This three-week program brings together three mentoring artists from visual arts, literature, performance, and music to lead sessions for a cohort of residents. Each resident receives accommodations and meals.
Deadline: December 3, 2023.

Rhode Island School of Design Movement Lab Fellowship (International)
Two post-graduate researchers working in animation, filmmaking, immersive arts, performance, game arts, dance, puppetry, robotics, or kinetic sculpture will be awarded ten-month fellowships to explore various aspects of movements. Proposed projects should intersect with language, identity, cultures, ecosystems, and/or peoples.
Deadline: December 4, 2023.

Fondation Fiminco Curatorial Residency 2024 (International)
Curators are invited to apply for a three-month residency from March to May 2024 to research, create, and produce an exhibition at Fondation Fiminco’s location in Romainville (Seine-Saint-Denis), France. The curator receives accommodation, a €3,000 research grant, and up to €1,000 for the production of an event.
Deadline: Midnight on December 10, 2023.

Tusen Takk Foundation 2025 Visual Artist Residency (International)
Mid-career and established artists are eligible for these three- to eight-week residences, which provide housing, studio space, a $625 weekly stipend, and transportation. There is a $20 application fee.
Deadline: December 15, 2023.

Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts Residency (New York)
Artists and writers are eligible for this residency program, which offers $100 weekly stipends, accommodations, studio space, and meals.
Deadline: January 7, 2024.

The Good Hart Artist Residency (International)
Open to artists, writers, and composers at any stage of their career, this residency on the shores of Lake Michigan offers accommodations, studio space, a $500 stipend, and some meals. There is a $25 application fee.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on January 9, 2024.

Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (International)
Hosted in Joshua Tree National Park, this residency runs for seven weeks and includes accommodations and studio space. There is a $45 application fee.
Deadline: January 10, 2024.

Hayama Artist Residency (International)
Open to artists working in any medium, this four-week residency offers accommodations, a $200 weekly stipend, an exhibition in Tokyo, and a roundtrip flight to Japan. The application fee is $95.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on January 31, 2024.

Arts/Industry at John Michael Kohler Arts Center (International)
Open to all disciplines, this program selects twelve artists each year for three-month pottery and foundry residencies. No experience with clay or cast metal is required, just an interest in pursuing a new body of work and being open to new ideas. Residents receive a $160 weekly stipend, studio space, housing, transportation, industrial materials, equipment, and more.
Deadline: February 1, 2024.

Hunter Moon Homestead Artist Residency (International)
Artists and arts educators working across disciplines are invited to apply to this program in Palouse. Residents receive one- to three-week stays, with lodging and studio space included.
Deadline: Rolling.

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Faceted Limes and Apples with Scribbled Skin Shape Yuni Yoshida’s Vivid Photographs

All images © Yuni Yoshida, shared with permission

Gem-like limes, hand-drawn apples, and sweet stilettos are just a few of the subjects of Yuni Yoshida’s vibrant photographs. Combining elements of design and commercial photography, the artist (previously) taps into preconceptions tied to the textures, shapes, densities, and ripeness of fruit and florals. She manipulates each item by hand, meticulously cutting, preserving, and arranging individual pieces. “I pay a lot of attention to food and flowers because I like things that are natural and have life,” she tells Colossal. She has long been drawn to organic materials because of what she describes as their warmth and individuality.

Find more on Yoshida’s website and Instagram.

 

 

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Vibrant Figures Soar and Swing Above Buzzing Cities in Millo’s Vibrant Murals

“Soltar Papagaio” (2023), Itabira, Brazil. All images © Millo, shared with permission

Italian artist Francesco Camillo Giorgino, who works as Millo (previously), has a penchant for transforming featureless walls into emotive, airy scenes. Floating above black-and-white cityscapes dotted with clouds and airplanes, central figures pop with color as they soar on kites or swings, haul heavy loads, or interact with flora and fauna.

The artist’s bold, outlined style lends itself to a puzzle-like interplay between the painting and the architecture, sometimes drawing attention to apertures, like in “An Open Door,” or incorporating the outline of a roof. “I’ve been into murals for a long time, but recently I focused a bit more into details,” Millo tells Colossal. “I’ve always been into black-and-white, even if in the last few years, a lot of colors and shades started to appear in my artworks. Now, for example, I not only try to improve the quality of my artworks, but I love to hide little easter eggs in my murals.”

Millo’s compositions are inspired by a wide variety of everyday experiences, from news heard on the radio to an interesting fact in an old history book. “As you’ll notice, scrolling through the pages of my works, all of them convey different messages. Most of the time, they depend on the places where I’m painting,” he says. Millo wants his murals to fit into their sites and reflect the histories of each place, presenting specific stories as a universal experiences.

See more of Millo’s work on his website, and follow him on Instagram for updates.

 

“Coração cheio” (2023), Lagoinha, São Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Thiago Santos Martins

“A Moment” (2022), Leeuwarden, Netherland

“Essential” (2022), Amman, Jordan. Photo by Mirella Moschella

“An Open Door” (2022), Le Barcarès, France

“Lymph” (2021), Monticello Amiata, Tuscany, Italy

“Blooming Again” (2022), Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

“The Sound of the Waves” (2021), Sant’Antioco, Sardinia Italy

“When We Thought We Could Fly” (2023), Pristina, Kosovo

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In Rupy C. Tut’s Dreamlike Paintings, Figures Fold Into Landscapes in a Struggle to Belong

“Searching for Ancestors” (2023), handmade pigments on linen, 60 x 40 inches. Photos by Philip Maisel. All images © Rupy C. Tut, courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco

In a couple of Rupy C. Tut’s ethereal and symbolic scenes, a cloaked woman merges with a rocky outcrop above a stream, while another reclines above a vast mountain range, holding a single feather. Comprising her solo exhibition Out of Place at Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco, the Oakland-based artist’s paintings feature figures who coalesce with their surroundings and the passing of time.

Tut draws on her Punjab heritage and family history to compose dreamlike scenes in which ancestral figures struggle with taking up space, searching for a sense of belonging and home. The daughter of refugees and a first-generation immigrant, she counts her family’s history of movement, loss, and resilience as essential elements in her creative practice. Using handmade pigments on linen, the artist examines the desire to fit in and connect to one another.

“These paintings express how our bodies feel in or out of place within ever-shifting environments,” Tut says in a statement. “As a mother, immigrant, and artist, I also intend to show glimpses of everyday life where doom and optimism hang in delicate balance. I created this work to highlight the human capacity to exist with hope, even on shaky ground.”

Out of Place is on view through January 7, 2024. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

 

“A Drop in the Desert” (2023), handmade pigments on hemp paper, 37 x 50 inches

Detail of “A Drop in the Desert” (2023)

“Portrait of a Woman” (2023), handmade pigments on hemp paper, 57 x 37 inches

“All in a Day” (2023), handmade pigments on linen, 48 x 36 inches

“Placing Self” (2023), handmade pigments on hemp paper, 37 x 50 inches

Detail of “Placing Self” (2023)

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