Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Otherworldly Zip-Tie Sculptures by Sui Park Crawl Across Galleries and Sprout in City Parks

colorful zip-tie sculptures in bulbous shapes populate a stark white gallery

“Microcosm 2.” All images © Sui Park, shared with permission

Evoking sea anemones, bulbous spores, and supple, round cells, Sui Park’s zip-tie sculptures seamlessly meld the organic and synthetic. The New York-based artist (previously) continues to weave scores of industrial nylon cables into works that appear to scale gallery walls and spawn in dense clusters in public spaces.

Park’s latest projects include “City Ecology,” a collection of 32 sculptures nested in the flower beds and landscaping of Bella Azbug Park in Hudson Yards. Tucked within the lush greenery and dried, autumn leaves, the works are vivid, otherworldly additions to a green space within the city.

After hand-dyeing the plastic materials into bright, bold colors, Park often interlaces the simple stripes into biomorphic forms in blue, red, or yellow. Some of her more recent works, though, entwine ties of various hues to explore what emerges through connection. “In ‘Fermented Mixture’ and ‘Molecule,’ I mix different colors that represent various characters or groups, and I wear them in an attempt to create a new entity that is solely possible through complex relations between them,” she tells Colossal.

“City Ecology” is on view in New York through the end of the year. Park is currently working on a piece that reflects the ocean-atmosphere at twilight, which you can follow on her site and Instagram.

 

colorful sculptures made of zip ties sit in a park

“City Ecology.” Photo by Gabby Jones, courtesy of HYHK Alliance

colorful zip tie sculptures sit in a lush flower bed

“City Ecology.” Photo by Gabby Jones, courtesy of HYHK Alliance

zip tie sculptures in white sit in fallen leaves

“City Ecology.” Photo by Gabby Jones, courtesy of HYHK Alliance

white zip tie sculpture crawl across a wall

“Symbiosis 1”

a collection of small colorful sculptures in a cluster on a gray wall

“Sprinkle”

three round cell-shaped sculptures made of various colors of zip ties resting on the ground

“Fermented Mixture”

a detail shot of a zip tie sculpture nested in green plants

“City Ecology.” Photo by Gabby Jones, courtesy of HYHK Alliance

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 Otherworldly Zip-Tie Sculptures by Sui Park Crawl Across Galleries and Sprout in City Parks appeared first on Colossal.



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Meticulously Animated in Stop-Motion, ‘Up in Smoke’ Warns of Impending Climate Catastrophe from Burning Fossil Fuels

A lone figure navigates swiftly vanishing terrain in a moving new stop-motion video from NOMINT (previously). Produced for WWF and presented this week as part of COP28, “Up in Smoke” follows a young woman as she floats on a melting ice floe, watches her home disintegrate, and witnesses wild animals unable to escape the toxic fumes.

A year in the making, the film included a full month dedicated to shooting entirely in-camera. “We employed a unique production process, integrating stop-motion animation with real smoke and using a full-color, 3D-printing technique to create over 700 unique sculptures for different poses of the girl,” the studio says.

“Up in Smoke” is set to a moving rendition of “When the Party’s Over” by The Social Singing Choir from Margate, originally performed by Billie Eilish and written by Finneas O’Connell. The song exposes the dynamic of an unhealthy relationship, emphasizing how unclear or deceptive messages lead to an emotional tug-of-war about the future.

As the scenes unfold, the central character bounds away from a plume of smoke, which destroys everything in its path. We’re reminded that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of the climate crisis, and world leaders are encouraged to end reliance on coal, oil, and gas in favor of renewable energy.

Explore more work by NOMINT on the studio’s website, and learn more about the COP28 World Climate Action Summit.

 

A film still from a stop-animation film depicting a young woman standing in a dark space, lit as if from a spotlight, surrounded by deceased animals.

All images © NOMINT, shared with permission

A gif from a stop-animation film depicting a young woman watching a silhouetted house fly off the ground in a plume of smoke and break apart.

A film still from a stop-animation film depicting a young woman running through a dark space, chased by a plume of smoke.

A gif from a stop-animation film depicting a young woman standing in a dark space, standing on a quickly-melting ice floe.

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 Meticulously Animated in Stop-Motion, ‘Up in Smoke’ Warns of Impending Climate Catastrophe from Burning Fossil Fuels appeared first on Colossal.



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A New Book Contains Dozens of Rare Photos of Salvador Dalí’s Seaside Home and Studio

a mirrored dresser with a draw open to be full of paintbrushes. on top is a white plate with glasses, bottles of various colored liquids, and a wooden sculpture

All images © Coco Capitán and Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, VEGAP, Barcelona, courtesy of Apartamento, shared with permission

A perfectly ovoid egg perched atop a dovecote, a taxidermy rhino with a wide, outstretched wingspan, and a sleek pink couch in the shape of Mae West’s lips are not uncommon sights in the seaside home of Salvador Dalí (previously). Now compiled in a revealing new book published by Apartamento, rare photographs by Coco Capitán document the surrealist domain that vacillates between private space and architectural artwork in its own right.

Casa Dalí spans 96 pages of images that spotlight the small home on Spain’s Costa Brava that Dalí and his wife Gala bought in 1930 and transformed into a characteristically dreamlike space: a snarling lion peers out from under a geometric archway, small figurines stand guard encircling an outdoor water feature, and a regal canopy sweeps high above two identical beds. The slim volume also features an introduction by architect Oscar Tusquets, who was friends with Dalí and frequented the home where the artist spent the last 15 years of his life.

Captured in the summer light of golden hour that Dalí reportedly loved so much, Capitán’s photos glimpse the eccentric space while leaving some details—like the partially revealed contents of the artist’s bookshelves or a cabinet holding paints and other supplies—to the viewer’s imagination.

Casa Dalí is currently available from Apartamento. You also might enjoy Dalí’s cookbook and guide to wine. (via It’s Nice That)

 

a large white egg sits atop of a white structure with tree branches jutting out of it

a japanese style umbrella hangs from the ceiling over stairs lined with natural material. books are tucked in shelves below the curved staircase

a white stone exterior with a round archway cradling an egg. trees grow around the structure

a book spread open to two images. on the left is a taxidermy lion with snarling teeth. on the right is a rhino attached to birds wings over a window

four tire works hang on an outdoor wall with a pink couch shaped like lips in front of them. small statues stand in a water feature

a book spread open to one image of a yellow L-shaped couch with a window on the right side looking down to the beach with small fishing boats docked

two beds with red and purple bedding are side by side with a massive purple canopy sweeping overhead

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 New Book Contains Dozens of Rare Photos of Salvador Dalí’s Seaside Home and Studio appeared first on Colossal.



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Monday, December 4, 2023

LaToya Hobbs Emphasizes the Tactile in Her Laboriously Carved Portraits of Black Women

a portrait of two young women wearing yellow printed dresses, one is resting her head on the other's shoulder. puffy white flowers are in the background

“Erin and Anyah with Hydrangeas” (2023), acrylic and collage on carved wood panel, 48 x 60 inches. Photo by Ariston Jacks. All images © LaToya Hobbs, courtesy of the artist and Frist Art Museum, shared with permission

The belief that rest is a fundamental human right grounds the works of LaToya Hobbs, a Baltimore-based artist who carves stylized woodblocks of Black women. Often using her family, friends, and self as subjects, Hobbs creates densely textured prints and paintings depicting quiet moments of affection and connection.

In “Erin and Anyah with Hydrangeas,” two young women—Hobbs’ stepdaughter and niece originally photographed by the artist’s husband Ariston Jacks—look directly at the viewer. One rests her head on the other’s shoulder, with puffy white flowers decorating the pinstriped backdrop. In “Flourish,” a thriving snake plant and anthurium frame the room and subject, who sits comfortably on a chair and peers out the window.

 

a black and white print of a woman wearing a gown and lounging on a couch with pillows behind her

“Unbothered” (2023), woodcut on Rieves BFK cotton paper, 24 x 32 1/4 inches

Emphasizing the necessity of care for oneself and others, these portraits are included in Hobbs’ upcoming solo show at Frist Art Museum in Nashville. Opening early next year, Carving a New Tradition celebrates the artist’s significant contributions to printmaking and considers how her oeuvre amends the art historical canon. The show contains works on paper and painted carvings, along with interpretations of works by artists like Alma Thomas, Kerry James Marshall, and Elizabeth Catlett, who often depicted Black mothers with reverence and strength.

While Catlett tended to present her subjects working, Hobbs offers an alternate mode of being, instead focusing on rest and relaxation. “The act of carving and its removal of material carries symbolic meaning related to the carving away of negativity and stereotypes needed to reveal the real version of oneself,” she says. Gouged with impeccably thin lines and delicate crosshatching, the works evidence the artist’s laborious process and profound admiration for the tactile, in both the tangible, ridged properties of her carvings and the connections elicited by human touch.

Carving a New Tradition will run from January 26 to April 28. Until then, find more of Hobbs’ work on her site and Instagram.

 

a brown and black scene of a woman resting in a chair surrounded by plants and looking out the window

“Flourish” (2023), acrylic on carved wood panel, 96 x 96 x 2 1/2 inches

a print showing a family gathered around a dinner table with artworks in the background

Detail of “Carving Out Time” (2020–21), oil-based printing ink and acrylic paint on 15 carved cherry plywood panels; 96 x 720 inches. Image courtesy of The Baltimore Museum of Art

a triptych black and white woodcut of a woman seated or resting on a chair with her head on her arms

“In need of rest” (2023), woodcut, 4 1/2 x 33 inches

a brown and black woodcut of a woman holding a vessel with her eyes closed

“A Moment of Care” (2023), woodcut; 32 1/4 x 24 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 LaToya Hobbs Emphasizes the Tactile in Her Laboriously Carved Portraits of Black Women appeared first on Colossal.



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‘Power Figures’ Share Messages of Love and Healing in vanessa german’s Totemic Assemblages

Installation view of a sculpture in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The sculpture features a Black woman singing, and her body is made of glass bottles and surrounded by flowers with photographs of people in a crowd.

“Of Thee We Sing” (2023), steel, plywood, dibond, and resin, 144 x 96 x 96 inches. Photo by Steve Weinik. All images © vanessa german, courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery, shared with permission

Through found materials that range from feathers to glass bottles to astroturf, vanessa german (previously) assembles evocative, ritualistic sculptures that she describes as “power figures.” Often life-size or larger, german’s totemic sculptures are tied to the artist’s activism, confronting systemic racism and white supremacy, misogynoir, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and the destructive extraction of natural resources.

The lists of media for each work read like poems of love, hope, and grief. In “Blue Bird,” Nike trainers pay homage to a young man killed on a street corner in Pittsburgh, where german is based. In “I love you in the house. Or, The Multidimensionality of Resilience,” she emphasizes the heaviness of “used stories, stories used up, the weight of it all—refracted as tho through a prism.”

Many of german’s pieces contain visual symbols or written messages that tap into societal expectations, desires, or fears, like the mirrored face of “Epigenetic (Grace),” which reflects the words “You look like your Mother” back to the viewer as the figure holds out another mirror. In “SITTING IN THE POWER OF BEING EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE,” a glass dessert cloche, which we associate with displays of sweetness, forms the sculpture’s head. Inside, handwriting on a pink sheet of paper reads, “The thing that hurt me the most: abandoning myself.”

german draws on the history of Congolese Nkisi figures, spiritual vessels that contain sacred substances, which supernatural forces may bring forth into the corporeal world. Using textiles like denim jeans, garments she has worn on special occasions, quilts, and various yarns and twines, she adds objects ranging from keys and nails to beads and bright paint. The artist grounds us in our physical reality through the use of recognizable everyday objects, summoning creativity and tenderness as tools for healing.

Find more of german’s work on Kasmin Gallery’s website, and follow the artist’s Instagram for updates.

 

A mixed-media sculpture of a bird-like creature with Nike shoes on its head and a chair with an air conditioner on its back.

“Blue Bird” (2022), street bird: like fast-talking street corner creatures with leather jackets, grief bird, sorrow bird, heartbreak bird tryin just to figure out how it all goes, love bird, angel bird, wood, tar, oil pastels, ceramic bits, for how we love to talk about the flying Africans, love, earthling love songs, gold chains inspired by fast-talking street corner men, carved wood ashtray feet, blue Nikes for the boy who they killed on the corner of Kelly and Homewood and how he sold water and had a whole life ahead of him—which is a cliche that i am certain not everyone even believed on his behalf, old wooden chair with chippy paint, old boom box, Astro turf, how it feels to outlive children, a love song for the open sky, liberty, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes., 70 1/2 x 24 x 48 inches. Photo by Diego Flores

A mixed-media sculpture of an abstract figure with bottles, nails, beads and other items on its body. It has a glass dessert cloche on its head with a message inside that reads "The thing that hurt me the most: abandoning myself."

“SITTING IN THE POWER OF BEING EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE” (2022), 26 x 24 x 14 inches. Photo by Wendy Timana

A mixed-media sculpture made of different pairs of blue jeans all balled up with yarn and twine.

“I love you in the house. Or, The Multidimensionality of Resilience” (2023), blue jeans, blue genes, yarn, twine, wire, wood, foam, used stories, stories used up, the weight of it all—refracted as tho through a prism., 62 x 40 x 30 inches. Photo by Wendy Timana

A mixed-media sculpture of a wooden figure with bright green paint on its body, with multiple faces made from masks. It sits on a sawhorse with a swan.

“BLACK SWAN, or, THE ENVY” (2022), green, green with, green with envy, sick, sick to, sick to my, sick to my stomach, heart ache, green pigment, white, pigment, pink pigment, blue pigment, black pigment, a clutch of 7 knock-off tribal masks found in nyc before my Madison square park talk, love of the big body, the constant ache of being under the eye of white supremacist delusion, a wholeness calling up the night, a random punch drunk miracle, a hope song, a body bag filled with lies, a shoe horn aching to be a unicorn, a critical neighbor with a big mean mouth, grief, letting go, a saw horse, hand carved black swan., 97 3/4 x 28 1/2 x 43 3/4 inches. Photo by Diego Flores

A mixed-media sculpture of a figure made of flowers and mirrors. The message on a mirror which creates the figure's face reads, "You look like your Mother."

“Epigenetic (Grace)” (2023), wood, blue, silk flowers, mirror, a way of being alive that is feeling first, the sunrise, glass beads, beaded glass trim, locks and keys, a holiness, wire, twine, yarn, vintage French beaded flowers, ceramic flowers, key chains, the inclination to fold the tongue over inside of ones own self, cloth, falling in love, bird figurines, small black dolls, safety, glass leaves, a wail, grace., 65 x 28 x 40 inches. Photo by Jordan Whitten

A mixed-media sculpture of a stylised Black figure seated on a white swan, which is seated on a sawhorse.

“WHITE SWAN” (2022), saw horse, disco body, fabric, wire, twine, hair grease, rage, hurt in the heart, a snarl, a fat ass, a hero, hand carved white swan decoy, a place to hide in plain sight, plaster, wood glue, plaster gauze, the burden of the ego, bullies becoming bullies, 18k gold leaf, glory, heart ache healed, glory, rest, sequin fabric, heat, love, masturbation, a mirror to help you watch yo back, yarn, wire, found body form, grace, redemption, a healing., 92 1/2 x 29 x 39 1/2 inches. Photo by Diego Flores

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 ‘Power Figures’ Share Messages of Love and Healing in vanessa german’s Totemic Assemblages appeared first on Colossal.



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Join Us for a Colossal Workshop and Make Your Sweaters into Friends with Ýrúrarí

a woman wears a sweater with a face on it

All images © Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, shared with permission

We’re thrilled to welcome artist Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, better known as Ýrúrarí (previously), for our first Colossal Workshop of 2024. During this one-hour session on January 27, Ýrúrarí will offer insight into her process and teach the needle-felting technique she often uses in her creative mending projects that transform sweaters into friends. The techniques are suitable for complete beginners, so just grab a needle and some wool and join in.

Register today to reserve your seat, and if you’re a Colossal Member, don’t forget to use the code in your account to receive $5 off.

 

the artist reaches down to greet a friend made of a sweater that's seated on a chair

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 Join Us for a Colossal Workshop and Make Your Sweaters into Friends with Ýrúrarí appeared first on Colossal.



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Saturday, December 2, 2023

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

An acrylic painting of a minimal figure in profile, using heavy impasto paint.

“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.

 

A detail of thick impasto paint in shades of pink, brown, and green.

Detail of “Leo” (2023)

An acrylic painting of a minimal figure with short hair, using heavy impasto paint.

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

An acrylic painting of a minimal figure in profile, wearing a striped headband, using heavy impasto paint.

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

A detail of thick impasto paint in shades of blue and brown.

Detail of “Solandi” (2023)

An acrylic painting of a minimal figure with blonde hair, using heavy impasto paint.

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

Installation view of two paintings in a white-wall gallery space. The paintings show minimal portraits of female figures in profile.

Installation view of ‘Fichureos’

Installation view of two paintings in a white-wall gallery space. The paintings show minimal portraits of female figures.

Installation view of ‘Fichureos’

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