Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Hugh Hayden Untangles American Mythology with Overgrown Sculptures and Skewed Installations

an installation of wooden school desks. a sculpture of dinosaur rests atop a desk with wooden branches emerging from its side

Installation view of “The end,” NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo by Sean Fennessy. All images shared with permission

In a trio of ongoing exhibitions, Hugh Hayden (previously) tackles American myth-making, unraveling the incomplete and ignored narratives that ground our politics and culture.

For the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial, Hayden installed “The end,” a grade-school classroom complete with wooden desks and a mirrored blackboard. Educational settings are a recurring in the artist’s practice, and he pairs the motif with three dodo skeletons. The flightless birds were native to Mauritius and one of the first species to go extinct because of European hunting and deforestation on the island.

Tying this colonial eradication to academics, Hayden roots out the ways colonialism and its tenets continue to undermine the educational system and highlights the loss inherent within the African diaspora.

 

a wooden cabin with brick chimney is slants 20 degrees to the left in a park

“Huff and a Puff” (2023), deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Photo by Mel Taing

“Huff and a Puff” similarly probes historical narratives. Permanently installed at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusettes, the small wooden cabin is a replica of Henry David Thoreau’s home at Walden Pond. Slanted a surreal 20 degrees, the building skews what’s typically thought of as a birthplace of American self-reliance, environmental consciousness, and capitalist critique.

“‘Huff and A Puff’ is about perspective, not only in terms of its physical experience but also conceptually, given that for some people, the world is not so easy to live in,” the artist says. Given its angled construction, the cabin would be uncomfortable, if not impossible, to occupy without bending or contorting one’s body to fit.

 

the left door of a row of black bathroom stalls opens to reveal a wooden toilet sculpture with branches emerging from its sides

Installation view of ‘Hugh Hayden: Hughman’ at Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles. Image © Hugh Hayden, courtesy of Lisson Gallery

And finally, in his first solo show in Los Angeles, Hayden considers “the prosthetics of power,” or the artificial structures that can be weaponized for control and authority. Titled Hughman, the exhibition is entirely hidden behind a row of black bathroom stalls that must be opened to see the works, an act associated with privacy and rife with discrimination given the current proliferation of bathroom bills.

Inside is the artist’s play on an origin story. A twist on the anatomical models found in doctors’ offices, “Eve” is a wooden sculpture of a pregnant body with a baby curled inside. Other works include various types of seating—a director’s chair, school desk, and toilet—made impossible to use by branches jutting out from their sides or their flimsy, bristle construction.

Hughman is on view through January 13 at Lisson Gallery, while “The end” is up through April 7 in Melbourne. For deeper insight into Hayden’s work, pick up American Vernacular published earlier this year and also on Colossal’s Best Books of 2023 list, and find more on Instagram.

 

an installation of wooden school desks with a mirrored blackboard and teacher's desk. three sculptures of dinosaurs rest atop some of the desks with wooden branches emerging from their sides

Installation view of “The end,” NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo by Sean Fennessy

an installation of wooden school desks with a mirrored blackboard and teacher's desk. two sculptures of dinosaurs rest atop some of the desks with wooden branches emerging from their sides

Installation view of “The end,” NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo by Sean Fennessy

a wooden cabin with brick chimney is slants 20 degrees to the right in a park

“Huff and a Puff” (2023), deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Photo by Mel Taing

a schooldesk made of white bristles

“Brainwash” (2023),
PVC and nylon bristles, 33 x 26 x 29 inches. Image © Hugh Hayden, courtesy of Lisson Gallery

A wooden sculpture of an anatomical model of a pregnant stomach with a wooden baby curled inside

“Eve” (2023), cherry bark and acrylic on resin, black walnut,
25 x 15 x 10 inches. Image © Hugh Hayden, courtesy of Lisson Gallery

black bathroom stalls open to reveal several sculptures

Installation view of ‘Hugh Hayden: Hughman’ at Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles. Image © Hugh Hayden, courtesy of Lisson Gallery

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 Hugh Hayden Untangles American Mythology with Overgrown Sculptures and Skewed Installations appeared first on Colossal.



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Expansive Landscapes Spill from Tiny Frames in Detailed Miniature Dioramas by A House of Wonders

All images © House of Wonders, shared with permission

“I didn’t really set out with the intention of making miniatures. They just turned out that way,” says artist Caroline Dewison of A House of Wonders. For several years, the Warrington, England-based artist experimented with beads and clay to make small sculptures, but she was never quite satisfied. “It began with making little mossy patches on clay pieces, sourcing materials I found in model railway layouts, which I immediately fell in love with,” she says. “Seeing how others recreated such realistic scenes was really inspiring, so I bought some scenery supplies, and the ideas just grew.”

Small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, Dewison’s vistas open up far into the distance. Inspired by the woodlands around her home and holiday walks through the Lake District, the artist began to recreate mystical scenes of streams, shorelines, and hills. “The natural world has always filled me with a sense of wonder,” she says. “I grew up in the days where you could disappear all day as long as you were home for tea, and I spent a lot of my time exploring the woods and fields near our house.”

Using Jesmonite—a mixture of gypsum and water-based acrylic resin—to fashion frames, plus a lightweight MDF for the backgrounds, Dewison sources a range of small boxes, model-making supplies, and acrylic paints to create each intricate scene. For landscapes, she particularly enjoys using a type of clay that melds the malleability of clay with the strength of epoxy, plus a favorite 3D-printing pen. “I’m amazed at the fact you can just press a button and magic something out of thin air,” she says.

Find more of Dewison’s work on A House of Wonders’ Instagram and website.

 

 

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 Expansive Landscapes Spill from Tiny Frames in Detailed Miniature Dioramas by A House of Wonders appeared first on Colossal.



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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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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 ...