Reflecting Time Passing, Chris Oh Reinterprets Works of the Northern Renaissance on Ephemeral Substrates

Detail of “Forage” (2023), acrylic on antique burl slab, 65.09 x 81.28 x 6.03 centimeters.

Shortly after the Renaissance swept through Italy in the 14th century, the Northern Renaissance began to take hold north of the Alps. In countries like Germany, France, Poland, and England, artists turned their attention toward humanism like their counterparts in Rome and Florence, although piety and the everyday trials of poor people dominated the north, while the wealthy and ruling classes featured more prominently in Italy.

In a new body of work on view at Capsule Shanghai, artist Chris Oh draws on this tradition through a series of paintings that consider how stories, knowledge, and information are shared through generations. Titled Passage, the exhibition features a range of found-object sculptures and wall-based works appropriated from primarily Northern Renaissance-era artists like Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hieronymus Bosch, and Jan van Eyck, to name a few.

Oh often paints the likeness of the paintings from the period on natural substrates like gnarled slices of burl wood and pearlescent oyster shells, nesting the familiar scenes and portraits within organic surfaces. “I want to use materials that grew over time,” he says.

 

“Reap” (2023), acrylic on antique burl slab, 48.26 x 62.23 x 4.45 centimeters

The artist begins each piece by referencing the etymology and symbolism within the original works, which he then pairs with an unconventional material. “Reap,” for example, recreates Bruegel’s “The Harvesters” (1565), with grooves of gnarled wood indenting the scene of autumn crops and backbreaking labor. One of the few works within Passage derived from the Italian Renaissance, “Gorgon” positions Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Florentine aristocrat Ginevra de’ Benci on a thin piece of dried sea fan, the pocked surface evoking the juniper bush in the background of the masterpiece.

Through these recreations, Oh puzzles together scenes and objects from differing periods to help the viewer draw associations between the two. The idea, Fiona He writes in an essay about the exhibition, is to convey “that all the sentient beings exist(ing) on Earth can relate to notions of the celestial realm and the underworld, finding the lasting beauty that exists in between.”

Passage is on view through January 13. Find more of Oh’s work on Instagram. (via Art Viewer)

 

“Gorgon” (2023), acrylic on sea fan with wood base, 48.9 x 25.4 x 7.62 centimeters

“Burl” (2021), acrylic on antique wooden burl slab, 53.34 x 76.2 x 5.08 centimeters

“Forage” (2023), acrylic on antique burl slab, 65.09 x 81.28 x 6.03 centimeters

“Herd” (2023), acrylic on antique burl slab, 44.13 x 62.87 x 5.08 centimeters

Top left: “Faint” (2023), acrylic on wood panel with antique frame, 21.27 x 13.65 x 3.18 centimeters. Top right: “Shimmer” (2023), acrylic on seashell, acrylic on seashell, 19.67 x 13.02 x 6.35 centimeters. Bottom left: “Radiate” (2023), acrylic on seashell, 22.9 x 20.32 x 2.54 centimeters. Bottom right: “Shed” (2023), acrylic on wood panel with antique frame, 22.86 x 20 x 2.86 centimeters

Detail of “Burl” (2021), acrylic on antique wooden burl slab, 53.34 x 76.2 x 5.08 centimeters

Installation view of “Hatch” (2023), acrylic on cicada with brass rod, robin’s egg, faux eggs, faux nest, antique metal holder, 34.92 x 20.32 x 20.32 centimeters

Installation view of “Chlorophyll” (2023), acrylic on antique statue, 34.61 x 16.83 x 19.05 centimeters

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Nastasya Shulyak’s Miniature Felted Friends Sprout and Smile with Joy

“Pebbles.” All photos © Nastasya Shulyak, shared with permission

Wool artist Nastasya Shulyak felts a cast of curious creatures that carry one simple purpose: to bring others joy.

Having recently moved to Georgia, Shulyak (previously) spent the last year acclimating to her new home. As the artist embraced her surroundings, the mountains, minerals, and milieu along the southern coast of the Black Sea began to inform her work. Before long, she created “Pebbles,” the first creature to come into existence since her move.

“I go to the beach for breakfast, and after a couple of minutes, I begin to sort through all the stones that I can reach,” she tells Colossal. “I see a lot of beauty in them and carry some in my pockets.” Daily rituals similar to this helped Shulyak connect to nearby nature and at the same time inspire the birth of more characters.

The artist’s wholesome woolen creatures sit in contentment and kindly look up, their small arms placed politely onto their laps. Fibrous leaves, flower buds, fungi, and stones sprout from their heads as each face bestows a warm, friendly smile.

Though she usually works with laconic forms, Shulyak shares that she plans to spend the coming months creating more complex textures and shapes. Take a look at the artist’s Instagram for new work, a look into her process, and forthcoming shop updates.

 

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Archaeologists Discover an Extraordinary 2,100-Year-Old Mosaic Near the Colosseum

All photos courtesy of the Italian Ministry of Culture / AFP Photo

In mid-December, the Italian Ministry of Culture released news of a remarkable find in the heart of Rome at the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum. Along with the Colosseum itself, the area consists of the incredible Roman Forum, an aristocratic residential area on the Palatine hill, and Emperor Nero’s splendid Domus Aurea, built in the first century C.E.

A couple of centuries before that, though, in the late Republican era, a luxurious townhouse in the neighborhood had been laden with designs made from shells, glass, white marble, and Egyptian blue tiles. A large “rustic” mosaic dating to the last decades of the 2nd century B.C.E.—a little over 2,100 years ago—was likely inspired by the decorative styles of Near East monarchies.

At the time, mosaics like this one represented a preoccupation with luxury and wealth that traditionalists eyed with suspicion. Among other disagreements, debates between political factions escalated to full-out civil war within a few decades, and the Roman Republic was over by the mid-1st century B.C.E.

 

Detail of two ship prows crossing in front of a trident

The owner of this resplendent villa, who may have been of senatorial rank, intentionally communicated his affluence and prestige. Archaeologists discovered the structure, known as a domus, during a survey of the ancient Vicus Tuscus, a busy commercial route that linked the Roman Forum to a port on the Tiber. The house contains a number of terraced levels and includes a large banquet room, where the extraordinary mosaic was found covering one entire wall.

Comprising the background are four domed aedicules, or shrines, defined by columns and detailed with flowers. Piles of weapons, tridents, carnyces—a Celtic style of war helmet often shaped like a boar’s head—and low, flat ships known as triremes sporting massive banks of oars suggest that the owner of the home may have been victorious in battle.

The mosaic walls were initially discovered in 2018, but excavations are expected to continue into this year. The park’s director Alfonsina Russo says that once the domus is fully uncovered, the team “will work intensely to make this place, among the most evocative of ancient Rome, accessible to the public as soon as possible.” (via The History Blog)

 

A column in between two depictions of aedicules, or shrines

Detail from the top of a column

Detail of a carnyx, a Celtic war horn that usually portrays a boar’s head

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 Archaeologists Discover an Extraordinary 2,100-Year-Old Mosaic Near the Colosseum appeared first on Colossal.

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Felines and Fine Art Make a Purr-fect Pairing in the 10th Anniversary of ‘Cat Art Show’

Vanessa Stockard, “Trust the Process.” All images © the artists, courtesy of Cat Art Show, shared with permission

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, Cat Art Show (previously) returns to Los Angeles for a warm and fuzzy celebration of everything feline. “The intricacies of their ever-changing personalities, coupled with the beauty of their physicality, offer rich subject matter for artists to work with,” says curator and founder Susan Michals. Every year, the initiative donates a portion of its sale proceeds, with ten percent going toward an organization that cares for vulnerable animals in the shelter system.

For one weekend only, visitors can take in work by nearly 50 artists from all over the world, including those familiar to long-time Colossal readers like Matthew Grabelsky or Colin Roberts. Lola Dupre’s many-eyed kitten named “Squits” and Annie Montgomerie’s friendly “Miss Pitch and Furl” have traveled across the pond, interspersed among frenetic felines like Vanessa Stockard’s exasperated furniture ravager or “Une Chat” on a tear by Léo Forest.

Cat Art Show runs from January 19 to 21 at Wallis Annenberg Petspace in Los Angeles. Find more information and tickets on the show’s website.

 

Britt Ehringer, “Kobe Entering the Kingdom of Kittens”

Lola Dupre, “Squits”

Detail of “Squits”

Annie Montgomerie, “Miss Pitch and Furl”

Léo Forest, “Une Chat”

Cleon Patterson, “The Bargain”

Colin Roberts, “Cheshire Cat”

Yusuke Hanai, “Rika and Okayu”

Eric Haze, “One-Eyed Jack”

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 Felines and Fine Art Make a Purr-fect Pairing in the 10th Anniversary of ‘Cat Art Show’ appeared first on Colossal.

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Thousands of Classic Films, Books, Illustrations, and Just Entered the Public Domain

The cover of ‘Millions of Cats’ (1928), written and illustrated by Wanda Gág

From familiar classics to obscure treasures, a trove of literature, art, film, and music has just become easier to access. On January 1, thousands of books, films, plays, artworks, sound recordings, and more entered the public domain, which means they may be used freely without compensating or needing to obtain permission from the owner.

Most notable on the list this year are the very first adventures of Disney icon Mickey Mouse—and Minnie!—in Steamboat Willie and the silent version of Plane Crazy. These pieces in particular have stirred a lot of interest: in 1984, their copyright term was 54 years, but Disney pushed for an additional 20 years—derisively called the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” by scholars—which brings us to its release in 2024.

 

‘Steamboat Willie’ (1928)

Some other phenomenal additions to the public domain this year include the perennial favorite picture book Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág, which has the distinction of being the earliest American children’s book still in print. Literary heavyweights like W.E.B. Du Bois’s Dark Princess, Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera, and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover—among many others—are joined by two of the first “all-talking” films ever released, Lights of New York and In Old Arizona.

And don’t forget about some of our favorite children’s book characters, like Peter Pan and the Darling children, who first appeared in a play in 1904, then in book form in 1911, in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up—now in the public domain because it wasn’t “published” for copyright in the U.S. until 1928. And, of course, there’s Christopher Robin and his friends in the Seven Acre Wood. E.H. Sheperd’s quintessential illustrations in A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner introduced us to Tigger.

Explore an in-depth list and stories behind more of these works by Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain.

 

Poster for ‘The Circus’ (1928) directed by Charlie Chaplin

Left: Poster for ‘Lights of New York’ (1928). Right: First edition of ‘Dark Princess’  (1928) by W.E.B. Du Bois

E.H. Sheperd, “Tiggers Can’t Climb Trees” (1928) for ‘House at Pooh Corner’ (1928) by A.A. Milne

Frontispiece of ‘Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’ (1911) by J.M. Barrie, illustrated by Francis Donkin Bedford

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Marvel at Tomohiro Okazaki’s Feature-Length Montage of Matches Performing Optical Tricks

One recognizable everyday object is given the spotlight in Tomohiro Okazaki’s painstaking yet playful stop-motion animation. His new video features more than an hour of meticulously staged optical gymnastics using matches (previously), from simple balancing acts to hypnotic transformations in which the wooden sticks and red tops interact with words and materials like paper or acrylic. As the montage progresses, Okazaki’s compositions become increasingly distorted, stretching the imagination through hundreds of uncanny scenarios.

See more the artist’s work on YouTube and Instagram.

 

All images © Tomohiro Okazaki

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Tang Shuo’s Vivid Paintings Conjure the Strife and Stories of His Native Boulder Hill

“Co-conspirators” (2023), oil on linen, 192 x 200 centimeters. All images © Tang Shuo, shared with permission

Many of Tang Shuo’s paintings begin with a memory. “I recall a story from the past that left a deep impression on me, extracting a moment from the story and arranging the relationships between characters,” he says. Inspired by his childhood pastime of “playing house,” Shuo renders hunters, snake catchers, and shepherds, imagining himself taking on the roles of his forefathers.

The artist, who is now based in London, grew up in Boulder Hill, a small village on the edge of Guilin, China, that his ancestors founded more than a century ago. For many years, the area was home to the descendants of this single family who upheld many traditional, patriarchal values and farmed the land. Given the political upheaval of the country’s reforms and the Great Leap Forward policies of the mid-twentieth century, its inhabitants struggled for resources like water and food, particularly as famine spread rapidly.

The stories from Shuo’s childhood reflect these realities and are full of grief, labor, and strife, from “water disputes for irrigating rice fields in this agricultural society leading to murder (and) logging for cooking and heating during winter” to scouring the mountains for roaming sheep and children dying from uremia. While the artist’s earlier works looked primarily to the professional lives of his kin, his more recent paintings take an introspective approach.

 

“Shepherd’s Sorrow” (2023), oil on linen, 200 x 150 centimeters

“While the figures in the paintings still represent my image, I am using my physical form as a medium to depict others,” he says, noting that after identifying the narrative he wants to convey, he photographs himself in various positions to capture bodily movement and gesture. “I have become an observer and storyteller, merely recounting their stories—stories rooted in the realities I heard or experienced during my time in Boulder Hill.”

Following a round of sketching, Shuo moves to the canvas. He shares that finding the right shade of orange for clouds or deep greens for a jungly field is one of the most difficult parts of each painting, which he renders with a characteristic flatness. Replicating men with sleek, shoulder-length hair and long-sleeved shirts, the artist gravitates toward moments of difficulty and melancholy. For example, in “Fleeing Wanderer,” he depicts an exhausted figure slumped over a green sack asleep, while “Sheperd’s Sorrow” is one of many pieces reflecting the pains of agricultural life and features a herdsman searching for lost animals.

Shuo has exhibitions planned for June at Beers London and another later this year at Steve Turner in Los Angeles. He’s currently working on a book co-published with Fabienne Levy, where he’s represented. You can find more of his paintings and glimpses into his studio on Instagram.

 

“The Man Holding the Rope” (2022), oil on linen, 120 x 160 x 2 centimeters

“Fleeing Wanderer” (2023), oil on linen, 90 x 70 centimeters

“Magician” (2023), oil on linen, 150 x 150 x 3 centimeters

“Abuser” (2022), oil on linen, 180 x 120 x 4 centimeters

“Shepherd” (2022), oil on linen, 160 x 120 x 4 centimeters

“Grape Harvester” (2023), oil on linen, 90 x 70 centimeters

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 Tang Shuo’s Vivid Paintings Conjure the Strife and Stories of His Native Boulder Hill appeared first on Colossal.

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