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‘What the Hands Remember to Hear’ opens next month at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut.
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Art#hyperrealism
#oil painting
#painting
#waterFebruary 23, 2021
Grace Ebert(1986), oil on canvas, 63 1/2 x 51 3/8 inches. Image via Christie’s
Swollen, glistening, and saturated with illusion, the ubiquitous water drop absorbed Kim Tschang-Yeul throughout his career. The Korean artist, who died earlier this year, was faithful to the seemingly mundane subject matter, choosing to depict the dewy orbs repeatedly after an initial painting in 1972 following his relocation to France. Inspired originally by a water-soaked canvas in his studio, Kim nurtured the viscous element in his hyperrealistic paintings created across nearly five decades. In an essay about the artist’s unending commitment, Dr. Cleo Roberts writes:
It is a tendency that seems to unite many of Korea’s avant-garde who took from Art Informel in the early ‘60s, including Ha Chong-Hyun and Park Seo-Bo. In this generation of artists, there is a ritualistic devotion to a chosen form, process, and, at times, colour. One could venture that, in the context of living in a volatile country ravaged by war, the security of immersion in a singular mode was an empowering choice, and may have been a necessary psychological counterpoint.
Whether depicting a singular pendant-shaped drop or canvas strewn with perfectly round bulbs, each of the oil-based works exhibits a deft approach to shadow and texture. The bloated forms appear to bead on the surface and are imbued with a sense of impermanence: if disturbed by even a small movement, they look as if they could burst or run down the surface.“Waterdrops” (1979), oil on canvas, 102 x 76 3/4 inches. Image © The Estate of Kim Tschang-Yeul, courtesy of the estate and Almine Rech, photo by Rebecca Fanuele
Gleaming with occasional patches of gold and white, the transparent renderings foster a deeper connection to Taoist principles, in addition to questioning the tension between nature and contemporary life. “The act of painting water drops is to dissolve all things within [these], to return to a transparent state of ‘nothingness,’” Kim said in a statement, noting that his desire was to dissolve the ego. “By returning anger, anxiety, fear, and everything else to ‘emptiness,’ we experience peace and contentment.”
If you’re in London, you can see the first posthumous show Water Drops, which covers Kim’s entire career and features many of the works shown here, at Almine Rech from March 4 to April 10, 2021. Otherwise, head to Artsy to see a larger collection of the artist’s paintings.“Waterdrop” (1974), oil on canvas, 17 3/4 x 16 1/8 inches. Image © The Estate of Kim Tschang-Yeul, courtesy of the estate and Almine Rech, photo by Rebecca Fanuele
“Waterdrops” (1986), India Ink and oil on canvas, 32 1/2 x 32 1/2 inches. Image © The Estate of Kim Tschang-Yeul, courtesy of the estate and Almine Rech, photo by Rebecca Fanuele
Left: “Waterdrop” (2017), oil on canvas, 46 1/8 x 19 3/4 inches. Image © The Estate of Kim Tschang-Yeul, courtesy of the estate and Almine Rech, photo by Rebecca Fanuele. Right: “Waterdrops” (1996), oil and acrylic on canvas, 21 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 3/4 inches. Image © The Estate of Kim Tschang-Yeul, courtesy of the estate and Almine Rech, photo by Rebecca Fanuele
Detail of “Waterdrops” (1985), oil and Indian ink on canvas, 76 3/4 x 63 3/4 inches. Image via Almine Rech
(2011), oil on canvas, 15 by 17 3/4 inches. Image via Sotheby’s
“Recurrence” (1994-2017), oil and Indian ink on canvas, 35 x 57 1/8 x 7/8 inches. Image © The Estate of Kim Tschang-Yeul, courtesy of the estate and Almine Rech, photo by Matt Kroening#hyperrealism
#oil painting
#painting
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More“Out of the oak” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper, framed, 24.75 x 32.75 inches. All images courtesy of Anat Ebgi Gallery, shared with permission
Domestic Life Dissolves into Blooming Gardens in Sarah Ann Weber’s Works
November 17, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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Through dense thickets of florals rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, a woman attempts to find her footing. Enmeshed in vines and leaves, this nude protagonist can be seen cradling a child or tending to another matter, her surroundings obscuring the particulars of her body and actions.
These vibrant works are part of a semi-autobiographical series by Sarah Ann Weber, who marks two momentous occasions: the birth of her daughter and her move from Los Angeles, where she lived for a decade, to her hometown of Chicago. Titled I Know Her, this body of work refers to the artist herself, her child, and the stark differences between the two landscapes.
“Wake up bright” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper mounted to linen over panel, 36 x 48 inches
Weber explores these significant changes through works teeming with growth. Whereas Los Angeles is dry and warm much of the year, Chicago cycles through all four seasons, sometimes seemingly within the same week. Contrasts between these locales arise through bright, tropical palettes alongside muted, winter fields in shades of gray and blue.
Within these lush atmospheres, splotches of watercolor and vivid florals subsume any definitive boundaries. Drawing on the traditions of window paintings and portraits depicting mother and child, the artist nests architectural structures and tender, familial moments within her largely botanical scenes. All seem to acquiesce to the rapidly evolving environment, nodding to the inevitability of change and renewal inside and out.
I Know Her runs through January 10 at Anat Ebgi Gallery in Los Angeles. Find more from Weber on her website and Instagram.
“My crocus in a hidden garden” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper, framed 24.75 x 32.75 inches
“Apple blossom” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper, framed, 24.75 x 32.75 inches
“The era of small pleasures” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper, framed, 32.75 x 24.75 inches
“Night Blooming Jasmine” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper, framed, 41 x 53 inches
“A tree you come home to” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper, framed, 41 x 53 inches
“Star up my sleeve” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper mounted to linen over panel, 72 x 36 inches
“Keeps climbing higher” (2025), watercolor and colored pencil on paper mounted to linen over panel, 48 x 36 inches
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Art
Food
Illustration#coasters
#homeJune 14, 2021
Christopher JobsonTop left: By Kelly Louise Judd. Top right: By Lydia Nichols. Bottom left: By Mariya Pilipenko. Bottom right: By Molly Egan. All images via Nucleus Portland
Each year Nucleus Portland tasks hundreds of artists with creating original works on a miniature canvas usually reserved for dewy beverages. Salut! harnesses the friendly camaraderie associated with the word and gathers more than 1,000 coasters illustrated in an expansive variety of styles, including minimal color-blocked toucans, trippy starscapes, and dreamy, candid portraits. See some of Colossal’s favorite 4×4-inch pieces below, and browse the entire exhibition and available works, which are up online and in-person through July 5, on Nucelus’s site.Top left: By Zoe Persico. Top right: By Sam Kalda. Bottom left: By Shinyeon Moon. Bottom right: By Vin Ganapathy
Left: By Megan Wood. Right: By Catherine Ho
Top left: By Juliette Toma. Top right: Chris Uphues. Bottom left: By Jennifer Davis. Bottom right: By Jialun Deng
Left: By Edward Cao. Right: By Hayley Powers#coasters
#homeDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!
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