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Art#architecture
#inflatable
#public art
#sculpture
#Steve MessamOctober 5, 2022
Kate Mothes More
“Little Red Riding Hood” (2024), oil on linen, 71 x 71 inches. All images courtesy of José Luis Ceña, shared with permission
Masks and Make-Believe: Children Traverse ‘Paper Stories’ in José Luis Ceña’s Paintings
November 26, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
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Elaborate, imaginary worlds open up around the youthful characters in José Luis Ceña’s oil paintings. Brushy, splattered, and sometimes fuzzy around the edges, his protagonists don homemade costumes and traipse through forts made from sheets and boxes.
“I believe that addressing the topic of children more deeply in my paintings came about as a result of having my two children,” the artist tells Colossal. “Living with children makes you realize issues you thought were forgotten.”
“Pig Mask” (2024), oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches
Ceña focuses on play to illuminate the contrast between the innocence of youth and what he describes as “the decay of the world we are leaving behind.”
In his most recent series, Paper Stories, kids wear masks and traverse a make-believe, cardboard world. Made of quotidian materials, the scenes transform into fantastical realms filled with animals, dinosaurs, and exciting mysteries.
The psychology of costumes and concealment take on a metaphorical role in Ceña’s paintings, reflecting how people conform to the actualities of adulthood and society. “We wear (these masks) every day, trying to project an image of ourselves that, in most cases, doesn’t align with the reality we live,” the artist says. “This is especially evident in our use of social media.”
Vibrant landscapes are often devoid of depth, as if cut from paper and layered to form a stage-like set. These flattened scenes “suggest that these worlds are destined to dissolve, to fold in on themselves,” Ceña says, adding that “solitude is a silent protagonist.”
The work shown here was recently on view with Galerie LeRoyer, and you can explore more of Ceña’s work on Instagram.
“Cardboardzoic” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches
“Oasis” (2024), Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches
“The Bird” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches
“Treasure Box” (2024), oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
“The Bird II” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches
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Art#climate change
#colonialism
#installation
#plastic
#waterMarch 16, 2021
Grace Ebert“The Wishing Well” (2021) in Coachella Valley. All images © Serge Attukwei Clottey, courtesy of Desert X, by Lance Gerber, shared with permission
A mottled patchwork of plastic cloaks two cubes that tower over the desert landscape of Coachella Valley. Titled “The Wishing Well,” the bright pair are the work of Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey, who created the nine-foot pieces from scraps of Kufuor gallons, or jerrycans, in response to shared struggles with water insecurity that ripple across the world. Resembling a yellow brick road, a paved walkway connects the two woven structures that stand in contrast to the surrounding environment, which faces continual struggles with access to the natural resource.
Clottey’s use of the material is tied to a larger critique of colonialism’s enduring legacy and the ways it continues to affect populations around the world, particularly in relation to the climate crisis. Originally, European colonialists brought Kufuor gallons to Ghana to transport cooking oil. Today, the plastic vessels are ubiquitous and used to haul potable water. “As repurposed relics of the colonial project, they serve as a constant reminder of the legacies of empire and of global movements for environmental justice,” says a statement about the work that’s part of Desert X, a biennial bringing site-specific installations to Southern California.
“The Wishing Well” is one facet of Clottey’s larger Afrogallonism project, which he describes as “an artistic concept to explore the relationship between the prevalence of the yellow oil gallons in regards to consumption and necessity in the life of the modern African.” The Accra-based artist works in a variety of mediums spanning installation, sculpture, and performance that deal with the broader influence of colonialism in Africa. You can see a larger collection of his pieces on Artsy and Instagram.#climate change
#colonialism
#installation
#plastic
#waterDo 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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Art#activism
#black and white
#charcoal
#graphite
#hyperrealism
#portraitsSeptember 19, 2020
Grace Ebert“Mindless #3.” All images © Arinze Stanley, courtesy of Corey Helford Gallery, shared with permission
Arinze Stanley describes his hyperrealistic drawings as “a simple language of my feelings.” In a statement about his new series titled Paranormal Portraits, the Nigerian artist (previously) says he uses his art as a form of political activism and as a way to amplify the voices of those who are unheard. Stanley noes that the relationships he fosters with his subjects are complicated and more often a reflection of himself:
In my opinion, artists are custodians of time and reality, hence why I try to inform the future about the reality of today, and through these surreal portraits seen in my new body of work, Paranormal Portraits, navigate my viewers into what is almost a psychedelic and uncertain experience of being Black in the 21st Century.
Using graphite and charcoal pencils, Stanley draws with such detail, capturing a stray hair or glimmer of beading sweat. Whether featuring a subject wrapped in hands or dripping in paint, the monochromatic portraits are intimate, expressive, and “born out of the zeal for perfection both in skill, expression, and devotion to create positive changes in the world. I draw inspiration from life experiences and basically everything that sparks a feeling of necessity,” Stanley says.
If you’re in Los Angeles, Stanley’s work will be on view at Corey Helford Gallery starting October 3. Otherwise, head to Instagram and check out this video from Great Big Story capturing his deftly rendered artworks.“The Machine Man #7”
Left: “People and Paper #1.” Right: “The Machine Man #6″
“Paranormal Portrait #3”#activism
#black and white
#charcoal
#graphite
#hyperrealism
#portraitsDo 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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