Aurelia Butler

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    A Prismatic Installation with Giant, Abstract Forms Sweeps Across a Berlin Museum

    
    Art

    #abstract
    #installation
    #painting

    September 1, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “It Wasn’t Us“ (2020), Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart. All images © Katharina Grosse, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 202o. Photos by Jens Ziehe
    Katharina Grosse’s latest installation transcends the boundaries of the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart as it erupts into a sprawling kaleidoscope. From varicolored surges inside to the vast paintings on the ground and nearby outdoor walls, “It Wasn’t Us” is an expansive artwork on the site of a former railway building. As visitors walk throughout the work, the abstract forms swell in various directions, creating a new visual at each angle. “I painted my way out of the building,” Grosse (previously) said about the site-specific project.
    “It Wasn’t Us” will be on view at the Berlin museum until October 1, 2021, and if you can’t experience it in person, watch the immersive video and interview with the artist below. To dive further into Grosse’s work, purchase a copy of her forthcoming monograph or check out her Instagram. (via designboom)

    

    #abstract
    #installation
    #painting

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    Fringed Paper Networks Peek Out From Vintage Encyclopedias, Textbooks, and Classics by Artist Barbara Wildenboer

    
    Art

    #books
    #paper
    #sculpture

    August 31, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Kennis.” All images © Barbara Wildenboer, shared with permission
    From the covers of René Descartes’s Cogito Ergo Sum and Homer’s The Odyssey emerge vast webs of spliced pages. Artist Barbara Wildenboer (previously) overlaps countless strands of paper as part of her ongoing Library of the Infinitesimally Small and Unimaginably Large series. The new sculptures similarly feature masses of fringed pages, with the hand-cut forms lining the edges of the opened texts and peeking through the hollowed covers. Each spine is left intact.
    Wildenboer tells Colossal she’s been preparing for SUPER/NATURAL, a solo exhibition in November at Everard Read, that considers the relationship between science and the supernatural and has influenced her recent choices in books. Alongside photographic collages, the text-based sculptures “function as narrative clues, intertexts, or ‘subtitles,’” she says.
    A lot of the new book works deal with subject matter that relate to my understanding of the nature of invisible or quantum reality—a reality that we cannot see with our physical eyes. Where nature is the visible realm, supernature also operates on ‘natural’ laws, although we can’t always see them, i.e. for example, magnetism, gravity, and electricity, the celestial orbits, and star cycles. But it’s all levels of ‘nature.’
    Since Cape Town, where Wildenboer is based, was locked down due to COVID-19, she’s been altering the vintage copies she’s had stored. The result is sculptural series fashioned from the pages of Camera Obscura, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Inventions, and the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Compared to the massive encyclopedias and atlases she often utilizes, the smaller works appear almost miniature.
    To keep up with Wildenboer’s sprawling artworks, head to Instagram.

    “Cogito Ergo Sum”
    “Classical Atlas”
    “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
    Left: “Tales of Mystery and Imagination.” Right: “Illustrated Pocket Medical Dictionary”
    “Aristotle’s Politics and Athenian Constitution”
    Left: “Astronomy.” Right: “Homer’s Odyssey”
    “The Garden of Lies”
    “World Atlas”

    #books
    #paper
    #sculpture

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    Banksy Finances ‘Louise Michel’ Lifeboat to Rescue Refugees From the Mediterranean

    
    Amazing
    Art

    #Banksy
    #boats
    #migration
    #refugees

    August 31, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Louise Michel, shared with permission
    Banksy’s latest artwork can be spotted on a vessel rescuing refugees from north Africa, who are attempting to cross the Mediterranean to find safety in Europe. The anonymous British artist, whose work we’ve talked about extensively, used the proceeds from the sale of an artwork to purchase a former French Navy boat, which is named after anarchist Louise Michel. With a fire extinguisher, Banksy sprayed the exterior with pink paint and adorned it with a version of the iconic “Girl with Balloon.” This iteration outfits the child with a lifevest and swaps the red heart with a pink flotation device.
    The project was conceived of in September 2019 when Banksy contacted Pia Klemp, who led several missions with NGO boats to rescue refugees. “Hello Pia, I’ve read about your story in the papers. You sound like a badass. I am an artist from the UK and I’ve made some work about the migrant crisis, obviously I can’t keep the money. Could you use it to buy a new boat or something? Please let me know. Well done. Banksy,” the artist wrote, according to The Guardian.
    Now, Klemp and a professional rescue team helm the 31-meter lifeboat, which already has brought aboard hundreds of refugees. Capable of at least 27 knots, the boat is faster than most ships, allowing it to reach people faster and “hopefully outrun the so-called Libyan coastguard,” Klemp says. The project’s mission is explained on its site:
    It might seem incredible there is need for a homemade emergency vehicle in one of Europe’s busiest waterways, but there is. The migrant crisis means that European states are instructing their Coastguard not to answer distress calls from ‘non-Europeans’ leaving desperate people to drift helplessly at sea. To make matters worse authorities prevent other boats from providing assistance, arresting crews and impounding boats that do.
    This past weekend, the Italian Coast Guard responded to distress calls from the vessel after it became overloaded with passengers, at one point carrying 219 refugees and 10 crew members on the main ship, with 33 people still in rafts floating alongside. The agency evacuated 49 migrants along with the boat Sea-Watch 4, which brought aboard another 150.
    To help aid the efforts, you can make a donation, and follow the crew in a live feed on Twitter.

    #Banksy
    #boats
    #migration
    #refugees

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    Step Inside Petrit Halilaj’s Monumental Nest of Oversized Flowers Within Reina Sofia’s Palacio de Cristal

    
    Art

    #birds
    #flowers
    #installation
    #love

    August 28, 2020
    Christopher Jobson

    “To a raven and hurricanes that from unknown places bring back smells of humans in love,” 2020. Exhibition view at Palacio de Cristal. All photos courtesy Petrit Halilaj and © Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. Photo by ImagenSubliminal (Miguel de Guzmán and Rocío Romero). Shared with permisison.
    Bowerbirds are renowned for one of the most unusual courtship behaviors in the animal kingdom, where males build elaborately decorated nests—called bowers—in an attempt to court a mate. Kosovar visual artist Petrit Halilaj drew inspiration from this unique ritual for his first solo exhibition at Reina Sofia’s Palacio de Cristal (previously) in Madrid. Titled “To a raven and the hurricanes which bring back smells of humans in love from unknown places,” the installation serves as a metaphorical nest that connects the inside and outside spaces of the palace and features several avian elements like trays of birdseed and a giant pair of bird’s feet that descend from above.
    The collection of artworks is actually a collaborative effort between Halijaj and his life partner artist Álvaro Urbano, who helped construct the oversized forsythia, palm seeds, cherry blossom, poppy, carnation, and lily that fill the space. “I wanted to conceive Palacio de Cristal as a place for the celebration of love,” Halijaj shares. From the museum’s release:

    There is something strange and disproportionate about the size of this nest, the gigantic scale of its flowers, and the comfort and centrality it offers the birds. The artist thus suspends the logo-centric perspective that makes us believe we are the center and measure of all things, encouraging us to recognize ourselves as just one more element among many. The nest is thus revealed as the setting for a ritual that lies in wait for encounters, alliances and unions among its different visitors, altering and changing with the space.

    “To a raven…” is open now through February 28, 2021 at the Palacio de Cristal, and you can see more views on Yellowtrace.

    #birds
    #flowers
    #installation
    #love

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    Welded Stainless Steel Creatures by Georgie Seccull Twist and Unfurl in Eternal Motion

    
    Art

    #animals
    #metal
    #metalwork
    #sculpture
    #steel
    #welding

    August 27, 2020
    Christopher Jobson

    Zenith & Nadir, 2020. All images by Andrew J Bourke, © Georgie Seccull, shared with permission.
    Australian sculptor and installation artist Georgie Seccull creates large-scale stainless steel sculptures of animals and other creatures seemingly locked in motion. Comprised of numerous pieces cut from metal sheets, the materials lend themselves to organic forms like feathers, scales, wings, or the armaments of crustaceans. Seccull’s work scales up dramatically in her installation practice where she’s filled entire rooms and atriums with suspended pieces.
    “We are born out of chaos in darkness and come into the light—my process is much the same: I begin with a thousand pieces scattered on the ground, then working almost like a jigsaw puzzle, I pick them up one by one and allow each piece to come together organically and dictate the outcome,” the artist shares in a statement.
    One of Seccull’s most recent sculptures has been nominated for a Beautiful Bizarre People’s Choice art prize, and she has an upcoming solo show at the Gasworks Art Park near Melbourne. You can see more of her work on Instagram.

    The Beyond
    Cancer Rising
    Dancing in the Dark
    The Gatekeepers, detail
    Through the Dark
    Resistance, 2019
    Return to the Source
    Artist Georgie Seccull in her studio.

    #animals
    #metal
    #metalwork
    #sculpture
    #steel
    #welding

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    Vivid Botanics and Butterflies Encircle Photographer Fares Micue in Striking Self-Portraits

    
    Art
    Photography

    #butterflies
    #flowers
    #portraits
    #self-portrait

    August 26, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Memories of a rainy day.” All images © Fares Micue, shared with permission
    Surrounded by monarchs or a blanket of blue leaves, Fares Micue (previously) captures vividly composed self-portraits. The Spain-based photographer conceals her face and instead focuses on the organic elements surrounding her torso. Whether a series of origami birds or yellow and red twigs resembling flames, the natural additions merge seamlessly with Micue, who bends and contorts her figure to follow the shapely forms of the arranged objects.
    In a note to Colossal, the photographer said she’s been more inclined to create since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, considering her work an invitation into self-reflection. “I am a firm believer that how we think and feel about life is how we will perceive reality. We must train our brain to always search for the bright side and find hope among the desolation,” she says. While people may not have control over global crises, they are not without agency. “I want them to feel powerful and (acknowledge) the power they have over their life experience and how to use that experience to grow and learn,” she writes.
    Find more of the Micue’s nature-infused photographs on Instagram, and pick up limited edition prints on Saatchi Art.

    “The power of becoming”
    “Imaginary prison”
    “Growing wiser”
    “Fly me away”
    “Defensive III”

    #butterflies
    #flowers
    #portraits
    #self-portrait

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    Textile Artists File Their Nails in Tiny Grooves for Traditional Japanese Weaving Technique

    
    Art
    Craft
    History

    #Japan
    #nails
    #textiles
    #video
    #weaving

    August 25, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    Image courtesy of Kiyohara Seiji
    Along with a comb and shuttle, textile artists crafting “tsumekaki hon tsuzure ori,” the intricate and durable brocades that are part of Japanese traditions, employ the jagged tips of their fingernails. Common in the Shiga prefecture, the ancient technique utilizes the weaver’s grooved nails to guide the threads down the loom, ensuring they’re placed tightly together. The “tsuzure ori,” or tapestry weave, has roots in the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), while this specific method has been in Japan for at least 1,000 years, according to Kiyohara Seiji, a representative of Kiyohara Textile Co., Ltd.
    To see how the comb-shaped nails work and the ornate textiles they’re used to produce, watch the video below. (via Laughing Squid)

    

    #Japan
    #nails
    #textiles
    #video
    #weaving

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    Anonymous, Posed Figures by Artist Hanna Lee Joshi Explore the Female Body

    
    Art

    #body
    #colored pencil
    #gouache
    #gradients
    #self-portrait

    August 24, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Untitled,” gouache and colored pencil, 15 x 20 inches. All images © Hanna Lee Joshi, shared with permission
    The posed women in Hanna Lee Joshi’s latest series are comprised of vivid gradients: their chests are cobalt, shoulders rose, and palms lime. Created with gouache and colored pencil, the bright hues stray from flesh tones in favor of what Joshi terms “a more otherworldly aspect in my women. Reclaiming the goddess within and exploring the concept of embodying an ephemeral spirit in form,” she says. By rendering their enlarged, curved torsos and limbs in bold shades, Joshi subverts the tradition of the nude figure.
    The Korean-Canadian artist, who’s based in Vancouver and recently was part of the group show “Somebody” at Hashimoto Contemporary, is concerned with how idiosyncratic experiences transcend the personal, which is why the subjects are all anonymous. Each work is, in part, a self-portrait that encompasses the physical, mental, and spiritual.
    It is my way of coming to terms with being ok with taking up space; in society, in my day to day life. My pieces range from exploring a feeling of being contained within social constraints or self-created limitations to depicting the ceaseless chase for freedom. For me, it is a therapeutic reclaiming of how female bodies are depicted, little by little dismantling any internalized misogyny or any notion of how a woman should be or behave. It is a constant process where I am attempting to redefine how I see myself.
    The unclothed figures also share messages with the positions of their elongated fingers and hands. Joshi depicts them with yogic mudras to embody “the beautifully poetic gestures that are so loaded with powerful symbolism,” she says.
    To follow the artist’s introspective work, head to Instagram, and pick up a print in her shop.

    “Sometimes we dance”
    “Holding chaos within” gouache, color pencil on paper, 22 x 30 inches
    “Untitled”
    “Thousand petal lotus,” gouache and colored pencil, 12 x 12 inches
    “Touching the earth,” gouache and colored pencil, 15 x 22 inches

    #body
    #colored pencil
    #gouache
    #gradients
    #self-portrait

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