Aurelia Butler

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    These Absurdly Contorted Animals by Bruno Pontiroli Will Leave You With a Backache

    The troupe of wild animals in Bruno Pontiroli’s paintings contort their bodies into backbends and handstands that would rival even the most accomplished gymnast. A wrinkly hippo balances on its tongue, a tiger arches its torso into a 90-degree angle, and a hyena rotates its hind legs in the air. The French artist (previously) notes that he begins the bizarre artworks with easily-recognized animals that he then shapes “like the way a child plays with modeling clay or a building set for instance,” morphing a simple depiction of a nimble lion or hare into a peculiar new reality. More More

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    10,000 Pigeon Feathers Cascade from a Bookcase in Kate MccGwire’s Latest Installation

    
    Art

    #birds
    #feathers
    #installation
    #video

    August 11, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Discharge” (2020), mixed media installation with pigeon feathers, approximately 480 x 70 x 370 centimeters. All images © Kate MccGwire, shared with permission
    Based in west London, artist Kate MccGwire is known for her serpentine feather sculptures and discomfiting artworks that coil and ooze in every direction. A recent installation follows in that tradition as it pours down like a massive gush of water from a built-in bookcase. Composed of approximately 10,000 pigeon feathers, “Discharge” stands nearly five meters tall and cascades to the floor in feathered ripples. While the plumes lining the main chute are in shades of gray, those at the bottom are lighter, evoking the ways water appears white when it crashes.
    The delicate feathers are sourced ethically from pigeon racers who collect the plumes in August and October when the birds molt. MccGwire sorts the materials in her studio, separating the ones that curve left from those that bend to the right, before arranging them in captivating, color-specific patterns. “When visitors see the piece for the first time they are drawn to the phenomenal scale, rhythmic patterning, movement, and perfection of the piece,” she says of the mixed-media installation. “But are often perturbed and revolted when they understand what the material is,” which is exactly her intention. By juxtaposing the raw materials with the finished artwork, she asks viewers to consider the everyday beauty that’s often overlooked.
    “Discharge” has been exhibited in an evolution of configurations in South Korea, Berlin, Paris, and now, Harewood House in West Yorkshire until August 14. Take a video tour of the current exhibition—which also includes a massive feather rug and encased sculptures—and find more of MccGwire’s voluptuous projects on Instagram.

    

    #birds
    #feathers
    #installation
    #video

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    Surrounded by Feathers, Birds Clutch Their Bleeding Hearts in Christina Mrozik’s Monochromatic Illustrations

    
    Art
    Illustration

    #birds
    #drawing
    #heart
    #nature

    August 10, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “Safekeeping,” graphite on paper, 15 x 19 inches. All images © Christina Mrozik, shared with permission
    Just as they’d carry a seed to a new location, the birds in Portland-based artist Christina Mrozik’s latest series tightly grasp pulsing hearts in their talons. The graphite illustrations intertwine masses of feathers and avian body parts with the still bleeding organs, suggesting that they recently were ripped from the chests to cause their descent.
    Coraticum—cor means heart in Latin—is an exploration of reconstruction, one that’s defined by bringing the heart outside the body. “It represents the beginning place from which feelings unfold, the center, the seed. I see this as the place before the stem or the root, before the flower or the honey,” they say. As a whole, the series considers the difficult emotions necessary for transformation. Mrozik (previously) tells Colossal the project was born out of personal upheaval in their life, which they explain:
    I had been undergoing a major rearrangement in my relationship, rewiring my brain’s response to chronic pain and learning about the history of trauma on my nervous system. The way I moved internally was under massive rearrangement and self-scrutiny, and I was doing my best to find where to put things. Then quarantine hit and it felt like the work of rearrangement was happening externally on a global level.
    Each monochromatic illustration is connected to a specific step of the reconstruction process: “The Eye of Recollection” to memory, “Safekeeping” to self-preservation, “The Ten Intuitions” to desire and instinct, “Colliding in Reverse” to letting go, and “Untethering Permissions” to questions about authority.
    Coraticum is currently on view at Portland’s Antler Gallery, which will be sharing virtual tours of the solo show in the coming weeks. You can find prints, pins, and books of Mrozik’s surreal compositions in their shop, and follow their work on Instagram. (via Supersonic Art)

    “Colliding in Reverse,” graphite on paper, 15 x 19 inches
    “Untethering Permissions,” graphite on paper, 15 x 19 inches
    “The Ten Intuitions,” graphite on paper, 15 x 19 inches
    “The Eye of Recollection,” graphite on paper, 15 x 17, graphite on paper
    “Good Morning Moon,” 14 x 21 inches

    #birds
    #drawing
    #heart
    #nature

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    Plump and Peeled Ceramic Bananas Shape Koji Kasatani’s Evocative Sculptures

    
    Art
    Food

    #bananas
    #humor
    #sculpture

    August 10, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Koji Kasatani, shared with permission
    Long before the infamous banana sent waves through the art world last year, Koji Kasatani was forming playful sculptures with the yellow produce. From a couple of peels mid-waltz to another fruit flattened into a puddle, the ceramic-and-resin artworks are evocative and humorous. Kasatani shares with Colossal that while the banana is a recurring motif, its purpose is light-hearted and is a form of idiosyncratic expression.
    At 40 years old, the Japanese artist first started sculpting ceramic pieces after a residency in Florence, where he learned traditional Italian techniques. Since 2010, Kasatani has created an extensive body of work inspired by the fruit, which you can find on Instagram.

    #bananas
    #humor
    #sculpture

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    Monumental Ballpoint Pen Portraits Are Rendered on Vintage Collateral by Artist Mark Powell

    
    Art
    Illustration

    #found objects
    #maps
    #portraits
    #postcard

    August 9, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Mark Powell, shared with permission
    From his Brighton-based studio on the seafront, Mark Powell (previously) pieces together crinkled book pages and postcards laden with travel dispatches. The vintage collages serve as backdrops for the artist’s oversized portraits of older folks, whose pensive stares and deep wrinkles are rendered gently in ballpoint pen. Often magnified, the subjects complement the weathered, ephemeral surfaces that span multiple feet. “I’m currently working on a series of larger works because they have much more impact on the viewer, more confronting yet comfortable I’m hoping. It is also much more tricky because by just using a ballpoint pen no mistakes can be made, and it would be a terrible shame to ruin a map, document, or letter that has survived hundreds of years only to be destroyed by me,” he shares with Colossal.
    Each enlarged illustration—which sometimes depicts famous subjects, like Basquiat and Hunter S. Thompson— takes about a month to complete, and Powell generally works on more than one simultaneously. Recently, he’s started to slow down his artistic production as he shifts away from creating for dozens of shows every year. “The past two years, I’ve taken a step back from shows slightly to allow that evolution space to breathe. It has meant that the quality of the work has increased immeasurably (still much room for improvement of course),” he says.
    Powell’s detailed illustrations will be included in an upcoming show at Hang-Up Gallery in London. Until then, dive into his repurposed projects on Behance and Instagram, and check out the available prints in his shop.

    #found objects
    #maps
    #portraits
    #postcard

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    A Massive Compendium of Tarot Cards Explores 600 Years of the Divine Decks

    
    Art
    Illustration

    #books
    #cards

    August 8, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    By Mina Mond, Wild Men Tarot, 2014, France. All images © Taschen, shared with permission
    Compiling more than 500 cards, a new book sequences an incredibly diverse array of metaphysical decks from medieval to modern times. Tarot is arranged in order from the Major to the Minor Arcana and examines the meaning behind the varied illustrations, considering who created them and when. From a whimsical, black-and-white rendering of The Lovers by Madison Ross to French occultist Jean-Baptise Alliette’s pastel series, the compendium explores the collaborations between mystics and artists that have been happening for centuries. Many of the pieces included in the 520-page book are being shown outside their respective decks for the first time.
    Tarot, which you can purchase on Tashcen’s site, is the debut tome in the publisher’s ongoing Library of Esoterica series. You also might enjoy paging through Salvador Dalí’s surreal deck.

    Madison Ross, The Lovers, 2019, Canada
    From Visconti-Sforza, Yale Deck, mid-15th century, Italy
    Elisabetta Trevisan, Crystal Tarot, 1994, Italy
    By Jean-Baptise Alliette, France
    By Olivia M. Healy, The Fool, 2019, England
    By Jean-Baptise Alliette, Etteilla, France
    By Minka Sicklinger, Bryn McKay, Eve Bradford, Strength, United States
    From Visconti-Sforza, Yale Deck, mid-15th century, Italy

    #books
    #cards

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    Lyrical Illustrations by Käthe Butcher Explore Femininity, Emotion, and Human Intimacy

    
    Art
    Illustration

    #drawing
    #flowers

    August 7, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    “A Hug In The Garden.” All images © Käthe Butcher, shared with permission
    As widespread lockdowns swept the globe earlier this year in response to the threat of COVID-19, intimacy became fraught. For artist Käthe Butcher, the loss of an embrace or casual peck on the cheek was incredibly difficult. “The pandemic affected everyone differently. I always thought I am not that kind of person getting scared or/and paranoid easily, but in March I did. I panicked and felt very alone, which was one reason why I left London at the end of March to go back to my family. It was definitely the right decision,” she tells Colossal.
    This desire for connection culminated in “A Hug In The Garden,” an emotional rendering of two women holding each other. Their botanical garments swaddle their individual bodies, and singular stems poke out from their sleeves, adding a bit of whimsy. Similar to her other drawings—explore a larger collection of Butcher’s work (NSFW) on Instagram—this illustration visualizes emotional depth and intimacy.
    Replete with floral motifs and delicate lines, Butcher’s pieces generally focus on one or two figures, who are simultaneously confident, carefree, and elusive. Rendered in thin, inky lines, the women portray a range of experiences, moods, and personalities. “Femininity can be everything and nothing. It’s individual. For me personally, it is something elegant yet strong,” she shares with Colossal.
    Currently, Butcher is in the process of leaving London permanently for her hometown of Leipzig, Germany, and has been reflecting on the role of artistic practices in the current moment. “As for a lot of artists, this situation was and is still blocking a lot of creativity. It’s draining. Like wading through mud. But at the same time, it feels like the beginning of something new, bigger,” she says.
    To purchase a print of the artist’s tender renderings, peruse what’s available in her shop.

    “Hey Girl”
    “Dreaming About Another World”
    “T.S. Girl (Sleep Well)”
    “Grass As Soft As Cotton Candy”
    “Setsuna”

    #drawing
    #flowers

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    Sprawling Floral Installations Spill Over Garbage Cans and Phone Booths on New York City Streets

    
    Art

    #flowers
    #installation
    #New York
    #public art
    #street art

    August 7, 2020
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Lewis Miller Design, shared with permisison
    Thanks to Lewis Miller Design, those passing through New York City have gotten some respite from the rank smells and soggy refuse of streetside garbage cans. For years, the florist (previously) has been planting guerilla installations of sunflowers, hydrangeas, and peonies in public areas, transforming trash receptacles, construction zones, and lampposts with sprawling assemblages. Check out some of the recent “Flower Flashes” below, and follow the designer on Instagram to see where the temporary bouquets pop up next.

    #flowers
    #installation
    #New York
    #public art
    #street art

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