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Six Acclaimed Artists Interpret Ecology and the Landscape for ‘Ground/work 2025’

by Aurelia Butler 21 August 2025, 18:57

Hugh Hayden, “The End.” Photo by Thomas Clark. All images courtesy of the artists and The Clark Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, shared with permission

Six Acclaimed Artists Interpret Ecology and the Landscape for ‘Ground/work 2025’

August 21, 2025

ArtNature

Kate Mothes

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Across the expansive 140-acre grounds of The Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, six contemporary artists have been invited to create site-specific works engaging with the property’s meadows, trails, and woods, while highlighting their individual practices.

Sculptures by Yō Akiyama, Laura Ellen Bacon, Aboubakar Fofana, Hugh Hayden, Milena Naef, and Javier Senosiain dot a variety of sites, from manicured parkland to open fields to groves of trees.

Laura Ellen Bacon, “Gathering My Thoughts.” Photo by Joe Aidonidis

Bacon, whose ethereal sculptures made of malleable twigs seem to move, has installed the nine-by-five-foot “Gathering My Thoughts” in a wooded area. Made from willow sourced from Ohio, the piece appears to writhe like a living, growing form.

Hayden has constructed a larger-than-life ribcage—species unknown—made of locally sourced hemlock punctuated by dozens of branches that poke out in every direction. Partly camouflaged amid the trees, the work invites us to consider themes of ecological vulnerability, extinction, and the climate crisis. Following the exhibition, the piece will be allowed to decompose on-site, mirroring the way animal remains also eventually vanish back into the earth.

Fofana’s installation of two botanical forms, titled “Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life),” is the artist’s first public art piece. He draws upon his spiritual belief in the divinity of nature, incorporating rolls of African cotton dyed with indigo, representing seeds, into a curling metal frame.

Other works include Senosiain’s vibrant sea creature, installed in a pond, along with Akiyama’s conical monolith evocative of scorched wood and Naef’s marble slabs that merge with the negative spaces of a fallen tree.

Aboubakar Fofana, “Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life).” Photo by Thomas Clark

Curated by independent scholar Glenn Adamson, the exhibition provides the opportunity to experience contemporary art in a natural setting. Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute, says:

The Clark’s campus becomes an accomplice, of sorts, in helping us to see and appreciate each artist’s particular vision and the interconnection between art and nature. With this edition of Ground/work, our guest curator…has intentionally blurred the line that traditionally separates the consideration of art and craft, urging us to appreciate the art that is inherent in all forms of craft.

Ground/work 2025 continues through October 2026, with free access day or night, 24/7, on The Clark’s campus. Plan your visit on the museum’s website.

Hugh Hayden, “The End” (detail)

Javier Senosiain, “Coata III.” Photo by Thomas Clark

Yō Akiyama, “Oscillation: Vertical Garden.” Courtesy of the artist and Joan B Mirviss LTD. Photo by Thomas Clark

Laura Ellen Bacon, “Gathering My Thoughts” (detail). Photo by Joe Aidonidis

Aboubakar Fofana, “Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life)” (detail). Photo by Thomas Clark

Milena Naef, “Three Times Spannin.” Photo by Thomas Clark

Yō Akiyama, “Oscillation: Vertical Garden” (detail). Courtesy of the artist and Joan B Mirviss LTD. Photo by Thomas Clark

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Architecture Converges with the Human Form in Antony Gormley’s ‘Body Buildings’
by Aurelia Butler 21 August 2025, 16:30
“Resting Place II” (2024) terracotta, 132 figures, dimensions variable. All images of ‘Body Buildings’ at Galleria Continua, Beijing, China 2024–25. Photos by Huang Shaoli. All images courtesy of the artist and Skira, shared with permission
Architecture Converges with the Human Form in Antony Gormley’s ‘Body Buildings’
August 21, 2025
ArtBooks
Kate Mothes
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In Edinburgh, along a stream known as the Water of Leith, six bronze figures known as “6 TIMES” stand amid the current and beside bridges, peering enigmatically down the urban waterway. Similarly, in Liverpool, “Another Place” comprises 100 life-size sculptures made from 17 molds that artist Antony Gormley (previously) took from his own body, installed permanently along Crosby Beach. In fact, the artist has dozens of permanent installations throughout the U.K. and all over the world, the majority of which interact with shorelines, parkland, and historic sites.
Gormley has long been fascinated by the relationship between humans, landscape, and the built environment. While many of his figurative sculptures retain natural, muscular curvatures and a true-to-life scale, he also ventures into abstract territory, incorporating cubist and brutalist elements into geometric, three-dimensional forms. In spite of their blockiness, which we associate with built structures of rigid materials like concrete and steel, his pieces are anything but soulless.
“Resting Place II”
Gormley’s recent solo exhibition, Body Buildings at Galleria Continua in Beijing, ran from November 2024 and April 2025 and forms the basis of a new monograph of the same title. Forthcoming from SKIRA, the volume is slated for release on October 7.
Using terracotta clay and iron for pieces like “Resting Place II” and “Buttress,” Gormley taps into materials often found in construction in the form of bricks or angular frameworks. He describes his approach as a means “to think and feel the body in this condition.” Whether arranged on the floor in various positions or leaning against walls, his figures are simultaneously independent of the architecture and indelibly connected to it. “Buttress,” for example, prompts us to inquire whether the wall is holding up the person or the other way around.
New scholarship published in Body Buildings by Hou Hanru and Stephen Greenblatt explores Gormley’s engagement with China over the course of the past three decades. And a photo essay by the artist traces his interactions with the region, sharing never-before-seen archival photographs that document a 1995 research trip, where he visited the phenomenal army of terracotta warriors in Qin Shi Huang’s tomb in Xi’an.
Pre-order your copy of Body Buildings on Bookshop, and explore more of Gormley’s work on his website.
“Buttress” (2023), cast iron, 176.8 x 54.5 x 67.2 centimeters
Detail of “Resting Place II”
“Shame” (2023), cast iron, 161.7 x 59 x 42.9 centimeters
Detail of “Resting Place II”
Detail of “Resting Place II”
Detail of “Resting Place II”
“Circuit” (2022), cast iron, 29.3 x 201.3 x 122.4 centimeters
Installation view of Detail of “Resting Place II”
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In Milwaukee, Four Artists Unravel Trauma to Move Toward Collective Wellness
by Aurelia Butler 21 August 2025, 14:04
Swoon, “Medea” (2017), wood, hand cut paper, laser cut paper, linoleum block print on paper, acrylic gouache, cardboard, lighting elements
In Milwaukee, Four Artists Unravel Trauma to Move Toward Collective Wellness
August 21, 2025
ArtColossalSocial Issues
Grace Ebert
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In a world riddled with injustice and predicated on privilege for the few at the expense of the many, what does it mean to be well? An exhibition opening Friday at the Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee considers the effects of concealed trauma and the inextricable ties between personal health and collective wellness.
No One Knows All It Takes invites four artists—Bryana Bibbs, Raoul Deal, Maria Gaspar, and Swoon (previously)—who utilize art-making to grapple with complex emotions, imagine solutions to widespread problems, and share their stories and those of others. The timely exhibition, curated by Colossal, brings forth pressing issues like addiction, incarceration, immigration, and a lack of support for caregivers, conveyed through visually arresting works across media.
Bryana Bibbs, “1.25.24-1.26.24” (2024), handwoven Papa George hospital blanket, Papa George playing cards, gifted pants, 11.5 x 14.5 inches
No One Knows All It Takes opens with portraits by Deal, intimate renderings made through hours of conversations with the subjects. Paired with his wooden sculptures, the elaborate carvings explore the central role of immigration in American history and culture. Bibbs’ weavings and monotype prints—created while she cared for her dying grandparents with many of their belongings— follow as a sort of ghostly archive of what remains after death.
Swoon’s “Medea” fills the fourth gallery space, a deeply personal installation that the artist made, in part, to confront her mother’s lifelong struggle with addiction and mental illness. An exposed tarantula mother, portraits of Swoon’s own family, wooden windows, and audio elements layer personal artifacts with recurring motifs about intergenerational trauma.
The Wisconsin iteration of Gaspar’s Disappearance Jail series tucks into a smaller, more confined space at the end of the exhibition. Featuring images of 113 prisons, jails, and juvenile and immigrant detention facilities throughout the state, the project invites visitors to use hole punches to literally remove and obscure the carceral spaces. Because incarceration has historically been the only manner in which society addresses harm and trauma, Gaspar’s work tasks each person with the abolitionist exercise of imagining other possibilities.
Raoul Deal, “Trenzas” (2023), woodcut with deckled edge, 28 x 42 inches
The title, No One Knows All It Takes, came from a conversation with Bibbs, in which she described the emotional, mental, and physical toll of caring for her grandparents in their final months. Referencing the intersecting and multilayered effects of trauma, the phrase is also multivalent: it invokes the immense amount of energy needed to function while ill, the wide-reaching impacts of trauma on an individual’s life, and the social, political, and cultural costs of unaddressed issues.
No One Knows All It Takes will be on view from August 22 to December 20. The Haggerty Museum of Art is located at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Maria Gaspar, Disappearance Jail series (detail), (2021-ongoing), hundreds of perforated archival Inkjet prints on rice paper, 5 x 7 inches each
Raoul Deal, “Immigration Series #8” (2013), woodcut, 40 x 26 1/4 inches
Swoon, “Medea” (2017), wood, hand cut paper, laser cut paper, linoleum block print on paper, acrylic gouache, cardboard, lighting elements
Bryana Bibbs, “12.27.23” (2023), handwoven Papa George casino playing cards, Papa George hospital blanket, 14 x 9.25 inches
Bryana Bibbs, “8.26.24” (2024), handwoven Papa George athletic tee, Papa George gifted pajama pants, Mema decor flowers, 25 x 9 inches
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Junk Mail and Found Papers Undulate in Agate-Like Wall Sculptures by Jessica Drenk
by Aurelia Butler 20 August 2025, 14:03
Detail of “Slice 3” (2025), junk mail and plaster, 54 x 79 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Galleri Urbane, shared with permission
Junk Mail and Found Papers Undulate in Agate-Like Wall Sculptures by Jessica Drenk
August 20, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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If you’ve ever studied the rainbow-like mineral rings of petrified wood or observed light filter through the striations of a slice of agate, you’ll understand Jessica Drenk’s fascination with geology. The New York-based artist upcycles objects like junk mail and pencils to create elaborately layered, sculptural pieces evoking banded crystals and colorful sedimentary stone.
Drenk’s forthcoming solo exhibition, Elemental Form at Galleri Urbane, continues to plumb the relationship between ephemerality and eternity. The gallery says, “Building in layers, Drenk renders erosion, sedimentation, and crystallization human-made.”
“Agate 3” (2025, junk mail and used paper, 57 x 79 inches
Many of Drenk’s wall pieces are made solely of paper, while some new pieces, like the Slice series, incorporate plaster. Redolent of the way marble is sliced from quarries in neat slabs, “Aggregate Triptych” or “Flow” look as though they have been hewn directly from some much more expansive deposit. Panning out, we might see streams and oxbows amid a vast natural landscape.
Drenk emphasizes flow in the sense that earth, water, and our perception of time can be fluid, as can be the nature of art-making itself. Creatives often strive for moments in which they experience being in “a state of flow.” From the perspective of both making the work and the way it is viewed, the artist describes this guiding ethos as “an aqueous sensibility.”
Elemental Form runs from September 6 through November 8 in Dallas. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Aggregate Triptych 4” (2025), junk mail and used paper, 42 x 88 inches
“Agate 2” (2025), junk mail and used paper, 66 x 44 inches
Detail of “Agate 2”
“Slice 2” (2025), junk mail and plaster, 66 x 64 inches
“Aggregate Strata 3” (2025), junk mail and used paper, 75.5 x 81.5 inches
“Agate 1” (2025), junk mail and used paper, 50 x 78 inches
Detail of “Slice 2”
“Slice 3” (2025), junk mail and plaster, 54 x 79 inches
“Flow 1” (2025), junk mail and used paper, 74 x 56 inches
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Jon Ching Advocates for Six Endangered Hawaiian Birds in Vivid Detail
by Aurelia Butler 19 August 2025, 22:32
“I’iwi.” All images courtesy of Jon Ching and American Bird Conservancy, shared with permission
Jon Ching Advocates for Six Endangered Hawaiian Birds in Vivid Detail
August 19, 2025
ArtNature
Grace Ebert
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Paradise for some, Hawai‘i is a place of ecological contradiction. The islands are known for their beautiful beaches and lush forests, and yet, they’re also home to the largest threats to avian populations. Dubbed “the bird extinction capital of the world,” Hawai‘i has witnessed its forest species decline from 50 to just 17 today.
A vivid series of paintings by Kaneohe-born artist Jon Ching zeroes in on the magnificent beauty of six endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers, rare creatures found nowhere else on Earth. Ching is a 2024 Conservation and Justice Fellow for the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), an organization dedicated to supporting wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Teaming up with Birds, Not Mosquitoes, ABC has been working to combat non-native mosquitoes on the islands, which have decimated populations with avian malaria.
“‘Akeke’e”
Like much of Ching’s work, these paintings are hyperrealistic, portraying the subjects’ soft plumes and scaled claws with impeccable, otherworldly detail. Many are set against flat, graphic backdrops reflective of different aspects of Hawaiian culture. The artist writes on Instagram that the ‘Akeke’e has a “specialized crossbill that helps them open up ‘ōhi‘a lehua buds in search of insects,” adding about the work of the same name:
I made a patterned design of the ‘ōhi‘a lehua, almost as a contemporary wallpaper or textile design, but have the flower and leaves transforming from 2D to 3D as the birds perch on them. In this way, their presence gives life to this important native tree like it cares for it in the wild.
Find more about Ching’s work with ABC and the fellowship program on the organization’s website.
“‘Apapane”
“Maui ‘Alauahio”
“Palila”
“‘Akikiki”
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Steve Keister Conjures Mythological Creatures from Clay, Wood, and Cardboard
by Aurelia Butler 19 August 2025, 14:45
“Moondog” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 16.5 x 11.5 x 28.5 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Derek Eller Gallery, shared with permission
Steve Keister Conjures Mythological Creatures from Clay, Wood, and Cardboard
August 19, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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From glazed ceramic, coated cardboard, wood, and acrylic paint, Steve Keister summons mythical beings and enigmatic animal-human hybrids. The artist’s current exhibition, Split Level at Derek Eller Gallery, is a survey of work made during the past eight years, glimpsing the artist’s ongoing exploration of Pre-Columbian art and architecture.
Keister’s mixed-media sculptures initially emerged from experiments with salvaged styrofoam and cardboard packing cartons, which evoked the bold, blocky forms of Mesoamerican architecture like Aztec stone carvings and Mayan step pyramids.
“Leaf-Nose Bat” (2025), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 23 x 33 x 6.5 inches
Through ongoing series like Bio Meso, Batz, and Masked Figures, Keister merges painting, sculpture, and craft techniques into three-dimensional portrayals of what the gallery describes as “bespoke deities that pay homage to Pre-Columbian myth.” Some creatures, like “Xoloitzcuintle,” represent real animals—in this case, a species of hairless dog.
Hybrid creatures like “Standing Bat II” and “Coyote Man” tap into oral histories and belief systems that span North America. Bats are historically emblematic of the boundary between life and death. And Coyote, a potent character in the folklore of numerous Indigenous North American peoples, is variously a magician, creator, glutton, and trickster.
Keister’s compositions range from wall reliefs to freestanding, monument-like sculptures to sprawling floor pieces. “At the core of his ethos is a profound interest in human and animal consciousness,” the gallery says. “Keister extrapolates his subjects from Central American mythology to develop a complex ecosystem of mystical fauna.”
Split Level continues through August 22 in New York City. Explore more on the artist’s website.
“Coyote Man” (2025), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, cement, 66 x 16.5 x 17.5 inches
“Xoloitzcuintle” (2025), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood with found object, 25 x 20 x 33 inches
“Red Tabby” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 11 x 14 x 3.5 inches
“Cosmic Crocodile” (2017), coated cardboard, glazed ceramic, cement and acrylic on wood, 5 x 32 x 55 inches
“Contrapposto” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 30 x 24 x 4 inches
“Standing Bat II” (2022), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, cement, 65 x 48 x 12 inches
“Mictlantecuhtli” (2017), coated cardboard and acrylic on masonite on wood, 37.25 x 41 x 6.25 inches
“Lateral Bat” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 40.25 x 24 x 4.25 inches
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Christopher Herwig Motors Through Southeast Asia to Capture a Vivid Fleet of ‘Trucks and Tuks’
by Aurelia Butler 18 August 2025, 18:32
All images courtesy of FUEL Publishing, shared with permission
Christopher Herwig Motors Through Southeast Asia to Capture a Vivid Fleet of ‘Trucks and Tuks’
August 18, 2025
ArtBooksPhotography
Grace Ebert
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From Pakistan to Sri Lanka, a vibrant tradition zooms down mountain passes and through city streets. The vernacular art form elaborately adorns vehicles with intricate motifs and celebrity portraits, while cabs brim with synthetic flowers, tassels, and dreamcatchers. A common sight on Southeast Asian roadways, these vivid modes of transport are the subject of a new book by photographer Christopher Herwig.
Known for documenting Soviet-era bus stops and metro stations, Herwig’s latest project Trucks and Tuks journeys 10,000 kilometers and 208 pages, capturing the wondrous, idiosyncratic custom. As Riya Raagini writes in the introduction, sajavat, or ornamentation and decoration, is an essential component of culture in the region, found on streets and within homes alike. “Even before modern vehicles appeared in the region, people were decorating every conceivable mode of transport, from bullock carts to boats. Naturally, when trucks, tuk-tuks, and rickshaws began to arrive in the early 20th century, they were embellished in a similar fashion,” Raagini adds.
Today, this tradition is increasingly threatened. Several countries have cracked down on vehicle modifications citing safety concerns, while the proliferation of mass-produced decals and objects overtakes what was a largely hand-crafted art form.
For Herwig, Trucks and Tuks glimpses what he calls “the poetry of the road,” a complex mix of masculinity, creative expression, and hope. He writes:
Alongside the practical elements found in the truckers’ cabs, there was often an abundance of visual imagery in marked contrast to their challenging existence. Decorated with elaborate whimsical flare, dangling good luck charm,s and wallpaper showing idyllic scenes, they revealed a dream life.
Published by FUEL, Trucks and Tuks is available for pre-order from Bookshop.
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In ‘JUJU’s Castle,’ Jean Jullien Reinvents His Childhood Escapes
by Aurelia Butler 15 August 2025, 20:11
All images © Jean Jullien, courtesy of Nanzuka Art Institute, shared with permission
In ‘JUJU’s Castle,’ Jean Jullien Reinvents His Childhood Escapes
August 15, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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As a child, Jean Jullien (previously) preferred to spend his time immersed in the pixelated worlds of video games, embarking on adventures with action figures, and reinventing himself in RPGs. Imagining a universe parallel to his own offered a joyful refuge when he needed it most.
Jullien summons this memory for JUJU’s Castle, an enormous, multi-gallery exhibition that invites viewers into the artist’s youthful fantasyland. Rendered in his signature flat, two-dimensional style, monsters, wizards, menacing mushroom creatures, knights, and friendly faces stand ready for play. From tile-esque floors to brightly painted walls to fiery lights lining dungeon walkways, each detail captures Jullien’s exuberant and witty aesthetic. “Years later, as the world seems more and more dire, I’ve decided to visit Juju’s castle once more and to open its doors to the public,” he says.
Eighty small paintings accompany the larger installations and sculptures and are vignettes of make-believe and amusement. There are games of chess, hand-made masks and costumes, and even an elephant slide like those found on the playgrounds of Taiwan.
Although his works often appear lighthearted, Jullien frequently responds to some of today’s most pressing issues, including capitalism’s grip on society and the all-too-relatable feelings of existential dread. JUJU’s Castle is another response to contemporary life. He says:
With constant news of war, global warming, pandemics, and dystopic technological advancements, it seems like our daily lives have become more and more anxiogenic. But there is resistance in the form of escapism, and people have resorted to it in many ways. From video games to role playing games, cosplays, niche literatures, and online communities, people have found means to deviate from the harsh reality.
If you’re in Shanghai, visit Nanzuka Art Institute before October 26 to immerse yourself in Jullien’s world. Otherwise, explore more of his work on his website and Instagram.
“Toshima Playground” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas, 35.5 x 47.7 x 3.3 centimeters
“Masks” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas, 35.5 x 47.7 x 3.3 centimeters
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Sthenjwa Luthuli’s Spiritual Paintings Excise Intricate Patterns in Bold Color
by Aurelia Butler 15 August 2025, 17:36
“Marks Of Identity” (2025), hand carved super wood block mix media, and paint, 136 x 92 centimeters. All images courtesy of Unit London, shared with permission
Sthenjwa Luthuli’s Spiritual Paintings Excise Intricate Patterns in Bold Color
August 15, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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Through swirling ribbons of color, headless figures dance among densely patterned backdrops, their hands grasping and open. Dressed in tight, form-fitting costumes, these anonymous protagonists are bound by their elaborately carved environments, a metaphor for the experience of South African communities that artist Sthenjwa Luthuli (previously) finds fruitful.
Luthuli is known for his wood-block paintings brimming with vibrant color and texture. Through a meditative, meticulous process of gouging small pieces of MDF, he renders dense, intricate motifs that envelop his figures in a swath of markings. The artist is particularly interested in African spiritualism and the tenuous relationship between freedom and control for minority communities.
“Reborn” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 138 x 184 centimeters
Next month at Norval Foundation in Cape Town, Luthuli with present a collection of works made between 2010 and 2015. His first institutional solo exhibition, Umkhangu uses African cosmology and symbolism as its guide, considering how a birthmark can be seen as an ancestral presence or a sign of one’s destiny.
Umkhangu opens on September 11. Find more from the artist on Instagram.
“The Genetics” Ulibofuzo (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 138 x 184 centimeters
“Unfinished Business” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 136 x 92 centimeters
“Stories We Wear” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 136 x 92 centimeters
“Palmistry” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 136 x 92 centimeters
“Inner Spark” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 136 x 92 centimeters
“Reincarnation” Ukphinda Uzalwe (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media, and paint, 138 x 184 centimeters
“Nature’s Unique Signatures” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 185 x 185 centimeters
“Past Life Origins” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 138 x 184 centimeters
“Diverse Nations, Different Calling” (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 275 x 184 centimeters
“Continuous Legacy” Ukuqhubeka Kwefa (2025), hand-carved super wood block mix media and paint, 138 x 184 centimeters
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Art

Latest story

Six Acclaimed Artists Interpret Ecology and the Landscape for ‘Ground/work 2025’

More stories

Architecture Converges with the Human Form in Antony Gormley’s ‘Body Buildings’

Junk Mail and Found Papers Undulate in Agate-Like Wall Sculptures by Jessica Drenk

Jon Ching Advocates for Six Endangered Hawaiian Birds in Vivid Detail

Steve Keister Conjures Mythological Creatures from Clay, Wood, and Cardboard

Christopher Herwig Motors Through Southeast Asia to Capture a Vivid Fleet of ‘Trucks and Tuks’

In ‘JUJU’s Castle,’ Jean Jullien Reinvents His Childhood Escapes

Sthenjwa Luthuli’s Spiritual Paintings Excise Intricate Patterns in Bold Color

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