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      Innumerable Pieces of Dyed Clay Envelop Meditative Sculptures in Subtle Patterns and Gradients

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      Art
      Craft

      #abstract
      #ceramics
      #clay
      #gradients
      #porcelain
      #sculpture

      June 7, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Clements Shade” (2020), porcelain ,29.5 x 16 x 43 centimetres. Photo by Mark Robson. All images © Alice Walton, shared with permission
      Thin ribbons of porcelain ripple across the surfaces of Alice Walton’s abstract sculptures. Gently sloped domes and pillars are covered in countless individual strips, which vary in thickness and length and add irregular texture and depth to the finished pieces. “Every mark I make, whether this be a tool mark or a fingerprint, are preserved in the firing and are not covered or coated or inhibited by a glaze,” the artist writes. “I want the viewer to be able to look at my sculptures from afar and to have one perception of the surface (and) then want to explore closer. On a nearer inspection, the surface decoration reveals layers of multiple colours and time spent through process.”
      Focusing on the meditative qualities of repetition, Walton combines pastels and vibrant Earth tones to evoke the sights of her surrounding environment and travels. “The vividly painted sun-bleached street walls and the monsoon-drenched temples, to me, instantly resembled the dry powdery palette of coloured clays,” she shares about a visit to Rajasthan, India. Her choices in pigment still revolve around what she sees on a daily basis—these range from old maps to the seasonal landscapes nearby her studio in Somerset, U.K.—that result in undulating stripes or bold gradients composed with more than 40 colors in “Clements Shade.”
      At the 2019 British Ceramics Biennial, Walton was awarded a residency with Wedgwood, where she’s currently working on a new series of sculptural vessels made from the English company’s traditional Jasper clay. Those pieces will be shown at the 2021 biennial in September. She’ll also have work at London’s Chelsea Design Centre from June 22 to 29 and at MAKE Hauser & Wirth Somerset in November. Until then, explore more of her sculptures on her site and Instagram. (via Seth Rogan)

      “Clements Shade” (2020), porcelain, 29.5 x 16 x 43 centimeters. Photo by Mark Robson
      Detail of “Avonvale Mapping” (2020), colored porcelain. Photo by Alice Walton
      “Avon Ribbons” (2020), colored porcelain, 30.5 x 28 x 28 centimeters. Photo by Alice Walton
      Detail of “Janta Grove.” Photo by Sylvain Deleu
      “Vale Ribbons” (2020), colored porcelain, 18.5 x 10.5 x 22 centimeters. Photo by Alice Walton
      “Ley Line Pair” (2021), porcelain, 14 x 14 x 31 centimeters and 14 x 14 x 31 centimeters. Photo by Mark Robson
      Detail of “Avonvale Mapping” (2020), colored porcelain. Photo by Alice Walton
      “Avon Strata,” wall-mountable colored porcelain, 48.5 x 48.5 x 1.5 centimeters. Photo by Alice Walton

      #abstract
      #ceramics
      #clay
      #gradients
      #porcelain
      #sculpture

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      Countless Paper Seeds Comprise the Fluctuating Landscapes in Ilhwa Kim’s Sculptural Works

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      Art

      #abstract
      #paper
      #sculpture

      February 24, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Space Sample 36” (2020), 164 x 132 x 15 centimeters. All images © Ilhwa Kim, shared with permission
      In Ilhwa Kim’s sculptural landscapes, innumerable paper seeds form precise rows, indented pockets of densely packed folds, and multi-color valleys that wind through the feet-wide works. The South Korean artist arranges individual units of the rolled material in a staggered manner, meaning that the color, shadow, and texture of the final pieces shift with each viewing. “I am probably a sculptor of senses. I have been very curious how my senses are being organized when I perceive a thing or a location. The order, priority, and the way of being assembled together surprise me. How the senses reunited keeps evolving from initial contact to temporary goodbye,” she says, noting that change and perception play a central role in her practice.
      Each composition begins with blank, white paper that Kim dyes and rolls into tight tubes that can be sliced only with heavy machinery. She forgoes gluing any of the seeds prior until the entire piece is complete. “This working process gives big freedom to make meaningful changes even when very close to the final stage,” the artist shares. “That is how a child plays, as well.” The comprehensive process transforms the original material into durable units that resemble the organic lifeform and ultimately grow into larger sculptures.
      Based in Seoul, Kim has a solo show slated for September 2021 at HOFA Gallery in London, and you can see a larger collection of her works, including shots of pieces-in-progress, on Instagram. (via Cross Connect Magazine)

      Detail of “Space Station Sample” (2016), 192 x 334 x 12 centimeters
      “Space Station Sample” (2016), 192 x 334 x 12 centimeters
      Detail of “Space Sample 36” (2020), 164 x 132 x 15 centimeters
      “Seed Universe 108” (2019), 184 x 152 x 15 centimeters. Image via HOFA
      “White Portrait” (2019), 184 x 152 x 15 centimeters
      “Space Sample 30” (2019), 119 x 186 x 15 centimeters
      “Seed School 3” (2019), 114 x 234 x 13 centimeters
      Left: “Seed School 7” (2020), 114  x 234 x 13 centimeters. Right: “Seed universe 83” (2018), 184 x 132 x 15 centimeters
      Detail of “Space Station 5” (2019), 192 x 224 x 15 centimeters
      “Space Sample 45” (2020), 184 x 152 15 centimeters

      #abstract
      #paper
      #sculpture

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      A Massive Seven-Volume Collection Chronicles the Pioneering Legacy of Abstract Artist Hilma af Klint

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      Art

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      #art history
      #books
      #painting

      February 22, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Bokförlaget Stolpe, shared with permission
      Following a wildly successful retrospective at the Guggenheim in 2018, Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) has firmly secured her place as a groundbreaking figure in abstract art. In recent years, her colorful, spiritually-minded body of work has reshaped art historical timelines, supplanting male artists like Vasily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, and Josef Albers, who have long been regarded as the pioneers of the 20th-century movement.
      Throughout her lifetime, the prolific Swedish artist created more than 1,600 works, an impressive output now collected in Hilma AF Klint: The Complete Catalogue Raisonné: Volumes I-VII. Published by Bokförlaget Stolpe, the seven-volume series is organized both chronologically and by theme, beginning with the spiritual sketches af Klint made in conjunction with The Five, a group of women who attended séances in hopes of obtaining messages from the dead. These clairvoyant experiences impacted much of her work, which the books explore in her most famous series, The Paintings for the Temple, in addition to her geometric studies, watercolor pieces, and more occasional portraits and landscapes.
      “What makes her art interesting is that the works are highly interconnected. A catalogue raisonné is necessary in order to see the different cycles, motifs, and symbols that recur in a fascinating way,” said Daniel Birnbaum, who co-edited the volumes with Kurt Almqvist. Each book is around 200 pages with hundreds of illustraitons.
      The first three volumes are available now on Bookshop, where you also can pre-order the entire collection, and the remaining four are slated for release later this year. You also might enjoy Beyond the Visible, a 2020 documentary exploring af Klint’s iconic legacy. (via Artnet)

      #abstract
      #art history
      #books
      #painting

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      Bold Brushstrokes Energize Abstract, Pixelated Landscapes by Artist Jason Anderson

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      Art

      #abstract
      #cityscapes
      #landscapes
      #oil painting
      #painting

      January 4, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Uprising” (2020). All images © Jason Anderson, shared with permission
      Jason Anderson visualizes city skylines, swooping highway exchanges, and a range of urban landscapes through prismatic, impasto strokes of oil paint. The U.K.-based artist begins each painting with a black-and-white sketch before turning to the linen canvas and translating the lively works. In recent months, he’s incorporated more curved lines and saturated tones alongside the pastels he’s used previously, resulting in abstract scenes of horizons and city centers rendered through a mosaic of color.
      “I relish the often frantic nature of mixing and arranging the paint in thick impressionistic daubs and submitting to a process that creates its own detail and form,” the artist says in a statement. “This forces me to be bold and decisive; it also produces a kaleidoscope of shape and tone (reminiscent of stained-glass) which portrays the ever-present movement and energy found in nature.”
      Although all of Anderson’s works are currently sold out, you can follow updates on his commissions and new pieces on his site and view his finished paintings and sketches on Instagram.

      “Terminus” (2019)
      “Sheer” (2020)
      “Mistral” (2020)
      “Centrifuge” (2020)
      “Plaid” (2020)
      “Pulse” (2020)
      “Branch” (2020)
      “Hearth” (2020)

      #abstract
      #cityscapes
      #landscapes
      #oil painting
      #painting

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

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      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)

      

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      #installation
      #painting

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      A New Hilma af Klint Documentary Explores the Abstract Artist’s Historical Legacy

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       All images courtesy of Kino Lorber An effort to rewrite art historical timelines predominately shaped around men, a new documentary spotlights inventive Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944). Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint considers her colorful, abstract artworks that predate those of widely recognized male artists, like Vasily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, […] More