Art Archivi ~ Page 2 of 241 ~ art-news.space - All about the world of art and culture!

More stories

113 Shares104 Views
in Art
Guadalupe Maravilla’s Volcanic Rock Sculptures Invoke Resilience and Regeneration
by Aurelia Butler 13 December 2024, 18:00
“Dream Backpack 1” (2023), volcanic rock and objects collected from a ritual of
retracing the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/4 x 12 1/4 x 4 1/2 inches. All photos by JSP Art Photography, courtesy of Guadalupe Maravilla and P·P·O·W, shared with permission
Guadalupe Maravilla’s Volcanic Rock Sculptures Invoke Resilience and Regeneration
December 13, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
With the region’s smallest geographic footprint, El Salvador boasts the second-highest number of volcanos in Central America. The country is located on the Ring of Fire, a tectonic band that encircles the Pacific Ocean and houses about two-thirds of all volcanos worldwide. Given its eruptive landscape, much of the soil is rich in ash.
In a series of sculptures, Guadalupe Maravilla (previously) draws on his home country as he sculpts backpacks and enlarged hands from volcanic rock. The works reference the artist’s migration from civil war-era El Salvador as an unaccompanied minor, a traumatic journey that remains a central theme in his practice.
“Luz y Fuerza” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 14 x 14 x 4 inches
A trio of pieces, titled Dream Backpacks, refers to “how we immigrate to the U.S. by land and carry everything we own in a backpack in search of the American Dream,” Maravilla writes in a statement. Embellished with pink, purple, and blue paints, the poignant works display a variety of charms—feathers, a small cat figure, and metal details like a spigot—the artist collected while retracing his childhood route.
Other works take the form of a burly hand cradling smooth shapes featuring pieces redolent of retablos, small devotional paintings often invoking protection during times of hardship. Lightning bolts, stars, and snakes recur throughout the compositions, along with references to the artist’s colon cancer diagnosis, which he has long linked to the trauma he suffered as a child.
December 12 is special to Maravilla and titles one recent work featuring linked wishbones, crystals, and the children’s rhyme “Sana, sana, colita de rana,” which translates to “heal, heal, little frog’s tail.” As Maravilla shares on Instagram, “On 12/12/12 I found out I had cancer. 12/12/13 I overcame cancer. Today, I am starting a new chapter 12/12/24 with a special meditation.” Similarly, a cake with a “0” candle appears in “Luz y Fuerza,” which resembles a pastry the artist once used to celebrate both his birthday and what he considers his rebirth as cancer-free.
Citing resilience amid struggle, Maravilla’s sculptures call on healing and regeneration. Volcanic ash, after all, is one of the most potent natural fertilizers and a key factor in sparking new growth.
Maravilla is represented by P·P·O·W Gallery in New York, where you can find more of his work.
“12/12/24” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 13 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches
“Dream Backpack 3” (2023), volcanic rock and objects collected from a ritual ofretracing the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/4 x 12 x 4 3/4 inches
“Self Love” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 13 3/4 x 4 7/8 inches
“Heal Seven Years Back” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 13 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
“Dream Backpack 2” (2023), volcanic rock and objects collected from a ritual of retracing the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches
“Sana 7 Años Atras” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 14 1/8 x 14 x 4 3/4 inches
“Si No Sanas Hoy Sanarás Mañana” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 14 1/8 x 4 3/8 inches
“Sana Sana Colita de Rana” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 14 1/8 x 13 3/4 x 4 7/8 inches
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Next article More
63 Shares93 Views
in Art
Our Favorite Stories of 2024
by Aurelia Butler 13 December 2024, 14:00
All images © Todd Antony, shared with permission
Our Favorite Stories of 2024
December 13, 2024
ArtColossalHistoryPhotographySocial Issues
Colossal
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
As we look back at the hundreds of remarkable initiatives, artworks, discoveries, and events we’ve chronicled throughout 2024, we’re continually awed by the creative work we’re able to write about everyday. It’s a privilege to be able to share so much creativity with you, and we thought we’d compile a list of our favorites.
Below, you’ll find eight picks—two from each of us—that showcase just a few of the remarkable projects we published over the past twelve months. Many of these articles impart deeper context, delve into personal experiences through interviews, and highlight important stories that may have flown under the radar.
You might also enjoy our readers’ choice top articles of the year and Colossal’s favorite books of 2024. Happy reading!
—Christopher, Grace, Kate, and Jackie
Image © Irina Werning
Jackie’s Pick: In ‘Las Pelilargas,’ Irina Werning Celebrates the Impeccably Long Hair of Latin American Women and Girls
For the last 17 years, Irina Werning has traveled throughout Latin America photographing women and girls for her ongoing series, Las Pelilargas, or The Longhairs. Shot in color and black and white, the portraits document a distinct cultural practice through an incredibly alluring, even surreal lens.
L.V. Hull at her home in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in 2002. Photo by Bruce West. Image courtesy of the L.V. Hull Legacy Center
Grace’s Pick: The Home Studio of the Late Artist L.V. Hull Is Added to the National Register of Historic Places
Kosciusko is a small town in the center of Mississippi with just under 7,000 residents. Known as the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, Kosciusko was also home to the late artist L.V. Hull (1942–2008) who devoted her life to painting and assembling found objects.
Ellie Hannon works on one of her paintings on the aft deck during sunset on the Timor Sea around Ashmore Reef. Images © Schmidt Ocean Institute
Kate’s Pick: Art and Science Set Sail in Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Artist-at-Sea Program
“There are many ways to tell a story or to document and share research and discoveries,” says artist Ellie Hannon, one of 54 artists who have embarked on a unique residency organized by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. From slip-cast porcelain and painting to 3D printing and virtual reality, the storytelling possibilities are endless in the Artist-at-Sea program, which invites artists to work alongside scientists on weeks-long expeditions into some of the least-explored areas of our oceans. More
150 Shares112 Views
in Art
Three Women Artists Gather for The Jaunt and Hashimoto Contemporary’s ‘Winter Camp’
by Aurelia Butler 12 December 2024, 13:02
Seonna Hong, “Rest as an Act of Defiance” (2024), acrylic, oil pastel, and tape on raw canvas, 51 x 65 inches. All images courtesy of The Jaunt and Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission
Three Women Artists Gather for The Jaunt and Hashimoto Contemporary’s ‘Winter Camp’
December 12, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
Through a unique collaboration between The Jaunt and Hashimoto Contemporary, three women artists spent a week together in the small town of Shelton, south of Olympia National Park.
Hiking, delving into the area’s history, and learning about each other’s work, Bianca Nemelc, Genevieve Cohn, and Seonna Hong participated in the first Winter Camp. Given space and time away from their daily routines, the artists were invited to find inspiration from their new surroundings.
Genevieve Cohn, “We Sow a Softness” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 inches
The Jaunt was founded in 2013 by Jeroen Smeets, who curates the project and facilitates travel for artists to destinations worldwide. The program doesn’t assign a specific agenda or brief; the primary goal is to provide new experiences that inspire the creative process.
Cohn, Hong, and Nemelc focused predominantly on painting and works on paper, responding to the act of gathering and the lush, natural environment of the Pacific Northwest.
“Sharing common threads and divergent paths amongst each other’s experiences as artists and women navigating the world, the week-long residency allowed artists from different locales, backgrounds, and generations to create community,” says a statement about the program.
Winter Camp is on view at Hashimoto Contemporary’s San Francisco location through December 21. Find more on the gallery’s website, and you can also explore more from The Jaunt.
Bianca Nemelc, “Sun Catcher” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60 inches
Seonna Hong, “Get Your Bag” (2024), acrylic and oil pastel on raw canvas, 30 x 24 inches
Genevieve Cohn, “To Hold, To Harbor” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches
Bianca Nemelc, “Flower in Breeze” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
Genevieve Cohn, “Exercises in Attention” (2024), acrylic and conté on paper, 30 x 22 inches
Seonna Hong, “Investigations” (2024), acrylic and oil pastel on raw canvas, 30 x 24 inches
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Previous articleNext article More
100 Shares74 Views
in Art
Bernie Kaminski Invokes Decades Past Through Papier-Mâché Objects
by Aurelia Butler 11 December 2024, 16:49
Photo by Robert Bredvad. All images courtesy of Bernie Kaminski, shared with permission
Bernie Kaminski Invokes Decades Past Through Papier-Mâché Objects
December 11, 2024
ArtCraft
Grace Ebert
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
When Bernie Kaminski sculpts his papier-mâché objects, he does so from a fitting spot: his kitchen table.
Using the sticky pulp, the artist creates lifelike iterations of everyday items you might spot on a New York street corner or tucked in an apartment: a Lox bagel with red onion and schmear, a row of metal mailboxes, and a canvas L.L. Bean tote filled with tennis balls. Some works are one-offs, like the tighty whities or payphone, and others form a small part of a larger composition.
Kaminski’s medicine cabinet, for example, features four shelves filled with various over-the-counter treatments and prescriptions. The branding evokes decades past, and closer inspection reveals tiny price tags glimpsing a time when a trip to the grocery store or pharmacy didn’t bring quite as much pain at the cash register as it does today.
The box of matchbooks is similar. Bearing names like Jerry’s and Odeon, the items recall classic New York restaurants, some of which have been operating for decades and others that closed their doors years ago.
Currently, Kaminski is working on a pair of tube socks and preparing for an exhibition in early 2025. You can follow his latest sculptures on Instagram.
Photo by Robert Bredvad
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Previous articleNext article More
125 Shares112 Views
in Art
Maxwell Mustardo’s Fluorescing Ceramics Merge Ancient Craft with Contemporary Style
by Aurelia Butler 11 December 2024, 13:00
Group of vessels in the ‘Anthropophorae’ series. All images courtesy of Maxwell Mustardo, shared with permission
Maxwell Mustardo’s Fluorescing Ceramics Merge Ancient Craft with Contemporary Style
December 11, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
Merging disparate reference points like cartoonish figures, fluorescent pigments, and classical vessels, Maxwell Mustardo’s Anthropophorae and Gadroons glow with personality. The New Jersey-based artist (previously) continues to revisit ancient forms that have been endlessly studied and reimagined over subsequent centuries, like amphorae, kraters, and gadrooning that celebrate tapered shapes.
“Searching for new forms is mostly rediscovering old forms,” Mustardo tells Colossal. “One of my favorite aspects of ceramics, and the crafts more broadly, is the evolution of surfaces and forms through their constant appropriation in the aggressive exchange that occurs between individuals, studios, cultures, and time periods.”
‘Gadroons’
The artist often turns to archetypes, from mugs and bottles to mathematical shapes—like the torus—to explore myriad relationships between geometry, material, history, and utility. He adds, “Each form provides various constraints that I can push around against and a web of references to tangle with.”
Mustardo is currently working in the studio of the late Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011), helping the artist’s foundation to establish a residency program for ceramists, fiber artists, and painters. Find more on his website.
“Orange Amphora”
“Blue & White Krater”
Detail of “Orange Mug”
Installation view of ‘Quasi-Neoclassical-ish’ at Odem Atelier. Photo by Nikodem Calcyznski
“Green Amphora.” Photo by Nikodem Calczynski
Detail of “Blurple Mug”
The artist in his studio in August 2024
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Previous articleNext article More
138 Shares106 Views
in Art
Fantastic Blooms Entwine with Sculptural Motifs in Mevlana Lipp’s Imagined World
by Aurelia Butler 10 December 2024, 20:43
“Zenith” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters. All images courtesy of the artist and Capsule Venice, shared with permission
Fantastic Blooms Entwine with Sculptural Motifs in Mevlana Lipp’s Imagined World
December 10, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
Behind barred motifs evocative of a wrought iron fence, otherworldly flowers are in full bloom, their heads stretching wide and tall while tendrils and leafy vines wind around the open barriers. Rendered in contrasting palettes of jewel tones and pale, muted hues, these uncanny plants are part of the latest body of work by Mevlana Lipp.
While visiting Venice earlier this year, the Cologne-based artist admired the elaborately patterned fencing that wove its way throughout the historic islands. “As I wandered through the city, I noticed the intricate metal bars on many windows,” he says. “For me, these bars symbolize a barrier between the world I inhabit and the fictional place I long for.”
“Seven” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
Vista is the culmination of this inspiration and presents an electrifying botanical collection. For these pieces, Lipp continues to meld painting and sculpture, as he layers acrylic paint, ink, and sand onto intricately cut wooden panels, which he positions atop velvet. This soft material interacts with the mottled, spotted, and patterned textures of the painted components and bolsters the sense of depth, becoming a vast chasm behind the fantastical florals.
Compared to his previous works, though, Vista ventures into warmer, brighter color palettes. The artist shares:
While the dark blue, green, and lilac backgrounds often create a sense of infinite voids, I wanted to explore other imageries as well. Think of an icy cold mist or a red desert stretching endlessly into the distance. I wanted to create works which have a wider array of temperatures.
Lipp’s interest in expanding his palette dovetails with the symbolic elements of his work. As the artist sees it, plants are metaphors for base instincts and emotion, as they commune with each other and various species without the same social and cultural pressures of humans. Broadening his formal approach offers more room for spontaneity and unrestrained exchanges. “When you walk into the forest, you take a look at all the existing connections, at how things interact with each other without fear,” he says. “Plants don’t run the risk of hurting each other’s feelings.”
Vista is on view through December 15 at Capsule Venice. Find more from Lipp on Instagram.
“Cassiopeia” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Coil” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Halo” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Ice” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Cassiopeia” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Next article More
150 Shares112 Views
in Art
Ethereal, Glowing Curtains Drape Over Lake Michigan in Reuben Wu’s Light Paintings
by Aurelia Butler 10 December 2024, 18:00
Ethereal, Glowing Curtains Drape Over Lake Michigan in Reuben Wu’s Light Paintings
December 10, 2024
ArtPhotography
Kate Mothes
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
Along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Reuben Wu (previously) created a unique confluence of light shows over the water last summer. Known for creating light paintings in dramatic landscapes using drone-mounted lasers, his ongoing series SIREN marks a new direction of illuminated “aeroglyphs,” which transcend their original geometries to open up into more fluid shapes.
“This series captures ephemeral, curtain-like structures that hover delicately in space, shaped by their environment rather than imposing upon it,” Wu says. The cascading white forms mimic the lake’s rolling waves and, on this particular evening amid a Perseids meteor shower, the surprise appearance of the northern lights. See more on his website.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Previous articleNext article More
125 Shares86 Views
in Art
Cozy Homes and Woodland Wonders Abound in Julie Liger-Belair’s Collages
by Aurelia Butler 10 December 2024, 15:28
“cottage bubble.” All images courtesy of Julie Liger-Belair, shared with permission
Cozy Homes and Woodland Wonders Abound in Julie Liger-Belair’s Collages
December 10, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
From flowery headdresses to botanical guises to houses perched on the tippy-top of tree stumps, Julie Liger-Belair’s collages (previously) invite us into a whimsical world. In paper and found objects, she dives into personal stories and the emotional connections binding us to nature, place, and a sense of belonging.
In her Scrappy Blablah series, for example, the artist compiles various cutouts into playful compositions that provide a way of processing external information, coming about “when the paper scraps on my table decide to embody my feelings about the world outside my studio,” she says. “But they also provide the antidote.”
“Vietnam 1”
Liger-Belair and her family recently visited Vietnam, spurred by their eldest daughter, who was adopted from the country and hadn’t been back since. New works inspired by the trip include larger collages with painted elements on wood panels, in addition to found objects, vintage photos, and snapshots the artist took on the trip.
She continues themes of home and comfort through the motif of the house, which often encompasses figures, flowers, patterns, and vines that unfurl beyond their confines. In other compositions, the house shrinks in size, as giant mushrooms and blossoms coexist alongside woodland creatures in fanciful landscapes.
Liger-Belair has also revisited ideas from earlier assemblage work, making small, three-dimensional pieces in sardine tins and other found boxes. “I have always loved collecting things and using them in pieces,” she tells Colossal. “My experiments with resin and ceramics have also made their way into this series (called) tinned stories, and they are more fun, dreamlike pieces.”
Find much more on Liger-Belair’s website, Instagram, and Behance.
“the upside of down” from the ‘tinned stories’ series
“forest blablah”
“blablah in the garden”
“house bubble 14”
“house bubble 18”
“mountain landscape” from the ‘tinned stories’ series
“wide awake,” plus another piece from the studio
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
Explore membership options
Previous articleNext article More

Art

More stories

Guadalupe Maravilla’s Volcanic Rock Sculptures Invoke Resilience and Regeneration

Three Women Artists Gather for The Jaunt and Hashimoto Contemporary’s ‘Winter Camp’

Bernie Kaminski Invokes Decades Past Through Papier-Mâché Objects

Maxwell Mustardo’s Fluorescing Ceramics Merge Ancient Craft with Contemporary Style

Fantastic Blooms Entwine with Sculptural Motifs in Mevlana Lipp’s Imagined World

Ethereal, Glowing Curtains Drape Over Lake Michigan in Reuben Wu’s Light Paintings

Cozy Homes and Woodland Wonders Abound in Julie Liger-Belair’s Collages

ITALIAN LANGUAGE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE