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      Thousands of Plastic Bottles Are Suspended in Green Tendrils in Artist Jean Shin’s Latest Installation

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      Art

      #installation
      #plastic
      #sustainability

      July 19, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Floating MAiZE.” All images © Jean Shin and Ryan Muir, shared with permission
      In her installation “Floating MAiZE,” artist Jean Shin employs more than 7,000 plastic bottles to create a stunning suspension above an atrium at Brookfield Place. The window-lined space allows light to refract through the translucent tendrils, which are hung in a staggered, circular shape. Layered with sustainable practices, the latest installation reuses the green, plastic bottles from the 2017 project, “MAiZE,” which utilized Mountain Dew that was consumed and collected in Iowa, the nation’s leader in corn production. Living and working in Brooklyn, Shin also sourced some pieces from Sure We Can, a nonprofit recycling center in her neighborhood.
      The recycled piece falls at the intersection of environmental consciousness and commentary on food consumption in the United States. “Following the food chain from industrial-scale agricultural practice producing corn in America that ends up being consumed as high fructose corn syrup in soda and other processed foods, served up in plastics that become harmful pollutants in our oceans,” the artist writes on Instagram.
      Shin tells Colossal that her works help to expose “the interdependency of their consumer habits to the larger ecosystem,” which she elaborates on by saying:
      I use everyday objects and detritus that are often overlooked or obsolete to transform them into large scale installations. The lifecycle and accumulation of these consumer objects have a huge environmental impact. I am interested in where these materials come from, where they end up and who engages with them.
      Along with her sweeping piece “The Last Straw,” “Floating MAiZE” will be on view through August 30 at Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. (via Hyperallergic)

      #installation
      #plastic
      #sustainability

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      Explore the Traditional Art of Ebru as Garip Ay Creates Entrancing Water Paintings

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      Art

      #painting
      #video
      #water

      July 18, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      
      Based in Istanbul, artist Garip Ay (previously) utilizes traditional ebru techniques—a method of paper marbling that involves dripping oil paint into water—to create rich artworks with incredibly complex motifs. Ay’s process recently was captured by Great Big Story in a short video that walks through his studio and documents how the artist seamlessly morphs one work into another with just a few hand motions.
      After completing a piece on the water’s surface, Ay transfers the image to paper, wood, or textiles by dipping it in and slowly pulling back. Despite the meditative quality of his movements, though, the artist shares the pressures of the medium. “When people watch ebru, they think it is relaxing and soothing, but it my personal experience, it is really stressful. While doing ebru, you have control problems because you’re doing something on water,” he says. As shown, a drop too many could alter the entire piece.
      Ay shares many videos and photographs of his vibrant paintings on his site, and more of Great Big Story’s projects can be found on YouTube.

      #painting
      #video
      #water

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      Lush Florals and Ripe Fruit Sprout from Lustrous Glass Trees by Artist Debora Moore

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      Art

      #flowers
      #glass
      #sculpture
      #trees

      July 17, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Debora Moore, shared with permission
      Combining traditional glassblowing techniques and sculpting methods, Debora Moore forms lustrous glass sculptures that resemble mossy branches, fleshy petals, and entire trees. The St. Louis-born artist began by creating orchids with bulbous centers before expanding her practice to larger, organic forms. In her recent collection, Arboria, Moore sculpted delicate magnolias, plump plums, and the lavender tendrils of the wisteria.
      The fragile artworks create a tension between the delicate material, the fleeting lives of flowers, and the strength and durability of nature. Moore likens her process to that of painting, where glass is used similarly to produce depth. “The material’s inherent ability to transmit and reflect light, as well as its variations from transparency to opacity, lends itself perfectly to achieve desired textures and surfaces,” she says in a statement.
      To dive further into Moore’s process and see her studio, check out this interview and her site.

      Left: “Purple Lady Slipper,” blown and sculpted glass, 35 x 21 x 8 inches. Right: “Paphiopedilum Epiphyte,” blown and sculpted glass, 35 x 9 x 9 inches
      “Magnolia” from Arboria (2018), blown and sculpted glass, 104 x 112 x 30 inches
      “Winter Plum” from Arboria (2018), blown and sculpted glass, 72 x 101 x 23 inches
      “Winter Plum” from Arboria (2018), blown and sculpted glass, 72 x 101 x 23 inches
      “Blue Lady Slippers” from Gigantica, blown and sculpted glass, 19 x 20 x 11 inches
      “Wisteria” from Arboria (2018), blown and sculpted glass, 93 x 86 x 36 inches
      “Wisteria” from Arboria (2018), blown and sculpted glass, 93 x 86 x 36 inches
      Left: “Blue Orchid Tree,” blown and sculpted glass, 42 x 35 x 10 inches. Right: “Pink Lady Slipper,” blown and sculpted glass, 62 x 43 x 8 inches
      “Blue Epiphyte,” blown and sculpted glass, 22 x 9.5 x 7.5 inches
      “Magnolia” from Arboria (2018), blown and sculpted glass, 104 x 112 x 30 inches
      “Blush Epidendrum,” blown and sculpted glass, 23 x 17 x 9 inches

      #flowers
      #glass
      #sculpture
      #trees

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      Powerful and Emotive, Artist Patrick Onyekwere’s Hyperrealistic Portraits Are Rendered Meticulously in Ballpoint Pen

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      Art

      #drawing
      #hyperrealism
      #pen
      #photorealism
      #portraits

      July 16, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Patrick Onyekwere, shared with permission
      Patrick Onyekwere imbues his photorealistic portraits with layers of emotion. Before sketching with blue, ballpoint pen, the Nigerian artist invites his subjects into a conversation about their lives, contemporary culture, and nature to establish the mood or story he’s hoping to convey. Their responses produce a collaborative endeavor that organically merges their perspectives and histories, which the artist translates to his artworks.
      Onyekwere collects a few snapshots of his subject for reference as he meticulously shades and crosshatches every inch of his hyperrealistic pieces. The artist sees his powerful renderings as “speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves” and finds the subjects’ eyes most interesting. “They mirror some of our deepest desires, fears, inhibitions, perceptions, thoughts, most of which we ourselves are consciously unaware of,” he says. “(The eyes have) the power to convey emotions and feelings and also communicate and connect to the viewer, inviting them to live in an untold story, in such a way they don’t see an already existing piece but take part in the creation of it.”
      To see Onyekwere’s portraits-in-progress and follow more of his expressive works, follow him on Instagram and YouTube.

      #drawing
      #hyperrealism
      #pen
      #photorealism
      #portraits

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      Jolly Characters by Artist Jean Jullien Overrun the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes, France

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      Art
      Illustration

      #installation
      #public art

      July 15, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      Photo by Jean Jullien. All images © Jean Jullien, shared with permission
      Take a stroll through Nantes’s Jardin des Plantes, and you’ll find a playful cast of characters floating in a fountain, raking the grass, and joining hands to hug a tree. Part of a new exhibition titled Filili Viridi in the French city, the colorful ensemble was created by Paris-based artist Jean Jullien (previously) for the botanic garden in his hometown. Each of the characters is massive—the blush-colored creature spans more than eight meters—and appears to utilize the lush grounds just like their human counterparts.
      If you’re in Nantes before November 2021, head to the park to hang out with the jolly group, to which Jullien plans to add a dozen (!) more of the spirited characters next fall. To dive further into his light-hearted projects, check out the artist’s Instagram and the range of books he’s illustrated, many of which are available from Bookshop. (via Juxtapoz)

      Photo by Jean Jullien
      Photo by Jean Jullien
      Photos by Jean Jullien
      Photo by Jean Jullien
      Photo by Jean-Felix Fayolle
      Photo by Jean-Felix Fayolle

      #installation
      #public art

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      Swaths of Colorful Fringe Disguise Animalistic Sculptures by Artist Troy Emery

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      Art
      Craft

      #animals
      #sculpture
      #thread

      July 13, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “small sweet pink lump” (2020), polyester, polyurethane, pins, and adhesive, 40 x 44 x 39 centimeters. All images © Troy Emery, shared with permission
      Many pet owners are quick to name their dog or cat’s breed, but those bringing home one of Troy Emery’s colorful sculptures might need to figure out what species they’ve adopted first. The Melbourne-based artist creates amorphous artworks that resemble a range of four-legged friends, although their figures are enveloped with swaths of long, flowing fringe rather than distinct characteristics.
      In a note to Colossal, Emery shares that his tassel-covered sculptures consider how both fine arts and craft are portrayed broadly, in addition to the unique position non-human creatures hold as “tokens of ecological ruination… Along with the theme of animals within decorative arts, my practice plays with both scientific and cultural categorization of the ‘natural’ world, creating ‘fake taxidermy’ that falls between reality and fantasy as exotic hybrid creatures,” he says.
      Emery’s indeterminate sculptures are currently on view through an online exhibition with Martin Browne Contemporary, and more of his textile-based projects can be found on Instagram. (via The Jealous Curator)

      “Bird Catcher” (2017), rayon fringing, polyurethane, glue, and pins
      “ingot eater” (2019), polyester, polyurethane, pins, and adhesive, 78 x 98 x 54 centimeters
      “pink peony” (2020), polyester, polyurethane, pins, and adhesive, 39 x 68 x 22 centimeters
      “shadow” (2019), polyester, polyurethane, pins, and adhesive, 51 x 50 x 45 centimeters
      “savage” (2020), polyester, polyurethane, wire, fiberglass, pins, and adhesive, 32 x 90 x 40 centimeters

      #animals
      #sculpture
      #thread

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      Airy, Wooden Orb Inlaid with LED Lights Radiates Throughout a Dim Forest in Taiwan

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      Art

      #installation
      #light
      #wood

      July 13, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “The Search of the Glow” (2020), wood, LED lights. All images © Ling-Li Tseng/Serendipity Studio, shared with permission
      Artist Ling-Li Tseng describes her recent installation as “a whispering between human(s) and nature.” Debuted in Houli at the 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival, “The Search of the Glow” is a lightweight, wooden sphere constructed with a series of connected ovals. Together, the pieces form a hollow orb that’s outfitted with thin strips of LED lights, creating a radiant installation that glows in the otherwise dim area.
      To create the modular artwork in collaboration with Serendipity Studio, Tseng used a combination of digital fabrication and traditional, craftsman processes. The four larger ovals and smaller, connecting pieces were created through lofting, a drafting technique that generates curved lines. Made of eight layers of wood veneer, the strips use a double curvature to maintain its shape.
      The artist envisioned the finished installation as a refuge and an entrance into “a mysterious spatial experience,” she says. “All senses are slowly enhanced, and rays of the light guide us to an adventure in the mist. In a grove of trees, we discover an object emitting flickering light—its woven and curved staves engage in a dialogue with the natural curves of the surrounding trees.” While the work radiates through the darkness at night, it provides a more subtle glow during the daytime mist and fog.
      Tseng released a video (shown below) that walks within and around the open installation, and dive further into the London-based artist’s spatial projects on Instagram. (via Lustik)

      

      #installation
      #light
      #wood

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      Vivid Paintings by Artist Jessica Spence Highlight the Beauty of Black Hair

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      Art

      #beauty
      #hair
      #painting
      #portraits

      July 13, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Braids and Barrettes” (2018 ), acrylic on canvas. All images © Jessica Spence
      Through stunning renderings of Black children and women, Jamaican-American artist Jessica Spence explores the beauty of finished braids, twists held in place with plastic barrettes, and perfectly laid edges. Her acrylic paintings generally depict a single subject, who often is turned away from the viewer, centering the hair and how it’s presented rather than the person’s face. Spence focuses on the intricacies of each lock, comparing the styling process to that of painting. “I nurtured each brushstroke like I would a strand of hair, a two-strand twist, or a braid,” she shares with Colossal.
      Based in New York, the artist imbues her paintings with social commentary derived from her own experiences and from those around her. She considers the impossibility of beauty standards, by saying:
      I was inspired to create my current body of work on Black hair in response to the discrimination and chastising experience of many Black women and girls in spaces such as the workplace or schools… The paintings show the beauty and versatility of these hairstyles and highlight the significance of hair in Black culture, while also highlighting these intimate experiences and routines of daily life.
      For more of Spence’s vivid depictions, follow her on Instagram, where she often shares news on upcoming exhibitions and prints available for purchase. (via The Jealous Curator)

      Left: “Twists and Barrettes” (2019), acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches. Right: “Laid” (2019), acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
      “Sore Arms” (2017), acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
      Left: “Fearless/Fear-Less” (2019), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 inches. Right: “Weekends at Auntie’s” (2018), acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 inches
      “Sunday Evening” (2017), acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

      #beauty
      #hair
      #painting
      #portraits

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