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Jessica Drenk Transforms Thousands of Pencils into Organic Vessels
by Aurelia Butler 27 September 2024, 14:21
All images © Jessica Drenk, shared with permission
Jessica Drenk Transforms Thousands of Pencils into Organic Vessels
September 27, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
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Undulating, organic sculptures emerge from thousands of drawing utensils in Jessica Drenk’s ongoing Implements series. Fascinated by the aesthetics and behavior of multiples of mass-produced objects, the artist (previously) chose pencils because of their stackable shape and “the thought that, if I sanded them, I could make a sculpture that drew on itself in the making: sandpaper would smear the graphite while the piece was being shaped,” she tells Colossal.
Implements explores the relationship between interior and exterior, the container and the contained. The inside of each work showcases the out-of-the-box objects, while the outside has been cut and smoothed to reveal lengths of graphite and bare wood.
Detail of “Implement 36”
Drenk has been making sculptures with pencils for several years, and the shapes continue to evolve. One of the challenges of working with the material is the difficulty of gluing pre-painted, non-porous surfaces together. “In response to this, I once ordered 30,000 unpainted pencils to make larger sculptures that could be glued into more dynamic shapes,” she says.
Over time, the Implements series has influenced further sculptures, such as “Speleothem” and “Formation,” in which the pencils compose larger dynamic forms. “In a sense, both aspects of the pieces resemble nature,” Drenk says. “Even the hexagon is found in nature, from beehives to columnar basalt rocks.”
Drenk is currently working on a geology-inspired series called Aggregate that puts junk mail to use, along with wall sculptures made from books. Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Speleothem”
“Implement 44”
“Implement 73”
Detail of “Formation”
Implements series
“Formation” in progress
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An A.I. Model Helped Uncover 303 Previously Unseen Nazca Lines in Peru
by Aurelia Butler 26 September 2024, 21:02
All images courtesy of Masato Sakai et al.
An A.I. Model Helped Uncover 303 Previously Unseen Nazca Lines in Peru
September 26, 2024
Art History
Grace Ebert
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In 2022, we shared news of a monumental discovery at Peru’s Nazca Pampa, a UNESCO World Heritage site once home to pre-Inca Indigenous peoples who were fond of etching gargantuan artworks into the earth’s surface. Discovered in 1927, archaeologists spent nearly a century uncovering 430 figurative glyphs depicting animals, people, and hybrid creatures.
But thanks to a new A.I.-trained system, researchers have identified an additional 303 drawings in just six months as detailed in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Included in the findings are various birds, cats, ceremonial acts, and even a killer whale wielding a weapon.
Dating back at least 2,000 years, the works offer insight into the cultural and spiritual practices of the ancient civilization. Although theories about the purpose of the lines range from calendars to agriculture and human migration, researchers know they were made by removing darker stones to reveal lighter, desert sand below.
Whereas drones have helped to identify the giant line drawings that stretch across the desert, the A.I. model has been adept at detecting the smaller, relief-type renderings that mainly portray wild animals and are more difficult to find.
The larger of the glyphs depict primarily humans, domesticated animals, and lone heads and “are typically located within viewing distance (on average 43 meters) of ancient trails that crisscross the Nazca Pampa and were most likely built and viewed at the individual or small-group level,” researchers say, noting that the smaller “are found an average of 34 meters from the elaborate linear/trapezoidal network of geoglyphs, which suggests that they were probably built and used on a community level for ritual activities.”
Using aerial and satellite images of the site along with LIDAR data, archeologists trained the A.I. model to identify the sometimes imperceptible lines. The team then reviewed and confirmed the results by traveling to the location. They estimate that the A.I. model is 21 times faster at perceiving the works than humans. (via Smithsonian Magazine)
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Mysterious Orbs Illuminate Deserted Landscapes in Andrew McIntosh’s New Paintings
by Aurelia Butler 25 September 2024, 22:01
Detail of “Brighid” (2024), oil on canvas, 100 x 130 centimeters. All images courtesy of Andrew McIntosh, shared with permission
Mysterious Orbs Illuminate Deserted Landscapes in Andrew McIntosh’s New Paintings
September 25, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
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Nested in rusted caravans or hovering above vast landscapes, small glowing orbs reminiscent of the sun, stars, and otherworldly technologies populate Andrew McIntosh’s latest body of work.
On view with James Freeman Gallery for the British Art Fair, The Calling conjures McIntosh’s interest in mystery and magic. The London-based Scottish artist often evokes the lush, dramatic landscapes of Romantic paintings, which he recasts with a supernatural bent.
“Étaín” (2024), oil on canvas, 170 x 130 centimeters
Pieces like “Étaín” and “Brighid” recall McIntosh’s earlier works that tuck entrancing portals into travel trailers, a symbol of the adventurous spirit. These newer paintings similarly position wide ocean views inside the mobile homes, contrasting the immense scale of the sea with the tiny confines of the caravan.
The Calling also steps back to take a broad look at natural wonders. Expansive landforms like the St. Kilda archipelago in Scotland and Mount Everest are veiled in a hazy wash of oranges and pinks, and the illuminated orbs float along their edges.
These works explore “how the wilderness worldwide, such as the mountain faces of Everest and K2, has the power to act as host for the inexplicable and the mysterious,” McIntosh shares, adding that they “speak to (a) need to engage with something greater, something beyond our physical substance.”
The Calling is on view from September 26 to 29. Find more from McIntosh on his website and Instagram.
“Plate II: Suilven” (2024), oil on canvas, 110 x 130 centimeters
“St Kilda Lights” (2024), oil on board, 42 x 23 centimeters
“Brighid” (2024), oil on canvas, 100 x 130 centimeters
“Everest Lights” (2024), oil on linen, 35 x 40 centimeters
“St Kilda Caves” (2024), oil on linen,53 x 33 centimeters
“Meant to climb” (2024), oil on linen, 50 x 30 centimeters
“Odyssey” (2024), oil on canvas, 100 x 130 centimeters
“K2 Lights” (2024), oil on linen, 35 x 40 centimeters
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An Ancient Peruvian Site Reveals a Remarkable Painted Throne Room
by Aurelia Butler 25 September 2024, 14:47
All images courtesy of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, shared with permission
An Ancient Peruvian Site Reveals a Remarkable Painted Throne Room
September 25, 2024
Art History Science
Kate Mothes
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Between about 350 and 850 C.E., a society known as the Moche thrived in the coastal valleys of northern Peru. Pañamarca, in the Nepeña Valley, is the southernmost center of the Moche culture and the site of a remarkable series of recent archaeological discoveries, including the latest: a monumental pillared hall with vibrantly painted walls.
The Archaeological Landscapes of Pañamarca, founded in 2018, is a collaboration between Peruvian and U.S. archaeologists, art historians, and conservators. Its research and digs are supported by the National Geographic Society, the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University, and the Avenir Conservation Center at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
This year, archaeologists uncovered a pillared room containing evidence of its use by a high-status female leader. Scenes depict the powerful woman receiving visitors in procession or seated upon a throne.
“Scholars will debate whether the woman painted on the walls of the throne room is human or mythical (a priestess, goddess, or queen),” researchers say. “But the physical evidence of the throne, including the erosion to its back support and the recovery of greenstone beads, fine threads, and even human hair, make clear that it was occupied by a real living person—and the evidence all points to a seventh-century woman leader of Pañamarca.”
The figure portrayed on the walls is associated with the crescent moon, the sea and its creatures, and the fiber arts. Additional murals uncovered this past July reveal a scene of an entire workshop of women spinning and weaving, along with a retinue of men carrying textiles and the leader’s crown—which includes her braids.
Lisa Trever, professor of art history at Columbia University, says, “Pañamarca continues to surprise us, not only for the ceaseless creativity of its painters but also because their works are overturning our expectations of gender roles in the ancient Moche world.”
The colorful wall paintings of Pañamarca were first recorded in the 1950s, depicting battles between supernatural beings, priests, warriors in procession, a unique two-faced man, and ceremonial activities.
“Moche archaeology is well known for its rich, elite tombs, impressive architecture and artworks, and elaborate religious artifacts and imagery,” says a project statement. Atop a granite hill, the site consists of a stepped adobe platform, two lower platforms, a walled plaza, and a number of other structures.
Dig deeper on the Pañamarca project’s website and Instagram.
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David Antonio Cruz Celebrates Queer Love with Joy and Opulence
by Aurelia Butler 24 September 2024, 20:45
“iknowyou’vebeenwonderingwherei’vebeen:adrift,adraft,astare,atilt,asigh,exhale.but,icamebacktoletyouknow,gotathingforyou,andican’letitgo_ the raft.” (2024), oil, acrylic, and ink on wood panel, 72 x 96 x 2 inches. All photos by Bob, courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, shared with permission
David Antonio Cruz Celebrates Queer Love with Joy and Opulence
September 24, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
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In chosenfamily, David Antonio Cruz celebrates the bonds between people who have decided they will love each other unconditionally, no biological relationship required.
He paints lavish portraits of queer people of color dressed in vibrant, patterned gowns, strings of pearls, sequin tops, and chic, boldly framed glasses. Depicted embracing, lounging, and often piled atop one another in a monumental mass, the figures are at ease and appear to unite as one.
Detail of “icamebackthefollowingnightandwalkedthegoundslookingforyou,wegotturnedawayonthesecondnight,buticamebackagainandagain,andagain_ the mound.” (2024), oil and acrylic on wood panel, 72 x 98 1/2 x 2 inches
Emerging during COVID-induced isolation, Cruz’s chosenfamily series is set at home. Victorian-era sofas cradle the subjects, whose individual bodies dangle over the wooden frames and drape across one another. The most recent additions to the series reflect on what it means to feel at home. Stretching up to eight feet wide, these immense paintings are on view through October 26 in the artist’s solo show come close, like before at Monique Meloche Gallery.
When the artist prepares to make a portrait, he might first host a dinner party or intimate gathering to form bonds between the future sitters and foster a trusting community. What follows is an elaborate photoshoot during which the subjects are encouraged to dramatize.
“The way you pose for me isn’t just sitting, there’s this sense of dripping, of leaning; we’re performing and being extra, and for me that’s the radical part, that’s the joy of being non-conforming and not falling into rules,” he said in an interview.
come close, like before is also a response to the relationship between Spain and Puerto Rico, the latter of which Cruz has ancestral ties. Referencing maritime painting traditions and Théodore Géricault’s precarious scene in “Raft of the Medusa,” in particular, the artist questions the enduring, colonial implications of the ocean and the uncertainties associated with homemaking. Through paintings filled with love and unbreakable bonds, he subverts the seafaring genre by planting his subjects on firm footing, their sights set on a hopeful future.
In addition to Cruz’s show in Chicago, New Yorkers can find the artist’s exhibition when the children come home through February 16, 2025, at Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling. Visit Instagram for more.
Detail of “iknowyou’vebeenwonderingwherei’vebeen:adrift,adraft,astare,atilt,asigh,exhale.but,icamebacktoletyouknow,gotathingforyou,andican’letitgo_ the raft.” (2024), oil, acrylic, and ink on wood panel, 72 x 96 x 2 inches
“icamebackthefollowingnightandwalkedthegoundslookingforyou,wegotturnedawayonthesecondnight,buticamebackagainandagain,andagain_ the mound.” (2024), oil and acrylic on wood panel, 72 x 98 1/2 x 2 inches
“isaiditoncebefore,butnowIfeelitevenmore_feelin’pretty,pretty,pretty” (2023), oil and acrylic on wood panel with aluminum backing, 72 x 60 inches
“Icouldn’tcallitbynamebefore,butmaybe it’sbeentheresinceIfirstknew” (2024), oil and latex on wood panel, 36 x 36 x 2 inches
Detail of “Icouldn’tcallitbynamebefore,butmaybe it’sbeentheresinceIfirstknew” (2024), oil and latex on wood panel, 36 x 36 x 2 inches
“ilovedeveryoneofthem” (2022), oil, acrylic, and ink on wood panel, 72 x 60 inches
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Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard
by Aurelia Butler 24 September 2024, 13:43
“Reef.” Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation. All images courtesy of Josh Gluckstein, shared with permission
Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard
September 24, 2024
Art Nature
Kate Mothes
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For the past four years, London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has highlighted the potential of an everyday material—recycled cardboard—to bring animal sculptures to life (previously). In his most recent piece, “Reef,” he expands on individual portraits to create a meticulously detailed two-and-a-half-meter-tall marine habitat teeming with a variety of fish and coral.
“I fell in love with scuba diving ten years ago and was amazed that there was an entirely new world to discover underwater,” Gluckstein says. “I wanted to bring that experience to life on dry land.”
Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation
Gluckstein was invited to participate in Homo Faber 2024 in Venice, which this year traces the theme, “The Journey of Life.” Among the work of more than 400 artisans from around the world, “Reef” is Gluckstein’s most ambitious piece to date, featuring more than 50 different marine species.
Sea turtles, an octopus, clown fish, and a blue spotted ray are among the creatures that swim around a column of coral. “The piece celebrates the wonder and rich biodiversity of our oceans, while raising awareness for the fragility of—and challenges facing—our marine life,” Gluckstein says.
Homo Faber 2024 continues through September 30. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
You might also enjoy Ghost Net Collective’s marine animal sculptures made from the salvaged ocean waste that endangers them.
Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation
Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation
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Step Into Beguiling Bygone Eras in Jeff Bartels’s ‘Urban Glitch’ Series
by Aurelia Butler 23 September 2024, 13:39
“Urban Glitch 1983,” oil on linen. All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permission
Step Into Beguiling Bygone Eras in Jeff Bartels’s ‘Urban Glitch’ Series
September 23, 2024
Art History
Kate Mothes
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Around the time he turned 50, Jeff Bartels (previously) found himself thinking more and more about memory and nostalgia. “It occurred to me that I could remember certain things from my past exactly, while other memories were mixed up or even wrong,” he tells Colossal. “So I decided to explore that confusion.”
Bartels’s ongoing series Urban Glitch consists of five paintings so far, each focusing on different years from the recent past, ranging from 1979 to 2001. Each painstakingly detailed composition highlights pop culture of the era, from the latest cars and products to pastimes, music, and fashion.
Detail of “Urban Glitch 1983”
The imaginary buildings stack on top of one another and connect via bridges, platforms, and staircases reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s mathematically puzzling architecture.
Locked in time and space, as if the scenes are “glitching,” Bartels’s thriving urban hubs invoke the sights and sounds of bygone eras. People peer into their fridges, walk their dogs, play games at the arcade, and view paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat or Damien Hirst’s seminal 1991 work of a tiger shark preserved in a tank.
The artist employs 3D modeling software to create references for each painting rather than photographic sources, so “there is a lot of work done on my computer before I even pick up a brush and being the painting,” he says. “This way, I can create realistic-looking scenes that could not exist in the real world.”
Each piece takes hundreds of hours to complete due to the meticulous process of defining each building, figure, and tiny, stage-like scene. The artist estimates “1983” took about 850 hours altogether, and while the time commitment alone makes it “easy to burn out on them…” he says, “I do plan on continuing the series with at least a few more.”
Find more on Bartels’s website and Instagram.
“Urban Glitch 1985,” oil on linen, 30 x 30 inches
Detail of “Urban Glitch 1985”
“Urban Glitch 1979,” oil on linen, 30 x 30 inches
Detail of “Urban Glitch 1979”
Detail of “Urban Glitch 1979”
“Urban Glitch 1991,” oil on linen, 30 x 30 inches
Detail of “Urban Glitch 1983”
“Urban Glitch 2001,” oil on linen, 30 x 30 inches
Detail of “Urban Glitch 2001”
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Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival
by Aurelia Butler 21 September 2024, 13:20
“A Lasting Place” (2024), London. Photo by Jose Delu. All courtesy of London Mural Festival, shared with permission
Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival
September 21, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
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Drawing from photographs of landscapes and cinematic portraits, Sebas Velasco’s murals and paintings boldly capture people and places. For the 2024 London Mural Festival, the artist has unveiled a large-scale portrayal of a local resident of Brixton, where the piece was recently installed on the end of a residential building.
Shown waiting for the Brixton train line, the young man in Velasco’s painting leans back against a concrete railing and looks off to the side, illuminated by the station’s lights, which also glow in the background. Titled “A Lasting Place,” Velasco taps into a sense of time slowing down, contemplation, and ease.
Photo by Jose Delu
Velasco revels in the process of exploring and learning about the places where he develops his public art pieces. The compositions emerge organically as he immerses himself in the local environment and meets people who live in the area.
Along with his long-time collaborator Jose Delu, who assists with creating highly contrasted, vibrant photographs, Velasco draws on conversations and experiences in each place in order to reveal something of its spirit through his work. He often addresses the idea of connection, which is also the theme of this year’s festival.
If you’re in London, you can explore more than 100 murals through September 29 as part of the event, including pieces familiar to Colossal readers like Marija Tiurina. New installations this year have been created by Aches Elseed, BAPE, D*Face, Betz Etam, Anna Ovney, and more.
Find a map on the festival’s website, and to dig further into Velasco’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
Wedo Goas, 39 Lee Church St
Bezt Etam, Roundwood Estate
Liam Bononi, 125 South Lambeth Rd
Zoe Power, Jo Hicks, and Vanessa Scott, Canary Wharf
BAPE x D*Face collaboration
Sophie Mess, The Stage, Shoreditch
Anna Ovney, Leadenhall Building, City of London
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Art

More stories

Jessica Drenk Transforms Thousands of Pencils into Organic Vessels

An A.I. Model Helped Uncover 303 Previously Unseen Nazca Lines in Peru

Mysterious Orbs Illuminate Deserted Landscapes in Andrew McIntosh’s New Paintings

An Ancient Peruvian Site Reveals a Remarkable Painted Throne Room

David Antonio Cruz Celebrates Queer Love with Joy and Opulence

Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

Step Into Beguiling Bygone Eras in Jeff Bartels’s ‘Urban Glitch’ Series

Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival

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