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in ArtJeff Rubio Chains Ceramic Beads and Childhood Memory in Giant Lizard Sculptures
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in ArtDreams Emanate from Sleeping Children in Lena Guberman’s Imaginative Ceramic Sculptures
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in ArtEvoking Childhood Nostalgia, Color and Cartoon Commotion Burst from Kayla Mahaffey’s Paintings
Art#acrylic
#cartoons
#childhood
#kids
#paintingSeptember 15, 2021
Grace Ebert“No Harm Done.” All images courtesy of Thinkspace Projects, shared with permission
Surrounding Black children with jumbled masses of cartoon characters, doodles, and explosions of color, Chicago-based artist Kayla Mahaffey (previously) imagines adolescent daydreams and an array of playtime inventions. She infuses her acrylic paintings with a longing for carefree summer days, mornings spent watching the foibles of favorite animated characters, and hours left open for adventure, capturing feelings of joy and curiosity. Vividly rendered and layered with squiggles and globs of color, the large-scale works find “value in the sugar-coated nostalgia,” which Mahaffey explains:
There have been numerous occasions where we omit the truths of our past to only be met with the disappointments of the future, a never-ending cycle that has influenced our current era for the best and the worst. Even though we’re currently going through a very troubling era, let’s take a moment to remember those times where we felt the most safe or where we felt the happiest. Many of us wish to go back to that life, but not to change anything, but to feel a few cherished things, once again.
If you’re near Culver City, you can see the pieces shown here as part of Remember the Time at Thinkspace Projects from September 18 to October 9. Otherwise, find Mahaffey on Instagram to see where she’s headed next.“The Sweet Escape”
“Head in the Clouds”
“The Child In Us”
“Tender, Love, and Care (TLC)”
“Beautiful Day In The…”Left: “No Public Enemy.” Right: “Kid In Play”
“Daydreamin”#acrylic
#cartoons
#childhood
#kids
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in ArtPhotorealistic Figures Embody Childhood Wonder in Dreamy Murals by Lula Goce
Art#childhood
#murals
#photorealism
#public art
#street artJanuary 11, 2021
Grace EbertBronx, New York City. All images © Lula Goce, shared with permission
From New York City to Azerbaijan to Kristianstad, Sweden, artist Lula Goce transforms blank walls into ethereal artworks that illustrate childlike wonder and growth. Her murals merge photorealistic renderings of adolescent subjects with otherworldly surroundings: plumes of flowers and vines wind around the figures, serpentine creatures emerge from the plants, and shrunken landscapes rest in the children’s hands. Serene and dreamy, the works often center on children painted in subtle tones who peer into the distance or are deep in sleep.
Based in Vigo, Spain, Goce sells prints of her large- and small-scale works in her shop, and you can follow where she’s headed next on Instagram.Kristianstad, Sweden
Belorado, Spain
Murcia, Spain
Vigo, Spain
Västervik, Sweden
Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
Panxon, Nigrán, Spain#childhood
#murals
#photorealism
#public art
#street artDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!
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in ArtPlayfulness and Imagination Inform the Textured Wooden Sculptures of Artist Efraïm Rodríguez
Art#childhood
#sculpture
#woodNovember 9, 2020
Grace Ebert“At line” (2020), linden wood and painted okume board, 115 x 55 x 43 centimeters. All images © Efraïm Rodríguez, shared with permission
From fallen trees, planks, and old furniture, Efraïm Rodríguez carves vivid sculptures that evoke the imaginative and playful daydreams of childhood. The Barcelona-based artist highlights the texture of the organic material, creating life-sized figures donning garments of veneered wood or whose bodies mimic the toys they stack. Many depict toddlers or younger children in the midst of play, and even the older characters are infused with elements of sport and recreation, like “Anna” (shown below) who wears a dress studded with tees and holds a golf ball.
Although the precisely sculpted figures often are based on his nieces, nephews, and other family members, Rodríguez tells Colossal that themes of childhood only recently emerged. He explains:
The children appeared in my work almost from the beginning, but they were only a reference, a motive. The theme was not childhood. In the early works, they were self-aware children, representing adults in the form of children. The children were a good support to work emotions and question the viewer. In 2007, my sister had two children. I began to use them as a model in my sculptures. From here the theme of childhood was appearing. I began to represent beyond their forms their actions and attitudes.
Rodríguez was raised in an artistic family in which his father and grandfather were both painters. Despite being exposed to that medium, he shares that he’s always been drawn to representing the world in three-dimensions. “For me, sculpture is a reconstruction of the world. I always build my sculptures in real size the referent, the sculpture, and the spectator live in the same place, breath(ing) the same air,” he says.“Small Architect” (2006), painted beechwood, 60 x 78 x 43 centimeters
Wood, in particular, has been conducive to the artist’s process, which begins with an image in his head rather than a two-dimensional sketch. The malleable material also brings its own history to the works, and Rodríguez chooses the specific type based on its technical and narrative qualities. “Wood has always a past, a biography. A piece of wood has been always something else before, furniture or whatever, at least a tree,” the artist says.
Through January 1, 2021, Rodríguez’s sculptures are on view at the Granollers Museum in Barcelona. To follow his latest pieces and see works-in-progress, head to Instagram.“Anna (golf girl)” (2019), painted cedar wood, painted golf tees and golf ball, 120 x 47 x 35 centimeters
“Anna (golf girl)” (2019), painted cedar wood, painted golf tees and golf ball, 120 x 47 x 35 centimeters
“First Fall” (2020), painted cedar and hazelnut, 175 x 40 x 48 centimeter
“At line” (2020), linden wood and painted okume board, 115 x 55 x 43 centimeters
“Giorgia builds up” (2019), painted beechwood, 90 x 52 x 51 centimeters
“Giorgia builds up” (2019), painted beechwood, 90 x 52 x 51 centimeters#childhood
#sculpture
#woodDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!
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