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    Announcing Joy Machine, a New Art Gallery in Chicago

    Abi Castillo, “Blooming” and “Blue Caterpillar” (2025), ceramic

    Announcing Joy Machine, a New Art Gallery in Chicago

    February 10, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert and Christopher Jobson

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    As Colossal prepares to turn 15 this year, we’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be part of a creative community. During the last decade and a half, we’ve spoken with thousands of artists, designers, and makers and cultivated a vast network of friends and colleagues around the globe. Publishing has been one of the greatest joys of our lives and demonstrated again and again how art can connect us all.

    We’re incredibly excited to share that we’re expanding our footprint right here in our home of Chicago. Our new art gallery, Joy Machine, opens on February 21.

    Michael McGrath, “Night Ride, Spring Gods” (2025), colored pencil on wood panel, 10 x 8 inches

    A year in the making, Joy Machine is built around the belief that amid deep uncertainty and upheaval, joy becomes an indispensable gateway to hope. As we navigate this incredibly difficult time, we’re interested in coming together to expand our power to feel and process experiences good and bad.

    Our first exhibition, Light Preserver, features nine artists who cultivate and ritualize joy through humor, nostalgia, vibrancy, and excitement for new possibilities. Whether reflecting on childhood fun or invoking art’s ability to rescue us from depression, each artist taps into our shared humanity—not to evade difficult realities but to find meaning and purpose amid chaos. In this way, joy becomes an essential antidote to despair and a fundamental lifeline to keep us all afloat.

    Light Preserver features work by many artists you’re probably familiar with, including Moises Salazar Tlatenchi, David Heo, Liz Flores, Peter Frederiksen, Danym Kwon, Lisa Congdon, Michael McGrath, Jeff Rubio, and Abi Castillo.

    Colossal will continue publishing independently as it always has, and when Joy Machine’s projects fit Colossal’s mission, we’ll be sure to share them with you all here.

    If you’re in Chicago, please join us to celebrate Joy Machine’s opening on February 21. You can follow the gallery on Instagram, and sign up for the newsletter on the website.

    Danym Kwon, “When Small Happiness Found Us” (2025), acrylic and acrylic gouache on canvas, 18 x 18 inches

    David Heo, “Mamihlapinatapai” (2024), mixed media on paper mounted on panel, 11 x 28 inches

    “Red Boots” (2025), acrylic on wood, framed in hemlock, 18 x 24 inches

    Peter Frederiksen, “Sharing Secrets” (2022), freehand machine embroidery on linen, 6 x 8 inches

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    Lauren Halsey’s ’emajendat’ Is an Energetic Celebration of South Central Los Angeles

    Installation view of ’emajendat’ at Serpentine South. Installation photos by Hugo Glendinning, © Lauren Halsey, courtesy of Serpentine, shared with permission

    Lauren Halsey’s ’emajendat’ Is an Energetic Celebration of South Central Los Angeles

    January 14, 2025

    ArtSocial Issues

    Kate Mothes

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    Inspired by the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Lauren Halsey’s family has lived for generations, vibrant sculptures and site-specific installations vividly reflect the artist’s community.

    At Serpentine South, a large-scale, maximalist exhibition titled emajendat highlights Halsey’s self-described obsession with material culture, her interest in remixing messages and symbols, and the need to confront issues that affect people of color, the queer community, and the working class.

    Installation view

    Halsey gathers photographs, posters, flyers, commercial signs, and found objects that relate to her communities’ activism, highlighting “a sense of civic urgency and free-flowing imagination,” says David Kordansky Gallery, which co-represents the artist with Gagosian. “Inspired by Afrofuturism and funk, as well as the signs and symbols that populate her local environments, Halsey creates a visionary form of culture that is at once radical and collaborative.”

    Past, present, and future merge in the artists exploration of how idols, architecture, history, and communication fuel how we perceive identities and society. She draws on the imagery of ancient Egypt, the African diaspora, Black and queer icons, and the visionary design associated with funk to construct a kind of ever-evolving archive.

    In a monumental rooftop installation titled “the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I),” Halsey nods to palatial, ancient Egyptian architecture, placing the faces of notable Black figures on the columns’ capitals, such as activist Susan Burton and ethnomusicologist Dr. Rachel Eubanks.

    Halsey’s eclectic “funkmound” sculptures also encompass numerous found items, harboring miniature dioramas and objects that appear as though they are emerging from heaps of cotton candy. Throughout emajendat, seemingly endless collages, sculptures, reflections, prismatic color, patterns, messages, and textures welcome the viewer into an enthusiastically immersive experience.

    Installation view of ‘The Roof Garden Commission: Lauren Halsey,’ “the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I)” (2022). Photo by Hyla Skopitz, © Lauren Halsey, courtesy of the artist; David Kordansky Gallery and The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    The social element of Halsey’s work is amplified by a community center she founded in 2019 called Summaeverythang, located adjacent to her studio in South Central. The nonprofit initiative is “dedicated to the empowerment and transcendence of Black and Brown folks socio-politically, economically, intellectually, and artistically.”

    emajendat continues through February 23 in Kensington Gardens, London. Plan your visit on the gallery’s website.

    Foreground: “keepers of the krown (susan burton)” (2024), glass fiber, reinforced concrete, and mixed media, 261 3/4 x 48 1/8 x 48 1/8 inches. Background: “keepers of the krown (dr. rachel eubanks)” (2024), glass fiber, reinforced concrete, and mixed media 261 3/4 x 48 1/8 x 48 1/8 inches. Photo by Andrea Avezzù, © Lauren Halsey, courtesy of the artist, David Kordansky Gallery, and Gagosian

    Installation view

    Installation detail

    Installation view

    Installation detail

    Installation collage detail

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    A Changing Community and Lived Experiences Converge in Leroy Johnson’s Mixed-Media Houses

    All images courtesy of Margot Samel, shared with permission

    A Changing Community and Lived Experiences Converge in Leroy Johnson’s Mixed-Media Houses

    December 23, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    From collaged and painted found materials merged with elements of photography and ceramics, Leroy Johnson (1937-2022) created an eclectic vision of life in his hometown of Philadelphia. Through layered, multi-dimensional portraits of houses, the artist represents loci of family life and community in conceptual assemblages that also confront racism, poverty, and gentrification.

    In the first exhibition of his work in New York City, Margot Samel presents Leroy Johnson, a collection of the artist’s house sculptures made “with a documentarian’s eye but a poet’s gaze,” says a gallery statement. His pieces capture a city in transition, peering into its past to underscore the myriad experiences of its present.

    “Spirit House” (c. 2005–2010) mixed media, found object, and collage, 19 1/4 x 20 x 13 1/2 inches

    Through his occupations as a social worker, teacher of disabled youth, rehab counselor, and school administrator, Johnson “surveyed the pleasures, hardships, and contradictions within the Philadelphia neighborhoods where he spent his life,” Margot Samel says, and he “pierced the fabric of collective human experience more deeply than most.”

    Johnson’s abstract, mixed-media houses often feature photographs of people and gatherings, graffiti and text, and swishes of paint or residual imagery from found objects. The gallery adds, “As an African American artist who witnessed the civil rights movement and the impact of racist policies on communities he loved, Johnson took particular pleasure in depicting the richness of Black life.”

    Leroy Johnson runs from January 10 to February 9 in New York. Learn more and plan your visit on the gallery’s website.

    “You Been Had” (c. 2000–2005), mixed media, found object, and collage, 17 x 16 1/2 x 8 inches

    “Heart of Darkness” (c. 1995–2000), mixed media, found object, and collage, 13 x 11 x 6 inches

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

    “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

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    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

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    Hollie Chastain Lands a Playful Series of Collaged UFOs

    All images courtesy of Hollie Chastain, shared with permission

    Hollie Chastain Lands a Playful Series of Collaged UFOs

    November 20, 2024

    ArtCraft

    Kate Mothes

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    From paper, thread, and gouache, Chattanooga-based artist Hollie Chastain (previously) combines ephemera and found materials into vibrant collages. Strips of paper are cut, woven, and stitched into playful, abstract compositions.

    The artist’s recent extraterrestrial-inspired series emerged somewhat by accident. “I was playing around with scraps and some abstract surface design, and it ended up vaguely UFO-shaped, so I ran with it,” the artist tells Colossal.

    “Green Valley”

    Chastain’s playful series uses a limited palette of five colors, in addition to vintage printed matter and a thin maple veneer for visual warmth. “Creating such a big collection with limited materials and colors is both challenging and extremely satisfying,” Chastain says. “I am not overwhelmed with options, yet have to stretch myself to make them each unique.”

    Some of the pieces of more intentionally UFO-shaped than others, and Chastain titles each one after the name of a global city where UFO activity has been reported. “I blame David Duchovny,” she says.

    Chastain is currently working toward a solo exhibition in late 2025 at Townsend Atelier in Chattanooga. And if you’re in Colorado, you can see her work—including several of the UFOs—in Moons Out, Goons Out at Ah Haa School for the Arts in Telluride through November 30. Find more on her website and Instagram.

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    Myriam Dion Weaves Milestones of Women’s History from Vintage Newspapers

    “Carré Fleuri, antique samples of hand-painted flower patterns for dress fabric, France, 1841” (2023), collage, hand-cut, Japanese paper, paper weaving, gold leaf, and acrylic painting, 26 x 26 inches

    Myriam Dion Weaves Milestones of Women’s History from Vintage Newspapers

    November 19, 2024

    ArtCraft

    Kate Mothes

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    From found vintage newspapers and hand-painted designs, Myriam Dion composes remarkably detailed collages. Known for reimagining newspapers into sculptural, geometric works, the Montréal-based artist (previously) has recently begun experimenting with a range of found materials, like gouache-painted samples of antique textile patterns and pages from old garden books.

    The stories Dion chooses to highlight often revolve around women and their accomplishments. “It is interesting to see how women are documented in the media,” she says, “especially at a time when newspapers were written by men for men and how this evolves and sometimes regresses depending on the subjects,” the artist says.

    Detail of “Carré Fleuri, antique samples of hand-painted flower patterns for dress fabric, France, 1841”

    Through a painstaking process of cutting and weaving tiny strips of material, Dion adheres gold leaf and adds drawing and painting details. “I also include folding techniques that allow me to create relief and a textile look to the paper,” she says. “Drawing allows me to develop patterns through repetition and is conducive to larger installations.”

    The artist currently has work on view in Timelines, her solo exhibition at Arsenal Contemporary in New York City, which emphasizes her interest in milestones like women’s labor rights and suffrage throughout the 20th century, especially in the U.S.

    “These themes are expressed through headlines in a dated language as evocative as the homespun crafts that Dion elevates,” says a gallery statement. “By exploiting the metaphoric potential of ephemera, she underscores the vulnerability of these rights while offering a timely reminder of their importance.”

    “Miss Marion Cassidy, Daring Canadian Aviatrix, New Mexico, Wednesday, May 21, 1919” (2024), collage and weaving of newspaper and hand-cut Japanese paper, acrylic paint, pencil drawing, and gold leaf, 47 x 47 inches

    Dion has recently become fascinated by darning samplers, which like other embroidery samplers, were historically used to showcase one’s knowledge and skills with different stitches. In terms of darning, a method of mending, the patterns often mimicked different weaves or knitting to show that the sampler’s maker was capable of mending a variety of fabrics.

    “These are objects rich in know-how and history—they are magnificent and very inspiring for me, both formally and conceptually,” Dion says. “These objects evoke repair and care, which give a second life to damaged fabrics. They are linked to women, indeed: traditional crafts and artisanal virtuosity, elements to which I am sensitive and which greatly influence my creative process.”

    Dion is particularly drawn to the samplers’ geometric characteristics, which she incorporates into her own compositions. Patterns and floral motifs intertwine in meticulously detailed pieces, often transforming into ornate framing devices for intimately scaled photographs of women snipped from the newspaper.

    The artist recently won a commission for a large public artwork inspired by darning samplers, which will be installed in a new hospital in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Québec, in 2027. Another public work will be installed at the Santa-Cabrini Hospital in Montréal next summer.

    Timelines continues through December 14. Find more on Dion’s website and Instagram.

    “Girl in Knicks on the Links, Miss McMillan, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, Monday, May 8, 1922” (2024), collage of hand-cut newspaper and Japanese paper, drawing, painting, paper weaving, and gold leaf, 116.5 cm x 108.5 centimeters

    Detail of “Girl in Knicks on the Links, Miss McMillan, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, Monday, May 8, 1922”

    “Women Workers, Daily Republican Eagle, Red Wing, Minnesota, Friday, October 2, 1942” (2024), collage and weaving of newspaper and hand-cut Japanese paper, acrylic paint, pencil drawing, and gold leaf, 40 x 40 inches

    Detail of “Women Workers, Daily Republican Eagle, Red Wing, Minnesota, Friday, October 2, 1942”

    “Marie Curie, Radium discoverer to visit America, February 10, 1921” (2024), collage and weaving of newspaper and hand-cut Japanese paper, acrylic paint, felt, and gold leaf, 42 1/2 x 43 inches

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    From Early Computers to Ships at Sea, Lola Dupre Warps Everyday Objects

    From Early Computers to Ships at Sea, Lola Dupre Warps Everyday Objects

    October 9, 2024

    ArtPhotography

    Grace Ebert

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    How would you find home row in fourth-grade typing class if there were 1,700 keys in front of you? Lola Dupre’s latest collages would be intimidating to even the most ambitious student.

    The artist (previously) continues her disorienting manipulations with a pair of early Apple desktops, ships with enough stories to rival a high-rise, and a cow so bloated she needs eight legs to stand. Each work pushes the limits of legibility as limbs and common objects undergo exaggerated distortions.

    Dupre’s work is on view through November 23 at Prescription Art in Brighton, and she has another show slated for April at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles. Until then, find more on Instagram.

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    Symmetric Paper Collages by Haegue Yang Commune with the Spiritual

    “Splashing Volcano Ash Gaze–
    Mesmerizing Mesh #140” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond, framed, 62 x 62 centimeters. All photos by Studio Haegue Yang, courtesy of the artist and The Arts Club of Chicago, shared with permission

    Symmetric Paper Collages by Haegue Yang Commune with the Spiritual

    October 2, 2024

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    Known for immersive sculptures and installations that engage the senses, Seoul-born artist Haegue Yang looks toward common materials and traditional craft techniques to explore pressing issues. She often transforms domestic objects like Venetian blinds, electrical fans, and even cans of Spam into dynamic, abstract works that comment on sociopolitical topics like migration, labor, and exile.

    Although the artist has risen to international recognition for her three-dimensional pieces, an exhibition at The Arts Club of Chicago peers into another side of her practice. Flat Works surveys two decades of Yang’s paintings, prints, and collages, including her captivating series, Mesmerizing Mesh.

    “Flower Explosion Radial Folds–Mesmerizing Mesh #124” (2022), Hanji, graph paper on alu-dibond

    Geometric, floral motifs characterize the alluring compositions made from cut and folded hanji, paper derived from mulberry bark. Mesmerizing Mesh references shamanistic traditions, particularly in Korea, Japan, China, and Slavic regions, and what comes from communing with the spirit world.

    According to a statement about the series, the symmetric works allude to “sumun, a sheet hung from the ceiling in rituals…to keep away evil spirits,” while the more figurative, anthropomorphic pieces “resemble soul sheets (nukjeon), in which the shaman blows a spirit treated as the identical entity of the deceased being honored.”

    Like her sculptures, these collages similarly recontextualize a humble, everyday material. Although they’re two-dimensional, the layered works convey depth, each appearing as a kind of portal guiding viewers into an entrancing, mystical realm.

    Flat Works continues through December 20 in Chicago.

    “Fluoroscopic-Powered Fire Bird-Mesmerizing Mesh #130” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond, framed, 62 x 62 centimeters

    “Blood Moon Finger-Pulling Bloom Formation–Mesmerizing Mesh #107” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond

    “Rainbow Mist Germination Soul Sheet–Mesmerizing Mesh #184” (2023), Hanji, washi on alu-dibond

    “Thunder-Powered Ash Entrails Soul Streamers–Mesmerizing Mesh #148” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond

    “Head Altar Formation–Mesmerizing Mesh #49” (2021), Hanji, graph paper on alu-dibond

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