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      Ritualistic ‘Moon Drawings’ by Yuge Zhou Etch Patterns in Snow and Sand

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      Art
      #drawing
      #landscapes
      #performance
      #sand
      #snow
      #videoFebruary 10, 2022Grace EbertJanuary 2021. All images © Yuge Zhou, shared with permission“In traditional Chinese culture, the moon is a carrier of human emotions,” writes artist Yuge Zhou. “The full moon symbolizes family reunion.” This belief grounds Zhou’s meditative series of landscape drawings that etch wide, circular patterns in the beach along Lake Michigan and in snowy parking lots near her apartment.The Chicago-based artist postponed a visit with her family in Beijing back in 2020 and has since channeled her longing to return into her ritualistic performances. Filming aerially at dawn, Zhou traces the patterns left by the moon with her suitcase and allows the glow of nearby light poles to illuminate the concentric markings. Stills from the videos appear more like dreamy renderings than footage, an aesthetic choice that corresponds with their allegorical roots in the Han dynasty legend, “The lake reflecting the divine moon,” about the universality of longing.Having created five works in summer and winter, Zhou likens the pieces to “mantras suspended in a time of waiting.” Until she’s able to return to China, she plans to add more drawings to her collection and continue “bringing the moon down to me on the earth.” For more of the artist’s multi-media works, visit her site and Vimeo.February 2022January 2020July 2020February 2022August 2021
      #drawing
      #landscapes
      #performance
      #sand
      #snow
      #videoDo 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! Share this story  More

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      Mystery and Fantasy Veil Black-and-White Illustrations by Artist David Álvarez

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      Art
      Illustration

      #black and white
      #drawing
      #graphite
      #surreal

      November 1, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Pinoccio.” All images © David Álvarez, shared with permission
      Continually fascinated by the potential of the human figure, Mexico-based artist David Álvarez (previously) illustrates richly textured scenes with a dose of fantasy and surrealism: a bird’s perch transfixes a character who’s sprouted a branch nose, a man writhes on the ground as he grows from a gnarled stump, and a Cheshire cat lifts a blanket to unveil a moon hidden beneath. Underlying many of his works is “the expressive force and the gesture of the human body,” Álvarez tells Colossal, themes that are rendered through highlights and dense markings in graphite that add intrigue and mystery to the monochromatic depictions.
      The illustrations shown here are a mix of personal projects and commissions, and “Cage” is slated for the cover of Álvarez’s forthcoming book about overcoming prejudices and stereotypes called Bird Woman. You can follow his black-and-white works on Instagram, and shop sketches, prints, and originals.

      “Monkeys”
      “Metamorpho”
      “Agony”
      Left: “Cage.” Right: “The Collector”
      “Awareness”
      “Cheshire”
      “Mice”

      #black and white
      #drawing
      #graphite
      #surreal

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      Drawings and Paintings by Pat Perry Reinterpret American Stories with Tender Absurdity

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      Art

      #acrylic
      #drawing
      #narrative
      #painting
      #pen

      October 15, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Recital XII” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 26 x 48 inches. All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission
      In Pat Perry’s Sensemaking, there’s no rubric for telling a story. In quiet scenes framed through roadside vantage points and performances of costumed figures and contemporary symbols, the Detroit-based artist (previously) considers the deeply American tendency to configure the world with single, flat narratives. Perry takes an opposing approach, though, and instead layers his pieces with contradiction, complexity, and unusual details that reflect the current moment.
      Rendered in subtle color palettes, his drawings and paintings pull from the visual lexicon of Midwestern life (i.e. children playing on pipe abandoned in a field or a lone figure sitting at a card table on the sidewalk), although they contain imaginative twists and nuanced social commentary: swimming pools sit below an underpass, banners display Craigslist ads, and fleeting social media trends are printed on large posters. “These paintings and drawings offer a joyful glimpse into an invented world; one that’s closely related to the one right in front of us; one that we so often struggle to see clearly and make sense of,” a statement about the series says.

      “” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 48 x 57 inches
      In a lengthy essay published by Juxtapoz back in August, Perry elaborates on the impetus for his latest works, which center around a broad theme of flawed logic. He revists his attempts to understand the world through the lens of his religious childhood in Michigan and later, the anarchic ideologies that guided his early adult years, and the two conflicting narratives profoundly impact the artist’s approach today. “Chapter Three of my life so far has had something to do with recognizing that truly lessening suffering maybe has less to do with understanding the world, or playing an oversized role in it. It may not be about constantly ‘using my voice,’” he writes.
      Sensemaking, which features dozens of new paintings, charcoal drawings, and works in acrylic and pen, is on view from October 6 through November 16 at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York, and you can follow Perry’s work on Instagram.

      “Recital XIII” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 48 x 54 inches
      “River Friends” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 49 x 64 inches
      “Black Square” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 42 x 48 inches
      “Video Wishing Well” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 20 x 20 inches
      “NPC Melek Taus” (2021), acrylic on panel, framed, 29 x 54 inches
      “Indexers 1” (2021), acrylic, pencil, and pen, framed, 22 x 30 inches
      “Glossary” (2021), acrylic, pencil, and pen, framed, 22 x 30 inches
      “Indexers 2” (2021), acrylic, pencil, and pen, framed, 22 x 30 inches

      #acrylic
      #drawing
      #narrative
      #painting
      #pen

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