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    From Porcelain Buttercream to Bruises, Jessica Stoller Examines the Gendered Body

    Detail of “Seeing Red” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 9 x 92 1/4 x 92 1/4 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and P·P·O·W, shared with permission

    From Porcelain Buttercream to Bruises, Jessica Stoller Examines the Gendered Body

    March 5, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    The early 1780s produced a medical training tool that today seems unusually macabre and unsettling: the Anatomical Venus. A waxen model with real human hair and strings of pearls around her neck, the reclined figure appeared incredibly realistic, although pulling back the plate on its abdomen or chest revealed a series of internal organs and systems.

    As Ian Shank writes, modern viewers see the Anatomical Venus as discordant given the tension between the figure’s idealized beauty—and its inherent sensuality—and its function as an educational model.

    “Untitled (crown)” (2021), porcelain, glaze, china paint, wood, 24 x 16 x 2 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

    Jessica Stoller takes this dissonance as a starting point in “Seeing Red,” a floor-based sculpture of more than 150 individual ceramic objects. Atop the square tableaux are oversized white orbs that overshadow the mottled pink base. Fragmented body parts, seashells, leaves, a bent coat hanger, snakes, pottery shards, and more spread throughout.

    Reflecting on the continued push to strip protections for bodily autonomy in the U.S., “Seeing Red” separates the female form into distinctive parts and places them at the lowest position possible. As the oppressive pearls loom over the rest of the components, the unnerving work directly challenges who has a right to self-determination and control over their body.

    The grotesque and disturbing play an important role throughout Stoller’s practice as she frequently incorporates human anatomy with porcelain and ceramic traditions. “Untitled (close up #3),” for example, features delicate pink and purple blossoms that frame what appears to be a series of large, purple bruises.

    Similarly, “Untitled (sugar still life)” comprises a sweet spread that stretches across an elaborate display. Tucked in the seemingly saccharine work, though, are unsavory elements like a skeletal hand reaching from piped ribbons and medical devices stabbed into various confections.

    “Seeing Red” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 9 x 92 1/4 x 92 1/4 inches

    Rebelling against patriarchal priorities, Stoller continually confronts romanticized notions of the body through surreal, even monstrous compositions. Instead, her works are bold and unabashed as they examine the feminine figure, rooting out stereotypes and historical injustices while emphasizing the potency of the unseemly.

    Many of the works shown here are on view in New York for Stoller’s solo show Split, which continues through April 5 at P·P·O·W. Find more from the artist on Instagram.

    Detail of “Seeing Red” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 9 x 92 1/4 x 92 1/4 inches

    “Skin to Scale” (2023), porcelain, glaze, china paint, wood, 22 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches

    “Untitled (close up #3)” (2020), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, wood, 19 x 15 x 2 inches

    “Silphium” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 19 x 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches

    “Yellow Wallpaper” (2025), porcelain, glaze, china paint, wood, 23 x 17 1/2 x 3 inches

    “Untitled (sugar still life)” (2018), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, enamel, and wood, 60 x 36 x 22 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

    Detail of “Untitled (sugar still life)” (2018), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, enamel, and wood, 60 x 36 x 22 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

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    Felines Evoke ‘A Floating World’ in Tùng Nâm’s Whimsical Illustrations

    All images © Tùng Nâm, shared with permission

    Felines Evoke ‘A Floating World’ in Tùng Nâm’s Whimsical Illustrations

    February 19, 2025

    ArtIllustration

    Kate Mothes

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    Accompanied by delicate insects and social betta fish, the cats in Tùng Nâm’s illustrations (previously) alternate between curiosity, serenity, friskiness, and determination. The artist portrays a diversity of feline natures, merging their likenesses with flowers, waves, foliage, and clouds.

    Nâm’s characters are playfully anthropomorphized, donning patterned kimonos and hair ornaments. The series emerged organically from practice sketches of flowers in the ukiyo-e style.

    “I felt like it was missing something, so I tried to add a cat as the protagonist,” Nâm tells Colossal. “Somehow it still doesn’t feel right, so I think of adding a companion—fishes, butterfly, dragonfly—like they were encountering each other in a specific moment.” Fittingly, he called the series An encounter.

    An accompanying collection, A Floating World, takes further inspiration from the genre, directly referencing the Japanese word ukiyo. The term describes a hedonistic lifestyle in Edo—now called Tokyo—in the 1600s, spawning a style of art that captured the mood and interests of the period. Famed artists like Hokusai or Hiroshige focused on woodblock printing and painting to represent scenes from history, folk tales, kabuki actors, flora and fauna, landscapes, and more.

    For Nâm, ukiyo-e provides the starting point for exploring a range of subject matter. He’s currently exploring ideas for further illustrations that incorporate different animals and visual cultures.

    Find more on the artist’s Behance and Instagram.

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    Matt Roussel’s Textured Woodcuts Metamorphose into Paintings

    All images courtesy of Matt Roussel, shared with permission

    Matt Roussel’s Textured Woodcuts Metamorphose into Paintings

    February 18, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    From elaborate portraits to overflowing florals to playful animals, the woodcuts of Matt Roussel (previously) tell a wide range of enigmatic stories. For his large-scale works, Roussel begins by carving wooden panels, but rather than using the blocks to make prints, he applies acrylic paint to the surfaces to create bold, textured paintings. Portraits of women wearing unique garments are complemented by goldfish that metamorphose into birds and giant scarab beetles cloaked in giant flowers.

    Roussel’s work will be on view in several forthcoming art3f fairs throughout Europe, with Strasbourg, Nantes, and Lyon coming up in late February and March. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “Three Flowers Scarab,” acrylic on carved wood

    Detail of “Three Flowers Scarab”

    “Métamorphose,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 60 centimeters

    “Fleur de Zhou,” acrylic on carved wood

    “Poisson pipe,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 80 centimeters

    “La grande fleur,” acrylic on carved wood, 120 x 80 centimeters

    “Golden dance,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 80 centimeters

    “3 cimes,” acrylic on carved wood, 120 x 80 centimeters

    Detail of “3 cimes”

    “La falaise,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 80 centimeters

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    An Otherworldly Garden of Lights Emerges from Hemp and Resin by Ross Hansen

    ‘Of Human Feelings’ installation view. All images courtesy of the artist and Volume Gallery, shared with permission

    An Otherworldly Garden of Lights Emerges from Hemp and Resin by Ross Hansen

    February 12, 2025

    ArtDesign

    Kate Mothes

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    Evoking marigolds, prairie clover, and milk thistle, Ross Hansen’s ongoing series of ethereal lighting fixtures dissect assumptions about design and function. The Los Angeles-based artist and designer’s unique sculptural forms combine hemp, bio-resin, and aluminum to create otherworldly floor lamps.

    Hansen draws on a background in landscape design, inspired by organic textures and forms found in nature. In his recent exhibition Of Human Feelings at Volume Gallery, clusters of lights resemble larger-than-life fungi or microscopic organisms. Strips of cloth are enrobed in plant-based resin for rigidity, and the illuminated bulbs diffuse within the fabric.

    Volume Gallery will present Hansen’s work at Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles next weekend. Find more on the artist’s website.

    Detail of “Milk Thistle”

    ‘Of Human Feelings’ installation view

    “Dalea” (2024), hemp, bio-resin, wood, epoxy resin, paint, and lighting components, 70 x 16 x 16 inches

    ‘Of Human Feelings’ installation view

    ‘Of Human Feelings’ installation view

    “Marigold” (2024), hemp, bio-resin, aluminum, and lighting components, 85 x 18 x 18 inches

    Detail of “Marigold”

    Base detail of “Dalea”

    “Milk Thistle” (2024), hemp, bio-resin, aluminum, and lighting components, 81 x 18 x 18 inches

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    Bees and Irridescent Bubbles Infiltrate Still-Life Traditions in Marc Dennis’ Paintings

    Detail of “Happily Ever After” (2024), oil on linen, 70.5 x 57.25 inches. All images courtesy of Harper’s, New York, shared with permisison

    Bees and Irridescent Bubbles Infiltrate Still-Life Traditions in Marc Dennis’ Paintings

    February 7, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    During the Dutch Golden Age, vanitas grew in popularity as a genre of memento mori that emphasized life’s transience. The opulent paintings were steeped in symbolism and foregrounded the futility of ambition and worldly pleasures.

    Marc Dennis draws on this 17th-century tradition as he refashions the still life for a contemporary audience. In a recent oil painting, “Happily Ever After,” hordes of honeybees and hornets descend on a lush bouquet. Kaleidoscopic bubbles float across the five-foot canvas, reflecting the surrounding colors and distorting clear viewers of nearby flowers and fruit.

    “Happily Ever After” (2024), oil on linen, 70.5 x 57.25 inches

    The insects and glossy orbs add another layer of impermanence to the already fleeting imagery, while also reflecting on the tenuous relationship between the organic and human-made. Similar tensions appear in “Allegory of the Readymade,” which suffocates and warps a seemingly vibrant painting with thick layers of plastic wrap. Each of the works clings to a brief moment in time, capturing both life at its prime and serving as a bold reminder of its inevitable end.

    Dennis’ paintings are on view in I’m Happy You’re Here through March 1 at Harper’s Gallery in New York. Find more from the artist on Instagram.

    “Based on a True Story” (2024), oil on linen, 70.75 x 55 inches

    Detail of “Based on a True Story” (2024), oil on linen, 70.75 x 55 inches

    “Superstar” (2024), oil on linen, 70.5 x 55 inches

    “Portrait of the Artist as a Juvenile Delinquent” (2024), oil on linen, 72 x 58 inches

    “Allegory of the Readymade” (2024), oil on linen, 48.75 x 37 inches

    “Giotto’s Fly” (2024), oil on linen, 72.5 x 96 inches

    “Dracula” (2024), oil on linen, 71.5 x 56 in

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    In London, an Enormous Exhibition of 500+ Works Roots Out the Creative Seeds of Flowers

    Rebecca Louise Law, “Calyx” (2023). Image courtesy of the artist

    In London, an Enormous Exhibition of 500+ Works Roots Out the Creative Seeds of Flowers

    January 29, 2025

    ArtNaturePhotography

    Grace Ebert

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    In nature, flowers serve as an essential component of the reproduction process. But for humans, scented blooms are ripe with myriad meanings and symbolism that transcend their biological functions.

    During Victorian times, offering a bouquet to someone with your right hand indicated a non-verbal “yes,” while a yellow carnation would reject an admirer. Similarly in art history, wilting flowers rendered as a momento mori remind us of death’s inevitability, and for van Gogh, sunflowers were the perfect stand-in for gratitude.

    Aimée Hoving, “Compost” (2019). Image © Aimee Hoving, flowers by Brigitte Gentis van Dam Merrett

    A massive exhibition opening next month at Saatchi Gallery cultivates a vast repertoire of works that explores how blooms have become an omnipresent entity in human life and creativity. Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture brings together more than 500 photographs, installations, sculptures, archival pieces, and other objects to create a rich landscape spanning millennia.

    Anchoring the exhibition is an expansive and immersive work of 100,000-plus dried flowers by Rebecca Louise Law. Smaller pieces include Xuebing Du’s ethereal photos of flowers in natural light, VOYDER’s streaky steam-laden compositions, and lush, vibrant gardens by Faye Bridgewater.

    Opening in time to usher in spring in London, Flowers runs from February 12 to May 5.

    VOYDER, “In Love with the Idea of You” (2024). Image courtesy of the artist

    Kasia Wozniak, “Anemoia #7.” Image courtesy of the artist

    Sandra Kantanen, “Still Life (Flowers I).” Image courtesy the artist and Purdy Hicks Gallery

    Xuebing Du, “Mother of Pearl” (2018). Image courtesy of the artist

    Carmen Mitrotta, “Geometric Leaves.” Image courtesy the artist

    Faye Bridgewater, “En Masse” (2025). Image courtesy of the artist

    Ann von Freyburg, “Floral Arrangement 1 (After Jan van Huysum, Still Life).” Image courtesy of the artist

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    Flowers and Butterflies Stitch Messages of Hope into Crumpled Metal and Corroded Barrels

    Detail of “MEADOWS.” Photo by Ineta Armanavičiūtė. All images courtesy of Severija Inčirauskaitė, shared with permission

    Flowers and Butterflies Stitch Messages of Hope into Crumpled Metal and Corroded Barrels

    January 24, 2025

    ArtSocial Issues

    Kate Mothes

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    On the sides of rusted barrels or crushed steel spheres, Lithuanian artist Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė (previously) applies delicate reminders of resilience. Using cotton thread, the artist cross-stitches vibrant flowers and butterflies onto facets of corroded metal, merging materials that appear to have little in common.

    Where metal is rough, strong, and utilitarian, embroidery is tender, soft, and decorative. Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė taps into these diametric characteristics in her continuing examination of war. A large metal ball titled “OFFSIDE,” for example, represents the world’s cumulative conflicts. “It is like a huge disaster with a small embroidered butterfly that is like a small, fragile sign of hope,” she says.

    “Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)” (2023), metal and cotton thread. Photo by Modestas Ežerskis and Ineta Armanavičiūtė

    The small nation of Belarus separates Lithuania from Ukraine, where the impacts of the ongoing Russian assault reverberate across the region. “The war is very close to us,” the artist tells Colossal, “so we can’t relax and just think about life.” Incorporating insects and blooms, steeped in symbolic references to compassion, generosity, and care, Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė suggests that despite humans’ destructive actions, hope perseveres.

    Find more on the artist’s Instagram.

    “Offside” (2024), metal, and cotton threads. Photo by Enrika Samulionytė

    Detail of “Offside.” Photo by Enrika Samulionytė

    “OFFSIDE” (2024)

    “MEADOWS” (2023), metal barrels and cotton, 360 x 40 x 20 centimeters. Photo by Ineta Armanavičiūtė

    Detail of “MEADOWS.” Photo by Ineta Armanavičiūtė

    “Timeless Fragility” (2022), oil barrel lid and cross stitch, 60 centimeters diameter. Photo by Ineta Armanavičiūtė

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    Nosheen Iqbal Translates Pakistani Craft Traditions into Vivid Sculptural Embroideries

    All images courtesy of Nosheen Iqbal, shared with permission

    Nosheen Iqbal Translates Pakistani Craft Traditions into Vivid Sculptural Embroideries

    January 13, 2025

    ArtCraft

    Grace Ebert

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    Equipped with vibrant cotton thread and wooden panels, Nosheen Iqbal stitches sculptural embroideries that draw on her Pakistani and Islamic heritage. Architectural arabesques and Punjabi craft traditions influence her mixed-media motifs, including phulkari, or floral folk embroideries, and woodblock printed reliefs known as bagh.

    Iqbal utilizes half-circles and semi-precious beads to add depth and visual intrigue to the works. Creating shadows and catching the light, these meticulously planned details allow a shift in perspective depending on the viewer’s position. The sweeping lines of color create “saturated pathways that reveal their intensity and depth,” she adds, “allowing my work to offer a shifting experience of light, color, and connection.”

    By emphasizing dimension and the interactions between materials, Iqbal hopes to push the medium in new directions while honoring broader making traditions. She says:

    Craftsmanship holds a profound significance in Pakistani culture, where artistry is revered as a lifelong discipline that shapes identity and community. This respect for meticulous craftsmanship is integral to my own practice. By selecting thoughtful materials—wood, semi-precious beads, and thread—I aim to honor this tradition. Each piece is a reflection of this cultural value, merging refined textures with precision to invite a tactile, immersive experience for the viewer.

    Born in London, Iqbal lives and works in Dallas and recently left a long career in design and art direction to become an artist full-time. You can find available pieces on her website and follow her work on Instagram.

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