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    Imagination and Introspection Suffuse Hans Op de Beeck’s Immersive ‘Whispered Tales’

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    “Zhai-Liza (Angel).” All images courtesy of Hans Op De Beeck and Templon, shared with permission

    Imagination and Introspection Suffuse Hans Op de Beeck’s Immersive ‘Whispered Tales’

    November 13, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    In his characteristically gray, monochrome palette, Hans Op de Beeck‘s current solo exhibition Whispered Tales at Templon fashions enigmatic narratives from lifelike silhouettes. The immersive, sprawling presentation brings together a mix of new and previous work, inviting viewers into an atmospheric, introspective space.

    People and dioramas appear frozen in time in Op de Beeck’s sculptures, as if plucked from a memory or dream. “Zhai-Lia (Angel),” for example, portrays a young girl wearing fairy wings and a holding a wand, seated pensively in front of a swathe of bamboo. In “Zhai-Lia (mother’s shoes),” she wears a tutu and oversized high heels.

    Installation view of “Zhai-Lia (mother’s shoes)” in ‘Whispered Tales’ at Templon, New York

    The artist often depicts children who interact with the adult world yet remain innocent to concerns beyond their own, channeling the engrossing otherworldliness of youthful imagination and play. The invariable flatness of the gray palette makes the figures appear removed from reality, while lending a universal feel to their presence.

    Time also finds purchase in works like “Danse Macabre,” in which a miniature carousel is raised to eye level on a pole and a skeleton stands amid celestial objects in Victorian-era garments. Along with a sculpture titled “Vanitas Table” in which a classic still life setting features a human skull, Op de Beeck taps into the tradition of memento mori, the reminder that life inevitably ends.

    “The way the artist plays with the perception of scale and atmosphere sparks a disconnect, a feeling of strangeness when confronted with scenes lifted out of the ordinary,” says a gallery statement. “Each work offers us the seed of yet another possible story … [and] transforms the prosaic into an almost magical experience where simplicity gives birth to the unexpected.”

    Whispered Tales continues through December 21 in New York. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “Danse Macabre”

    Detail of “Danse Macabre”

    Detail of “Maurice”

    Installation view of ‘Whispered Tales’ at Templon, New York

    Installation view of ‘Whispered Tales’ at Templon, New York

    Installation view of “Zhai-Liza (Angel)” in ‘Whispered Tales’ at Templon, New York

    “My Uncle’s Country House”

    Installation view of ‘Whispered Tales’ at Templon, New York

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      Jean Jullien’s Immersive ‘Paper Society’ Mirrors Our Cultures, Customs, and Daily Lives

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      Installation view of ‘Paper Society.’ All images courtesy of the artist and PUBLIK GASAN, shared with permission

      Jean Jullien’s Immersive ‘Paper Society’ Mirrors Our Cultures, Customs, and Daily Lives

      October 28, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      From the Parco Museum in Tokyo to the storied Le Bon Marché in Paris and beyond, Jean Jullien’s Paper People (previously) cheerfully express the world we live in through large-scale installations. The prosperous population have now taken over the expansive PUBLIK GASAN in Seoul, welcoming us to reflect on universally relatable daily activities, customs, emotions, and social issues.

      In the artist’s latest immersive presentation, minimalist figures check their phones, visit cafes, and work on a production line in a lighthearted and sympathetic vision of everyday life.

      Titled Paper Society, Jullien’s exhibition is organized into three parts. First, visitors encounter the “Factory,” where the paper people are born and work together, sorting through a variety of patterns and sizes available for replication on a conveyor belt.

      “Paper Town” is encountered next, modeled after our own urban landscapes, with city blocks, businesses, and institutions. Finally, the “Snake Room” leads viewers along the curves of a giant serpent covered on both sides in hand-drawn timelines detailing the histories of both humanity and its playful, parallel civilization.

      Paper Society marks the final iteration of the Paper People installations. Explore more work on Jullien’s website and Instagram.

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      From Gossamer Objects to Monumental Architecture, Do Ho Suh Embraces the Process

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      Photo by Anthony Rathbun. All images courtesy of Moody Center for the Arts, shared with permission

      From Gossamer Objects to Monumental Architecture, Do Ho Suh Embraces the Process

      October 18, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      For Do Ho Suh, the process of making work is as important as the outcome. Individual sculptures and installations are all part of a larger project that allows the South Korean artist to return to and iterate on earlier ideas, materials, and structures, each time pushing the work in a different direction.

      At Moody Center for the Arts, Suh puts his process on full display, recreating parts of his studio and charting the course for his sprawling practice in which he explores ideas of home, memory, and how we relate to physical space. Rubbermaids full of string and fabric, shelves lined with toy dinosaurs and action figures, and small maquettes of architectural sculptures offer insight into Suh’s influences and creative exercises, while completed projects reveal the final steps.

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Anthony Rathbun

      Included in In Process are several fundamental works like “Inverted Monument,” which suspends an upside-down figure in a dense mesh of string. Also on view is a collection of fabric sculptures that recreate everyday objects like water faucets, doorknobs, and keyholes in gauzy, translucent fabric. Arranged by color, these delicate pieces draw attention to our attachments to and reliance on such mundane items.

      Part of exposing the inner workings of his process also involves what Suh refers to as “dismantling the myth of the artist as an individual genius.” Ongoing in various forms since 2016, “Artland” is a vibrant landscape that welcomes various groups—first Suh’s daughters, followed by communities across several continents—to add bits of malleable clay to the otherworldly terrain.

      Detail of “Artland”

      “For me, ‘Artland’ is an extension of so much of my practice,” the artist told Colossal, adding:

      When I had children, I had to let go of a lot of the control I was used to having in my life. Nothing’s wilder or freer than the child’s mind, and I’ve learnt so much from parenting. “Artland” grew from that small-scale family collaboration, but it’s been so validating involving visitors from Seoul to Brooklyn and Houston—the results are always more fantastical than expected and completely joyous.

      If you’re in Houston, see In Process through December 21. Otherwise, find more from the artist via Lehmann Maupin and Instagram.

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Frank Hernandez

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Anthony Rathbun

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Anthony Rathbun

      “Artland.” Photo by Anthony Rathbun

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Anthony Rathbun

      Photo by Anthony Rathbun

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Frank Hernandez

      Installation view of ‘Do Ho Suh: In Process.’ Photo by Anthony Rathbun

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      14,000 Prescription Lenses Dangle like Dewdrops in a Lush Japanese Forest

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      All images courtesy of Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, shared with permission

      14,000 Prescription Lenses Dangle like Dewdrops in a Lush Japanese Forest

      October 15, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      Suspended like a vortex of rain, a new installation from Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett ushers viewers into a shimmering enclosure.

      “A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm” dangles 14,000 prescription lenses from a pair of concentric circles. Created for the Northern Alps Art Festival in Omachi City, the site-specific work evokes the region’s historic relationship to water.

      Blanketed with heavy snow in the winter and drenched during rainy summers, the city experiences several wet seasons. Situated at the base of the Japanese mountain range, it boasts natural features like lakes, hot springs, and hydroelectric dams. Omachi has also seen its population rapidly dwindle in recent years.

      Brown and Garrett have previously worked with found, recycled objects like lightbulbs and telephones. Nested behind Nishina Shrine along the shore of Lake Kizaki, this new piece repurposes eyeglasses that catch and refract sunlight and magnify the surrounding cedar forest, focusing viewers’ gazes on the enlarged natural world around them.

      “The work invites visitors to look at the landscape (and each other) with fresh eyes, seeing differently and peering deeply into the ancient and evolving landscape,” the artists say.

      “A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm” is on view through November 4. Find more from Brown and Garrett on their website.

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      Temporary Interventions by Kobra Convey the Critical Impacts of Increasing Wildfires

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      All images courtesy of Kobra, shared with permission

      Temporary Interventions by Kobra Convey the Critical Impacts of Increasing Wildfires

      October 8, 2024

      ArtClimate

      Kate Mothes

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      Around the world, rising temperatures and ecosystem imbalances due the climate crisis have spurred an increasing number of wildfires annually. Brazil, for example, has seen more than 180,000 hot spots this year as of mid-September, the most since 2010. As deforestation reduces rainfall, a catastrophic cycle of drought and wildfires has only strengthened.

      For Eduardo Kobra, the unprecedented number of uncontrolled blazes spurred a new series of artworks drawing attention to this troubling reality. As fires impacted rural and urban areas alike, including the city of Araçariguama—a little more than 30 miles from São Paulo—the artist chose a local area scorched by flames to document a collection of temporary interventions.

      Drawing attention to the wildlife and habitats being destroyed, Kobra portrays birds, monkeys, anteaters, and other creatures surrounded by burned forest. In one piece, a firefighter assists a baby jaguar, and in another—a sign of hope—a child waters a sprouting plant.

      Kobra is known for his large-scale murals on buildings around the world, which emphasize vibrant portraits and nods to pop culture through characteristically bright, geometric patterns. Using biodegradable materials, his new series of cutout panels uses a relatively smaller scale to address an enormously critical issue.

      See more on his website and Instagram.

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      OSGEMEOS Unearths Their Fantastic Childhood Universe in Their Largest U.S. Exhibition to Date

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      Installation view of “Untitled (92 Speakers)” (2019), “Gramophone” (2016), and “1983 – THE BOOMBOX” (2017). Photo by Rick Coulby. All images © OSGEMEOS, shared with permission

      OSGEMEOS Unearths Their Fantastic Childhood Universe in Their Largest U.S. Exhibition to Date

      September 20, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      As children in São Paulo, twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo invented a universe they called Tritrez. The mystical place was home to myriad yellow figures with bulbous heads and lanky bodies and promoted strange, yet friendly, behavior.

      “Yellow has been a very spiritual color for us since we started drawing,” the pair told their gallery, Lehmann Maupin. “When we were drawing at our mother’s house, the sun would come through the windows, and the studio would become yellow. So we always found it mystical, peaceful, and harmonious.” 

      Installation view of OSGEMEOS, “Chuva de verão (Summer Rain)” (2008), “O abduzido (The Abductee)” (2020), “The Garden” (2020), and “The Sunset” (2019). Photo by Rick Coulby

      Operating largely as one with shared dreams and the uncanny ability to finish each others’ thoughts, the brothers work as OSGEMEOS (previously), which translates to “the twins” in Portuguese. Rooted in graffiti and street art, their works will be on view at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden later this month for their largest U.S. exhibition to date.

      Comprising 1,000 paintings, sculptures, photos, and archival objects, OSGEMEOS: Endless Story traces the brothers’ creative evolution, recreating details from their childhood bedrooms and the infrastructure and walls they painted murals on in their youth. Rarely seen sketches and early influences like their mother’s embroideries are on view alongside many pieces never shown outside their native Brazil.

      Hip-hop and breakdancing feature prominently in OSGEMEOS’ work, including in the sprawling installation “Untitled (92 Speakers).” Yellow and brown faces peer out from boxy speakers and congregate together on a pastel pink wall. A symmetric gramophone and boombox painted similarly stand on the gallery floor below and reference the artists’ enduring interest in music and its influence on culture.

      Other works lean further into the sci-fi and supernatural realms. Standing at the center of one gallery is a tall, prismatic sculpture, which depicts one of their signature figures encircled by an alien beam projecting from a flying saucer. Likewise, the 2014 painting “Tritez” unearths the more fantastical details of the imagined realm: a blue patchwork whale cradling buildings on its back flies through the sky, two siren-like characters dance in the moonlight, and a trio of figures clamber on top of one another in colorful bizarre clothing.

      “Tritrez” (2014), spray paint and sequins on wood. Photo by Rick Coulby

      “Tritrez for us is our soul. It’s our, let’s say, parallel world that we believe (lives) inside of us,” they say in a video. “We believe that everybody (has) some kind of Tritrez inside. But sometimes you forget to see and sometimes you are afraid to see.”

      The first monograph of OSGEMEOS’ work written in English accompanies the exhibition, which runs from September 29, 2024, to August 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. There’s much more on the brothers’ Instagram, so head there to dive deeper into their whimsical world.

      Detail of installation view of “Untitled (92 Speakers)” (2019), “Gramophone” (2016), and “1983 – THE BOOMBOX” (2017). Photo by Rick Coulby

      “1980” (2020), mixed media with
      sequins on MDF, 86 1/4 × 125 9/16 × 2 inches

      “Retratos (Portraits)” (2023–2024), mixed media on MDF. Photo by Rick Coulby

      Detail of “Retratos (Portraits)” (2023–2024), mixed media on MDF. Photo by Rick Coulby

      “O dia da festa de break (The
      Breakdancing Party’s Day)” (2016), mixed media on panel, 80 5/16 × 64 9/16× 7 7/8 inches.
      (204 × 164 × 20 cm). Photo by Max Yawney

      Detail of an installation view of ‘OSGEMEOS: Endless Story.’ Photo by Rick Coulby

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      SpY Installs Hundreds of Metallic Rescue Blankets in a Former Arms Factory

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      All images © SpY, shared with permission

      SpY Installs Hundreds of Metallic Rescue Blankets in a Former Arms Factory

      September 16, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      In Oviedo, Spain, a 6,000-square-meter installation of metallic emergency blankets transform a former arms factory this month. “Blankets 2” extends from Spanish artist SpY’s ongoing series of monumental kinetic works (previously).

      The natural light from the building’s first-floor windows and giant clerestory bounce off the folds of hundreds of blankets, glinting gold on one side and silver on the other. Documented with water on the floor, the reflection mirrors the suspended array, creating a sense of depth and further openness.

      The artist centers the dialogue between location and theme in “Blankets 2” and calls attention to the building’s history as a weapon manufacturer by filling it with objects intended conversely for medical treatment and care.

      SpY is fascinated by sensory perception and the way simple objects can be transformed through repetition, light, scale, and contrast. Air flow through the space adds delicate motion to the panels, generating a gentle rustling noise that accompanies viewers through the exhibition

      Find more on SpY’s website and Instagram.

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      A Swarm of Blocks Flocks to Human Presence in DRIFT’s Interactive Installation

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      All images courtesy of LUMA Arles, shared with permission

      A Swarm of Blocks Flocks to Human Presence in DRIFT’s Interactive Installation

      September 11, 2024

      Art Nature

      Grace Ebert

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      Working as DRIFT, Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta (previously) have built their practice around excavating the intersection between nature and technology. In “Murmuring Minds,” a new installation on view at LUMA Arles, the pair utilizes the swarming patterns of birds, bees, and other social organisms to create an interactive work that responds to movement.

      Representing the human desire for cohesion, clarity, and organization, sixty compact rectangular blocks scuttle across the gallery floor. Each component is autonomous and algorithmically programmed to follow the viewer or scatter in their presence. The mechanical installation highlights an ever-changing interplay between the viewer and the collective, exploring how one informs the other.

      “Murmuring Minds” is part of DRIFT’s Living Landscape exhibition, which features a large-scale digital work that similarly responds to human motion. As viewers walk in front of the screen, a flock responds to them as predators, first coming together and then rapidly flying toward the audience The artists said in a statement:

      We developed the interactive dynamics into four types that we have observed in both nature and human society: The Leader, The Hunter, The Vortex, The Machine. The installation is an experiment and a question on how we generate choices, what our decisions are, and how these affect larger structures. How do we define leadership and control in a contemporary context?

      If you’re in Arles, you can experience the works through September 29. Otherwise, find more from DRIFT on Instagram. (via designboom)

      “Murmuring Minds” (2024). Photo © Finn Bech

      “Coded Nature” (2022). Photo © Finn Bech

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