installation

Subterms

    Latest story

    150 Shares131 Views

    Einar and Jamex de la Torre’s Monumental Glass Assemblages Hurtle Through ‘Collidoscope’

    by

    “Oxymodern (Aztec Calendar)” (2002), blown-glass, mixed-media wall installation, 120 x 120 x 12 inches.
    Image courtesy of the Cheech Marin Collection
    and Riverside Art Museum. All images courtesy of the artists and the Corning Museum of Glass, shared with permission

    Einar and Jamex de la Torre’s Monumental Glass Assemblages Hurtle Through ‘Collidoscope’

    December 5, 2024

    ArtCraft

    Kate Mothes

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    In 1972, when Einar and Jamex de la Torre were nine and 12 years old, respectively, their family moved to Southern California from their hometown, Guadalajara, Mexico. Building upon their immigrant experiences and the sometimes contradictory facets of bicultural identity, the artists began creating sculptures and installations exploring themes as varied as time, religion, traditions, and regionalism.

    The pair have collaborated since the 1990s, combining blown glass and mixed media into large-scale wall pieces and striking public art. In the expansive exhibition Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective at the Corning Museum of Glass, the pair present 40 works spanning nearly three decades.

    “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana” (2024)

    Included in the showcase is a brand new, monumental commission titled “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana,” which draws on the rich history of Venetian or Murano glass.

    While only pieces produced on the small Italian island can bear the name of Murano—think Champagne in the wine world or Parmigiano Reggiano for cheese—the de la Torre brothers revel in the idea that “once [the technique] escaped, it hit the glassblowing world like a meteorite,” Einar says.

    The de la Torre brothers are known for their additive approach, layering both meaning and material into meticulous assemblages. Vibrant colors and sometimes ironic details, like symbols for a car battery or engine light, emerge when encountered up close, then dissolve into energetic patterns when viewed from a distance.

    Detail of “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana”

    Today, the duo split their time between San Diego and the Guadalupe Valley of Baja California, Mexico, and the occasionally humorous interplay of American and Mexican motifs hold a sustained role in their practice. Many pieces incorporate motifs specific to Mexico, like the iconic, circular Aztec calendar that combines a 365-day cycle with a 260-day ritual or spiritual cycle. Mechanical gears, shells, religious iconography, anatomy, and more, merge in their maximalist compilations.

    The brothers created the new work in the Corning Museum’s studio, and the idea for incorporating Venetian details like cane work arose organically around the hot shop team’s experience with the style. “An artist’s job is to get away with their vision,” Einar says, “and we were very gratified and surprised at how much support we had for our ideas for this commission.”

    Collidoscope continues through January 5 in Corning, New York. Find more on the artists’ website.

    Detail of “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana”

    “Frijolera Clásica” (2010), bown-glass, mixed-media sculpture, 31 x 18 x 18 inches. Image courtesy of Crocker Art Museum

    “Mitosis” (2008), blown-glass and mixed-media with resin castings and waterjet-cut aluminum frame, 48 x 48 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artists and Koplin Del Rio Gallery

    “En Cada Arbol una Cruz” (2000), blown-glass, mixed-media sculpture, 28 x 21 inches. Image courtesy of the artists and Koplin Del Rio Gallery

    Corning Museum of Glass staff work with the de la Torre brothers to install “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana”

    The de la Torre brothers construct glass installation components in the Amphitheater Hot Shop of the Corning Museum of Glass

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

    Hide advertising

    Save your favorite articles

    Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

    Receive members-only newsletter

    Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

    Join us today!

    $7/month

    $75/year

    Explore membership options

    Next article More

    More stories

    • 150 Shares102 Views

      in Art

      In Chicago, an Expansive Exhibition Offers a New Vision of Himalayan Art

      by

      Losel Yauch. “Procession Immemorial.” Installation view of ‘Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now’ at Wrightwood 659. All photos by Michael Tropea, shared with permission

      In Chicago, an Expansive Exhibition Offers a New Vision of Himalayan Art

      December 4, 2024

      ArtSocial Issues

      Grace Ebert

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Suspended in the atrium of Wrightwood 659 in Chicago is a three-story installation of vibrant prayer flags in yellow, green, white, red, and blue cascading from above. Five sculptural horses emerge through the lush curtain of textiles at varying points, appearing to gallop mid-air.

      Each flag’s color refers to the five elements and states of mind in Tibetan Buddhism. Yellow, for example, denotes earth and wisdom, while green references water and equanimity. White is air and purity, blue is space and endurance, and red refers to fire and compassion.

      Asha Kama Wangdi, VAST Bhutan, “The Windhorse (lungta)” (2024), cloth and metal

      By Bhutanese artist Asha Kama Wangdi, the monumental work utilizes the Buddhist tradition of lungta (wind horses), which are symbols of positive energy and good luck thought to carry prayers to the heavens. For this installation, the artist collected tattered and worn flags that broken loose and scattered across the landscape. This shift from spiritual object to a source of pollution inspired Asha Kama Wangdi, as he explored the contradiction between sacred practice and environmental care.

      “The Windhorse” is one of dozens of works included in Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, a large-scale exhibition curated by Michelle Bennett Simorella of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York. As the title suggests, the show aims to present a more contemporary view of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and other Himalayan regions.

      Bennett Simorella tasked 28 artists with pairing objects from the Rubin’s collection with their works, contextualizing today’s aesthetic and making practices within a long history of artists and crafters. Featuring works from across hundreds of miles of the Himalayan region, Reimagine is broad in scope, style, and medium, yet retains several throughlines.

      For example, New York-based artist Losel Yauch presents a riderless cavalry of woven horses in “Procession Immemorial,” which similarly draws on the concept of wind horses. Stitched onto their silk coats are images from stories the artist’s grandfather shared about fighting for freedom in his home of Kham in east Tibet.

      Shraddha Shrestha, “Dus Mahavidyas (Great Goddesses of Wisdom): Kamala” (2023), acrylic on canvas. Photo by Dave De Armas

      Also on view is a vibrant collection of paintings Shraddha Shrestha, who reinterprets the doe-eyed Powerpuff Girls as Hindu goddesses. The artist was raised in Patan, one of Nepal’s most historic cities, and shares in a statement:

      Growing up in a conservative, patriarchal Newari household meant staying within a lot of cultural, social, and gender boundaries. All the girls and women in my family were used to catcalling, unwanted stares from the neighbors, being scolded by male family members for dressing with our knees showing, getting judged for walking with a male friend, and being shouted at for reaching home after dark.  

      After school, Shraddha Shrestha enjoyed watching American cartoons, particularly the trio with superpowers. These animated characters soon became fixtures in her imaginary world, which combined facets of her home city with the girls’ strong-willed attitudes.

      “Womanhood should be celebrated. Instead, we need to fight for basic things like education, work, health, and more,” she says. “Doesn’t it contradict the tradition we believe in? Doesn’t it disrespect the deities we worship?”

      The second iteration of Reimagine, which was originally shown at the Rubin earlier this year, is on view through February 15.

      Asha Kama Wangdi, VAST Bhutan, “The Windhorse (lungta)” (2024), cloth and metal.

      IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha), sculpture fabricated and engineered by Black Cat Labs, “Calling the Earth to Witness” (2023), acrylic on masonite, steel

      Tsherin Sherpa in collaboration with Bijay Maharjan and Regal Studio Metal casting team, including Durga Shrestha, Sajal Siwakoti, and Sangita Maharjan, “Muted Expressions” (2022), bronze.

      Tsherin Sherpa in collaboration with Bijay Maharjan and Regal Studio Metal casting team, including Durga Shrestha, Sajal Siwakoti, and Sangita Maharjan, “Muted Expressions” (2022), bronze.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 125 Shares107 Views

      in Art

      In Striking Assemblages, Portia Munson Elucidates Societal Constraints on Women

      by

      “Serving Tray #6” (2022), found figurines, string, rope, and serving tray, 29 x 17 1/2 x 18 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography. All images © Portia Munson, courtesy of the artist and P·P·O·W, New York, shared with permission

      In Striking Assemblages, Portia Munson Elucidates Societal Constraints on Women

      November 27, 2024

      ArtSocial Issues

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      From a vast accumulation of found and readymade consumer products, Portia Munson has created elaborate sculptures and installations for more than three decades that explore the thinly veiled messages and codes embedded in mass-produced objects.

      Based in Catskill, New York, the artist first began working with found consumer items like plastic figures and kitsch in 1989 when she presented an early version of a bright pink assemblage titled “Pink Project: Table” for her MFA thesis exhibition at Rutgers University.

      “Pink Project: Bedroom” (2011-ongoing), found pink plastic and synthetic objects along with salvaged pink bedroom furnishings, 96 x 216 x 120 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

      Munson had been collecting pink plastic objects to use as references for paintings, but over time, they began to overtake her studio. “I realized it was a piece unto itself,” she says. “If you have an idea and something you want to express, then you find the medium that’s best going to express those ideas.”

      Pink emerged as a central interest for Munson as she began to interrogate why the color is associated with women, especially babies and young girls. For years, she collected anything that was pink, plastic, and manufactured on a mass scale, often rummaging through knick-knacks at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.

      Over time, Munson’s pieces expanded to include immersive environments constructed entirely from a single color, such as the fabric-draped interior of “Garden” or the Pink Project series that continues through works like “Pink Project: Bedroom.”

      “Bound Angel” (2021), found figurines, lamps, candles, string and rope, wedding gowns as tablecloth, extension cords, and oval table, 192 x 68 x 66 inches. Photo by Lance Brewer

      Tables and serving trays provide platforms for Munson’s seemingly jumbled compositions, bundling numerous figurines together with string and rope, like in her Serving Tray series or the large-scale “Bound Angel.”

      “Serving Tray #6,” for example, presents a mix of ceramic and glass representations of women, tethered with string and perched on a silver platter. Munson describes the group of blindfolded, fettered figures as “sacrificial martyrs, inviting the contemplation of what we are being fed as a culture and who ultimately pays for it.”

      Displayed across the entirety of a cloth-covered oval dining table, “Bound Angel” brings together dozens of found white statuettes and lamps, many of which depict angels. Munson has wrapped rope and string around their bodies and faces, emphasizing the constraints society places on women, illuminating struggles that may be hidden in plain sight.

      Detail of “Bound Angel.” Photo by Lance Brewer

      “This piece is one in a series of works that explore how femininity and the female body are portrayed in our culture,” Munson says in a statement. She adds:

      “Bound Angel” reviles the insatiable, consumerist, sexist, and repressive value systems which degrade society. By bringing these objects together, this piece harnesses their collective power, transforming their original function to pacify, sexualize, and infantilize women into one of retaliation, confrontation, and strength.

      “Bound Angel” will be on view at Art Basel Miami Beach in the Meridians area, a sector of the fair dedicated to large-scale installations, sculptures, and performances. The show runs from December 6 to 8, where Munson’s work will be presented by P·P·O·W. Find more on the artist’s website.

      “Pink Project: Bedroom” (2011-ongoing), found pink plastic and synthetic objects along with salvaged pink bedroom furnishings, 96 x 216 x 120 inches. Photo by Daniel Salemi

      Detail of “Pink Project: Bedroom.” Photo by JSP Art Photography

      “Crescent Moon” (2024), found figurines, string, and thread, 26 x 30 x 8 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

      “The Garden” (1996), found/recycled manufactured synthetic and plastic floral and garden-related objects with salvaged floral bedroom furnishings, dimensions variable

      Detail of “The Garden”

      “Nightstand” (2021), found figurines, lamps, string and rope, and bedside table, 51 1/2 x 34 x 27 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

      “Pink Moon” (2024), found figurines, string, and thread, 18 x 18 x 7 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

      Installation view of “Bound Angel” at P·P·O·W. Photo by Lance Brewer

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 163 Shares189 Views

      in Art

      Through Monumental Installations of Soap and Stones, Jesse Krimes Interrogates the Prison System

      by

      Apokaluptein:16389067″ (2010–2013), cotton sheets, ink, hair gel, graphite, and gouache, 15 x 40 feet. All images courtesy of Jesse Krimes, Jack Shainman Gallery, and The Met, shared with permission

      Through Monumental Installations of Soap and Stones, Jesse Krimes Interrogates the Prison System

      November 21, 2024

      ArtSocial Issues

      Grace Ebert

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Around 2009, Jesse Krimes was sent to solitary confinement while awaiting trial for a drug charge. He had recently graduated from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with an art degree and spent his first year inside Fairton Federal Correctional Institution making. “The one thing they could not take away or control was my ability to create,” he says.

      Like many incarcerated artists, Krimes had to forgo the luxuries of a pristine canvas and set of paints. Instead, he had to be resourceful and utilize the few materials available to him. He began transferring mugshots and small photos printed in The New York Times onto wet remnants of soap bars. He then tucked the blurred, inverse portraits into cut-out decks of playing cards glued together with toothpaste, which created a kind of protective casing that allowed him to smuggle the works out of the facility.

      Detail of “Purgatory” (2009), soap, ink, and playing cards

      The 292 works became “Purgatory,” which considers how we view criminality and references the unwinnable game of living in a carceral society. Having transferred both photos of people sentenced to prison and celebrities like Naomi Campbell and David Letterman, Krimes points to the ways popularized images can exacerbate power imbalances.

      “Purgatory” is currently on view at The Met in Jesse Krimes: Corrections, one of two New York exhibitions of the artist’s work.

      Exploring the role of photography in the criminal justice system, Corrections brings together several of Krimes’ large-scale works, including “Apokaluptein: 16389067.” The 40-foot patchwork mural similarly features imagery taken from newspapers that the artist transferred to 39 prison-issue bedsheets using hair gel. Inverted photographic renderings piece together advertisements, snapshots of global strife, and scenes of life from 2010 to 2013, all overlaid with Krimes’ own drawings.

      The root of apocalypse, apokaluptein is a Greek word translating to “uncover” and “revelation.” Paired with Krimes’ Bureau of Prisons ID number, the title references mass destruction and the mediated view of the world from inside the justice system.

      Detail of “Apokaluptein:16389067” (2010–2013), cotton sheets, ink, hair gel, graphite, and gouache, 15 x 40 feet

      Following his release, Krimes co-founded the Center for Art and Advocacy, which supports artists directly impacted by the justice system, and continues to collaborate with people who are incarcerated, often seeking help in sourcing materials for his work.

      “Naxos,” for example, suspends 9,000 pebbles from prison yards in a vivid installation as a parallel to “Apokaluptein: 16389067” at The Met. And at Jack Shainman Gallery, where Krimes is represented, the artist’s new body of work repurposes clothing gathered from currently and formerly incarcerated people into sweeping tapestries.

      Cells features three abstract works of transferred art historical imagery overlaid with sprawling, network-like embroideries. The webbed pattern is based on microscopic images of cancerous cells, which the artist excised to leave only the healthy tissue intact. By removing these malignancies, he creates an intricate metaphor for the ways the justice system extracts people from society while exploring new pathways toward care and redemption.

      Part of Krimes’ intent for his practice is to pay homage to those inside. “It is an absolute honor to have works that were created in such an austere and traumatic environment on display,” he said about Corrections. “To show these works highlights much more than the work of an individual artist, namely the collective value, creativity, and dignity of the millions of people currently behind prison walls.”

      Cells is on view through December 21 at Jack Shainman Gallery, while Jesse Krimes: Corrections runs through July 13, 2025, at The Met. Find more from Krimes on his website.

      “Unicorn” (2024), used clothing collected from currently and formerly incarcerated people, assorted textiles, embroidery, and image transfer, 109 x 105 x 2 3/4 inches

      Detail of “Unicorn” (2024), used clothing collected from currently and formerly incarcerated people, assorted textiles, embroidery, and image transfer, 109 x 105 x 2 3/4 inches

      Detail of “Purgatory” (2009), soap, ink, and playing cards

      Detail of “Purgatory” (2009), soap, ink, and playing cards

      Detail of “Naxos,” installation view of ‘Jesse Krimes: Corrections’

      Detail of “Naxos,” installation view of ‘Jesse Krimes: Corrections’

      “Stag” (2024), used clothing collected from currently and formerly incarcerated people, assorted textiles, embroidery, image transfer, acrylic paint, 82 x 77 x 2 3/4 inches

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Art

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

      by

      “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

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      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

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 150 Shares139 Views

      in Art

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

      by

      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

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      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.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 150 Shares159 Views

      in Art

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

      by

      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

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      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

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 138 Shares129 Views

      in Art

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

      by

      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

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      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.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Temporary Interventions by Kobra Convey the Critical Impacts of Increasing Wildfires

      by

      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

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      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.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More