metal

Subterms

    Latest story

    88 Shares169 Views

    David Moreno’s Anthropomorphic Foundations Support Cascading Villages

    by

    Detail of “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción.” All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permission

    David Moreno’s Anthropomorphic Foundations Support Cascading Villages

    September 19, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    From thin rods of steel, Barcelona-based artist David Moreno (previously) constructs towering houses and cascading villages that reflect the architecture of our lives. He often incorporates anthropomorphic, anatomical elements, suggesting skeletons or beating hearts.

    For example, “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción,” which translates to “head construction—head under construction,” a hillside-like foundation takes the form of a face. And “Resumen 2020,” meaning “Summary 2020,” is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, assuming the silhouette of a human skull.

    “Resumen 2020”

    Moreno’s sculptures alternate between rigidity and fluidity as he manipulates the thick wire into solid walls or curving arcs, such as in “La vie en rose.” Balanced carefully on columns of scaffolding, gabled structures cling somewhat precariously to their supports, referencing the sprawling, stacked hillside favelas like those in Rio de Janeiro.

    The artist is currently conceptualizing a new three-meter-wide installation for an architecture firm in Miami, and he has been scaling down his larger sculptures into gold and silver pendant designs. Check out more of Moreno’s work on Behance, and follow updates on Instagram.

    “Los Del Extrarradio”

    “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción”

    “El dorado en expansion II”

    “Vanitas”

    “La vie en rose”

    “Conexion de catedral II”

    “Melodía Circular”

    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

    More stories

    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in Art

      John Pai Transforms Steel Into Delicate, Airy Sculptures

      by

      “Shared Destinies” (2014), welded steel, 85.5 x 108 x 85 centimeters. Photos by Geoffrey Quelle. All images © John Pai, courtesy of
      the artist and Gallery Hyundai, shared with permission

      John Pai Transforms Steel Into Delicate, Airy Sculptures

      September 12, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      For more than seventy years, John Pai’s artistic practice has delved into themes ranging from memory and the subconscious to international art forms, East Asian philosophy, and science. Starting in the early 1960s, he began working with steel, investigating both its technical and aesthetic potential through abstract shapes influenced by Constructivism.

      Pai is known for his meticulous and detailed metal sculptures, which weld thin strips in lattices and sheets to create delicate woven textures. A material we typically associate with heavy-duty construction is transformed into intimate works that appear as if they could float on air. Soft curves and gauzy surfaces suggest organic forms or textiles in contrast to industrial applications.

      “Risen, Fallen, Walken” (1987), welded steel, 120 x 109 x 54 centimeters

      Shared Destinies, the artist’s solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai, presents nearly 40 pieces Pai has made throughout the past seven decades. Comprising welded steel sculptures, drawings, and paintings, the show illuminates the artist’s multidisciplinary approach to material, process, and form.

      In the work “Shared Destinies,” for example—which lends the show its name—layers of delicately welded steel suggest a woven basket. Ethereal pieces like “Invocation” bring to mind the undulating, woven wire sculptures of Ruth Asawa. The visible inner structures mirror the universal layers of the human psyche, time, and the artist’s journey of self-exploration.

      Shared Destinies continues through October 20 in Seoul. See more on the gallery’s website.

      “Involution” (1974), welded steel, 98 x 98 x 97 centimeters

      “Forgotten Rule” (1990), welded steel, 92 x 102.5 x 41.8 centimeters

      “Untitled” (1982), welded steel, 86 x 52 x 58 centimeters

      ‘Heaven and Earth’
      series, 1 to 7 (2024), welded steel, variable dimensions

      “Untitled 1970, Entitled 2021” (1970), welded steel, 92 x 92 x 38.9 centimeters

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month.

      Hide ads on website and newsletters

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 10% off in the Colossal Shop

      Members-only newsletter

      1% for art supplies in classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/Month

      $75/Year

      Explore Membership Options More