miniature

Subterms

    Latest story

    113 Shares79 Views

    Frank Kunert’s Uncanny Photos Chronicle a Surreal Miniature World

    by

    All images © Frank Kunert, shared with permission

    Frank Kunert’s Uncanny Photos Chronicle a Surreal Miniature World

    May 1, 2025

    ArtPhotography

    Kate Mothes

    Share

    Pin

    Email

    Bookmark

    It’s hard to imagine a welcome mat being rolled out at the entrance to a Secret Service compound, let alone a table for two perched atop a diving platform in the middle of winter. But for Frank Kunert, these unsettling scenarios happen practically every day, albeit on a very small scale.

    Kunert’s photographs (previously) capture a range of structures and interiors that for myriad reasons, feel just a little bit “off.” Whether it’s a racetrack’s snack stand interrupting one of the running lanes, a solo dining table stuck out in the snow, or an idyllic yet impossibly narrow apartment complex, the artist’s hand-built miniature sets explore where familiarity and the uncanny meet.

    Tapping into the absurdities of everyday life, Kunert plays with architecture, quotidian objects, customs, and our associations with home or public spaces. His elaborate models appear realistic enough at first glance, but upon closer inspection, we notice things that challenge our sense of scale and material, like chalk lines on a racetrack or powdered sugar-like snow.

    Kunert meticulously designs the lighting, furniture, wall coverings, and outdoor settings to give the impression of a reality turned sideways—sometimes literally. His compositions possess a dark, ironic undertone, prompting us to pause and suspect, for example, whether what’s on the other side of the nondescript door labeled “FUN” is actually as advertised. People are never present, but we can imagine customers having just left a restaurant or a homeowner sitting just inside a closed door.

    Kunert is currently working on a series titled Dreams Come True, some images from which are shown here, which will be compiled in a book or exhibitions down the line. And later this month, Hatje Cantz releases a new monograph, The Best of Frank Kunert, now available for pre-order. Explore more on the artist’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

    More stories

    • 175 Shares145 Views

      in Art

      From Miniature to Massive, Boundless Landscapes Spill Out of Frame in Barry Hazard’s Paintings

      by

      “Whirlwind” (2023), 7 x 9 x 1.5 inches. Images © the artist, shared with permission

      From Miniature to Massive, Boundless Landscapes Spill Out of Frame in Barry Hazard’s Paintings

      April 28, 2025

      Art

      Jackie Andres

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Confined within tiny, ornate frames until inevitably spilling over the edge, Barry Hazard’s expansive landscapes are “spaces for reflecting, contemplation, and surrendering to something larger and more timeless than us,” he says.

      Inspired by vast notions such as the relationship between humans and nature and ecological conflict, Hazard (previously) translates broad themes into miniature works. The Brooklyn-based artist employs tiny frames, wood panel, and acrylic to depict a multitude of scenes from mudslides and flower farms to glaciers and snowy roads. With so much contained in such small compositions, Hazard describes his process as “a simple way to rapidly engage in an artistic process, with an ultra-manageable scale.”

      “Flower Farm” (2024), 6 x 5 x 7 inches

      Last year for New York’s Upstate Art Weekend, the artist expanded upon his miniature work, delving into a project on the opposite end of the scale of proportions. “Walk-In Painting” culminates Hazard’s carpentry and muralist experience, uniquely activating his otherwise tiny paintings. Viewers are able to step into a rolling scenery teeming with vibrant blooms, tufts of bushes, and sweeping mountains in the distance, creating an experience that is “both fictional and non-fictional,” the artist explains.

      Hazard has also ventured into the realm of batch production through the technique of resin casting. While the artist typically uses more traditional materials for his small works, he has been able to create a sizable amount of gifts for friends and family by creating numerous blank casted bases before painting each by hand.

      Find more work on the artist’s website, and take a look into his process on Instagram.

      “Mudslide” (2024), 9 x 7 x 2 inches

      “Walk-In Painting” (2024), 8 x 10 x 7 feet

      “Purple Plain” (2023), 1 x 1.5 inches

      “Sunset Glacier” (2023), 9 x 8 x 2 inches

      “Flood Zone” (2024), 8 x 7 x 3 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

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Simon Laveuve’s 1/35-Scale Dwellings Hint at a Post-Apocalyptic Way of Life

      by

      “Temple” (2025), mixed media. All images courtesy of Simon Laveuve, shared with permission

      Simon Laveuve’s 1/35-Scale Dwellings Hint at a Post-Apocalyptic Way of Life

      February 3, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Whether slathered with graffiti, overgrown with moss, or decorated with found knick-knacks, Simon Laveuve’s sculptures hint at anonymous lives. Even though we never see those who inhabit the eclectic miniature dwellings (previously), the artist invites us to examine an alternative way of life.

      Crafted at 1/35 scale, tiny tables, windows, paintings, and other objects fill multi-story rooms and mezzanines. In his most recent works, Laveuve continues his characteristic assemblage-like style, imagining a post-apocalyptic reality where basic belongings provide for a simple life.

      Detail of “D’un bout à l’autre”

      In “D’un bout à l’autre,” for example, which translates to “from one end to the other” the structure appears to have risen from the pier of a long-destroyed bridge. Its swampy base contains old tires and other detritus, while above, a narrow, three-story shack includes basic amenities.

      In this imagined existence, there is presumably no electricity grid or internet, a windmill provides enough power for a fan and a refrigerator, and a tank stores water. Laveuve taps into a kind of “future past,” turning to equipment and methods many of us view as obsolete today, like gramophones and metal milk jugs.

      If you’re in Paris, you can see Laveuve’s solo exhibition Voir Loin at Loo & Lou Gallery through March 1. His work is also included in Small Is Beautiful, which is currently on view in Taipei. Discover more miniature worlds on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      “D’un bout à l’autre” (2025), mixed media, 52 x 40 x 31 centimeters

      Detail of “D’un bout à l’autre”

      “D’un bout à l’autre”

      Detail of “D’un bout à l’autre”

      “La Volière” (2025), mixed media

      Detail of “La Volière”

      “Temple” (2025), mixed media

      Detail of “Temple”

      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

    • 113 Shares159 Views

      in Art

      Inside Miniature Dioramas, Flying Saucers Drift Across Extraterrestrial Landscapes

      by

      All images © A House of Wonders, shared with permission

      Inside Miniature Dioramas, Flying Saucers Drift Across Extraterrestrial Landscapes

      December 6, 2024

      ArtCraft

      Jackie Andres

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Within the confines of a small, ovoid frames, Caroline Dewison, of A House of Wonders, crafts miniature scenes laden with remarkable detail. Building upon previous mystical vistas inspired by the woodlands surrounding her studio in Warrington, England, the artist’s most recent ventures forge a deeper path toward the otherworldly.

      Hovering above minuscule streams and valleys, UFOs contrast sharply against Dewison’s hand-painted nature scenes. The artist has been fascinated by the possibility of beings on other planets since childhood and continues to explore this speculation.

      “In my lifetime, it’s gone from there being just us to scientists finding hundreds and thousands of exoplanets, many with the possibility of life,” she explains. “I would like to think that we’re not alone.” Within each diorama, the flying saucers are cleverly affixed to jut outward from two-dimensional backgrounds, furthering a sense of depth.

      Along with revisiting her lifelong interest in the extraterrestrial, the artist has also rekindled her relationship with automata. She relishes problem-solving and the logistical aspects of constructing kinetic pieces, sharing, “I love working out how to create a moving piece of art and really enjoy engineering the mechanism to add life to my work.” As a result, the tiny UFOs make a dynamic appearance as well, rotating and drifting above foreign crop circles and thickets of pine.

      While Dewison still mainly works with laser-cut plywood, Jesmonite, acrylic paint, clay, and a 3D-printing pen, she is also working on constructing new designs for frames.

      A busy year is ahead of the artist. Dewison’s work is currently on view as part of Small Works | Big Impact at Momentum Gallery in Asheville, and later this month, her dioramas will be featured in the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Melbourne with Beinart Gallery. Find Dewison’s miniatures for sale in her shop, A House of Wonders, and keep an eye on Instagram for new work, upcoming shows, and more.

      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 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Magic and Whimsy Abound from Shannon Taylor’s Fantastic Watercolor Dioramas

      by

      All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission

      Magic and Whimsy Abound from Shannon Taylor’s Fantastic Watercolor Dioramas

      October 29, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Tucked inside vintage compacts are magical worlds of whimsy and mischief carefully concocted by Shannon Taylor. The Oakland-based artist (previously) transforms antique vessels into lush breeding grounds for fantastic creatures, spirited gatherings, and the occasional vampiric character.

      Taylor’s solo exhibition Night Market opens at Hashimoto Contemporary next month with a stunning collection of works that peek into the strange happenings occurring after darkness.

      Meticulously cut with a precision knife from watercolor paintings, each miniature scene lures the viewer into an enchanting environment that appears much more robust than its inches-wide frame. Taylor’s recent works conjure intricately layered narratives of supernatural rituals and a moon passionate about her own likeness, which, at the right angle, is reflected in the mirrored pond below.

      Night Market runs from November 9 to 30 in Los Angeles. Until then, find more from Taylor on 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

      Next article More