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      Strength: Pejac Honors Spain’s Health Workers with a Moving Trio of Interventions

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      Art

      #COVID-19
      #painting
      #public art
      #trompe l’oeil

      October 16, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Overcoming.” All images © Pejac, shared with permission
      On the campus of University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla in Santander, Spain, a trio of interventions by street artist Pejac (previously) simultaneously responds to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and offers potential paths for healing. The new series, titled Strength, is Pejac’s direct response to the 50,000 people who have died from the virus in his home country. “The idea of the Strength project arises as a gesture of gratitude to the health workers of Valdecilla, for their work in general and during this Covid crisis in particular. Offering them what I do best, which is painting,” the artist says.
      In “Social Distancing” (shown below), a horde of people escape from a crevice in the building’s facade. The trompe l’oei artwork is a multi-layered metaphor for the ways the virus has ruptured society and the necessity of community care and compassion. “Caress” features two silhouettes standing six-feet apart, with Monet-style reflections on the ground nearby. The figures, which represent a patient and doctor, stretch their hands toward each other.
      Pejac worked in collaboration with young oncology patients to complete the third piece, titled “Overcoming” (shown below), in which a child perched on a wheelchair recreates Van Gogh’s “Wheat Field with Cypresses.” “This is something that we, as a society could do—take this crisis and use it to propel us forward,” he says.
      Watch the heartwarming video below that captures the works-in-progress, and find more about the tribute on Pejac’s Instagram.

      “Social Distancing”
      “Social Distancing”
      “Caress”
      “Caress”
      “Social Distancing”
      “Social Distancing”
      “Overcoming”
      “Overcoming”

      “Overcoming”
      “Social Distancing”
      

      #COVID-19
      #painting
      #public art
      #trompe l’oeil

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      Antidote: Organic Lifeforms Rendered with Prussian Blue Create Vivid Ecosystems by Yellena James

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      Art

      #acrylic
      #coral
      #flowers
      #gouache
      #ink
      #nature
      #painting

      October 6, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Yellena James, courtesy of Stephanie Chefas Projects, shared with permission
      Using a combination of acrylics, gouache, and ink, Yellena James cultivates brightly-hued ecosystems ripe with lines, patterns, and nature-based motifs. The Portland-based artist paints organic forms that resemble both marine species like coral and kelp in addition to full-bloom flowers, creating brilliant, labyrinth-like ecosystems. Although Prussian blue ink has been a mainstay in James’s practice for years, she recently discovered that the specific color serves as a remedy for certain toxic metal poisonings. This realization spurred the series shown here, which is aptly named Antidote. Each work features the vibrant hue in some capacity.
      If you’re in Portland, check out James’s solo show at Stephanie Chefas Projects through October 10. To see the artist’s works in progress, head to Instagram, and try your hand at similar drawings with James’s book, Star, Branch, Spiral, Fan: Learn to Draw from Nature’s Perfect Design Structures. (via Supersonic Art)

      #acrylic
      #coral
      #flowers
      #gouache
      #ink
      #nature
      #painting

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      Minimal Female Figures Explore Community, Identity, and Connection in Laura Berger’s Paintings

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      Art

      #body
      #identity
      #painting

      October 5, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “In my feelings” (2020), oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches. All images © Laura Berger, shared with permission
      In Laura Berger’s minimalist paintings, female figures entwine together in abstract formations. Their dark locks flow with the curves of their bodies, which are posed in relaxed, natural stances. Using tight color palettes of muted tones, Berger works mostly in acrylic, although she’s ventured into oil since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m not sure if it’s related to everything that’s been going on in the world or to the shift in medium itself, but my ideas have been moving in a more narrative direction which has really opened up a lot of new things for me to work with,” she tells Colossal.
      The Chicago-based artist (previously) continues to explore themes of identity, community, and connection, in addition to more abstract conceptions of energy and quality of life, throughout her largely geometric body of work. “As a woman, I usually paint from that perspective point, but the figures are really meant mostly to serve as characters through which to explore our collective humanity and shared experience,” she says.
      If you’re in New York City, check out Berger’s solo show, which is open from November 21 to December 12, at Hashimoto Contemporary. Otherwise, follow her on Instagram to see her latest considerations of the female experience.

      “We wanted to feel the light” (2019), acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches
      Left: “If I were you” (2019), acrylic on wood panel, 30 x 40 inches. Right: “If I were you 2” (2019), acrylic on wood panel, 30 x 40 inches
      “Mood” (2020), oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches
      Left: “If I were you 3” (2019), acrylic on wood panel, 30 x 40 inches. Right: “Night fruit” (2020)
      “Strata” (2019), acrylic on cradled wood panel, 16 x 20 inches

      #body
      #identity
      #painting

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      Chrome Faces Protrude from Drippy, Graffiti Backdrops in Hyperrealistic Paintings by Artist Kip Omolade

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      Art

      #chrome
      #hyperrealism
      #masks
      #painting
      #portraits

      September 28, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Luxury Graffiti Kace I,” oil, spray paint and acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches. All images © Kip Omolade, shared with permission
      Set on a graffitied backdrop, the chrome masks Kip Omolade (previously) paints appear to emerge from the canvas, jutting out from the vibrant display to confront the viewer. The Harlem-born artist layers dripping colors and typographic markings that contrast the smooth, gleaming faces protruding from the center for his new series Masks: Portraits of Times Square and Luxury Graffiti, which he completed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, he explains the history of the collection:
      In New York City during the ’80s, my tag was ‘Kace’ and I would ‘get up’ on MTA subway car interiors, public walls in Brooklyn, and graffiti black books. Throughout the ’90s, I never stopped tagging. Even when I was painting from life, I was still tagging here and there in random spaces. Years later, I produced a real-life ‘Kace’—when my twin sons were born, I named them Kent and Kace. The ‘Kace’ tags in these paintings reference NYC subway ‘bombing’ of the ’80s, but mostly it’s about legacy. I want my work to represent our shared experiences of the past, present, and future.
      Omolade’s process includes sculpting a resin mold of a chosen subject, which he then covers with chrome and uses as a reference for his hyperrealistic portraits. Many of the masks are reflective, revealing a hidden landscape. In Omolade’s self-portrait (shown below), an American flag in the shape of a bullseye marks his forehead, a nod to racial injustices in the United States.
      To see more of Omolade’s works, check out his virtual solo show at Jonathan LeVine Projects through October 4 and head to his Instagram.

      “Luxury Graffiti Self-Portrait (COVID-19),” oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
      “Luxury Graffiti Kent I,” oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
      “Luxury Graffiti Kent I,” oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
      “American Love,” oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
      “Red Stare,” oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
      

      #chrome
      #hyperrealism
      #masks
      #painting
      #portraits

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      Subjects Undertake Futile Pursuits in Satirical Paintings by Artist Toni Hamel

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      Art

      #flowers
      #humor
      #nature
      #painting
      #satire

      September 16, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Loves Me Loves Me Not” (2020), oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches. All images © Toni Hamel, shared with permission
      Based in Oshawa, a suburb of Toronto, artist Toni Hamel (previously) is concerned with human morality—or lack thereof. In her subtly hued artworks, Hamel portrays subjects in the midst of futile and trivial pursuits: children pluck stars from the night sky, a couple attempts to reconstruct a flower after its petals have fallen, and a young family literally watches wet paint dry. Many of the satirical pieces consider socially accepted anthropocentrism and the relationship people have with the surrounding environemnt.
      Since 2017, Hamel has been adding to High Tides and Misdemeanors, an ongoing series that is intentionally political. “It confronts us with the repercussions of our actions and denounces the current thinking models. In this age of alternative realities, ‘fake news’ and a culture that is increasingly more self-absorbed and superficial, I feel that it’s even more important for me to carry on reporting what I must,” she writes.
      Explore more of Hamel’s visual commentaries on culture and politics on Instagram.

      “The Harvest” (2020), oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches
      “The Prototype 1” (2020), oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches
      “The Spill” (2020), oil on canvas, 12 x 10 inches
      “Family Night In Kodachrome” (2020), oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches
      “The Replacement” (2019), oil on canvas, 14 x 18 inches
      “Ikebana 1” (2019), oil on canvas, 18 x 18 inches
      “Ikebana 3” (2020), oil on canvas, 18 x 18 inches

      #flowers
      #humor
      #nature
      #painting
      #satire

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      Painted on Front Pages, Lisa Törner’s Evocative Animals Astutely Comment on Major News Stories

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      Lisa Törner repurposes the front pages of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the French weekly Le Canard Enchainé into inky canvases for her expressive creatures. For each edition, the Stockholm-based artist offers insightful commentary on the day’s events: a pensive monkey masks an article about bankers on Wall Street, a turquoise peacock adorns the coverage of Karl Lagerfield’s death, and a slinking leopard is rendered alongside a heartwrenching story about a mother and child, who were separated more than 50 years ago. More More

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      A Prismatic Installation with Giant, Abstract Forms Sweeps Across a Berlin Museum

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      Art

      #abstract
      #installation
      #painting

      September 1, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “It Wasn’t Us“ (2020), Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart. All images © Katharina Grosse, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 202o. Photos by Jens Ziehe
      Katharina Grosse’s latest installation transcends the boundaries of the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart as it erupts into a sprawling kaleidoscope. From varicolored surges inside to the vast paintings on the ground and nearby outdoor walls, “It Wasn’t Us” is an expansive artwork on the site of a former railway building. As visitors walk throughout the work, the abstract forms swell in various directions, creating a new visual at each angle. “I painted my way out of the building,” Grosse (previously) said about the site-specific project.
      “It Wasn’t Us” will be on view at the Berlin museum until October 1, 2021, and if you can’t experience it in person, watch the immersive video and interview with the artist below. To dive further into Grosse’s work, purchase a copy of her forthcoming monograph or check out her Instagram. (via designboom)

      

      #abstract
      #installation
      #painting

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      Rooted in Chicago’s Culture, Technicolor Paintings by Artist Max Sansing Explore Revelation

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      Art

      #Chicago
      #painting

      August 19, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Join Me” (2020), oil, spray paint, and enamel on panel, 20 × 20 inches. All images © Max Sansing, shared with permission
      Through a series of brightly hued paintings titled Lost & Found, Max Sansing examines the human desire for happiness and peace through a distinct sense of place. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, the artist is known for vibrant murals, which you can explore on Instagram, and smaller-scale artworks (shown here) that are rooted in the culture that’s unique to the city.
      Each of Sansing’s paintings focus on a single subject who is overlayed with a thick brushstroke or whispy feather. The artist tells Colossal that the central characters are in the midst of a revelation, having just experienced or realized a needed adjustment. “I think at some point in most Chicagoans’ lives, you come to a point where you need a change. Either Chicago does that for you, or you do it for yourself. Finding that and unlocking those new pathways is a huge part of life,” Sansing says.
      Many of the works that are part of Lost & Found hearken back to the artist’s upbringing. “Rapture,” in particular, features Anita Baker in the background, a gesture toward the R&B singer’s tunes that would reverberate throughout the neighborhood Sansing grew up in during the 1980s. In the same piece, though, a bullet propels toward a young boy’s head. “The threat of gang violence in the early 90s was kind (of) like a wake-up call out of adolescence,” the artist says, and a reality for many Black boys and men in the United States.
      Sansing isn’t without hope, though. The artist writes, “I think we all want that moment in life to finally have clarity, peace, happiness, and in the end, that’s what a lot of civil unrest is about. Folks just wanna live and be. And some want that for others who can’t have it due to hate and systemic roadblocks.” As a whole, Lost & Found embodies the revelations necessary to bring justice and allow communities to thrive. “To quote the show title,” Sansing says, “these things are lost for some, and we have to find it.” (via Supersonic Art)

      “Keygen”(2020), oil, spray paint, and enamel on panel, 30 × 30 inches
      “Rapture (Same Ole Love)” (2020), oil, acrylic, spray paint, and enamel on canvas, 36 × 38 inches
      “Feather Weight” (2020), oil, acrylic, spray paint, and enamel on panel, 33 × 24 inches
      “Soldier On”(2020), oil, acrylic, spray paint, and enamel on panel, 12 × 12 inches
      “Recovered” (2020), oil, acrylic, spray paint, and enamel on panel, 30 × 30 inches

      #Chicago
      #painting

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