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      Symmetric Paper Collages by Haegue Yang Commune with the Spiritual

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      “Splashing Volcano Ash Gaze–
      Mesmerizing Mesh #140” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond, framed, 62 x 62 centimeters. All photos by Studio Haegue Yang, courtesy of the artist and The Arts Club of Chicago, shared with permission

      Symmetric Paper Collages by Haegue Yang Commune with the Spiritual

      October 2, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      Known for immersive sculptures and installations that engage the senses, Seoul-born artist Haegue Yang looks toward common materials and traditional craft techniques to explore pressing issues. She often transforms domestic objects like Venetian blinds, electrical fans, and even cans of Spam into dynamic, abstract works that comment on sociopolitical topics like migration, labor, and exile.

      Although the artist has risen to international recognition for her three-dimensional pieces, an exhibition at The Arts Club of Chicago peers into another side of her practice. Flat Works surveys two decades of Yang’s paintings, prints, and collages, including her captivating series, Mesmerizing Mesh.

      “Flower Explosion Radial Folds–Mesmerizing Mesh #124” (2022), Hanji, graph paper on alu-dibond

      Geometric, floral motifs characterize the alluring compositions made from cut and folded hanji, paper derived from mulberry bark. Mesmerizing Mesh references shamanistic traditions, particularly in Korea, Japan, China, and Slavic regions, and what comes from communing with the spirit world.

      According to a statement about the series, the symmetric works allude to “sumun, a sheet hung from the ceiling in rituals…to keep away evil spirits,” while the more figurative, anthropomorphic pieces “resemble soul sheets (nukjeon), in which the shaman blows a spirit treated as the identical entity of the deceased being honored.”

      Like her sculptures, these collages similarly recontextualize a humble, everyday material. Although they’re two-dimensional, the layered works convey depth, each appearing as a kind of portal guiding viewers into an entrancing, mystical realm.

      Flat Works continues through December 20 in Chicago.

      “Fluoroscopic-Powered Fire Bird-Mesmerizing Mesh #130” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond, framed, 62 x 62 centimeters

      “Blood Moon Finger-Pulling Bloom Formation–Mesmerizing Mesh #107” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond

      “Rainbow Mist Germination Soul Sheet–Mesmerizing Mesh #184” (2023), Hanji, washi on alu-dibond

      “Thunder-Powered Ash Entrails Soul Streamers–Mesmerizing Mesh #148” (2022), Hanji on alu-dibond

      “Head Altar Formation–Mesmerizing Mesh #49” (2021), Hanji, graph paper on alu-dibond

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    • 150 Shares139 Views

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      Papier Mâché Bat Masks by Jym Davis Take Wing in Bold Portraits

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      White bat, Florida. All images courtesy of Jym Davis, shared with permission

      Papier Mâché Bat Masks by Jym Davis Take Wing in Bold Portraits

      October 2, 2024

      Art Craft Nature Photography

      Kate Mothes

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      Atlanta-based artist Jym Davis, who also goes by False Face, has a thing for bats. He began making masks of the winged mammals during a series of residencies at national parks in the American West. In Arizona, he learned about Townsend’s big-eared bat and critically threatened species like the pallid bat in Northern California, Oregon, and Idaho.

      “(The Townsend’s big-eared bat’s) scrunched up, wrinkly faces, and huge ears seemed so sculptural and beautifully grotesque to me,” Davis tells Colossal. “The more strange and exotic bats I discovered, the more I was inspired to push my sculpting and painting techniques.”

      Pallid bat, Idaho

      When entering the caves or lava tubes that the bats call home, Davis takes precautions to help protect the animals from contagious diseases and fungi that visitors can track in on their shoes. “In the past century, bats were villainized and intentionally eradicated,” he says. “I think I have a particular fondness for bats because they are so historically misunderstood.”

      Drawn to ancient European festival traditions and materials used for centuries, Davis began making masks as a way to connect his work to history and the land.

      “For instance, I really love sculpting with papier mâché because it goes back hundreds of years,” he says. “I sew bells and ribbons into my outfits because it is another old festival element—even referenced by Shakespeare.” He typically avoids modern materials, especially anything made of plastic.

      Townsend’s big-eared bat, Arizona

      While Davis’s designs are based on real creatures, he often embellishes the masks with bold patterns, colors, and geometries. The pieces are part of a broader, ongoing body of work that he describes as a “menagerie of mythological characters,” which include a series of otherworldly avian creatures called Flood Birds and a grouping inspired by moths and butterflies titled Morph Angels, among others.

      Davis dons the masks amid natural settings and captures each personality in striking photographs and performances. This month, he is headed to Joshua Tree, California, for some photo sessions in preparation for his forthcoming book focused on Morph Angels.

      The artist currently has an albatross mask on view in FORAGE: OCEANS at Dorado 806 Projects in Los Angeles through October 12. Some of his masks are also available for sale on his website, and you can follow updates on Instagram.

      You might also enjoy Ashley Suszczynski’s ongoing documentation of ancient masked traditions.

      Bat, Florida

      Red bat, California

      Bat, Florida

      Pallid bat, Idaho

      White bat, Florida

      Red bat, Idaho

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    • 163 Shares159 Views

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      In YoYo Lander’s Dynamic Portraits, Layers of Stained Paper Capture Light and Shadow

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      Detail of “Hold That Thought #1” (2021), stained, washed and collaged watercolor paper on watercolor paper, 20 x 16 inches. All images courtesy of YoYo Lander, shared with permission

      In YoYo Lander’s Dynamic Portraits, Layers of Stained Paper Capture Light and Shadow

      September 27, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      From individually stained snippets of watercolor paper, YoYo Lander collages elaborate portraits.

      Each work begins with a photo session during which the artist focuses on capturing the sitter’s unique gestures, poses, and expressions. She then combines the reference images into a singular composition that conveys a particular emotion or experience.

      “Kara”

      In a recent body of work, Lander dresses her sitters in the same green sweater, the kindred knit signifying personal and collective growth and transformation. Similar to earlier pieces like “Hold That Thought #1” and “The Parts of Me That Get No Applause #2,” the more recent portraits are dynamic and impeccably constructed to convey light hitting a cheekbone or the shadow of a garment fold. Viewed up close, the textured, layered paper adds immense intricacy and depth to the already lively compositions.

      Many works shown here are included in Lander’s solo show Yesterday Was Hard, which is curated by Superposition Gallery for Phillips Los Angeles and on view until October 11. The artist frequently shares glimpses into her process on Instagram, so head there for more.

      “Hold That Thought #1” (2021), stained, washed, and collaged watercolor paper on watercolor paper, 20 x 16 inches

      Detail of “Naty”

      “The Parts of Me That Get No Applause #2” (2022), stained, washed and collaged watercolor paper on watercolor paper, 24 x 15.5 inches

      Detail of “Helen”

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    • 150 Shares129 Views

      in Art

      Loss, Grief, and Renewal Spring Forth in Ebony G. Patterson’s Paper Assemblages

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      Detail of “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXV” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, spiders, and memorial rosette reading “affliction,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed). Photos by Mikhail Mishin. All images © Ebony G. Patterson, courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, shared with permission

      Loss, Grief, and Renewal Spring Forth in Ebony G. Patterson’s Paper Assemblages

      September 5, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      For more than a decade, the history, lore, science, and symbolism of the garden has been central to the work of Ebony G. Patterson (previously). In the summer of 2023, Patterson’s installation …things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting… at New York Botanical Garden marked an introduction to her series Studies for a vocabulary of loss.

      At this weekend’s Armory Show, the artist shares 24 new pieces from the series in a solo presentation exploring the symbolism of gardens and grief.

      “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXV” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, spiders, and memorial rosette reading “affliction,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)

      For Patterson, the garden is a rich metaphor for the body. She often interrogates themes of visibility and invisibility, navigating the intersections of gender, class, and race within the context of postcolonial space. In her paper assemblages, Patterson combines cutouts of foliage, butterflies, and blossoms with plastic insects and mourning rosettes.

      “Each piece evokes the imagery of memorial wreaths but with text that diverges from traditional funeral associations,” says a statement from moniquemeloche. “Patterson asks us to grapple with the impossibility of loss, reflecting on an extensive vocabulary centered on words like calamity, forgetting, perdition, misery, wound, lack, failure, blot out, debt, hurt, undoing, and havoc.”

      In the context of the garden, the loss and renewal of life are inherent in its natural cycle, and through vibrant and detailed reliefs, Patterson considers the cycle of grief and the potential for life.

      If you’re in New York, you can find Patterson’s solo booth on view from September 6 to 8 at the Javits Center. Find more on the artist’s website.

      “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXIV” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, spiders, and memorial rosette reading “blot out,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)

      “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXII” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, spiders, and memorial rosette reading “forgetting,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)

      “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXVIII” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, and memorial rosette reading “perdition,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)

      Detail of “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXVIII” (2024)

      “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXII” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, spiders, and memorial rosette reading “forgetting,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)

      Detail of “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXII” (2024)

      “Studies for a vocabulary of loss XXIX” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and construction paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, spiders, and memorial rosette reading “lack,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)

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    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in Art

      Sliced Slivers Emanate from Barbara Wildenboer’s Altered Books

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      “An African Survey.” All images © Barbara Wildenboer, shared with permission

      Sliced Slivers Emanate from Barbara Wildenboer’s Altered Books

      September 4, 2024

      Art Craft

      Jackie Andres

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      While heavy, hardcover reference books often embody prestige and historical value, the comprehensive volumes also carry an air of intellectual overload. Filled from cover to cover with extensive and complex concepts, the tomes beckon the Paradox of Knowledge, which states that the more we learn, the more we realize how little we actually know.

      This vexing liminal space between the known and unknown is a driving force for Barbara Wildenboer’s work. The Cape Town-based artist (previously) sources secondhand books that span a wide range of languages, worldviews, and subjects such as philosophy, art, history, music, biology, archaeology, and more. Fascinated by linguistics and systems of writing, Wildenboer aims to decode the ways that we assign meaning to symbols.

      “A World History of Art”

      Scalpel and scissors in hand, Wildenboer transforms countless book pages into narrow, capillary-like slivers that splay outward from the spine. Through these symmetrical sculptures, the artist references other naturally mirrored forms like the brain’s left and right hemispheres linked by the corpus callosum, the wingspan of the death’s-head hawkmoth, and the Rorshach inkblot.

      Wildenboer connects these formal qualities to the process of deciphering texts. Her biography notes, “she cuts through these dense and claustrophobic discourses, rendering them mute.” Instead, she alters books to the point that they’re no longer legible, transforming the once familiar characters into new glyphs.

      See more from the artist on her website and Instagram.

      “Genesis”

      “Cogito Ergo Sum” More

    • 113 Shares189 Views

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      Katrine Hildebrandt Embraces Symmetry in Paper, Wire, and Reed

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      “EQUILIBRIUM” (2023), hand-burnt lines, indigo-dyed reed, and wire on paper, 30 1/4 x 44 inches. All images © Katrina Hildebrandt, shared with permission

      Katrine Hildebrandt Embraces Symmetry in Paper, Wire, and Reed

      September 4, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Katrine Hildebrandt is captivated by geometry and symmetry, drawing on mathematical or scientific diagrams as a starting point for her precise mixed-media compositions. “At the same time, I find beauty in imperfect, non-tangible, and fleeting moments,” she says. “I think my work blends the relationship between the controlled and wild.”

      The Boston-based artist employs natural materials like indigo dye, rattan, and pigmented fabrics. She also uses a wood-burning tool that sears lines into the surface, referencing the duality of permanence and impermanence. The work is “symmetrical yet not perfect,” she says.

      “REFLECTED RIPPLES” (2023), hand-burnt lines, reed, and wire on indigo-dyed paper,30 1/4 x 44 inches

      Hildebrandt creates color from natural sources, and while the dyes are as lightfast as possible, she embraces the inevitable changes due to time and the elements. “Nothing is permanent, nothing is perfect” she says, “life and the work is in constant flux.”

      Beginning each piece by loosely sketching compositions on paper, Hildebrandt intuitively selects the materials based on the color or texture she’d like to achieve. “I always leave room for play and interpretation throughout the entire process,” she says. With meticulous and methodical attention to detail, the artist starts in the center of the paper and works outward to map the composition, using repetition to create a sense of visual rhythm and harmony.

      With the help of her studio assistant, artist Ciara Scales, Hildebrandt is working toward a number of projects, including an exhibition with Uprise Art scheduled to open in June next year and SCOPE Art Fair in Miami this December with Soapbox Arts. If you’re in New York, you can also find her work presented by Uprise Art at Art on Paper this weekend.

      Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      “MIRRORED RIPPLE” (2023), hand-burnt lines, reed, and wire on paper, 21 x 30 1/4 inches

      Detail of “MIRRORED RIPPLE”

      “DISTORT” (2023), hand-burnt lines and indigo ink on paper, 12 x 10 inches

      Detail of “EQUILIBRIUM”

      “DOUBLE VISION” (2023), hand-burnt lines, indigo ink, reed, and wire on paper, 12 x 10 inches

      Detail of “REFLECTED RIPPLES”

      “MIRROR” (2023), hand-burnt lines, indigo ink, reed, wire, and oak on paper, 10 x 12 inches

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