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An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

by Aurelia Butler 6 June 2025, 20:51

“Utopian Visions of Hope” (2025). All images courtesy of Sapar Contemporary, shared with permission

An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

June 6, 2025

ArtClimate

Grace Ebert

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In Symbiotic Utopia, Agus Putu Suyadnya imagines a future in which tropical ecosystems not unlike those of Southeast Asia become sites for humanity to commune with nature.

Surrounded by verdant foliage and moss-covered roots that seem to glow with blue and green fuzz, a recurring astronaut figure approaches each scene with comfort and ease. In one work, the suited character cradles a chimpanzee à la notable conservationist Jane Goodall and waves a large bubble wand to create trails of the iridescent orbs in another. And in “Cosmic Self Healing,” the figure sits in a comfortable chair, a large potted plant at his side. This typical domestic scene, though, is situated on the moon, and Earth’s swirling atmosphere appears behind him.

“Cosmic Self Healing” (2022)

While alluring in color and density, Suyadnya’s paintings are surreal and portend an eerie future irredeemably impacted by the climate crisis. The astronaut, after all, is fully covered in a protective capsule, a sign that people can only survive with this critical adaptation. “Humans cannot live without nature,” the artist says, “whereas the natural world without mankind will continue to survive. So why, as humans, do we think we have the upper hand?”

Symbiotic Utopia is on view through July 7 at Sapar Contemporary in New York. Find more from Suyadnya on Instagram.

Detail of “Cosmic Self Healing” (2022)

“A Hug for Hope”

“Steady Humility Wins Every Time” (2025)

“Yearning for Home” (2024)

“Playful Nature is the Future” (2024)

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In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Tends to the Garden of Consciousness
by Aurelia Butler 29 May 2025, 14:15
“Magnetic” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 23.62 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and DCG Contemporary, shared with permission
In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Tends to the Garden of Consciousness
May 29, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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With scenic vistas for faces, blossoms for eyes, or nothing but coral above the shoulders, Rafael Silveira’s surreal portraits summon aspects of human consciousness that span the spectrum of the wonderful and the weird. The Brazilian artist describes his work as “a profound dive into the human mind,” merging flowers, landscapes, and uncanny hybrid features into visages that channel humor with a slightly sinister undertone.
Silveira’s forthcoming solo exhibition, Agricultura Cósmica at DCG Contemporary, traverses “the fertile terrain of the subconscious,” the gallery says. “With a nod to pop surrealism and the uncanny, his work imagines the mind as a garden where thoughts are seeds and images (are) the wildflowers that sprout.”
“PLEEESE” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 23.62 inches
Silveira works predominantly in oil, using panel or canvas as a surface and occasionally surrounding his works with ornate, hand-carved wooden frames. The sculptural details of the frames, like an anatomical heart in “Eyeconic Couple” or an all-seeing eye topping “A Crocância do Tempo” — “the crunchiness of time” in Portuguese — read like talismans.
Many of Silveira’s compositions begin with a traditional head-and-shoulders portrait composition as a starting point, but instead of skin we see a distant horizon, like in “Magnetic,” or a figure’s head supplanted by a stalk of coral or a column of fire. Other pieces omit the human outline altogether in amusing arrangements of vivid flowers, which suggest wide eyes and addled expressions. While human forms shed their emotional autonomy as they converge with their surroundings, the flora in works like “OMG” and “PLEEESE” are a profusion of awe and desire.
Agricultura Cósmica opens in London on June 12 and continues through July 10. The show runs concurrently alongside an exhibition titled Plural by embroidery artist Flavia Itiberê. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Eyeconic Couple” (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 15.75 × 35.43 inches
“Inside Out” (2025), oil on canvas, 35.4 x 31.5 inches
“A Crocância do Tempo” (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 35.4 x 31.5 inches
“The Artifice of Eternity” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 31.5 inches
“OMG” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 23.62 inches
“Paixão Ardente” (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 35.4 x 31.5 inches
“The Roots of Reality” (2025), oil on canvas, 35.4 x 31.5 inches
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A Unique Portfolio of Hilma af Klint’s Botanical Drawings Communes with Nature’s Spiritual Side
by Aurelia Butler 21 May 2025, 15:01
“Woodrush, Viola, Golden Saxifrage, Field Horsetail, Marsh Marigold, Lesser Celandine, Sedge (Frylet, Violen, Gullpudran, Åkerfräknet, Kabelöken, Svalörten, Starrgräset)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 9/16 inches. All images courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, shared with permission
A Unique Portfolio of Hilma af Klint’s Botanical Drawings Communes with Nature’s Spiritual Side
May 21, 2025
ArtHistoryNature
Kate Mothes
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With the Industrial Revolution in full swing at the turn of the 20th century, jobs and opportunities attracted people to burgeoning cities. New technologies were being developed at breakneck speed and discoveries within the natural sciences introduced people to invisible yet potent concepts like radio waves and X-rays.
During this period of social transformation, philosophical or occult religious movements like Spiritualism and Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy offered ways to not only connect within a like-minded community but to explore the afterlife—the so-called spirit world—and the very fabric of the universe.
“Sunflower (Solrosen)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 3/4 × 10 9/16 inches
For Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), like many who sought refuge and inspiration in these belief systems, a spiritual link to her surroundings united her with the natural world during “a period of massive change…as people from all levels of society were searching for something new to hold on to,” Johan af Klint and Hedvig Ersman wrote about the Swedish artist’s spiritual journey.
Now on view at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers highlights the institution’s recent acquisition of a phenomenal, 46-leaf portfolio called Nature Studies.
During the spring and summer of 1919 and 1920, af Klint recorded Sweden’s seasonal flora, from lilies of the valley and sunflowers to violets and cherry blossoms. Beyond traditional botanical studies, the artist incorporates her characteristic abstractions and diagrams, surrounding each rendering with esoteric annotations and geometries.
“One has to think of the realm of the nature spirits as the realm of thought; these entities hover around us, some like driving winds, others like soft summer breezes,” af Klint once said.
“Lily of The Valley, Water Avens, Common Milkwort (Liljekonvaljen, Fårkummern, Jungfrulinet)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches
Grids with unique color relationships or energetic spirals accompany renderings of field woodrush or marsh marigold, and tree specimens are paired with dotted checkerboards. “Through these forms, af Klint seeks to reveal, in her words, ‘what stands behind the flowers,’” the museum says, “reflecting her belief that studying nature uncovers truths about the human condition.”
What Stands Behind the Flowers continues through September 27 and is accompanied by a catalogue that is slated for release on Tuesday. Find your copy on Bookshop, and plan your visit to MoMA on the museum’s website.
“Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem, Lungwort, Coltsfoot, Nailwort, Pasqueflower (Vårlöken, Lungörten, Hästhoförten, Nagelörten, Backsippan)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 9/16 inches
“Common Lime (Linden)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches
“Tulip (Tulpanen)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1920), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches
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In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint
by Aurelia Butler 22 April 2025, 20:09
“Makahiya IX” (2025),
acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches. All photos by Julieta Christy Sarmiento, courtesy of The Mission Projects, shared with permission
In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint
April 22, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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When touched, the hypersensitive makahiya plant folds its minuscule leaflets inward, protecting itself from any potential threat.
Florence Solis draws on this defensive response in an ethereal collection of portraits. Beginning with digital collages that meld figures and delicate, organic ornaments, the Filipino-Canadian artist translates the imagined forms to the canvas. Shrouded in dainty, beaded veils or entwined with botanicals, each protagonist appears bound and concealed, their bodies and faces obscured by hair or grass.
“Sirena” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
As Solis sees it, the figures may be restricted, but they’re also able to find strength and transformation. “Filipino women, much like the makahiya, have been taught to yield, to soften, to take up less space,” she says. “And yet, beneath this quietness lies an undeniable force—one that persists, adapts, and reclaims space in its own way.”
Working in saturated, often single-color palettes, Solis renders figures who appear to harness magical powers. She references Filipino folklore and the belief in the power of the everyday to lead to the divine, painting women rooted in tradition and myth, yet determined to see their transformation through.
The vivid portraits shown here will be on view at EXPO CHICAGO this week with The Mission Projects. Find more from Solis on Instagram.
“Sa Lupa (On Ground)” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
“Totem” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
“Makahiya VIII” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches
“Makahiya VII” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches
“Alay (Offering)” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches
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An Ikebana Artist and His Student Sow an Unconventional Approach to Flower Arranging
by Aurelia Butler 12 April 2025, 17:45
Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves. All photos by Maximilian Geuter, courtesy the artists and Kunstverein München, shared with permission
An Ikebana Artist and His Student Sow an Unconventional Approach to Flower Arranging
April 12, 2025
ArtNature
Grace Ebert
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“I want to explode the idea of beautiful ikebana,” says Kosen Ohtsubo, one of the foremost conceptual artists working in the Japanese tradition.
Since the 1970s, Ohtsubo has been unsettling the ancient art of flower arranging. Incorporating atypical botanicals like cabbage leaves or weaving in unconventional materials like bathtubs and scrap metal, the artist approaches making with the mindset of a jazz musician, a genre he frequently listens to while working. Improvisation and experimentation are at the core, along with an unquenchable desire for the unexpected.
Detail of Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves
An exhibition at Kunstverein München in Munich pairs Ohtsubo with Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham who, after discovering the ikebana icon’s work in a book in 2013, became his student. Titled Flower Planet—which references a sign that hangs outside Ohtsubo’s Tokorozawa home and studio—the show presents various sculptures and installations that invite viewers to consider fragility, decay, and the elusive qualities of beauty and control.
Given the ephemeral nature of the materials, photography plays an important role in most ikebana practices as it preserves an arrangement long after it has wilted. This exhibition, therefore, pairs images of earlier works with new commissions, including Ohtsubo’s standout orb titled “Linga München.” Nested in a bed of soil and leaves, the large-scale sculpture wraps willow with metal structures and positions a small candle within its center.
Similarly immersive is “Willow Rain,” which suspends thin branches from the ceiling. Subverting the way we typically encounter fields of growth, the work is one of many in the exhibition that seeds questions about our relationship to the natural world and the limits of human control.
Flower Planet is on view through April 21. Explore Ohstubo’s vast archive on Instagram.
Detail of Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves
Kosen Ohtsubo, “Willow Rain” (2025), 800 basket willow branches, metal frame
Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, “Corruption”
Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, “Penny Waking up from a Dream” (2025), carrot, Chinese long bean,reflecting sphere, Japanese woven bamboo basket
Detail of Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, “Penny Waking up from a Dream” (2025), carrot, Chinese long bean, reflecting sphere, Japanese woven bamboo basket
Detail of Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves
Kosen Ohtsubo, “怪芋III / Strange Callas III” (2025), Calla lily, willow, custom-designed iron box
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Wondrous and Mischievous Misfits Populate Rhea Mack’s Bubblegum Daydreams
by Aurelia Butler 4 April 2025, 20:40
All images courtesy of Rhea Mack, shared with permission
Wondrous and Mischievous Misfits Populate Rhea Mack’s Bubblegum Daydreams
April 4, 2025
ArtIllustration
Grace Ebert
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On candy-colored paper, Rhea Mack draws a world in which all misfits are welcome. The Massachusetts-based artist lovingly renders curious characters with three heads, flowers growing from their palms, or a penchant for plump, strawberry hats.
Mack has a soft spot for these strange oddballs who develop organically, often springing from her Sunday morning sessions seemingly on their own accord. “I usually start drawing, and they just kind of develop over a few hours. I sometimes have a certain feeling or pose in mind, but mostly I am just making it up as I go,” she says.
This intuitive, accommodating attitude influences much of her process, including the decision to draw on pink paper simply “because it made sense,” she says. Mack chooses other materials similarly. “The colored pencil pinks I use in my drawings are very buttery and just feel nice to draw with,” she adds.
As if emerging from a favorite fairytale—creating a children’s book is on Mack’s mind—the drawings twist common plants and animals like dogs and daisies into surreal fantasies. Each is packed with small moments of intrigue and playful patterns like stripes and dots.
In one work, for example, a full human skeleton and dozens of single eyes float from a figure’s gaze, while a pink pup leaps overhead. Another features a quintet bound by a rainbow dress, their bulbous, beige coifs fused together like the clouds above.
Mack’s solo exhibition Massachusetts Dreaming opens next week at Kyst Gallery in Dragor, Denmark, and is on view through May 8. Find prints in her shop, and follow her work on Instagram. (via WePresent)
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in Art
Otherworldly Flowers Emerge from Darkness in Clara Lacy’s Meticulous Graphite Drawings
by Aurelia Butler 1 April 2025, 19:55
“Hypnos.” All images courtesy of Clara Lacy, shared with permission
Otherworldly Flowers Emerge from Darkness in Clara Lacy’s Meticulous Graphite Drawings
April 1, 2025
ArtNature
Kate Mothes
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Nature has always been a subject of fascination for Clara Lacy, who roamed the fields and streams around her home in Hampshire when she was young, spurring an interest in studying biology. Art also emerged as a way for her to channel her interest in animals and plants, tapping into the long-held tradition of artists documenting flora and fauna for science.
As she moved around to different parts of the world, with stints in Hong Kong and Sydney before returning to the U.K., Lacy absorbed each place’s variations in botanical life, weather, and light, inspiring a body of work that reflects on climate change, species loss, and “the need to find balance between humans and nature,” she says.
“Thanatos”
The World Has Dropped Its Petals is a series of elaborately detailed graphite drawings illuminating the world of flowers. In heavily contrasted grayscale, the blooms are devoid of the bright colors we typically associate with their petals and foliage, instead highlighted by an array of textures and naturally occurring patterns.
“I’ve always been drawn to monotone work for its subtle tonal variations, offering a contrast to the bombardment of colour and light around us, all vying for our attention,” Lacy tells Colossal. She was drawn to graphite because its limited palette helps the subject to stand out through contrasts like delicate lines or deep blacks. She’s also interested in how graphite is often overlooked in fine art, classified typically as a sketching material rather than a standalone medium.
Lacy titles her pieces after characters in Greek myth like Thanatos, the personification of death, and twin brothers Nyx (Night) and Hypnos (Sleep). She uses her own photos for reference, collaging and layering components in Photoshop until she finds an overall composition that resonates. The World Has Dropped Its Petals draws inspiration from stills lifes of the Dutch Golden Age, too, characterized by dark backgrounds from which flowers or fruit appear to pop in brilliance.
The series is on view through April 13 at James Gorst Architects in London. Lacy has also started working on a new project exploring time and aging, which emphasizes zoomed-in views of flower fragments. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Heimarmene”
“Helios”
“Nephele”
“Selene”
“Elpis”
“Nyx”
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Tropical Flowers and Prickly Cacti Leap from Lili Arnold’s Vibrant Block Prints
by Aurelia Butler 26 March 2025, 14:22
“Strelitzia Reginae, a.k.a. Bird of Paradise III.” All images courtesy of Lili Arnold, shared with permission
Tropical Flowers and Prickly Cacti Leap from Lili Arnold’s Vibrant Block Prints
March 26, 2025
ArtIllustrationNature
Kate Mothes
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Every year, Lili Arnold’s mother would block-print holiday cards to send to family and friends. When she was old enough to wield a carving tool, Arnold began to make her own, too. But it wasn’t until college, when she took an Intro to Printmaking class, that she became enthralled with the practice’s myriad methods.
Block printing specifically captured Arnold’s attention because of its relatively simple components and technique—no giant presses required. The block can expand in scale, incorporate different colors, or be layered with numerous pressings.
“Strelitzia Reginae, a.k.a. Bird of Paradise”
“I think what I love most about the process is seeing my first print after so many hours of sketching, planning, carving, and troubleshooting,” Arnold tells Colossal. “There’s a lot of thought and time invested in the steps before the actual print becomes real, so when I see that first reveal, it’s both terrifying and thrilling.”
Arnold’s compositions often revolve around natural subjects, especially botanicals like cacti and tropical flowers. She is fascinated by the environment’s infinite interaction of colors, textures, patterns, and symmetry.
“There’s such vast diversity of plant life out there, each ecosystem encapsulating unique details and wonders,” she says. “We as artists and botanical patrons have the pleasure of translating and expressing our appreciation of this beauty through our artwork, writing, gardening, exploring, and beyond.”
Follow updates on Arnold’s Instagram, and browse prints available for purchase in her shop.
“Zantedeschia Albomaculata, a.k.a. Spotted Calla Lily III”
“Palm Study III”
“Emergence of Spring”
“Opuntia Ficus-Indica, a.k.a. Prickly Pear”
Blocks ready for printing
Pulling “Opuntia Ficus-Indica, a.k.a. Prickly Pear”
Block for “Banksia Prolata”
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Rui Sasaki Encases Spectral Flowers in Intimate Glass Assemblages
by Aurelia Butler 10 March 2025, 09:00
“Residue” (2018). Photo by Ryohei Yanagihara. All images courtesy of Rui Sasaki, shared with permission
Rui Sasaki Encases Spectral Flowers in Intimate Glass Assemblages
March 10, 2025
ArtNature
Kate Mothes
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“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in his 1943 novella The Little Prince, a sentiment that drives Rui Sasaki’s work. From what the artist (previously) describes as a “mysterious and ambiguous material,” botanicals appear to float in frozen cubes of water.
Sasaki employs glass to document and preserve the nature of the present. Works like “Subtle Intimacy” respond to places and experiences where she feels present. “It is vital for me to connect who I am and where I am, especially when I am in unfamiliar spaces,” the artist tells Colossal. She likens intimacy to nostalgia, exploring the depth of feeling associated with memories, comfort, and security.
“Subtle Intimacy 2012-2023” (2023), glass, plants, LED, and aluminum, 253.5 x 310 x 332 centimeters. Collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Photo by Nik van der Giesen
Sasaki traces her fascination with the medium to childhood, specifically to its visual similarities to the surfaces of ponds or lakes. “I was always wondering how I could make something out of water,” she says. “When I saw molten glass at a glassblowing studio during a summer family trip in Okinawa, I fell in love with it.”
When Sasaki moved to the U.S. from Japan in 2007, she began incorporating plants into her work as a way to “recover my senses from my loss of intimacy and home in my mother country,” she says. When she returned to Japan five years later, she continued to hone her focus on botanicals.
Enchanted by how plants can express experiences of her surroundings, Sasaki portrays individual botanicals in sculptures ranging in size from a few feet wide to room-size installations. She says:
Collecting plants is the most important aspect of the work. I use all my five senses in gathering plants. That helps me to recall my past memories, especially in my childhood, and to connect my feelings of intimacy towards my country, Japan.
Sasaki places collected specimens between two sheets of glass and fires the piece in a kiln. The plant turns to white ash, leaving the impression of petals, leaves, and veins. Air bubbles that naturally emerge in the heat are also preserved in what the artist likes to a time capsule. The original form of the plant no longer exists but its impression endures.
Detail of “Subtle Intimacy 2012-2023″ (2023). Photo by Nik van der Giesen
Dualities like presence and absence, fragility and strength, and transparency and opacity merge with Sasaki’s interest in “befriending” glass while reveling in the knowledge that she will never fully comprehend everything about it.
If you’re in Denmark, you can see Sasaki’s sculptures at Glas from March 22 to September 28 in Ebeltoft. Her work will also be on view later this year at the Aichi Triennale 2025. Explore more on the artist’s website, and follow Instagram for updates.
“Residue” (2018). Photo by Ryohei Yanagihara
“Unforgettable Gardens” (2022). Photo courtesy of Art Court Gallery / Takeru Koroda
“Subtle Intimacy 2012-2023” (2023), glass, plants, LED, and aluminum, 253.5 x 310 x 332 centimeters. Collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Photo by Nik van der Giesen
Detail of “Subtle Intimacy / Utsuroi” (2024). Photo courtesy of National Crafts Museum (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) / Tomoya Nomura
“Subtle Intimacy / Utsuroi” (2024). Photo courtesy of National Crafts Museum (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) / Tomoya Nomura
Detail of “Dormant Recollections” (2024). Photo courtesy of Northern Alps Art Festival
Detail of “Unforgettable Reminiscences” (2022-2023), installation view at Bellustar One. Photo by Keizo Kioku, ©︎ Tokyu Kabuchiko Tower
Detail of “Unforgettable Reminiscences” (2022-2023), installation view at Bellustar One. Photo by Keizo Kioku, ©︎ Tokyu Kabuchiko Tower
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Latest story

An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

More stories

In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Tends to the Garden of Consciousness

A Unique Portfolio of Hilma af Klint’s Botanical Drawings Communes with Nature’s Spiritual Side

In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint

An Ikebana Artist and His Student Sow an Unconventional Approach to Flower Arranging

Wondrous and Mischievous Misfits Populate Rhea Mack’s Bubblegum Daydreams

Otherworldly Flowers Emerge from Darkness in Clara Lacy’s Meticulous Graphite Drawings

Tropical Flowers and Prickly Cacti Leap from Lili Arnold’s Vibrant Block Prints

Rui Sasaki Encases Spectral Flowers in Intimate Glass Assemblages

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