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Giant Inflatable Sculptures by Steve Messam Reimagine Everyday Environments

by Aurelia Butler 11 September 2025, 14:10

“Accommodation:Occupation.” All images courtesy of Steve Messam, shared with permission

Giant Inflatable Sculptures by Steve Messam Reimagine Everyday Environments

September 11, 2025

Art

Kate Mothes

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From bubble-like bulges amid the arches of London’s iconic Old Billingsgate to a 15-meter-tall red droplet frozen in the center of a disused swimming pool in Aberdeen, Steve Messam explores scale, form, and our experiences of the built environment in large-scale installations.

Messam is known for his large-scale inflatable works that reinterpret architecture and explore human influence over the landscape. Often, he fills apertures like arcades or underpasses with forms that balloon and billow, drawing attention to structural forms while considering their fundamental function as places to enter or move through.

“Facade”

In “Accommodation:Occupation,” Messam delves into the history of 19th-century infrastructure in the U.K. through an exploration of what are known as accommodation and occupation bridges—railroad crossings designed for rural areas that provided a tunnel beneath, so that farmers could still access their land on the other side of the tracks. Some of these historic bridges still exist, often on private land, such as two in County Durham along the former route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

For “Below,” which Messam situated under a bridge in Tianfu Art Park in Chengdu, China, the site’s use as a thoroughfare is retained by creating two symmetric forms with a gap between them, which people can walk through while immersing themselves in the installation.

Whether popcorn-like, spiked, bubbling, or cascading, Messam’s playful interventions prompt us to view our surroundings with renewed attention. Explore even more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

“Below”

“Facade”

“Packaged”

“Cascade”

“Accommodation:Occupation”

“Below”

“Packaged”

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In Rural Wisconsin, Pat Perry Connects the Various Forces That Shape Our World
by Aurelia Butler 9 September 2025, 16:10
“27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano.” All images courtesy of Pat Perry, shared with permission
In Rural Wisconsin, Pat Perry Connects the Various Forces That Shape Our World
September 9, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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In a rural Wisconsin city of just more than 1,200 people, the hyperlocal and the universal converge in a new mural by Pat Perry (previously). “27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano” is just as its title suggests: the large-scale piece depicts snow-capped mountains with an explosive volcano at its center, while small portraits of local educators line the top and bottom borders.
Commissioned by Princeton Art Collective, the mural captures the vertiginous experience of life today, particularly as we consume more information than ever before and must confront seemingly endless disasters and devastations around the globe. Perry wanted to highlight how we can “find meaning in ordinary life while constantly witnessing things happening in the world beyond your control.”
“Even in a small rural town, you’re not insulated from the immense forces that shape the world. History happens. Economies rise and fall. Wars begin. Continents drift and mountains erode. One day, the sun will expand and swallow the Earth. Most of us don’t get much of a say in any of it,” he says.
To conceptualize the work, the collective helped to contact and secure permissions from the teachers pictured, and with the exception of the woman in the red floral garment at the bottom of the piece—she’s the artist’s mother and a retired educator—all work in the area. And why teachers? Perry explains:
Day after day, people find purpose. They wake up early, show up with intention, and try to make sense of things—not just for themselves, but also for others. Teachers do this every day. Not for recognition, and rarely for much pay. It’s a repetitive act of maintenance that holds things together.Choosing to shoulder that task, even while standing at the edge of something vast and indifferent, is a quiet act of defiance. Amidst overwhelmingness and uncontrollableness and unanswerableness, teachers—and all custodians of human affairs—keep meaning in the world by steadily and stubbornly tending to it.
“27 Schoolteachers and a Volcano” is located in Princeton, Wisconsin. Find more from Perry on his website and Instagram.
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Banksy’s Already Covered Painting in London Comments on the U.K.’s Palestine Action Crackdown
by Aurelia Butler 8 September 2025, 16:46
Banksy’s painting at Royal Courts of Justice, London, © Banksy 2025
Banksy’s Already Covered Painting in London Comments on the U.K.’s Palestine Action Crackdown
September 8, 2025
ArtSocial Issues
Kate Mothes
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On a wall outside the Royal Courts of Justice in Westminster, London, a new piece by Banksy appeared this morning before being covered up within hours. The short-lived artwork, which the artist shared on Instagram and the front page of his website, depicts a judge in traditional robes and a large wig beating a protester with a gavel as blood spatters across the demonstrator’s placard.
The piece by the anonymous artist is likely a response to the arrests of nearly 900 protestors during a rally against the ban on Palestine Action, a group that Britain has declared a terrorist organization. Membership in the group is considered a crime, which can be punished by up to 14 years in prison. Even though organizers insist the demonstration of around 1,500 was peaceful, The Met nevertheless arrested more than half of the attendees.
Banksy is known for his statements about current affairs and socio-political issues around the world. He’s famous for stealthily targeting charged sites, like destroyed buildings in Ukraine or a small town in Wales that the World Health Organization for a short time deemed the most-polluted community in the U.K. His striking and subversive imagery is sometimes humorous, ironic, or tongue-in-cheek, always taking a direct and purely visual approach in his critique of contemporary issues.
“What makes this work remarkable is not just its imagery, but its placement,” says Jasper Tordoff, a Banksy expert at MyArtBroker, on Artnet. “By choosing the Royal Courts of Justice, Banksy transforms a historic symbol of authority into a platform for debate. In classic Banksy form, he uses the building itself to sharpen the message, turning its weight and history into part of the artwork.”
Follow the artist’s updates on Instagram.
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Janet Echelman’s Suspended Nets Radiate Across 25 Years in ‘Radical Softness’
by Aurelia Butler 28 August 2025, 13:55
All images courtesy of Princeton Architectural Press, shared with permission
Janet Echelman’s Suspended Nets Radiate Across 25 Years in ‘Radical Softness’
August 28, 2025
ArtBooks
Grace Ebert
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For two and a half decades and across five continents, Janet Echelman (previously) has established spaces for gathering, although her approach emerges from an unusual angle. The artist is known for suspending enormous nets from ceilings and outdoor structures, which often cast colorful shadows or glowing light onto their surroundings. Swaying with gusts of wind, the architectural installations invite viewers to pause and meditate on interconnectedness.
Now, the artist’s works are collected in a monograph titled Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman. Published by Princeton Architectural Press and edited by Gloria Sutton, the tome chronicles Echelman’s evolution while situating her practice within contexts of art history, engineering, climate activism, and more. As this list suggests, her reach is broad, and each piece tethers larger systems to which we’re all bound, whether political and ecological or aesthetic.
“The way that my art finds power is through its resiliency and adaptability rather than brute strength, because it lets the wind move through it rather than fighting it. I think that’s a metaphor for how to live in these times,” Echelman says in the introduction.
Containing sketches, diagrams, and photos documenting both the process and final works, the book offers a broad look at the artist’s practice. It also contains interviews and essays from art historians, curators, engineers, thinkers, and more, entwining Echelman’s projects within a vast ecosystem.
Radical Softness will be released on September 16 and is available for pre-order in the Colossal Shop.
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Six Acclaimed Artists Interpret Ecology and the Landscape for ‘Ground/work 2025’
by Aurelia Butler 21 August 2025, 18:57
Hugh Hayden, “The End.” Photo by Thomas Clark. All images courtesy of the artists and The Clark Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, shared with permission
Six Acclaimed Artists Interpret Ecology and the Landscape for ‘Ground/work 2025’
August 21, 2025
ArtNature
Kate Mothes
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Across the expansive 140-acre grounds of The Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, six contemporary artists have been invited to create site-specific works engaging with the property’s meadows, trails, and woods, while highlighting their individual practices.
Sculptures by Yō Akiyama, Laura Ellen Bacon, Aboubakar Fofana, Hugh Hayden, Milena Naef, and Javier Senosiain dot a variety of sites, from manicured parkland to open fields to groves of trees.
Laura Ellen Bacon, “Gathering My Thoughts.” Photo by Joe Aidonidis
Bacon, whose ethereal sculptures made of malleable twigs seem to move, has installed the nine-by-five-foot “Gathering My Thoughts” in a wooded area. Made from willow sourced from Ohio, the piece appears to writhe like a living, growing form.
Hayden has constructed a larger-than-life ribcage—species unknown—made of locally sourced hemlock punctuated by dozens of branches that poke out in every direction. Partly camouflaged amid the trees, the work invites us to consider themes of ecological vulnerability, extinction, and the climate crisis. Following the exhibition, the piece will be allowed to decompose on-site, mirroring the way animal remains also eventually vanish back into the earth.
Fofana’s installation of two botanical forms, titled “Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life),” is the artist’s first public art piece. He draws upon his spiritual belief in the divinity of nature, incorporating rolls of African cotton dyed with indigo, representing seeds, into a curling metal frame.
Other works include Senosiain’s vibrant sea creature, installed in a pond, along with Akiyama’s conical monolith evocative of scorched wood and Naef’s marble slabs that merge with the negative spaces of a fallen tree.
Aboubakar Fofana, “Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life).” Photo by Thomas Clark
Curated by independent scholar Glenn Adamson, the exhibition provides the opportunity to experience contemporary art in a natural setting. Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute, says:
The Clark’s campus becomes an accomplice, of sorts, in helping us to see and appreciate each artist’s particular vision and the interconnection between art and nature. With this edition of Ground/work, our guest curator…has intentionally blurred the line that traditionally separates the consideration of art and craft, urging us to appreciate the art that is inherent in all forms of craft.
Ground/work 2025 continues through October 2026, with free access day or night, 24/7, on The Clark’s campus. Plan your visit on the museum’s website.
Hugh Hayden, “The End” (detail)
Javier Senosiain, “Coata III.” Photo by Thomas Clark
Yō Akiyama, “Oscillation: Vertical Garden.” Courtesy of the artist and Joan B Mirviss LTD. Photo by Thomas Clark
Laura Ellen Bacon, “Gathering My Thoughts” (detail). Photo by Joe Aidonidis
Aboubakar Fofana, “Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life)” (detail). Photo by Thomas Clark
Milena Naef, “Three Times Spannin.” Photo by Thomas Clark
Yō Akiyama, “Oscillation: Vertical Garden” (detail). Courtesy of the artist and Joan B Mirviss LTD. Photo by Thomas Clark
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A Glowing Inflatable Canyon by ENESS Squeezes Inside Melbourne’s Prahran Square
by Aurelia Butler 15 August 2025, 14:08
All images courtesy of ENESS, shared with permission
A Glowing Inflatable Canyon by ENESS Squeezes Inside Melbourne’s Prahran Square
August 15, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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Although it appears that thousands of tons of boulders have been dropped into Prahran Square in Melbourne, the enormous rocks are actually as light as air. Art and technology studio ENESS (previously) has installed its inflatable “Iwagumi Air Scape” in the park, creating an immersive canyon for visitors to wander through.
While the 16 massive stones have a grainy, granite-like texture during the day, at night, they glow in otherworldly pinks and yellows, creating a surreal landscape that illuminates the urban environment. Audio of flora and fauna accompanies the work, so that when viewers squeeze through what would be a treacherous pass between real boulders, the soft inflatables and mountain sounds wrap them in a natural embrace.
The outdoor installation is on view through August 17, when it will travel to additional locations. Keep up with its stops on ENESS’s Instagram.
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An Inflatable Building Recreates the Iconic Mecca Flats at the Heart of Chicago’s Black Renaissance
by Aurelia Butler 12 August 2025, 12:17
All images courtesy of Floating Museum, shared with permission
An Inflatable Building Recreates the Iconic Mecca Flats at the Heart of Chicago’s Black Renaissance
August 12, 2025
ArtDesignHistory
Grace Ebert
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As the World’s Fair loomed on Chicago’s horizon, architects Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin Pierce Burnham built a 98-unit hotel to house visitors. After the exposition was finished, the Romanesque Revival building with a large central courtyard was converted into apartments and became known as Mecca Flats.
Chicago adhered to strict segregation codes in the 19th century, and Mecca Flats, located in the Bronzeville neighborhood at 3360 S. State Street, wasn’t immune. The complex originally only allowed white residents, before allowing Black residents in 1911. Quickly, the building became a site for creatives well-known in the Black Renaissance. Gwendolyn Brooks famously titled a book after the tenement, and luminaries Muddy Waters and Katherine Dunham called Mecca Flats home.
View of the indoor atrium at the Mecca Flats, East 34th and South State Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Although a historical beacon of Black creativity, the Illinois Institute of Technology razed the building in 1952. It was replaced by the Mies van der Rohe-designed S.R. Crown Hall.
While Mecca Flats are long gone, its memory lives on throughout Chicago, and thanks to the collective known as Floating Museum, a new artwork revives the cultural hub. “for Mecca” is a large-scale inflatable structure recreating the once-thriving complex in grayscale polyester. Scaled down, this iteration stretches 41 feet long, with a U-shaped passageway for viewers to walk through.
Floating Museum is co-directed by avery r. young, Andrew Schachman, Faheem Majeed, and Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, who share that the project offers a “tangible artifact” of Chicago’s lost history. They say:
“for Mecca” represents our collective interest in Bronzeville’s complex history. We can no longer view nostalgic images of Mies van der Rohe—enjoying a cigar in the emptiness of S.R. Crown Hall—without also imagining Mecca Flats, collapsed under his feet, and recalling the slow strategic displacement of the African American community signified by the presence of its absence.
The project also includes several nods to former South Side institutions, including the jazz dancehall Savoy Ballroom and the Regal Theatre, a popular night club and performance venue.
Debuting this past weekend at the original site, the project will travel around the city’s parks through the summer of 2026. “for Mecca” is the latest project in the collective’s Floating Monuments series, which seeks to uncover critical cultural and historical legacies within Chicago through public installations.
Find more from Floating Museum on its website.
The Stroll, Regal Theater, and the Savoy Ballroom, Chicago, 1941. Photo by Russell Lee. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives.
Savoy Ballroom, 47th Street and South Parkway, Chicago, 1929. Curt Teich Postcard Archives Digital Collection, Newberry Library.
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Acrobatic Poses in Monumental Murals by Artez Invigorate Urban Buildings
by Aurelia Butler 4 August 2025, 17:14
“Dancer” (2024), Bourgoin-Jallieu, France. All images courtesy of Artez, shared with permission
Acrobatic Poses in Monumental Murals by Artez Invigorate Urban Buildings
August 4, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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With acrobatic finesse, the figures in Artez’s large-scale murals interpret the boundaries of the walls themselves through contemporary dance and moments of repose.
Currently working on an ongoing series titled Simple Acrobatics, the artist explains that he aims to “break away from the conventional approach of depicting the human figure on a mural and offer a fresh perspective on how the human form can be portrayed in public spaces.” Dancers fill the sides of buildings, sometimes using a chair as a prop, stretching around the confines of the wall as if challenging its boundaries.
“Simple Acrobatics” (2025), Wuppertal, Germany
Another recent theme, Thirst, portrays people drinking from vases of flowers. The unusual gesture nods to a sense of awareness, inviting viewers to consider society—its conventions and expectations—and contemplate the world around them anew.
Artez is currently in Gothenburg, Sweden, working on a new Simple Acrobatics mural. Find more on Instagram.
Patras (2024). Photo by KLE
“Thirst (Milena)” (2024), Aalborg, Denmark
Cerzeto, Italy (2024)
“Simple Acrobatics” (2024), Bristol, U.K.
“Simple Acrobatics” (2024), Boulogne Sur Mer, France
“Sleepers” (2023), Cacak, Serbia
“Simple Acrobatics” (2024), Zagreb, Croatia
“Thirst For Nature “(2024), Belgrade, Serbia
“Simple Acrobatics” (2024), Cheltenham, U.K.
“Moving Residents” (2023), Deventer, The Netherlands
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An Ornate Stenciled Rug by Mateo Complements a Cultural Center’s Communal Rooftop in Dakar
by Aurelia Butler 1 August 2025, 13:59
All images courtesy of Mateo, shared with permission
An Ornate Stenciled Rug by Mateo Complements a Cultural Center’s Communal Rooftop in Dakar
August 1, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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On the rooftop of TRAMES, an artistic and cultural center in Dakar, Senegal, a vibrant new installation by Mateo creates a welcoming atmosphere above the hustle and bustle of the city. Using paint and stencils, the artist incorporated motifs familiar in Senegal culture, like traditional wrestling, bird tracks, fish, and wax fabrics.
Mateo was also inspired by teraanga, a word in the Wolof language that loosely translates to “hospitality” but is also characterized by a much more holistic philosophy of generosity and acceptance. For hundreds of years, teraanga has shaped communities’ openness and exchange with one another, continuing today as an integral and defining facet of the Senegalese way of life.
Mateo was invited to TRAMES for a residency, where he initially planned to paint a mural. But he was inspired by the communal rooftop space of the center and conceived instead of a large patterned carpet that evokes the teraanga ethos and celebrates Senegalese culture.
“Rather than painting a wall, I chose to work on the rooftop terrace, a vibrant space used for gatherings, celebrations, and dance rituals,” the artist says. Painting on the carpet directly onto the ground facilitated, he adds, “a symbolic, open-air space for connection and ritual.”
Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
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public art

Latest story

Giant Inflatable Sculptures by Steve Messam Reimagine Everyday Environments

More stories

In Rural Wisconsin, Pat Perry Connects the Various Forces That Shape Our World

Janet Echelman’s Suspended Nets Radiate Across 25 Years in ‘Radical Softness’

Six Acclaimed Artists Interpret Ecology and the Landscape for ‘Ground/work 2025’

A Glowing Inflatable Canyon by ENESS Squeezes Inside Melbourne’s Prahran Square

An Inflatable Building Recreates the Iconic Mecca Flats at the Heart of Chicago’s Black Renaissance

Acrobatic Poses in Monumental Murals by Artez Invigorate Urban Buildings

An Ornate Stenciled Rug by Mateo Complements a Cultural Center’s Communal Rooftop in Dakar

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