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The reptilian “Pier 865” is the work of Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY.
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Photo by Steve Kroodsma. All images courtesy of Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, shared with permission
A Sculpture Made of Tens of Thousands of Aluminum Facets Writhes in a Knoxville Park
November 25, 2025
ArtDesign
Kate Mothes
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A vibrant new pavilion rises to meet the square’s picturesque trees in Cradle of Country Music Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, connecting the city’s Old Town and its theater district. Made from tens of thousands of individual pieces of painted aluminum, the vivid “Pier 865” provides both a resting place and a vantage point in a reinvigorated public square.
The reptilian sculpture is the work of Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, continuing the designer’s interest in high-tech, large-scale installations that involve meticulously assembled elements. Conceived digitally, the structure has a bold, futuristic quality that looks exactly like a 3D model made real—one can imagine its pixel-like pieces puzzling together in a computer program.
Photo by Steve Kroodsma
The pavilion is painted in greenish gradients in a nod to its surrounding trees. “Its organic shape brings to mind different life forms from different angles: from ground level, the sculpture suggests alien flora growing from the concrete—but viewed from the sky, a tensile, reptilian form reveals itself,” a statement says.
See more work by Fornes on his website and Instagram.
Photo by Keith Isaacs
Photo by Steve Kroodsma
Photo by Steve Kroodsma
Photo by Steve Kroodsma
Photo by Keith Isaacs
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Since 2019, the festival has been transforming Georgia’s capital city into a giant public art gallery.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Tbilisi Mural Fest’s Dynamic Murals Brighten the Sides of Buildings Throughout the City appeared first on Colossal. More
All images courtesy of Tblisi Mural Fest, shared with permission
Tbilisi Mural Fest’s Dynamic Murals Brighten the Sides of Buildings Throughout the City
November 21, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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Established in 2019, Tbilisi Mural Fest has a deceptively simple goal: to turn Georgia’s capital city into one huge public gallery. For the artist-organizers, who also create works under the moniker TMF Studio, contemporary murals have the ability to transform unsightly, blocky developments into giant works of art. The paintings are not only a pleasure to look at but also create a more inviting urban environment.
With a few exceptions, much of the recent work created for the festival is representational, showing people engaged in activities like harvesting grapes or dancing. International artists bring a variety of styles to often narrow, vertical compositions, adorning the sides of multilevel buildings.
Afzan Pirzade and TMF Studio, part of the “Dance” series
Through a wide range of figurative, geometric, or abstract styles, Tbilisi’s mural program is expanded each year, engaging viewers in both commercial and residential areas. Find more on the festival’s website and Instagram.
TMF Studio
Detail of work by TMF Studio
Edoardo Ettorre, “Concrete Horizons”
Afzan Pirzade and Besik Maziashvili, “The Most Sacred Connection of All.” Photo by David Chalodze and Anano Kekelia
Afzan Pirzade and Besik Maziashvili, “The Most Sacred Connection of All” (detail)
Fintan Magee, “Girl in Mirrors”
Afzan Pirzade and TMF Studio, “Samaya”
Afzan Pirzade and TMF Studio, part of the “Dance” series (detail)
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“Echoverse.” All images courtesy of Tomislav Topić, shared with permission
Tomislav Topić Meticulously Layers Hundreds of Panels into Prismatic Mesh Installations
November 18, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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From dozens of painted mesh fabric panels, Tomislav Topić’s undulating, site-specific installations transform airy spaces into immersive experiences. Superimposed in layers that are meticulously suspended from the ceiling or between outdoor structures, the panels interact with sunlight and one another to create vibrant gradients.
One of Topić’s most recent interventions, Echoverse, consists of 57 different colors on 451 panels, stretching nearly 100 feet long and about 25 feet wide. It’s currently installed in a spacious former chapel home to Les 3 CHA, an art center in Châteaugiron, France, where the work flutters wave-like through the open space.
Detail of “Echoverse”
Additional recent pieces include “Nexus Lucis,” which centered above the altar of a large church in Gisors, France, earlier this year. And new this fall, an outdoor installation titled “Afterburn” floats above Intendencia Street in downtown Pensacola, Florida.
Geometry, hue, and light interact to create prismatic interactions. “Every color, every layer, every viewpoint responds to another—like lines of a poem extending one another, or like sound waves traveling through the space and refracting in the air,” Topić says in a statement. Hovering independently yet arranged with precision, the perceived effect evolves as one walks around the work. From one vantage point, the installation may appear more opaque, but from another, its faceted and translucent nature is revealed.
Topić carefully considers the nature of spaces, how we interact within them, and how shifting light throughout the day changes how they feel. “It is important to me to create a work that introduces a deliberate contrast, yet still merges with the space,” he says. “I love this symbiosis; for me, it is essential—especially in a place that carries more than 800 years of history.”
Echoverse continues through December 14. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Afterburn”
Detail of “Afterburn”
“Echoverse”
“Nexus Lucis”
“Nexus Lucis”
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All photos by Jose Pando Lucas, courtesy of Vhils, shared with permission
Against the Pyramids of Giza, Vhils’ Etched Portraits Are Monuments of the Everyday
November 12, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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The poetic idea that “doors are the architecture of intimacy” grounds a new installation by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, a.k.a. Vhils (previously). Against the stunning desert backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza, “Doors of Cairo” is a site-specific work featuring a layered collection of Vhils’ distinctive etched portraits. Faces peer out from the weathered structures, some of which nest in the sand while others tower above on scaffolding.
Contrasting the ancient tombs with an installation that will dot the landscape for just a month, Vhils explores the ways we mark the world and how our imprints endure over time. “The pyramids were built for kings and gods, meant to last forever. My installation is made from wood and memory, and it will soon disappear,” he says. “Yet both belong to the same human impulse, to build, to remember, to leave a trace.”
“Doors of Cairo” is part of the fifth Forever Is Now project, an ongoing exhibition curated by Art D’Égypte with the support of UNESCO. Vhils is the first Portuguese artist invited to participate in the project, and he tethers his homeland to the historic site. All 65 repurposed doors were sourced from demolition sites and renovation projects between the two countries, and each bears traces of former use, whether chipped paint, scuffed surfaces, or faint fingerprints that linger in a well-worn spot.
The fragmented portraits don’t depict anyone specific but rather function as stand-ins for people past and present. “A single face can represent one person, but it can also stand for a community, a generation, or a shared emotional landscape,” the artist says. “It speaks to how people and places are inseparable, how memory becomes embedded in matter, and how identity is built from many invisible layers.”
After six months of carving in his studio—and creating a smaller, sculptural iteration that will live beyond the outdoor installation—Vhils spent three days working on site, shaping and reshaping the composition. “It evolved intuitively, door by door, guided by their scale, texture, and rhythm,” he shares. “This project is a dialogue between the everyday and the eternal, between the wooden doors of ordinary lives and the stone pyramids that have outlasted civilisations. It is a reminder that even what is temporary can carry the weight of time.”
“Doors of Cairo” is on view through December 7. Find more from the artist on Instagram.
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Nomad Studio, “Socarrado (Scorched)” (2025), Parque Natural Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla, Castilla y Leon, Spain
This October, a Global Public Art Project Turns 35 Cities into Playgrounds
October 17, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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This month, urban centers around the world are hosting a massive public art project helmed by Nōvo Collective. uncommissioned has tapped 54 artists for a global initiative that sees the city as a playground, inviting participants “to slip playful, overlooked, or quietly defiant gestures into the cracks of everyday life.”
In Stellenbosch, South Africa, Strijdom van der Merwe installed sun-activated text works displaying heady phrases like “the visible is a shadow cast by the invisible.” Escif painted tiny fruits among the architecture near his home in Valencia, while Vhils painted a collection of fragmented portraits atop a Munich cultural center.
Vhils, “Antennas” (2025), KUNSTLABOR 2, Munich. Image courtesy of Jose Pando Lucas, MUCA
Perhaps most striking is Nomad Studio’s wooden structure erected in a park in Castilla y León, Spain. Appearing to fan outward in a circle, a collection of branches forms a meditative space with an opening to the sky that lets light stream inside.
uncommissioned continues throughout October with works by Cannupa Hanska Luger, Jason deCaires Taylor, Stephanie Brown, and many others slated for 35 cities total. See more on the project’s website.
Nomad Studio, “Socarrado (Scorched)” (2025), Parque Natural Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla, Castilla y Leon, Spain
Nomad Studio, “Socarrado (Scorched)” (2025), Parque Natural Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla, Castilla y Leon, Spain
Strijdom van der Merwe, “Shadow Words” (2025), Stellenbosch, South Africa
Strijdom van der Merwe, “Shadow Words” (2025), Stellenbosch, South Africa
Leon Reid IV, “Of a Free Will” (2025), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Photo by Leon Reid IV
Escif, “Infinite Still Life” (2025), Valencia. Photo by Escif
Escif, “Infinite Still Life” (2025), Valencia. Photo by Escif
Vhils, “Antennas” (2025), KUNSTLABOR 2, Munich. Image courtesy of Jose Pando Lucas, MUCA
Vhils, “Antennas” (2025), KUNSTLABOR 2, Munich. Image courtesy of Jose Pando Lucas, MUCA
Emmanuel Aggrey Tieku, “HOW TO HEAL A B-R-O-K-E-N WORLD-Cemetery of Belongings” (2025), Osu Cemetery, Accra, Ghana
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All images courtesy of Colours of Redbridge, shared with permission
A Vibrantly Embellished Electric Art Truck in East London Is a ‘Home Away from Home’
October 6, 2025
ArtSocial Issues
Kate Mothes
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In the northeastern London borough of Redbridge, a community arts program has transformed a simple electric truck into a vibrant, mobile artwork. Clad in richly embellished metal panels, the touring project is titled “Home Away from Home” and is inspired by the vivid, hand-embellished trucks found in South Asia, especially around Pakistan and India.
“Home Away from Home” is the final installment of a broader series of social art presentations called Other Worlds, organized by Colours of Redbridge. The local charity is part of a broader Arts Council England program called Creative People and Places, which focuses on bringing arts and culture to communities where involvement in mainstream culture and creative expression is low relative to others.
The ornate truck was “designed by local groups to reflect what home means to them, exploring local heritage and identity in Redbridge, East London,” the organization says. “Bespoke panels reflect different themes such as music, sports, local landmarks, pets, and food—all of which are important to local community members and where they live.”
Abid Bhai, an accomplished truck artist, created the panels in Pakistan, then shipped them to the U.K., where local blacksmith Felicity Jones affixed the colorful elements to the sides, top, and even the wheels. London-based artists Momtaz Begum-Hossain, Sheyamali Sudesh, and Bailes+Light were also instrumental in the collaborative work. “I’ve especially loved running the community metal workshops, where participants poured their own ideas into custom panel designs,” Jones says.”Seeing people grow in confidence and express themselves creatively through metalwork has been a real highlight.”
Both Colours and Redbridge and Creative People and Places aim to not only break down barriers to the arts but to listen to residents’ real needs and wants. The overarching goal is to build and sustain healthier and happier communities. Through public engagement, the Colours of Redbridge also adheres to a mission “to reduce the impacts of the key issues residents face, such as the cost of living, health and wellbeing, or gaining skills and employment.”
The inaugural appearance of “Home Away from Home’s” included dance performances, music, craft workshops with artist Zareena Bano, and more. Follow updates about where the truck is headed next on Colours of Redbridge’s website.
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Detail of “Converge.” Photo by Alex Chomicz
Craig & Karl’s ‘Mateys’ Bring Vibrancy and Joy to Bridges in Brisbane and Beyond
October 1, 2025
ArtDesign
Kate Mothes
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In vibrant colors, patterns, and shapes, the immersive works of Craig & Karl invite us to relish moments of joy and surprise. While Craig is based in New York, and Karl is based in London, the two collaborate across the pond—and around the world—to produce multimedia installations that revitalize urban spaces and celebrate the power of play.
As part of the 2025 Brisbane Festival, Craig & Karl created a pair of large-scale inflatable interventions on two of the city’s bridges, both riffing on the idea of the arch as passageway. Additionally, numerous illustrations, interactive sculptures, and inflatable “Mateys” — a series of quirky characters with expressive faces — pop up on buildings and sidewalks to enable joyful encounters as part of the expansive, city-wide exhibition titled Rear Vision.
“Walk This Way” (2025), Kangaroo Point Bridge, Brisbane. Photo by JD Lin
Collectively titled “Walk This Way,” the bridge installations encourage Brisbanites to see their city with fresh eyes. The expressive, flexible characters are also immanently relatable for viewers of all ages. “The Mateys serve as companions that help foster community and shared experiences, welcoming us into different corners of the city,” says a festival statement.
Craig & Karl are known for their vivid participatory projects, which range from mini-golf courses to playgrounds to murals. The artists initially met 30 years ago while studying at Griffith University in Brisbane, and since, their collaborative practice has included partnerships with global brands and publications like Adidas, Nike, Apple, Chanel, The New Yorker, Variety, and more.
While the bridge installations came to a close at the end of September, you can still stroll along the Public Art Trail through October 20 to spot Craig & Karl’s sculptures and installations in unexpected places. Then, drop by the exhibition Double Vision at the Griffith University Art Museum, which continues through January 7.
Plot your course on the Brisbane Festival website, and see more of the artists’ projects on their site and Instagram.
“Mateys” (2025), part of ‘Rear Vision’ Public Art Trail, Brisbane. Photo by Claudia Baxter
“Mateys” (2025), part of ‘Rear Vision’ Public Art Trail, Brisbane. Photo by Alex Chomicz
Detail of “Converge.” Photo by Alex Chomicz
“Converge” (2025), Neville Bonner Bridge, Brisbane. Photo by JD Lin
“Prismatic,” Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
Detail of “Unfold,” Suzhou, China
“Cosmos,” Melbourne Central, Melbourne
Detail of “Cosmos”
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