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A Changing Community and Lived Experiences Converge in Leroy Johnson’s Mixed-Media Houses

by Aurelia Butler 23 December 2024, 17:57

All images courtesy of Margot Samel, shared with permission

A Changing Community and Lived Experiences Converge in Leroy Johnson’s Mixed-Media Houses

December 23, 2024

Art

Kate Mothes

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From collaged and painted found materials merged with elements of photography and ceramics, Leroy Johnson (1937-2022) created an eclectic vision of life in his hometown of Philadelphia. Through layered, multi-dimensional portraits of houses, the artist represents loci of family life and community in conceptual assemblages that also confront racism, poverty, and gentrification.

In the first exhibition of his work in New York City, Margot Samel presents Leroy Johnson, a collection of the artist’s house sculptures made “with a documentarian’s eye but a poet’s gaze,” says a gallery statement. His pieces capture a city in transition, peering into its past to underscore the myriad experiences of its present.

“Spirit House” (c. 2005–2010) mixed media, found object, and collage, 19 1/4 x 20 x 13 1/2 inches

Through his occupations as a social worker, teacher of disabled youth, rehab counselor, and school administrator, Johnson “surveyed the pleasures, hardships, and contradictions within the Philadelphia neighborhoods where he spent his life,” Margot Samel says, and he “pierced the fabric of collective human experience more deeply than most.”

Johnson’s abstract, mixed-media houses often feature photographs of people and gatherings, graffiti and text, and swishes of paint or residual imagery from found objects. The gallery adds, “As an African American artist who witnessed the civil rights movement and the impact of racist policies on communities he loved, Johnson took particular pleasure in depicting the richness of Black life.”

Leroy Johnson runs from January 10 to February 9 in New York. Learn more and plan your visit on the gallery’s website.

“You Been Had” (c. 2000–2005), mixed media, found object, and collage, 17 x 16 1/2 x 8 inches

“Heart of Darkness” (c. 1995–2000), mixed media, found object, and collage, 13 x 11 x 6 inches

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Rice Straw Sculptures by ARKO Contemporize a Traditional Japanese Material
by Aurelia Butler 23 December 2024, 12:57
All images courtesy of the artist and Somewhere Tokyo, shared with permission
Rice Straw Sculptures by ARKO Contemporize a Traditional Japanese Material
December 23, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Rice harvests produce straw, a natural byproduct of the dried grain. Traditionally, the material could be used for a wide variety of objects from tatami mats to food wrappers to carrier bags. Many of those products are now made using synthetic materials, and rice straw is more often used for ceremonial or sacred decorations like Shinto shimenawa festoons, which are installed around the New Year and can range from a few centimeters to several meters long.
For Tokyo-based artist ARKO, rice straw finds a contemporary application in elegant wall hangings. “I started thinking that it should be something new, apart from the old traditions, given that there must be a reason why straw vanished from our life,” she says.
Interested in the organic nature of the medium, ARKO embraces how environmental changes can influence the look of the work as a reminder that the fiber originated from the ground. Sometimes moisture in the air makes the pieces feel heavy or the straw will emit a scent. Most of the time she maintains the natural color of the thin stalks, occasionally dying layers black or using contrasting string to hold the composition together.
“In modern times, straw has been replaced by artificial materials and is manufactured with the premise of environmental pollution. (It) is mass-produced and discarded in large quantities,” ARKO says. Although she doesn’t prescribe a ritual meaning to the work, the sculptures evoke “the laws of nature and the great power of life that are often overlooked in modern society where economy takes priority.”
ARKO is represented by Somewhere Tokyo, and you can find more work on her website and Instagram.
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Magic and Mystery Illuminate Hari & Deepti’s Paper-Cut Dioramas
by Aurelia Butler 20 December 2024, 16:45
Detail of “Through the Groves.” All images courtesy of Heron Arts, shared with permission
Magic and Mystery Illuminate Hari & Deepti’s Paper-Cut Dioramas
December 20, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
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For more than a decade, we’ve been following the intricate dioramas by Hari & Deepti (previously). The Mumbai-based husband and wife are known for their elaborate narratives of cut and layered paper, which they tuck inside frames and backlight with soft LEDs. In recent years, the duo has gravitated toward tiny, delicate patterns while making the overall scenes more minimal.
Their new exhibition, Forgotten Places of Beings and Things, opens today at Heron Arts in San Francisco and presents a collection of enchanting works. Minuscule figures navigate lush woodlands and windswept dunes that, when illuminated, appear like worlds of magic and intrigue.
“The Walk to Two Ponds”
“What amazes us about the paper-cut light boxes is the dichotomy of these pieces in their lit and unlit states. The contrast is so stark that it has this mystical effect on the viewers,” the artists say.
Forgotten Places of Beings and Things is on view through January 25. Hari & Deepti recently published an illustrated children’s book titled The Seekers, and you can follow the latest in their collaborative practice on Instagram.
“The Stories They Told Us”
“Through the Wind Swept Field”
“A Forest Structure”
“Time Keepers 1”
Detail of “A Forest Structure”
“Under the Vine Forest”
“Under the Vine Forest”
Detail of “It Passes and We Stay”
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Coiled Fishing Rope Sculptures by Joana Schneider Twist Organic Shapes into Otherworldly Forms
by Aurelia Butler 19 December 2024, 14:56
“Healing Blossom” (2023). Photos by Pearl Sijmons, courtesy of the artist, shared with permission
Coiled Fishing Rope Sculptures by Joana Schneider Twist Organic Shapes into Otherworldly Forms
December 19, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
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When Joana Schneider moved to The Hague, she began to visit the beach regularly. Having spent her childhood in Munich, the sea was a novel and a fruitful source of inspiration. Soon, the fishermen working in the harbor caught her eye.
“There was something so intriguing about their world, which seemed to straddle this line between rugged labor and delicate artistry,” Schneider tells Colossal. “They were using knotting techniques, traditionally seen as feminine and delicate, but on a much larger scale, with heavy-duty ropes.”
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (2024)
The artist quickly connected what the anglers created with the traditions of textile art and began to source their leftover rope. Now based on KNSM Island in Amsterdam, Schneider continues to utilize the mariner material in her large-scale sculptures. “I spend days untangling the nets before I can start working with them. Then, I dry the ropes in the sun, which gives them this oceanic scent,” she adds.
Once desiccated, the materials often become the structure for thin, colorful yarn the artist wraps around the strands. The finished works are sometimes abstract and others boldly figurative, portraying exaggerated facial features in coiled, hand-stitched patchwork.
The process is labor-intensive, but the slow, methodical movements are part of what Schneider is drawn to. “Each turn of the yarn around the rope is a quiet, focused act. There is something very grounding about it. The rhythm of wrapping, the gentle tension of the yarn, and the soft texture of the fibers create a peaceful space where the world outside seems to fade away,” she says. The resulting works retain evidence of this meticulous process as coils large and small swell outward in perfectly concentric circles.
Currently, Schneider is working toward a solo exhibition titled Otherworldly that will open in April at the Groniger Museum in The Netherlands. Blurring the line between the real and the fantastic, the project draws on the artist’s fascination with hybridity and includes a performative element, a harbinger of where her practice is headed. She shares:
When I think of the natural world, I often think of the Renaissance tradition of grotesque art. It fascinates me how, in that period, artists mixed human, animal, and plant forms in intricate ways…The result is a hybrid environment that is at once familiar and alien. That is something I try to achieve in my work, a sense of wonder and a bit of disorientation as if stepping into a place where the boundaries of the natural world are deliberately blurred.
Schneider’s sculptures are currently on view at the FITE Textile Biennial in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and will be included in a 2025 group exhibition at König Galerie in Munich. Until then, find more of her work on her website and Instagram.
“Sugarfly” (2024)
Detail of “Sugarfly” (2024)
“Freckles” (2022)
Detail of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (2024)
Light Child” (2023)
Detail of “Light Child” (2023)
“The Good Farmer” (2023)
“Red and Blue Iris Wave” series (2022). Photo by Pim Top
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Döppel Studio’s ‘Néophore’ Vessels Illuminate Ancient Pottery Traditions with Neon
by Aurelia Butler 18 December 2024, 21:11
Photos by Ophélie Maurus. All images courtesy of Döppel Studio and ToolsGalerie, shared with permission
Döppel Studio’s ‘Néophore’ Vessels Illuminate Ancient Pottery Traditions with Neon
December 18, 2024
ArtCraftDesign
Kate Mothes
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In ancient Greece, amphorae were commonly used for carrying or storing liquids and grains like wine, oil, or cereal. A narrow neck and a large, oval body were easily moved with handles on each side. For Paris-based Döppel Studio, a collaboration between Lionel Dinis Salazar and Jonathan Omar, a millennia-old form inspires a contemporary collection.
Néophore is a series of terracotta and enamel vessels intersected with looping, handle-like tubes of glowing neon. Situated between sculpture, vessel, and lamp, the series takes a sophisticated yet playful approach to the relationship between form and function.
Salazar and Omar teamed up with ceramicist Aliénor Martineau, who specializes in mineral-based natural glazes, to customize a reflective enamel that would come alive under the light. Find more on Döppel Studio’s website, and if you’re in Paris, you can see Néophore at ToolsGalerie through January 11.
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Guadalupe Maravilla’s Volcanic Rock Sculptures Invoke Resilience and Regeneration
by Aurelia Butler 13 December 2024, 18:00
“Dream Backpack 1” (2023), volcanic rock and objects collected from a ritual of
retracing the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/4 x 12 1/4 x 4 1/2 inches. All photos by JSP Art Photography, courtesy of Guadalupe Maravilla and P·P·O·W, shared with permission
Guadalupe Maravilla’s Volcanic Rock Sculptures Invoke Resilience and Regeneration
December 13, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
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With the region’s smallest geographic footprint, El Salvador boasts the second-highest number of volcanos in Central America. The country is located on the Ring of Fire, a tectonic band that encircles the Pacific Ocean and houses about two-thirds of all volcanos worldwide. Given its eruptive landscape, much of the soil is rich in ash.
In a series of sculptures, Guadalupe Maravilla (previously) draws on his home country as he sculpts backpacks and enlarged hands from volcanic rock. The works reference the artist’s migration from civil war-era El Salvador as an unaccompanied minor, a traumatic journey that remains a central theme in his practice.
“Luz y Fuerza” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 14 x 14 x 4 inches
A trio of pieces, titled Dream Backpacks, refers to “how we immigrate to the U.S. by land and carry everything we own in a backpack in search of the American Dream,” Maravilla writes in a statement. Embellished with pink, purple, and blue paints, the poignant works display a variety of charms—feathers, a small cat figure, and metal details like a spigot—the artist collected while retracing his childhood route.
Other works take the form of a burly hand cradling smooth shapes featuring pieces redolent of retablos, small devotional paintings often invoking protection during times of hardship. Lightning bolts, stars, and snakes recur throughout the compositions, along with references to the artist’s colon cancer diagnosis, which he has long linked to the trauma he suffered as a child.
December 12 is special to Maravilla and titles one recent work featuring linked wishbones, crystals, and the children’s rhyme “Sana, sana, colita de rana,” which translates to “heal, heal, little frog’s tail.” As Maravilla shares on Instagram, “On 12/12/12 I found out I had cancer. 12/12/13 I overcame cancer. Today, I am starting a new chapter 12/12/24 with a special meditation.” Similarly, a cake with a “0” candle appears in “Luz y Fuerza,” which resembles a pastry the artist once used to celebrate both his birthday and what he considers his rebirth as cancer-free.
Citing resilience amid struggle, Maravilla’s sculptures call on healing and regeneration. Volcanic ash, after all, is one of the most potent natural fertilizers and a key factor in sparking new growth.
Maravilla is represented by P·P·O·W Gallery in New York, where you can find more of his work.
“12/12/24” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 13 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches
“Dream Backpack 3” (2023), volcanic rock and objects collected from a ritual ofretracing the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/4 x 12 x 4 3/4 inches
“Self Love” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 13 3/4 x 4 7/8 inches
“Heal Seven Years Back” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 13 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
“Dream Backpack 2” (2023), volcanic rock and objects collected from a ritual of retracing the artist’s original migration route, 16 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches
“Sana 7 Años Atras” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 14 1/8 x 14 x 4 3/4 inches
“Si No Sanas Hoy Sanarás Mañana” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 13 3/8 x 14 1/8 x 4 3/8 inches
“Sana Sana Colita de Rana” (2024), oil on volcanic rock, 14 1/8 x 13 3/4 x 4 7/8 inches
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Bernie Kaminski Invokes Decades Past Through Papier-Mâché Objects
by Aurelia Butler 11 December 2024, 16:49
Photo by Robert Bredvad. All images courtesy of Bernie Kaminski, shared with permission
Bernie Kaminski Invokes Decades Past Through Papier-Mâché Objects
December 11, 2024
ArtCraft
Grace Ebert
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When Bernie Kaminski sculpts his papier-mâché objects, he does so from a fitting spot: his kitchen table.
Using the sticky pulp, the artist creates lifelike iterations of everyday items you might spot on a New York street corner or tucked in an apartment: a Lox bagel with red onion and schmear, a row of metal mailboxes, and a canvas L.L. Bean tote filled with tennis balls. Some works are one-offs, like the tighty whities or payphone, and others form a small part of a larger composition.
Kaminski’s medicine cabinet, for example, features four shelves filled with various over-the-counter treatments and prescriptions. The branding evokes decades past, and closer inspection reveals tiny price tags glimpsing a time when a trip to the grocery store or pharmacy didn’t bring quite as much pain at the cash register as it does today.
The box of matchbooks is similar. Bearing names like Jerry’s and Odeon, the items recall classic New York restaurants, some of which have been operating for decades and others that closed their doors years ago.
Currently, Kaminski is working on a pair of tube socks and preparing for an exhibition in early 2025. You can follow his latest sculptures on Instagram.
Photo by Robert Bredvad
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Maxwell Mustardo’s Fluorescing Ceramics Merge Ancient Craft with Contemporary Style
by Aurelia Butler 11 December 2024, 13:00
Group of vessels in the ‘Anthropophorae’ series. All images courtesy of Maxwell Mustardo, shared with permission
Maxwell Mustardo’s Fluorescing Ceramics Merge Ancient Craft with Contemporary Style
December 11, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Merging disparate reference points like cartoonish figures, fluorescent pigments, and classical vessels, Maxwell Mustardo’s Anthropophorae and Gadroons glow with personality. The New Jersey-based artist (previously) continues to revisit ancient forms that have been endlessly studied and reimagined over subsequent centuries, like amphorae, kraters, and gadrooning that celebrate tapered shapes.
“Searching for new forms is mostly rediscovering old forms,” Mustardo tells Colossal. “One of my favorite aspects of ceramics, and the crafts more broadly, is the evolution of surfaces and forms through their constant appropriation in the aggressive exchange that occurs between individuals, studios, cultures, and time periods.”
‘Gadroons’
The artist often turns to archetypes, from mugs and bottles to mathematical shapes—like the torus—to explore myriad relationships between geometry, material, history, and utility. He adds, “Each form provides various constraints that I can push around against and a web of references to tangle with.”
Mustardo is currently working in the studio of the late Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011), helping the artist’s foundation to establish a residency program for ceramists, fiber artists, and painters. Find more on his website.
“Orange Amphora”
“Blue & White Krater”
Detail of “Orange Mug”
Installation view of ‘Quasi-Neoclassical-ish’ at Odem Atelier. Photo by Nikodem Calcyznski
“Green Amphora.” Photo by Nikodem Calczynski
Detail of “Blurple Mug”
The artist in his studio in August 2024
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Fantastic Blooms Entwine with Sculptural Motifs in Mevlana Lipp’s Imagined World
by Aurelia Butler 10 December 2024, 20:43
“Zenith” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters. All images courtesy of the artist and Capsule Venice, shared with permission
Fantastic Blooms Entwine with Sculptural Motifs in Mevlana Lipp’s Imagined World
December 10, 2024
Art
Grace Ebert
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Behind barred motifs evocative of a wrought iron fence, otherworldly flowers are in full bloom, their heads stretching wide and tall while tendrils and leafy vines wind around the open barriers. Rendered in contrasting palettes of jewel tones and pale, muted hues, these uncanny plants are part of the latest body of work by Mevlana Lipp.
While visiting Venice earlier this year, the Cologne-based artist admired the elaborately patterned fencing that wove its way throughout the historic islands. “As I wandered through the city, I noticed the intricate metal bars on many windows,” he says. “For me, these bars symbolize a barrier between the world I inhabit and the fictional place I long for.”
“Seven” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
Vista is the culmination of this inspiration and presents an electrifying botanical collection. For these pieces, Lipp continues to meld painting and sculpture, as he layers acrylic paint, ink, and sand onto intricately cut wooden panels, which he positions atop velvet. This soft material interacts with the mottled, spotted, and patterned textures of the painted components and bolsters the sense of depth, becoming a vast chasm behind the fantastical florals.
Compared to his previous works, though, Vista ventures into warmer, brighter color palettes. The artist shares:
While the dark blue, green, and lilac backgrounds often create a sense of infinite voids, I wanted to explore other imageries as well. Think of an icy cold mist or a red desert stretching endlessly into the distance. I wanted to create works which have a wider array of temperatures.
Lipp’s interest in expanding his palette dovetails with the symbolic elements of his work. As the artist sees it, plants are metaphors for base instincts and emotion, as they commune with each other and various species without the same social and cultural pressures of humans. Broadening his formal approach offers more room for spontaneity and unrestrained exchanges. “When you walk into the forest, you take a look at all the existing connections, at how things interact with each other without fear,” he says. “Plants don’t run the risk of hurting each other’s feelings.”
Vista is on view through December 15 at Capsule Venice. Find more from Lipp on Instagram.
“Cassiopeia” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Coil” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Halo” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Ice” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
“Cassiopeia” (2024), wood, velvet, acrylic color, ink, sand, aluminum stretcher, 45 x 33 x 4 centimeters
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Next article More

sculpture

Latest story

A Changing Community and Lived Experiences Converge in Leroy Johnson’s Mixed-Media Houses

More stories

Rice Straw Sculptures by ARKO Contemporize a Traditional Japanese Material

Magic and Mystery Illuminate Hari & Deepti’s Paper-Cut Dioramas

Coiled Fishing Rope Sculptures by Joana Schneider Twist Organic Shapes into Otherworldly Forms

Döppel Studio’s ‘Néophore’ Vessels Illuminate Ancient Pottery Traditions with Neon

Guadalupe Maravilla’s Volcanic Rock Sculptures Invoke Resilience and Regeneration

Bernie Kaminski Invokes Decades Past Through Papier-Mâché Objects

Maxwell Mustardo’s Fluorescing Ceramics Merge Ancient Craft with Contemporary Style

Fantastic Blooms Entwine with Sculptural Motifs in Mevlana Lipp’s Imagined World

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