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    Frosted Works by Yvette Mayorga Divulge Issues That Are Anything but Saccharine

    Installation view of ‘La Jaula de Oro’ at Museo de Arte de Zapopan. Photo by Lazarillo. All images courtesy of the artist and Museo de Arte de Zapopan, shared with permission

    Frosted Works by Yvette Mayorga Divulge Issues That Are Anything but Saccharine

    October 1, 2024

    Art Social Issues

    Kate Mothes

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    In a pink, glowing Rococo setting, Yvette Mayorga’s first solo exhibition in Mexico dives into nostalgia, teenage dreams, and how sometimes a sugary coating can conceal crucial truths.

    For La Jaula de Oro—The Golden Cage—at Museo de Arte de Zapopan, the Chicago-based artist (previously) has created four acrylic-piped paintings on canvas and a series of mixed-media sculptures. These include a 1974 Datsun coated in crochet, plush and plastic toys, acrylic nails, faux fur, rosaries, and other ephemera. Pop singer Selena’s song “Dreaming of You” wafts from the car stereo.

    “Bien chiqueada” (2024), acrylic nails, nail charms, toy snake, toy scorpion, clock, scorpion belt, collage, and acrylic piping on canvas, 91.44 x 121.92 centimeters

    At first glance, Mayorga’s compositions appear like delicate, frosted confections, glittering with nail charms and predominantly made in various shades of pink. But upon closer inspection, reminders of a slightly more unsettling reality begin to emerge, such as scorpions, clocks, or mirrors—nods to our relationship with time, others, and our mortality.

    The artist draws on the tradition of vanitas painting, a style popularized during the Dutch Golden Age, often in the form of still lifes brimming with visual cues that power and glory mean nothing when confronted with the inevitability of death.

    For Mayorga, the supple forms of piped bows, rosettes, and borders belie important messages centered around border control, immigrant labor, rampant capitalism, and pop culture.

    Akin to the way cookies or cakes are created to be literally consumed, the artist toys with the notion of fleetingness. “La princesa (Ride or Die),” for example, captures a sense of ephemerality and impermanence: “here today and gone tomorrow,” says curator Maya Renée Escárcega.

    Detail of “Bien chiqueada”

    The artist invites viewers into a seemingly carefree, saccharine space evocative of the opulence of the late 18th century—the era of Marie Antoinette and her famous—if mythical—quote: “Let them eat cake.” Considered the “Rococo Queen,” she is associated with luxury and frivolity, and she came to symbolize the excesses of the wealthy during a period when many people couldn’t afford bread, let alone the delicacies of cake.

    Mayorga’s primary medium is acrylic applied using a pastry bag. She references women workers—especially women of color—from whom colonial discourse stripped notions of femininity assigned to white women. She expands upon the framework of Rococo to analyze 21st-century issues, simultaneously serving us a reminder of the sacrifices and toil required to produce what capitalist society consumes.

    La Jaula de Oro and continues in Zapopan through January 5. Find more on Mayorga’s website and Instagram.

    Detail of “Banquete (Banquet)” (2024), hi-temperature ceramics, resin candle holders, bronze figures, and candles, dimensions variable. Photo by Lazarillo

    Installation view of La Jaula de Oro

    “Capitalist Clown” (2024), collage, acrylic marker, pastel, toy scorpion, and acrylic piping on canvas, 91. 44 x 121.92 centimeters

    Detail of “La princesa (Ride or Die)” (2024), crochet, plush toys, plastic toys, acrylic nails, rosaries, faux fur, belt buckles, vinyl stickers, ceramic tchotchkes, clock, toy cell phone, found license plate, trophy, wood, 161 acrylic roses, and acrylic piping on a 1974 Nissan Datsun, 4 x 1.6 meters. Photo by Lazarillo

    Detail of “La princesa (Ride or Die).” Photo by Lazarillo

    “Made in Mexico (Fecit Mexici)” (2024), mirror, hand mirror, acrylic nails, nail charms, clock, toy scorpion, collage, and acrylic piping on canvas, 91.44 x 121.92 centimeters

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    Honeybees Have the Final Say in Ava Roth’s Collaborative Sculptures

    Detail of “Horseshoe, Quills and Thorns,” encaustic, Japanese paper, horseshoe, porcupine quills, thorns, embroidery floss, metallic thread, seed beads, natural honeycomb, and local Ontario maple frame, 17.5 x 17.5 inches. All images courtesy of Ava Roth, shared with permission

    Honeybees Have the Final Say in Ava Roth’s Collaborative Sculptures

    September 30, 2024

    Art Nature

    Kate Mothes

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    Bees get a bad rap a lot of the time, despite the immense benefits they provide—and those go way beyond honey. Responsible for pollinating one-third of the world’s food supply, the buzzing insects ensure we’re able to enjoy coffee, tomatoes, strawberries, vanilla, and myriad other kinds of produce.

    The climate crisis, habitat destruction, pesticides, and invasive species are among numerous factors that have led to an unprecedented decline in honeybee populations during the past two decades. But for Toronto-based artist Ava Roth (previously), visibility is a major tenet of her unique, collaborative practice.

    “Kintsugi Platter, Black,” 21 x 21 inches

    Within concentric wooden frames, Roth embroiders patterns with thread and beads, creating the groundwork for the next phase of her process: inserting individual works into her hive and inviting the bees to determine the final composition.

    The human relationship to nature, mirrored by what Roth describes as the”tension between control and wildness,” considers our role in shaping nature to our own needs and the consequences of our actions.

    Bees instinctively build walls of prismatic cells to protect their brood and store honey and pollen, and the organic geometry doubles in Roth’s pieces not only as an iconic aesthetic but also as a reminder of the creatures’ remarkable abilities.

    Recently, the artist has been experimenting with three-dimensional structures and round frames, departing from the rectangular format traditionally associated with hives. She’s also embarked on a new kintsugi-style series in which the bees “mend” broken shards of pottery with their comb.

    Find more on Roth’s website and Instagram.

    Detail of “Broken Pottery, Mended,” 21 x 21 inches

    Detail of “Kintsugi Platter, Robin’s Egg Blue,” 21 x 21 inches

    “Broken Pottery, Mended,” 21 x 21 inches

    “White Beaded Lace, Circle,” encaustic, Japanese paper, Japanese lace, embroidery floss, seed beads, natural honeycomb, and local Ontario maple frame, 17.5 x 17.5 inches

    Honeycomb objects made from rock, deer antler, basket, and egg with pine needles, wrapped in waxed metallic cord

    “Horseshoe, Quills and Thorns”

    Detail of “Japanese Lace, Gold and Black,” encaustic, Japanese paper, Japanese ribbon, metallic thread, seed beads, natural honeycomb, and local Ontario maple frame, 17.5 x 17.5 inches

    “Deer Antler and Honeycomb,” deer antler, waxed cord, and honeycomb

    “Sea and Sky, Blue Kyanite Encaustic,” Japanese paper, blue kyanite crystals, gold leaf, embroidery floss, and natural honeycomb on wood panel, 17.5 x 17.5 inches

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    Jessica Drenk Transforms Thousands of Pencils into Organic Vessels

    All images © Jessica Drenk, shared with permission

    Jessica Drenk Transforms Thousands of Pencils into Organic Vessels

    September 27, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Undulating, organic sculptures emerge from thousands of drawing utensils in Jessica Drenk’s ongoing Implements series. Fascinated by the aesthetics and behavior of multiples of mass-produced objects, the artist (previously) chose pencils because of their stackable shape and “the thought that, if I sanded them, I could make a sculpture that drew on itself in the making: sandpaper would smear the graphite while the piece was being shaped,” she tells Colossal.

    Implements explores the relationship between interior and exterior, the container and the contained. The inside of each work showcases the out-of-the-box objects, while the outside has been cut and smoothed to reveal lengths of graphite and bare wood.

    Detail of “Implement 36”

    Drenk has been making sculptures with pencils for several years, and the shapes continue to evolve. One of the challenges of working with the material is the difficulty of gluing pre-painted, non-porous surfaces together. “In response to this, I once ordered 30,000 unpainted pencils to make larger sculptures that could be glued into more dynamic shapes,” she says.

    Over time, the Implements series has influenced further sculptures, such as “Speleothem” and “Formation,” in which the pencils compose larger dynamic forms. “In a sense, both aspects of the pieces resemble nature,” Drenk says. “Even the hexagon is found in nature, from beehives to columnar basalt rocks.”

    Drenk is currently working on a geology-inspired series called Aggregate that puts junk mail to use, along with wall sculptures made from books. Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “Speleothem”

    “Implement 44”

    “Implement 73”

    Detail of “Formation”

    Implements series

    “Formation” in progress

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    Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

    “Reef.” Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation. All images courtesy of Josh Gluckstein, shared with permission

    Josh Gluckstein Crafts a Teeming Reef from Recycled Cardboard

    September 24, 2024

    Art Nature

    Kate Mothes

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    For the past four years, London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has highlighted the potential of an everyday material—recycled cardboard—to bring animal sculptures to life (previously). In his most recent piece, “Reef,” he expands on individual portraits to create a meticulously detailed two-and-a-half-meter-tall marine habitat teeming with a variety of fish and coral.

    “I fell in love with scuba diving ten years ago and was amazed that there was an entirely new world to discover underwater,” Gluckstein says. “I wanted to bring that experience to life on dry land.”

    Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

    Gluckstein was invited to participate in Homo Faber 2024 in Venice, which this year traces the theme, “The Journey of Life.” Among the work of more than 400 artisans from around the world, “Reef” is Gluckstein’s most ambitious piece to date, featuring more than 50 different marine species.

    Sea turtles, an octopus, clown fish, and a blue spotted ray are among the creatures that swim around a column of coral. “The piece celebrates the wonder and rich biodiversity of our oceans, while raising awareness for the fragility of—and challenges facing—our marine life,” Gluckstein says.

    Homo Faber 2024 continues through September 30. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    You might also enjoy Ghost Net Collective’s marine animal sculptures made from the salvaged ocean waste that endangers them.

    Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

    Photo by Alexandre Vazquez, © Michelangelo Foundation

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    OSGEMEOS Unearths Their Fantastic Childhood Universe in Their Largest U.S. Exhibition to Date

    Installation view of “Untitled (92 Speakers)” (2019), “Gramophone” (2016), and “1983 – THE BOOMBOX” (2017). Photo by Rick Coulby. All images © OSGEMEOS, shared with permission

    OSGEMEOS Unearths Their Fantastic Childhood Universe in Their Largest U.S. Exhibition to Date

    September 20, 2024

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    As children in São Paulo, twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo invented a universe they called Tritrez. The mystical place was home to myriad yellow figures with bulbous heads and lanky bodies and promoted strange, yet friendly, behavior.

    “Yellow has been a very spiritual color for us since we started drawing,” the pair told their gallery, Lehmann Maupin. “When we were drawing at our mother’s house, the sun would come through the windows, and the studio would become yellow. So we always found it mystical, peaceful, and harmonious.” 

    Installation view of OSGEMEOS, “Chuva de verão (Summer Rain)” (2008), “O abduzido (The Abductee)” (2020), “The Garden” (2020), and “The Sunset” (2019). Photo by Rick Coulby

    Operating largely as one with shared dreams and the uncanny ability to finish each others’ thoughts, the brothers work as OSGEMEOS (previously), which translates to “the twins” in Portuguese. Rooted in graffiti and street art, their works will be on view at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden later this month for their largest U.S. exhibition to date.

    Comprising 1,000 paintings, sculptures, photos, and archival objects, OSGEMEOS: Endless Story traces the brothers’ creative evolution, recreating details from their childhood bedrooms and the infrastructure and walls they painted murals on in their youth. Rarely seen sketches and early influences like their mother’s embroideries are on view alongside many pieces never shown outside their native Brazil.

    Hip-hop and breakdancing feature prominently in OSGEMEOS’ work, including in the sprawling installation “Untitled (92 Speakers).” Yellow and brown faces peer out from boxy speakers and congregate together on a pastel pink wall. A symmetric gramophone and boombox painted similarly stand on the gallery floor below and reference the artists’ enduring interest in music and its influence on culture.

    Other works lean further into the sci-fi and supernatural realms. Standing at the center of one gallery is a tall, prismatic sculpture, which depicts one of their signature figures encircled by an alien beam projecting from a flying saucer. Likewise, the 2014 painting “Tritez” unearths the more fantastical details of the imagined realm: a blue patchwork whale cradling buildings on its back flies through the sky, two siren-like characters dance in the moonlight, and a trio of figures clamber on top of one another in colorful bizarre clothing.

    “Tritrez” (2014), spray paint and sequins on wood. Photo by Rick Coulby

    “Tritrez for us is our soul. It’s our, let’s say, parallel world that we believe (lives) inside of us,” they say in a video. “We believe that everybody (has) some kind of Tritrez inside. But sometimes you forget to see and sometimes you are afraid to see.”

    The first monograph of OSGEMEOS’ work written in English accompanies the exhibition, which runs from September 29, 2024, to August 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. There’s much more on the brothers’ Instagram, so head there to dive deeper into their whimsical world.

    Detail of installation view of “Untitled (92 Speakers)” (2019), “Gramophone” (2016), and “1983 – THE BOOMBOX” (2017). Photo by Rick Coulby

    “1980” (2020), mixed media with
    sequins on MDF, 86 1/4 × 125 9/16 × 2 inches

    “Retratos (Portraits)” (2023–2024), mixed media on MDF. Photo by Rick Coulby

    Detail of “Retratos (Portraits)” (2023–2024), mixed media on MDF. Photo by Rick Coulby

    “O dia da festa de break (The
    Breakdancing Party’s Day)” (2016), mixed media on panel, 80 5/16 × 64 9/16× 7 7/8 inches.
    (204 × 164 × 20 cm). Photo by Max Yawney

    Detail of an installation view of ‘OSGEMEOS: Endless Story.’ Photo by Rick Coulby

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    David Moreno’s Anthropomorphic Foundations Support Cascading Villages

    Detail of “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción.” All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permission

    David Moreno’s Anthropomorphic Foundations Support Cascading Villages

    September 19, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    From thin rods of steel, Barcelona-based artist David Moreno (previously) constructs towering houses and cascading villages that reflect the architecture of our lives. He often incorporates anthropomorphic, anatomical elements, suggesting skeletons or beating hearts.

    For example, “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción,” which translates to “head construction—head under construction,” a hillside-like foundation takes the form of a face. And “Resumen 2020,” meaning “Summary 2020,” is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, assuming the silhouette of a human skull.

    “Resumen 2020”

    Moreno’s sculptures alternate between rigidity and fluidity as he manipulates the thick wire into solid walls or curving arcs, such as in “La vie en rose.” Balanced carefully on columns of scaffolding, gabled structures cling somewhat precariously to their supports, referencing the sprawling, stacked hillside favelas like those in Rio de Janeiro.

    The artist is currently conceptualizing a new three-meter-wide installation for an architecture firm in Miami, and he has been scaling down his larger sculptures into gold and silver pendant designs. Check out more of Moreno’s work on Behance, and follow updates on Instagram.

    “Los Del Extrarradio”

    “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción”

    “El dorado en expansion II”

    “Vanitas”

    “La vie en rose”

    “Conexion de catedral II”

    “Melodía Circular”

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    Hiné Mizushima Felts Whimsical Sea Creatures Adorned with Beads and Crocheted Detail

    Detail of “Ancient Diorama Ammonite.” All images © Hiné Mizushima, shared with permission

    Hiné Mizushima Felts Whimsical Sea Creatures Adorned with Beads and Crocheted Detail

    September 13, 2024

    Art Craft Nature

    Grace Ebert

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    Nested in one of Hiné Mizushima’s wooden dioramas is an ancient marine menagerie. Vibrant blue felt lines the walls of the plush environment, which houses a pair of ammonites along with tall seagrass and small bits of coral reef.

    From her Vancouver studio, Mizushima stitches whimsical renditions of underwater creatures. Her soft, fiber sculptures take a playful approach to natural life, sometimes perching an octopus atop a human heart or finding a moray eel slithering out of an artery. Often depicted in pastel colors and adorned with beads and crocheted details, the creatures are friendly and even glitzy interpretations of their real-life counterparts.

    The works shown here will be on view in Mizushima’s solo show Creatures and Curiosities on view from September 14 to October 22 at Boris Zakkaten in Tokyo. Find more on Instagram.

    “Ancient Diorama Ammonite”

    “Heart Moray Eel”

    Detail of “Heart Moray Eel”

    “Ancient Diorama Squids”

    Detail of “Ancient Diorama Squids”

    “Heart Ocotpus”

    “Heart Squid”

    Detail of “Heart Squid”

    “Bugs 1”

    “Bugs 2”

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    John Pai Transforms Steel Into Delicate, Airy Sculptures

    “Shared Destinies” (2014), welded steel, 85.5 x 108 x 85 centimeters. Photos by Geoffrey Quelle. All images © John Pai, courtesy of
    the artist and Gallery Hyundai, shared with permission

    John Pai Transforms Steel Into Delicate, Airy Sculptures

    September 12, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    For more than seventy years, John Pai’s artistic practice has delved into themes ranging from memory and the subconscious to international art forms, East Asian philosophy, and science. Starting in the early 1960s, he began working with steel, investigating both its technical and aesthetic potential through abstract shapes influenced by Constructivism.

    Pai is known for his meticulous and detailed metal sculptures, which weld thin strips in lattices and sheets to create delicate woven textures. A material we typically associate with heavy-duty construction is transformed into intimate works that appear as if they could float on air. Soft curves and gauzy surfaces suggest organic forms or textiles in contrast to industrial applications.

    “Risen, Fallen, Walken” (1987), welded steel, 120 x 109 x 54 centimeters

    Shared Destinies, the artist’s solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai, presents nearly 40 pieces Pai has made throughout the past seven decades. Comprising welded steel sculptures, drawings, and paintings, the show illuminates the artist’s multidisciplinary approach to material, process, and form.

    In the work “Shared Destinies,” for example—which lends the show its name—layers of delicately welded steel suggest a woven basket. Ethereal pieces like “Invocation” bring to mind the undulating, woven wire sculptures of Ruth Asawa. The visible inner structures mirror the universal layers of the human psyche, time, and the artist’s journey of self-exploration.

    Shared Destinies continues through October 20 in Seoul. See more on the gallery’s website.

    “Involution” (1974), welded steel, 98 x 98 x 97 centimeters

    “Forgotten Rule” (1990), welded steel, 92 x 102.5 x 41.8 centimeters

    “Untitled” (1982), welded steel, 86 x 52 x 58 centimeters

    ‘Heaven and Earth’
    series, 1 to 7 (2024), welded steel, variable dimensions

    “Untitled 1970, Entitled 2021” (1970), welded steel, 92 x 92 x 38.9 centimeters

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