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      Candy-Colored Sculptures by Poh Sin Studio Ornament Aquatic Life

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      Detail of “Lacebud.” All images courtesy of Poh Sin Studio, shared with permission

      Candy-Colored Sculptures by Poh Sin Studio Ornament Aquatic Life

      June 17, 2025

      ArtDesignNature

      Grace Ebert

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      In Specimen Garden, Pamela Poh Sin Tan translates the ambiguous ecologies of her large-scale public works into freestanding sculptures. Tan, who works under Poh Sin Studio, frequently fuses principles of art and design, and for this series of coral-inspired forms, she embellishes sand-coated laser-cut steel with small chalcedony stone beads.

      “Inspired by the ethereal elegance of natural systems—coral, roots, jellyfish, diatoms—these works reflect my fascination with the subtle, intelligent structures of the natural world,” she says.

      “Fanora”

      Drawing on the ornamentation traditions of her Chinese-Malaysian heritage, the artist fuses contemporary techniques with timeless themes of fragility, strength, and beauty. “Each piece feels like a living fragment of a surreal coral garden—plant-like in posture, reef-like in texture, and jewel-like in detail,” she says. “Together, they form a quiet ecosystem of imagined species suspended between nature and artifice.”

      Keep up with Poh Sin Studio on its website and Instagram.

      “Melona”

      “Lacebud”

      Detail of “Melona”

      Detail of “Fanora”

      “Aurelia”

      Detail of “Aurelia”

      Detail of “Fanora”

      “Ploomp”

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    • 163 Shares199 Views

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      Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

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      “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024),
      walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches. All images courtesy of Andrew Rafacz, shared with permission

      Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

      June 16, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      “The model railroader is the truest creator: engineer, architect, and master of his own timetable,” reads a statement about Josh Dihle’s feverish exhibition, Basement Arrangement.

      Armed with hundreds of minuscule objects from coral to LEGO, Dihle concocts dreamlike worlds in which figures become topographies and every cavity houses a surprising detail. Peek inside the cheek of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary,” and find a wooly mammoth with lustrous stones embedded in its wooden tusks. “Confluence” is similar as carved fish jut out of the foam-and-plaster ground alongside trees and palms with widespread fingers.

      Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

      Evoking model railroads and dollhouses, Dihle’s sculptural paintings incorporate recognizable objects but with an uncanny, if not skewed, perspective. Stretching nearly five feet tall, the large-scale works hang on the wall and draw a contrast between the overall composition, viewed straight on, and the miniature vignettes best taken in at a 90-degree angle. Step back and see an aerial landscape with hills shaped like lips or a sunken nose, while close-up inspection becomes a dizzying hunt for unlikely items tucked into every crevice.

      The exhibition title originates with hermit hobbyists, who seem to come alive when cloistered in worlds of their own making. What appears to outsiders as an escape from reality is, for them, an attempt to organize the chaos and take control, even if in the form of toys and make-believe.

      If you’re in Chicago, see Basement Arrangement at Andrew Rafacz through July 18. Find more from Dihle on his website.

      Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

      “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches

      Detail of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches

      “Brittle Star” (2025), oil, acrylic, casein, colored pencil, Legos, fossils, rocks, plastic toys, marbles, mosaic tile, buttons, carved walnut, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, and plywood on panel, 47 x 21 inches

      “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

      “Sighting” (2025), casein, colored pencil, rocks, fossils, eyeball agate, agate, amber, found objects, plastic toys, mosaic tile, marbles, LEGO, beads, thumb tacks, and beach glass on carved basswood, 18 x 14 x 1.5 inches

      “Falls” (2025), acrylic, turquoise, meteorite, fossil, marble, rocks, plastic toy, paper pulp, plaster gauze, twine, maple, and foam on panel, 42 x 32.5 x 11 inches

      “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches

      Detail of “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches

      Installation view of ‘Basement Arrangement’

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    • 138 Shares159 Views

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      Piped Like Cake Icing, Ebony Russell’s Luscious Vessels Evoke Emotional Celebrations

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      All images courtesy of Ebony Russell, shared with permission

      Piped Like Cake Icing, Ebony Russell’s Luscious Vessels Evoke Emotional Celebrations

      June 12, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Piping clay with bakery tools, Ebony Russell creates a range of delectable vessels in a prism of colors.

      Russell’s practice is founded in both the relationship between form and function and the nature of the vessel itself as a container for memory and gesture. “I’m interested in how material can carry emotion and presence,” she says. “A lot of what I make starts from personal experience, but I hope it opens space for others to reflect, too.”

      Intrigued by the aesthetics and process of cakes, the Australian artist originally focused on sculptural motifs like bride-and-groom or ballerina toppers, but the icing itself gradually emerged as a focus. “I was searching for a way to build with clay that felt more fluid and intuitive,” she tells Colossal. “When I started using piping bags, I loved the immediacy and texture—it felt like drawing in space.”

      Some of the works shown here are included in Russell’s current solo exhibition, Frivolous, at Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney, which continues through June 21. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram. (via PAN)

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    • 88 Shares189 Views

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      Dara Schuman’s Rhythmic Tiered Vessels Embrace Intuition

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      Images © the artist, share with permission

      Dara Schuman’s Rhythmic Tiered Vessels Embrace Intuition

      June 11, 2025

      Art

      Jackie Andres

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      Experimentation is a driving force in Dara Schuman’s ceramic practice. Out of her Chicago studio, the artist conjures striking geometric forms that appear stacked, ribbed, and almost architectonic. With an air of retro-futurism informed by mid-century modern style, her jewel-toned volumetric vessels don earthy yet bold glazes in deep reds, ochre, and smokey blue.

      “Over time, I’ve found that my best pieces come from exploration rather than control,” the artist explains. Sitting before the pottery wheel, Schuman allows her thoughts to melt away before permitting her subconscious take charge. “Letting the clay guide me is what I enjoy most about the medium,” she shares.

      When Schuman discovers methods and motions that stick, she uses those processes as momentum to see how far she can push both the clay and her skills. Often, this approach naturally leads to bodies of work in which the iterative pieces feel and look inherently harmonious.

      Schuman is currently excited about lighting and has been experimenting with pendant lights and sculptural lamps. She is also working on a series of mugs for a shop update in the next month. Find much more from the artist on her website and Instagram.

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      Hew Locke’s ‘Odyssey’ Flotilla Sails Through Global Colonial History and Current Affairs

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      Installation view of ‘Hew Locke: Here’s the Thing’ (2019), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Photo by Stuart Whipps, courtesy of Ikon Gallery. All images © Hew Locke, courtesy of P·P·O·W, shared with permission

      Hew Locke’s ‘Odyssey’ Flotilla Sails Through Global Colonial History and Current Affairs

      June 10, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Through a multidisciplinary approach spanning painting, photography, sculpture, and installation, British artist Hew Locke OBE RA interrogates “the languages of colonial and post-colonial power, and the symbols through which different cultures assume and assert identity,” says P·P·O·W, which will present a series of the artists’ boat sculptures at Art Basel this month.

      Locke has long been interested in the time-honored traditions and spectrum of histories associated with watercraft. For Those in Peril on the Sea (2011), for example, incorporated 70 model boats that, when suspended from the ceiling, appeared to float in a colorful, eclectic flotilla. The artist combined customized models along with vessels made from scratch, representing different styles used around the world. “No crew are visible—the boats themselves are a symbol of the crew and passengers,” a statement says.

      “Odyssey 17” (2024), mixed media, 26 x 14 5/8 x 39 3/8 inches. Photos by Damian Griffiths

      Eight new vessels in Locke’s Odyssey series will sail through P·P·O·W’s booth at the art fair opening June 19. Representing a range of styles, from wooden gun ships and dreadnoughts to fishing boats and yachts, Locke adds colorful details like flags, painted patterns, patchwork sails, and onboard equipment.

      He invites us to consider the myriad associations with boats as fishing vessels, commuter ferries, military fleets, leisure cruises, and symbols of power, exploration, colonization, global conflict, and migration. As people continue to struggle across open seas in search of better lives, crowding onto ships and embarking on dangerous, or even deadly, voyages, maritime history converges with present-day events and global socio-political realities.

      “Fusing historical source material with a keen interest in current affairs, often through the juxtaposition or modification of existing artifacts, Locke focuses attention especially on the U.K., the monarchy, and his childhood home, Guyana,” P·P·O·W says.

      Sailors have also historically been famously superstitious, based on the inherent risks of their occupation, and they put a great deal of stock in omens. In “Odyssey 30,” for example, Locke illustrates the vessel’s sails with images of men being haunted by skeletons, an instance of memento mori that infuses the piece with a sense of foreboding.

      “Odyssey 30” (2024), mixed media, 21 5/8 x 35 7/8 x 6 3/4 inches

      Art Basel runs from June 19 to 22 in Basel, Switzerland. From September 2025, an installation titled Cargoes in King Edward Memorial Park, London, will take inspiration from the history of the site’s mercantile and dock communities. And the largest solo survey of the artist’s work to date, Hew Locke: Passages, continues at the Yale Center for British Art through January 11, 2026. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      Installation view of ‘Hew Locke: Here’s the Thing’ (2019), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Photo by Stuart Whipps, courtesy of Ikon Gallery

      Detail of “Odyssey 30”

      “Odyssey 10” (2024), mixed media, 24 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 25 5/8 inches

      “Odyssey 22” (2024), mixed media, 15 3/8 x 7 7/8 x 28 3/4 inches

      Installation view of ‘Hew Locke: Here’s the Thing’ (2019), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Photo by Stuart Whipps, courtesy of Ikon Gallery

      “Odyssey 13” (2024), mixed media, 29 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 38 1/4 inches

      Detail of “Odyssey 30”

      “Odyssey 15” (2024), mixed media, 10 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches

      Detail of “Odyssey 15”

      “Odyssey 25” (2024), mixed media, 26 3/4 x 20 7/8 x 14 5/8 inches

      Detail of “Odyssey 10”

      Installation view of ‘Hew Locke: Here’s the Thing’ (2019), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Photo by Stuart Whipps, courtesy of Ikon Gallery

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    • 225 Shares169 Views

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      At Joy Machine, Five Artists Bring a Gust of Fresh Air for a Joint Exhibition with The Jaunt

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      Stevie Shao, “Thistle Butterfly sheltering from rain,” acrylic gouache and latex paint on paper, 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches

      At Joy Machine, Five Artists Bring a Gust of Fresh Air for a Joint Exhibition with The Jaunt

      June 9, 2025

      ArtPartner

      Joy Machine

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      Joy Machine is excited to announce a joint exhibition with The Jaunt. Opening this week in Chicago, Ventus features paintings, sculptures, and prints by Cody Hudson, Seonna Hong (previously), Seth Pimentel, Stevie Shao, and Scott Sueme.

      Founded and curated by Jeroen Smeets, The Jaunt (previously) is a travel project that sends artists around the world to experience new locations and cultures. Once they return home, artists create a limited-edition silkscreen print inspired by their journeys.

      Seonna Hong, “Summer Swimmers” (2025), acrylic on linen, 30 x 24 inches, framed

      Being outside our comfort zones heightens our senses and opens us up to new experiences and inspiration. The Jaunt is a gust of new perspective and energy that flows through artists’ creative processes, allowing them to reorient and establish a new current.

      For Ventus, Smeets gathered a group of artists who have each participated in the project, traveling to places like Shanghai, Mexico City, and Jeju Island, along with the towns of Shelton, Washington, and Joseph, Oregon. Each lets their experiences and observations lead as they create new artworks.

      Chicago has always been somewhat of a home away from home for The Jaunt. The very first exhibition was in the city, and over the years, amazing artists living and working in Chicago–including Cody Hudson, David Heo, Liz Flores, and others–have participated. The Jaunt and Joy Machine are excited to partner and present these five artists, many of whom are showing here for the first time.

      Ventus runs from June 13 to August 2. RSVP to the opening reception here.

      Stevie Shao, “Swallows,” acrylic gouache and latex paint on shaped wood

      Seonna Hong, “Bigfoot,” hand-finished print

      Scott Sueme, “Self-Schema, Pillar One” (2025), acrylic, flashe, and pastel on wood, 69 x 5.5 inches

      Cody Hudson, “Self-Sufficiency, Tangerine Variant”

      Cody Hudson, “Alternative Education, Tangerine Variant”

      Seth Pimentel, silkscreen print, 50 x 70 centimeters, edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist

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      William Mophos Conjures the Carefree Joys of Childhood on Salvaged Architecture

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      Detail of “Quintal da Vovข” (2025), acrylic painting on wall fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, acrylic dome with cement board base, 21.6 x 23 x 21 centimeters. All images courtesy of William Morphos, shared with permission

      William Mophos Conjures the Carefree Joys of Childhood on Salvaged Architecture

      June 6, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      The thrills of childhood play are on full display in the miniature works of William Mophos. On salvaged bricks, cracked tiles, and other architectural matter found throughout São Paulo, the Brazilian artist composes mixed-media scenes of a toddler drinking from a water hose or a youngster walking a dog. Intimate in size, the dioramas meld photorealistic portraits in acrylic with sculptural elements like minuscule flip-flops flung off a child’s feet or a red balloon frozen in an acrylic pane.

      Shown here are pieces of Colossal, a series that’s taken shape during the last five years. Marked with age, the materials evoke times passed and conjure a nostalgic, wistful longing for days filled with exploration and imagination. Find much more of Mophos’ work on his website and Instagram.

      “Estou Voando…” (2023), acrylic painting on tile, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 25.5 x 25.5 x 7.5 centimeters

      “Quintal da Vovข” (2025), acrylic painting on wall fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, acrylic dome with cement board base, 21.6 x 23 x 21 centimeters

      “Quintal da Vovข” (2025), acrylic painting on wall fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, acrylic dome with cement board base, 21.6 x 23 x 21 centimeters

      “Violeta e o Amarelo” (2023), acrylic and miniature painting on tiles, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 29 x 29 x 12.5 centimeters

      Detail of “Violeta e o Amarelo” (2023), acrylic and miniature painting on tiles, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 29 x 29 x 12.5 centimeters

      “Bexiga” (2023), acrylic painting and miniature on a wall fragment, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 24 x 26.8 x 7.5 centimeters

      Detail of “Bexiga” (2023), acrylic painting and miniature on a wall fragment, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 24 x 26.8 x 7.5 centimeters

      “Bento e seu amigo” (2025), acrylic painting on a wooden fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, framed in acrylic with a cementboard background, 33 x 26.5 x 9 centimeters

      Detail “Bento e seu amigo” (2025), acrylic painting on a wooden fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, framed in acrylic with a cementboard background, 33 x 26.5 x 9 centimeters

      “Ligia e o Urso” (2022), acrylic and miniature painting on a clay floor, framed in acrylic and with a cementboard background, 22.6 x 28 x 7.5 centimeters

      “Ibirapuera” (2024), acrylic painting on wooden board, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 32 x 18 x 7.5 centimeters

      “Bem Te Vi” (2024), acrylic painting on tiles, framed in acrylic with a cement board background, 20.3 x 42 x 7.5 centimeters

      “Dia de Chuva” (2023), acrylic painting on floor, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 9.3 x 19 x 7.5 centimeters

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    • 163 Shares169 Views

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      Chinese Herbs Suspended in Resin Usher in Healing in Wen Liu’s Skeletal Sculptures

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      “Ouroflora” (2025),
      prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, acrylic, varnish, 34 x 46 x 1 1/2 inches. All images courtesy of Wen Liu, shared with permission

      Chinese Herbs Suspended in Resin Usher in Healing in Wen Liu’s Skeletal Sculptures

      June 3, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      “In traditional Chinese medicine, treatments are prescribed through dialogue—how well one can communicate internal pain becomes a condition for healing,” says Wen Liu. Particularly difficult in moments of agony and discomfort, accurately describing our bodily sensations is essential for receiving treatment, and yet, as Liu points out, it’s also an act of translation that can feel nearly impossible while suffering and speaking a second or third language.

      The Shanghai-born artist, who is now based in Brooklyn, draws on this reality for her sculptural works that suspend dried herbs in tinted resin. Liu began incorporating these natural prescriptions into her practice when her father died “as a way to metabolize grief and explore healing through cultural connection,” she adds.

      “In Light, Where Edges Yield” (2025), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, acrylic, varnish, stainless steel, 65 x 65 x 3 1/2 inches

      Painted in pale purples and greens or silver, the molded-clay structures are architectural and skeletal, while the herbal portions evoke both stained-glass windows often seen in churches and cathedrals and vulnerable membranes of the body. Many works are affixed to the wall, although the human-sized “In Light, Where Edges Yield” stands freely on four legs with a spinal column at its center.

      Liu is intrigued by the way light filters through these surfaces and appears on the other side as a sacred, distorted beam of color. “This refracted illumination offers a sensory language beyond speech, mirroring the project’s exploration of emotions like grief, the processes of healing, and the inadequacy of language in capturing lived experience,” she adds.

      Continually mixing Eastern and Western traditions, Liu instills a sense of harmony and balance in her works. She gravitates toward symmetry and presents her sculptures almost like a Rorschach test, inviting viewers into a delicate dialogue of healing.

      Antidote is on view through June 21 at Gaa Gallery in New York. Liu is currently working toward an exhibition opening this month at Tang Contemporary Art Beijing, and you can explore more on her website and Instagram. (via Young Space)

      “Inarticulate Trace No1.” (2023), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, paint, UV resistant varnish, 37 x 32 x 1.5 inches

      “Silhouette of a Dose” (2022), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, paint, UV resistant varnish, 43 x 41 x 1.5 inches

      Detail of “Silhouette of a Dose” (2022), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, paint, UV resistant varnish, 43 x 41 x 1.5 inches

      Detail of “In Light, Where Edges Yield” (2025), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, acrylic, varnish, stainless steel, 65 x 65 x 3 1/2 inches

      “Inarticulate Trace No2.” (2024), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, paint, UV resistant varnish, 40 x 43 x 1.5 inches

      “Inarticulate Trace No3.” (2024), prescribed herbal medicine, epoxy clay, resin, paint, UV resistant varnish, 43.5 x 40.5 x 1.5 inches

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