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    Whimsical Ceramic Sculptures by En Iwamura Evoke Ancient Traditions and Childlike Curiosity

    “Neo Jomon: Green Mask” (2024), glazed ceramic, 35 3/8 x 30 1/4 x 28 3/4 inches. Photos by Grace Dodds. All images courtesy of the artist and Ross + Kramer, Gallery, New York, shared with permission

    Whimsical Ceramic Sculptures by En Iwamura Evoke Ancient Traditions and Childlike Curiosity

    February 6, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    In Japanese philosophy, the concept of Ma emphasizes the relationships between time and space and how moments, intervals, and distance provide the basis for how we experience the world around us. Derived from the word Ma, or “間,” which translates to “pause” or “gap,” the idea of negative space is viewed as a fundamental element of art and architecture.

    For En Iwamura, who lives and works near Kyoto, working from the perspective of Ma forms a significant tenet of his sculpture practice (previously). He examines scale, the sense of one’s surroundings, and comfort in proximity to others. “People constantly read and measure different Ma between themselves, and finding the proper or comfortable Ma between people or places can provide a specific relationship at a given moment,” the artist says in a statement.

    “Neo Jomon: Black/White Mask” (2024), glazed ceramic, 38 1/4 x 34 5/8 x 29 1/2 inches

    In Mask, Iwamura’s solo exhibition at Ross+Kramer Gallery, he delves into the cultural, conceptual, and symbolic significance of the titular objects. Drawing on childhood memories of visiting the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, where he saw masks from around the world, the artist evokes the sense of mystery he felt upon viewing the works and curiosity about their origins.

    Masks have been used for centuries in cultures all around the globe, predominantly associated with religious ceremonies, funerary customs, festivals, dramatic performances, and other rituals of social importance. We don masks to protect us from inclement weather or to provide a layer of safety in certain sports or recreational activities. In 2020, the mask took on a new significance in the global effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

    Iwamura’s playful, gentle, sometimes wistful ceramic sculptures reference the historical nature of masks while reflecting their role in our contemporary world. “A driving force behind this collection of work is a reconnection to child-like senses of curiosity, wonderment, and creativity,” says an exhibition statement.

    In this exhibition, Iwamura presents numerous sculptures from his ongoing Neo Jomon series, drawing on details characterizing earthenware of the ancient Jōmon culture, which existed in what is modern-day Japan from around 14,000 to 300 B.C.E. The name literally means “cord-marking” after a style of pottery scholars attribute to the period.

    “Neo Jomon: Mask and Eyes” (2024), glazed ceramic, 31 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 28 inches

    Soft forms complement vibrant hues and a variety of textures in Iwamura’s sculptures, which range in size from a little over a foot tall to more than five feet. “To achieve these intricate surfaces, the artist allows his hand-built forms to air dry slightly before drawing various tools across the surface of the clay,” the gallery says. The textures recall rake-like patterns of Buddhist Zen gardens and cord-marking, a technique of pressing a twisted cord into wet clay.

    “While serving as a meditation on parenthood, this series is also an encouragement to reunite with one’s inner child,” the gallery says. Mask continues through March 26 in New York City. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “Neo Jomon: Red Mask” (2024), glazed ceramic, 46 x 46 1/2 x 31 1/8 inches

    “Neo Jomon: Stacking Neighbor” (2024), glazed ceramic, 20 1/8 x 7 7/8 x 7 7/8 inches

    “Neo Jomon: Pink Mask (Beret)” (2024), glazed ceramic, 36 x 40 x 7 1/4 inches

    “Neo Jomon: Stacking Neighbor” (2024), glazed ceramic, 16 7/8 x 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches

    “Neo Jomon: Black Mask (Crack)” (2024), glazed ceramic and gold, 31 x 31 x 9 inches

    “Neo Jomon: Stacking Neighbor” (2024), glazed ceramic, 15 x 9 7/8 x 6 3/4 inches

    “Neo Jomon: Blue Mask” (2024), glazed ceramic and gold, 23 x 36 x 14 5/8 inches

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    Timo Fahler’s Stained-Glass Sculptures Question Symbols and Curtailed Freedoms

    “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door” (2023), chain-link fence, steel, stained glass, lead, and aluminum, 48 x 38 x 6 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Sebastian Gladstone Gallery, shared with permission

    Timo Fahler’s Stained-Glass Sculptures Question Symbols and Curtailed Freedoms

    February 5, 2025

    ArtSocial Issues

    Kate Mothes

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    The creation of stained glass can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Rome, but we most often associate it with its popularity in Western Christianity, as in the biblical narratives adorning chapels and cathedrals. For Timo Fahler, this tradition forms the foundation of a multimedia practice influenced by Mesoamerican codice imagery, national symbols, and motifs found in older European churches.

    Stained glass is a “storytelling medium in which I get to draw from everything I experience, everything I study, read, believe in, and even distrust,” Fahler tells Colossal. “We are floating in a unique era of questioning reality, the last gasp of the living generation before automation integrates itself via AI, ChatGPT, and digital interface.” He views his practice as depicting this era and even, in a way, immortalizing it.

    “topos haliaíetos for the bald eagle; topos chrysaetos for the gold eagle/Mexico” (2023), steel, cast iron, stained glass, lead, tin, and obsidian, 27 x 41 x 2 inches

    Fahler first worked with lampworking glass while studying ceramics at the Kansas City Art Institute, which sparked an ongoing interest in the medium. Recently, he began incorporating it into what he calls “rebar drawings,” which form the foundation of much of his work. “I was curious about letting the unpredictability of light become a part of the ‘materials’ I work with,” the artist says.

    Many of Fahler’s sculptures are framed or supported by heavy-duty metals like rusted steel, iron fences, and gates. Stained glass hovers a few inches from the wall, casting colorful shadows. For his most recent works, Fahler places barriers atop the glass to consider not only the viewer’s relationship to the image but also the implications of people being barred from freedoms and knowledge. “I draw from a lot of different sources—historical, mythological, and fantastical—all of which encompass my ‘heritage,’” the artist says.

    In a piece titled after the poem “New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, which is carved in bronze on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, Fahler uses a gate to frame a detail of Lady Liberty’s arm constructed of tiny glass squares soldered to the facets of a chain-link fence. Historically a potent symbol of welcome, amnesty, and inclusiveness, the statue in this context references how today, new immigrants’ access is more troubled and often blocked.

    Serpents, dragons, eagles, and landscapes merge with realistic portraits and references to historical moments and national emblems, like Mexico’s crest featuring a golden eagle on a cactus with a snake in its talons. The image centers on the nation’s flag, representing the resilience, bravery, and spirit of the Mexican people. Echoing his representation of the Statue of Liberty, the icon is barricaded, merging with iron bars.

    “I against i” (2024), found fence, steel, stained glass, grisaille, glass, and lead, 53.5 x 53 x 7 inches. Photo by Nick Massey

    Fahler is currently working on a solo presentation with Sebastian Gladstone this autumn. He and his family just moved to Amsterdam, where he shares he’s beginning from a “zero-point/clean canvas” in a new studio, and he plans to explore ideas around the complexities of sovereignty, expatriation, and a quickly evolving global society.

    “The world is changing so quickly that we cannot collectively understand, let alone keep up with it!” he says. “I’m excited to be working on all of that and look forward to the body of work that depicts it.”

    Find more on Fahler’s website and Instagram.

    “two-headed serpent” (2023), mirror steel, cast iron, stained glass, copper, and lead, 30 x 45 x 4 inches

    “fever dream” (2024), found gate, steal, stained glass, grisaille, and lead, 32 x 84 x 6 inches. Photo by Nick Massey

    “twin serpents” (2024), steel, stained glass, lead, and rebar, 70 x 64 x 64 inches. Photo by Nick Massey

    “Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099)” (2023), fence, steel, stained glass, and lead, 64 x 59.5 x 3.5 inches

    “copper zen mountain” (2023), rebar steel, stained glass, lead, and copper, 30 x 40 x 6 inches

    “code switching” (2024), found chain-link fence, steel, stained glass, and lead, 64 x 48 x 8 inches

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    Wycliffe Stutchbury Configures Miniature Wood Shingles into Mesmerizing Arrangements

    “The Craig,” 17th-century barn blockwork repair clad in English oak sourced, harvested, seasoned, and machined from fallen branches in adjacent woods, 13 x 4.3 meters, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

    Wycliffe Stutchbury Configures Miniature Wood Shingles into Mesmerizing Arrangements

    February 5, 2025

    ArtCraft

    Kate Mothes

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    “Always in my mind is the desire to describe the landscape of the human body and the country,” says artist Wycliffe Stutchbury, whose elegant compositions are intimately tied to nature and a sense of place. He creates handmade wood shingles made from a range of sources like bog oak, holly, and ash, arranging the pieces into elemental compositions.

    “I work with wood because it is full of surprises, and it is a miraculous material,” Stutchbury tells Colossal. “Its character, texture, fragility, robustness, and the way in which it records the passing of time… I really just see myself as an editor of nature.”

    “Hundred Foot Drain 15,” excavated bog oak, 180 x 80 centimeters, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire

    The artist is fascinated by the human relationship with landscape, or what he describes as “the struggle between our desire to impose form on the natural world and its unwillingness to conform.” No matter how we try to manipulate, use, or suppress the natural environment, it always shapes our efforts.

    Stutchbury was formally trained as a furniture maker, and when he graduated from university, he focused on making what he calls “miniature realities,” or very precise models of everyday things, which he exhibited in large, white spaces. After university, he moved into a studio with some fellow graduates. The artist realized he needed to put the nose to the grindstone and began to gravitate back to woodworking.

    “One day, I was walking home and the neighbour’s house was being re-roofed,” the artist says. “The builders had left the old roofing battens in the front garden, and I asked if I could take them away. The rain and sun and time had produced these wonderful colours on the timber.”

    With his mind still in “miniature mode,” Stutchbury imagined a small tiled roof, and a textural wall panel clad with little shingles emerged. The rest is history, as they say. Over time, he experimented with different types of foraged wood, making larger panels, multi-piece installations, tapestry-like wall hangings and, most recently, architectural interventions.

    Detail of “The Craig”

    His project “The Craig,” a title derived from the Gaelic word for rock, reinterprets the exterior cladding of a 17th-century stone barn in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. Following the contours of the original stonework and the covered aisle through the center, Stutchbury applied hundreds of shingles in a delicately undulating pattern.

    The artist harvested material for “The Craig” exclusively from fallen branches in the adjacent woods. “The title for each work is provided by the location that the timber is found,” he says. “I seek out fallen and forgotten wood, and how it has responded to its surroundings and environment provides me with the platform to work from.”

    Stutchbury follows where the work takes him. “Although I strive to apply my own structure to these works through concentration and technical skill, I fail,” he says, adding:

    I make mistakes, my concentration wanders, I change my mind, (and) I can’t maintain a straight line or a perfect sphere. I find I am being pulled toward an intuitive way of working, like stacking firewood. So, I allow the timber I have before me to lead the way, and through a process of editing, I try and reveal the qualities and narrative held within it.

    The artist has been busy with commissions, including a trip in May to Maine—a region rich with Shingle Style architecture—where he will clad one elevation of a house on the coast. Explore more on the artist’s website.

    “Holme Fen 3,” handsawn excavated bog oak tiles hung on cotton twill, 330 x 228 centimeters

    “The Rodd,” discarded barn cladding, 127 x 79 centimeters, Prestigne, Powys

    “The Hill 10,” felled common holly, 180 x 90 centimeters, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

    Detail of “The Craig”

    “Hundred Foot Drain 9,” excavated bog oak, 100 x 150 centimeters, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire

    “Oakhill Park,” felled ash tree, 93 x 88 centimeters, Oakhill House, Hildenborough, Kent

    “Fenland Drape,” excavated bog oak and autumn leaves on 230gsm artists linen, 270 x 270 centimeters, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire / Lucas Gardens London SE5

    “Hundred Foot Drain 9” in progress

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    Naomi Peterson Channels a Sweet Tooth and Sense of Togetherness in Her Vibrant ‘Cup-Cakes’

    “Mud Pies.” All images courtesy of Naomi Peterson, shared with permission

    Naomi Peterson Channels a Sweet Tooth and Sense of Togetherness in Her Vibrant ‘Cup-Cakes’

    February 4, 2025

    ArtCraftFood

    Kate Mothes

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    Frosted sponge and overstuffed pies are just a few of the sweet treats Naomi Peterson crafts from clay. Her playful “cup-cakes” take confectionery as a starting point, adding layers reminiscent of fondant, ice cream scoops, berries, and sprinkles.

    Many of Peterson’s pieces are functional, incorporating lids or handles to be used as vessels or coffee mugs. “I’m drawn to visual sweetness, imagining the potential enjoyment of confectioneries rather than physically consuming them,” she tells Colossal. “I actually prefer savory and salty foods to sweet ones!”

    “Topiary Jar 2”

    Flowers complement playful lattice patterns in vibrant hues, sometimes leaning into a garden theme with topiary forms. Peterson relies on an intuitive approach that combines wheel-thrown techniques with hand-building methods like coils, slabs, and pinching. “I construct different forms and plan surfaces later,” she says. “I find if I pre-plan the surface and shape from the beginning, the process becomes too controlled, limiting spontaneity.”

    Once the basic form is complete, Peterson adds or removes elements through darting—cutting wedge-shaped pieces from a cylinder of clay—and embellishing with sprig or press molds. “My surfaces require many applications and separate firings to achieve vibrant, layered effects,” she says. “Before ceramics, I spent many years painting mainly with oils, influencing much of my surface decisions.”

    We often think of confectionery as a token of joy, celebration, and togetherness. Every cake and bon bon reflects Peterson’s interest in relationships and the way our actions and emotions entwine us with others and our communities. The spaces in between the dot patterns are essential, “not to keep each element distant but to connect them,” she says. “Although not physically connected, each of us is important as part of a whole.”

    Peterson’s work will be part of Dirt Folk: Planted, a pop-up exhibition running concurrently with the 2025 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference in March in Salt Lake City. If you’re on the East Coast, you’ll be able to see her work in Lines and Patterns from March 22 to May 24 at Baltimore Clayworks. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    Assorted “Cakes”

    “Flower Pot”

    Assorted “Bon Bons”

    “Bloom Cake 2”

    Assorted “Bon Bons”

    “Pluff Jar”

    Confectionery-inspired mugs

    “Harmonia”

    Assorted “Cakes”

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    Simon Laveuve’s 1/35-Scale Dwellings Hint at a Post-Apocalyptic Way of Life

    “Temple” (2025), mixed media. All images courtesy of Simon Laveuve, shared with permission

    Simon Laveuve’s 1/35-Scale Dwellings Hint at a Post-Apocalyptic Way of Life

    February 3, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Whether slathered with graffiti, overgrown with moss, or decorated with found knick-knacks, Simon Laveuve’s sculptures hint at anonymous lives. Even though we never see those who inhabit the eclectic miniature dwellings (previously), the artist invites us to examine an alternative way of life.

    Crafted at 1/35 scale, tiny tables, windows, paintings, and other objects fill multi-story rooms and mezzanines. In his most recent works, Laveuve continues his characteristic assemblage-like style, imagining a post-apocalyptic reality where basic belongings provide for a simple life.

    Detail of “D’un bout à l’autre”

    In “D’un bout à l’autre,” for example, which translates to “from one end to the other” the structure appears to have risen from the pier of a long-destroyed bridge. Its swampy base contains old tires and other detritus, while above, a narrow, three-story shack includes basic amenities.

    In this imagined existence, there is presumably no electricity grid or internet, a windmill provides enough power for a fan and a refrigerator, and a tank stores water. Laveuve taps into a kind of “future past,” turning to equipment and methods many of us view as obsolete today, like gramophones and metal milk jugs.

    If you’re in Paris, you can see Laveuve’s solo exhibition Voir Loin at Loo & Lou Gallery through March 1. His work is also included in Small Is Beautiful, which is currently on view in Taipei. Discover more miniature worlds on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “D’un bout à l’autre” (2025), mixed media, 52 x 40 x 31 centimeters

    Detail of “D’un bout à l’autre”

    “D’un bout à l’autre”

    Detail of “D’un bout à l’autre”

    “La Volière” (2025), mixed media

    Detail of “La Volière”

    “Temple” (2025), mixed media

    Detail of “Temple”

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    Nick Cave’s Nearly 26-Foot Bronze Stands for Resistance Amid Oppression

    “Amalgam (Origin)”
    (2024), bronze,
    309 5/8 x 201 x 227 inches. All photos by Vincent Tullo, courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, shared with permission

    Nick Cave’s Nearly 26-Foot Bronze Stands for Resistance Amid Oppression

    January 30, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    Whether weaving plastic pony beads into a monumental sculpture, adorning figures with mother-of-pearl buttons, or mosaicing ceramic tile across a New York subway station, Nick Cave has continually returned to one question: how does this material help bring people into the work?

    “I have to think about the journey and how I get your willingness to explore and go with me,” he told Colossal in 2022.

    “Amalgam (Plot)” (2024), bronze, tole flowers, and cast iron door stops, 63 x 120 x 125 inches

    This month at Jack Shainman Gallery’s new Tribeca location, Cave presents his latest material explorations. Amalgams and Graphts comprises two distinct bodies of work that are a sort of progression from the artist’s signature Soundsuits. Created following the Los Angeles Police Department’s beating of Rodney King in 1991, the ebullient costumes conceal the wearer’s identity and invite viewers to engage from a place of non-judgment.

    For Amalgams, Cave created bronze casts of his own body at different scales evocative of Soundsuits. At the center of the exhibition is an unmissable, almost 26-foot sculpture that towers over the space. Thick foliage cloaks the figure and emphasizes the possibility for growth as branches sprout from the upper torso, creating what the artist refers to as a “migration hub” where perched birds take refuge. Nearby, a similar work depicts a smaller, yet equally opulent figure seated with feet lifted off the ground.

    “Amalgam (Plot)” is the most compact of the three. Erupting with vintage tole flowers, the floor sculpture portrays two figures, one lying on his back and the other face down with his arms over his head to take cover. The protective pose mimics a scene of racially motivated violence captured on video.

    In part a move toward accessibility, the bronze works are part of Cave’s interest in public art and sharing his practice—including his commitment to cultivating resistance in the face of oppression—more broadly.

    “Grapht” (2024), vintage metal serving trays and needlepoint on wood panel, 95 1/2 x 143 1/2 x 2 inches

    While the artist frequently incorporates his own body into his work, Graphts is the first time he’s made himself so recognizable. Self-portraits appear amid decadent collages of vintage serving trays decorated with floral motifs. A long-time collector of found objects, Cave melds the platters with needlepoint, a domestic craft historically practiced by privileged, wealthy women.

    As is typical in the artist’s work, the trays take on several meanings, invoking servitude and the aesthetics of social systems along with the multi-valent notion of “serving.” Associated with subordination and duty, “to serve” in ballroom culture is instead “a directive to act with confidence and attitude.”

    Amalgams and Graphts continues in New York through March 15. Find more from Cave on Instagram.

    Left: Nick Cave and Bob Faust, “Wallwork,” (2024), wall vinyl, 157 x 367 1/4 inches. Right: “A·mal·gam” (2021), bronze, 122 x 94 x 85 inches

    “Grapht” (2024), vintage metal serving trays and vintage tole on wood panel, 95 1/2 x 95 1/2 x 10 inches

    “Amalgam (Plot)” (2024), bronze, tole flowers, and cast iron door stops, 63 x 120 x 125 inches

    “Grapht” (2024), vintage metal serving trays, vintage tole, and needlepoint on wood panel, 95 1/2 x 193 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches

    “Amalgam (Plot)” (2024), bronze, tole flowers, and cast iron door stops, 63 x 120 x 125 inches

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    In London, an Enormous Exhibition of 500+ Works Roots Out the Creative Seeds of Flowers

    Rebecca Louise Law, “Calyx” (2023). Image courtesy of the artist

    In London, an Enormous Exhibition of 500+ Works Roots Out the Creative Seeds of Flowers

    January 29, 2025

    ArtNaturePhotography

    Grace Ebert

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    In nature, flowers serve as an essential component of the reproduction process. But for humans, scented blooms are ripe with myriad meanings and symbolism that transcend their biological functions.

    During Victorian times, offering a bouquet to someone with your right hand indicated a non-verbal “yes,” while a yellow carnation would reject an admirer. Similarly in art history, wilting flowers rendered as a momento mori remind us of death’s inevitability, and for van Gogh, sunflowers were the perfect stand-in for gratitude.

    Aimée Hoving, “Compost” (2019). Image © Aimee Hoving, flowers by Brigitte Gentis van Dam Merrett

    A massive exhibition opening next month at Saatchi Gallery cultivates a vast repertoire of works that explores how blooms have become an omnipresent entity in human life and creativity. Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture brings together more than 500 photographs, installations, sculptures, archival pieces, and other objects to create a rich landscape spanning millennia.

    Anchoring the exhibition is an expansive and immersive work of 100,000-plus dried flowers by Rebecca Louise Law. Smaller pieces include Xuebing Du’s ethereal photos of flowers in natural light, VOYDER’s streaky steam-laden compositions, and lush, vibrant gardens by Faye Bridgewater.

    Opening in time to usher in spring in London, Flowers runs from February 12 to May 5.

    VOYDER, “In Love with the Idea of You” (2024). Image courtesy of the artist

    Kasia Wozniak, “Anemoia #7.” Image courtesy of the artist

    Sandra Kantanen, “Still Life (Flowers I).” Image courtesy the artist and Purdy Hicks Gallery

    Xuebing Du, “Mother of Pearl” (2018). Image courtesy of the artist

    Carmen Mitrotta, “Geometric Leaves.” Image courtesy the artist

    Faye Bridgewater, “En Masse” (2025). Image courtesy of the artist

    Ann von Freyburg, “Floral Arrangement 1 (After Jan van Huysum, Still Life).” Image courtesy of the artist

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    Brandon Morris’ Spectral Fiberglass Gowns Conjure Fears of the Unknown

    All images courtesy of Europa, shared with permission

    Brandon Morris’ Spectral Fiberglass Gowns Conjure Fears of the Unknown

    January 29, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    Wander into New York’s Europa, and you’ll encounter a spectral cast devoid of characters. Pale green gowns with ruffled hems, long sleeves, and empire waists haunt the gallery as they hunch and lean as if enlivened by an invisible force. Unsettling and intriguing, the translucent works wouldn’t be out of place in a ghostly horror film and are on view for Brandon Morris’s solo show, Actress.

    Born in San Diego and based in New York, Morris is trained in dressmaking, which he applies to fiberglass for this body of work. Using an industrial sewing machine and mannequins, Morris sewed garments based on vintage children’s gowns from the Victorian era. Resin stiffens the clothing and allows each piece to retain its distinctive, upright shape.

    “Ghost Dress 6” (2024), fiberglass, 32 x 27 x 51 inches

    A statement about the exhibition shares that the hollow forms offer space to hold our fears and anxieties. Redolent of the supernatural mystery The Ring from 2002—itself adapted from the 1998 Japanese film Ringu—the uncanny dresses are unnerving because their gestures and poses are so similar to reality. As they float in the gallery, the garments’ curved backs and crooked shoulders are out of kilter and offer an air of discomfort.

    As with the conventions of the horror genre, Morris’ works are unnerving in part because they leave us with questions: Who wore the garments, and where have they gone? Who, or what, left the dresses in this state? And, perhaps most timely, what insidious forces are hidden in plain sight?

    Actress continues through February 9. Find more from Morris on Instagram.

    “Ghost Dress 7” (2024), fiberglass, 37 x 37 x 55 inches

    “Ghost Dress 2” (2024), fiberglass, 20 x 20 x 45 inches

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