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Vipoo’s Exuberant Porcelain Characters Emanate Optimism and Togetherness
by Aurelia Butler 6 December 2024, 10:00
All images courtesy of Vipoo, shared with permission
Vipoo’s Exuberant Porcelain Characters Emanate Optimism and Togetherness
December 6, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Born and raised in Thailand, Vipoo Srivilasa—who often goes simply by Vipoo—moved to Melbourne more than two decades ago, where he’s created ceramic works that engage with concepts like queerness, migration, and spirituality.
Vipoo emphasizes community, accessibility, and unwavering optimism in elegant yet playful porcelain sculptures (previously). In a range of glazes, from cobalt to gold luster to bright red, his dynamic characters gesture with their fingers in a “V” shape, usually denoting hopeful messages like “peace” or “victory.” Others appear to dance, wave, or cheer.
“Albert” (2022)
Titles like “Salutaris, the Patron of Well-being” or “Calma, the Spirit of Tranquility,” designate many of the figures with protective or uplifting roles. Vipoo taps into universal tenets of strong relationships and communities, like trust, fairness, and togetherness.
The artist’s solo exhition re/JOY at the Australian Design Centre highlights a wide range of stories about people’s migration to different parts of Australia. Drawing on personal stories and mementos collected from strangers around the country, he shares diverse experiences that contribute to a collective story.
re/JOY continues through February 19 in Darlinghurst, just outside of Sydney. And accompanying the show, a vibrant new monograph titled Positive Art Work celebrates 25 years of the artist’s career. Find more on Vipoo’s website and Instagram.
“Circle of Trust” (2023)
“Salutaris, the Patron of Well-being” (2024)
“Calma, the Spirit of Tranquillity” (2024)
“Shadowed Ally” and “White Blossoms” (2023)
“Temporus, the Master of Time” (2024)
Detail of a sculpture from ‘re/JOY’
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Einar and Jamex de la Torre’s Monumental Glass Assemblages Hurtle Through ‘Collidoscope’
by Aurelia Butler 5 December 2024, 15:22
“Oxymodern (Aztec Calendar)” (2002), blown-glass, mixed-media wall installation, 120 x 120 x 12 inches.
Image courtesy of the Cheech Marin Collection
and Riverside Art Museum. All images courtesy of the artists and the Corning Museum of Glass, shared with permission
Einar and Jamex de la Torre’s Monumental Glass Assemblages Hurtle Through ‘Collidoscope’
December 5, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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In 1972, when Einar and Jamex de la Torre were nine and 12 years old, respectively, their family moved to Southern California from their hometown, Guadalajara, Mexico. Building upon their immigrant experiences and the sometimes contradictory facets of bicultural identity, the artists began creating sculptures and installations exploring themes as varied as time, religion, traditions, and regionalism.
The pair have collaborated since the 1990s, combining blown glass and mixed media into large-scale wall pieces and striking public art. In the expansive exhibition Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective at the Corning Museum of Glass, the pair present 40 works spanning nearly three decades.
“Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana” (2024)
Included in the showcase is a brand new, monumental commission titled “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana,” which draws on the rich history of Venetian or Murano glass.
While only pieces produced on the small Italian island can bear the name of Murano—think Champagne in the wine world or Parmigiano Reggiano for cheese—the de la Torre brothers revel in the idea that “once [the technique] escaped, it hit the glassblowing world like a meteorite,” Einar says.
The de la Torre brothers are known for their additive approach, layering both meaning and material into meticulous assemblages. Vibrant colors and sometimes ironic details, like symbols for a car battery or engine light, emerge when encountered up close, then dissolve into energetic patterns when viewed from a distance.
Detail of “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana”
Today, the duo split their time between San Diego and the Guadalupe Valley of Baja California, Mexico, and the occasionally humorous interplay of American and Mexican motifs hold a sustained role in their practice. Many pieces incorporate motifs specific to Mexico, like the iconic, circular Aztec calendar that combines a 365-day cycle with a 260-day ritual or spiritual cycle. Mechanical gears, shells, religious iconography, anatomy, and more, merge in their maximalist compilations.
The brothers created the new work in the Corning Museum’s studio, and the idea for incorporating Venetian details like cane work arose organically around the hot shop team’s experience with the style. “An artist’s job is to get away with their vision,” Einar says, “and we were very gratified and surprised at how much support we had for our ideas for this commission.”
Collidoscope continues through January 5 in Corning, New York. Find more on the artists’ website.
Detail of “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana”
“Frijolera Clásica” (2010), bown-glass, mixed-media sculpture, 31 x 18 x 18 inches. Image courtesy of Crocker Art Museum
“Mitosis” (2008), blown-glass and mixed-media with resin castings and waterjet-cut aluminum frame, 48 x 48 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artists and Koplin Del Rio Gallery
“En Cada Arbol una Cruz” (2000), blown-glass, mixed-media sculpture, 28 x 21 inches. Image courtesy of the artists and Koplin Del Rio Gallery
Corning Museum of Glass staff work with the de la Torre brothers to install “Meteorite dall’ Influenza Veneziana”
The de la Torre brothers construct glass installation components in the Amphitheater Hot Shop of the Corning Museum of Glass
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In Chicago, an Expansive Exhibition Offers a New Vision of Himalayan Art
by Aurelia Butler 4 December 2024, 16:53
Losel Yauch. “Procession Immemorial.” Installation view of ‘Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now’ at Wrightwood 659. All photos by Michael Tropea, shared with permission
In Chicago, an Expansive Exhibition Offers a New Vision of Himalayan Art
December 4, 2024
ArtSocial Issues
Grace Ebert
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Suspended in the atrium of Wrightwood 659 in Chicago is a three-story installation of vibrant prayer flags in yellow, green, white, red, and blue cascading from above. Five sculptural horses emerge through the lush curtain of textiles at varying points, appearing to gallop mid-air.
Each flag’s color refers to the five elements and states of mind in Tibetan Buddhism. Yellow, for example, denotes earth and wisdom, while green references water and equanimity. White is air and purity, blue is space and endurance, and red refers to fire and compassion.
Asha Kama Wangdi, VAST Bhutan, “The Windhorse (lungta)” (2024), cloth and metal
By Bhutanese artist Asha Kama Wangdi, the monumental work utilizes the Buddhist tradition of lungta (wind horses), which are symbols of positive energy and good luck thought to carry prayers to the heavens. For this installation, the artist collected tattered and worn flags that broken loose and scattered across the landscape. This shift from spiritual object to a source of pollution inspired Asha Kama Wangdi, as he explored the contradiction between sacred practice and environmental care.
“The Windhorse” is one of dozens of works included in Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, a large-scale exhibition curated by Michelle Bennett Simorella of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York. As the title suggests, the show aims to present a more contemporary view of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and other Himalayan regions.
Bennett Simorella tasked 28 artists with pairing objects from the Rubin’s collection with their works, contextualizing today’s aesthetic and making practices within a long history of artists and crafters. Featuring works from across hundreds of miles of the Himalayan region, Reimagine is broad in scope, style, and medium, yet retains several throughlines.
For example, New York-based artist Losel Yauch presents a riderless cavalry of woven horses in “Procession Immemorial,” which similarly draws on the concept of wind horses. Stitched onto their silk coats are images from stories the artist’s grandfather shared about fighting for freedom in his home of Kham in east Tibet.
Shraddha Shrestha, “Dus Mahavidyas (Great Goddesses of Wisdom): Kamala” (2023), acrylic on canvas. Photo by Dave De Armas
Also on view is a vibrant collection of paintings Shraddha Shrestha, who reinterprets the doe-eyed Powerpuff Girls as Hindu goddesses. The artist was raised in Patan, one of Nepal’s most historic cities, and shares in a statement:
Growing up in a conservative, patriarchal Newari household meant staying within a lot of cultural, social, and gender boundaries. All the girls and women in my family were used to catcalling, unwanted stares from the neighbors, being scolded by male family members for dressing with our knees showing, getting judged for walking with a male friend, and being shouted at for reaching home after dark.
After school, Shraddha Shrestha enjoyed watching American cartoons, particularly the trio with superpowers. These animated characters soon became fixtures in her imaginary world, which combined facets of her home city with the girls’ strong-willed attitudes.
“Womanhood should be celebrated. Instead, we need to fight for basic things like education, work, health, and more,” she says. “Doesn’t it contradict the tradition we believe in? Doesn’t it disrespect the deities we worship?”
The second iteration of Reimagine, which was originally shown at the Rubin earlier this year, is on view through February 15.
Asha Kama Wangdi, VAST Bhutan, “The Windhorse (lungta)” (2024), cloth and metal.
IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha), sculpture fabricated and engineered by Black Cat Labs, “Calling the Earth to Witness” (2023), acrylic on masonite, steel
Tsherin Sherpa in collaboration with Bijay Maharjan and Regal Studio Metal casting team, including Durga Shrestha, Sajal Siwakoti, and Sangita Maharjan, “Muted Expressions” (2022), bronze.
Tsherin Sherpa in collaboration with Bijay Maharjan and Regal Studio Metal casting team, including Durga Shrestha, Sajal Siwakoti, and Sangita Maharjan, “Muted Expressions” (2022), bronze.
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Nature Alights on Cheerful Faces in Abi Castillo’s Ceramic Sculptures
by Aurelia Butler 3 December 2024, 16:00
All images courtesy of Abi Castillo, shared with permission
Nature Alights on Cheerful Faces in Abi Castillo’s Ceramic Sculptures
December 3, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Whether sprouting flowers for spectacles or summoning bluebirds, Abi Castillo’s playful characters mirror our inner selves, one another, and the world around us.
“When I was little, they called me ‘Big Eyes,’ a name I received with pride, since it is an inheritance from my paternal grandmother, whom I barely knew but who stood out for her big eyes and powerful gaze,” Castillo (previously) says in a statement. “Carrying this legacy makes me aware of the importance of knowing where I come from and where I belong.”
Through standalone sculptures and functional objects, Castillo emphasizes the act of seeing. Eyes are everywhere, looking back at the viewer as a reminder to reflect on what the artist describes as “this ephemeral, hectic, and hostile life.” She adds, “Each of my characters also holds a reflection of myself, of my connection with nature and of that little girl that I still carry inside…”
Castillo is looking forward to moving to a larger studio soon, and she is currently busy making new sculptures, experimenting with different techniques to explore new shapes and formats, like jewelry. Find more on her website, and stay up-to-date on Instagram.
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Yumi Okita’s Butterflies and Botanicals Metamorphose from Colorful Thread
by Aurelia Butler 2 December 2024, 19:00
Yumi Okita’s Butterflies and Botanicals Metamorphose from Colorful Thread
December 2, 2024
ArtCraftNature
Kate Mothes
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From vibrant thread and wire, Yumi Okita conjures thrillingly lifelike moths, butterflies, and flowers. The Raleigh-based artist (previously) meticulously embroiders insects’ colorful wings with an eye for realism, so until you’re up close, they appear as though they could flutter away at any moment. And in her more recent series of otherworldly botanicals, petals, leaves, and roots curl to look as though they were just plucked from their habitats.
Okita often adds original sculptures to her Etsy shop, and you can also follow updates on Instagram.
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In Striking Assemblages, Portia Munson Elucidates Societal Constraints on Women
by Aurelia Butler 27 November 2024, 15:13
“Serving Tray #6” (2022), found figurines, string, rope, and serving tray, 29 x 17 1/2 x 18 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography. All images © Portia Munson, courtesy of the artist and P·P·O·W, New York, shared with permission
In Striking Assemblages, Portia Munson Elucidates Societal Constraints on Women
November 27, 2024
ArtSocial Issues
Kate Mothes
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From a vast accumulation of found and readymade consumer products, Portia Munson has created elaborate sculptures and installations for more than three decades that explore the thinly veiled messages and codes embedded in mass-produced objects.
Based in Catskill, New York, the artist first began working with found consumer items like plastic figures and kitsch in 1989 when she presented an early version of a bright pink assemblage titled “Pink Project: Table” for her MFA thesis exhibition at Rutgers University.
“Pink Project: Bedroom” (2011-ongoing), found pink plastic and synthetic objects along with salvaged pink bedroom furnishings, 96 x 216 x 120 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography
Munson had been collecting pink plastic objects to use as references for paintings, but over time, they began to overtake her studio. “I realized it was a piece unto itself,” she says. “If you have an idea and something you want to express, then you find the medium that’s best going to express those ideas.”
Pink emerged as a central interest for Munson as she began to interrogate why the color is associated with women, especially babies and young girls. For years, she collected anything that was pink, plastic, and manufactured on a mass scale, often rummaging through knick-knacks at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.
Over time, Munson’s pieces expanded to include immersive environments constructed entirely from a single color, such as the fabric-draped interior of “Garden” or the Pink Project series that continues through works like “Pink Project: Bedroom.”
“Bound Angel” (2021), found figurines, lamps, candles, string and rope, wedding gowns as tablecloth, extension cords, and oval table, 192 x 68 x 66 inches. Photo by Lance Brewer
Tables and serving trays provide platforms for Munson’s seemingly jumbled compositions, bundling numerous figurines together with string and rope, like in her Serving Tray series or the large-scale “Bound Angel.”
“Serving Tray #6,” for example, presents a mix of ceramic and glass representations of women, tethered with string and perched on a silver platter. Munson describes the group of blindfolded, fettered figures as “sacrificial martyrs, inviting the contemplation of what we are being fed as a culture and who ultimately pays for it.”
Displayed across the entirety of a cloth-covered oval dining table, “Bound Angel” brings together dozens of found white statuettes and lamps, many of which depict angels. Munson has wrapped rope and string around their bodies and faces, emphasizing the constraints society places on women, illuminating struggles that may be hidden in plain sight.
Detail of “Bound Angel.” Photo by Lance Brewer
“This piece is one in a series of works that explore how femininity and the female body are portrayed in our culture,” Munson says in a statement. She adds:
“Bound Angel” reviles the insatiable, consumerist, sexist, and repressive value systems which degrade society. By bringing these objects together, this piece harnesses their collective power, transforming their original function to pacify, sexualize, and infantilize women into one of retaliation, confrontation, and strength.
“Bound Angel” will be on view at Art Basel Miami Beach in the Meridians area, a sector of the fair dedicated to large-scale installations, sculptures, and performances. The show runs from December 6 to 8, where Munson’s work will be presented by P·P·O·W. Find more on the artist’s website.
“Pink Project: Bedroom” (2011-ongoing), found pink plastic and synthetic objects along with salvaged pink bedroom furnishings, 96 x 216 x 120 inches. Photo by Daniel Salemi
Detail of “Pink Project: Bedroom.” Photo by JSP Art Photography
“Crescent Moon” (2024), found figurines, string, and thread, 26 x 30 x 8 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography
“The Garden” (1996), found/recycled manufactured synthetic and plastic floral and garden-related objects with salvaged floral bedroom furnishings, dimensions variable
Detail of “The Garden”
“Nightstand” (2021), found figurines, lamps, string and rope, and bedside table, 51 1/2 x 34 x 27 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography
“Pink Moon” (2024), found figurines, string, and thread, 18 x 18 x 7 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography
Installation view of “Bound Angel” at P·P·O·W. Photo by Lance Brewer
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Fantastical Totems Emerge from Clay in Yu Maeda’s Vibrant Sculptures
by Aurelia Butler 25 November 2024, 21:35
All images courtesy of Yu Maeda, shared with permission
Fantastical Totems Emerge from Clay in Yu Maeda’s Vibrant Sculptures
November 25, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
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“I enjoy the freedom of shaping clay directly with my hands… creating forms that express spontaneity,” says Yu Maeda. Based near Tokyo, the artist began experimenting with ceramics after a career focused on painting when he started transforming animals and imaginary beings into vibrant, lighthearted sculptures.
Maeda is influenced by the bold lines and graphic iconography of pop art, blending abstract forms and traditional Japanese imagery into eclectic works. Skulls, birds, and other creatures suggest a sacred or spiritual dimension.
The artist’s totem-like pieces merge ideas relating to ecosystems, nature’s cycles, and geometry, including timeless motifs like botanicals, insects, and the sun. As if recently unearthed with their bright pigments intact, his sculptures nod to ancient cultures, our reverence for nature, and our dependence on other animals and the environment to not only survive but thrive.
Discover more work, including the artist’s paintings, on Instagram.
Photo by Yuya Saito
Photo by Yuya Saito
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Idiosyncratic Ceramic Sculptures by Janny Baek Evoke Nature and Desire
by Aurelia Butler 22 November 2024, 10:00
“Flower Power” (2024). All images courtesy of Janny Baek, shared with permission
Idiosyncratic Ceramic Sculptures by Janny Baek Evoke Nature and Desire
November 22, 2024
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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“I think of my pieces as life forms that are in the process of transforming in ways that may be both wonderful and strange,” says artist Janny Baek, whose otherworldly ceramics (previously) merge vibrant color, eclectic motifs, and botanical details.
“I’ve been incorporating blooming flowers and puffy clouds into my work to think about our intimate and complicated relationship to the natural world,” the artist tells Colossal. “Changes in shape and color imply tendencies, possibilities, desire. Familiar forms, like the open vessel, plant forms, and heads, are a way for me to connect to the lineage of making and hand-building with clay.”
“Olive” (2024), colored porcelain, 16 x 14 x 11 inches
Baek explores the relationship between nature, science fiction, and fantasy in her sculptures, which are often around a foot tall and wide but sometimes reach up to 20 inches high. Some sprout coral-like appendages or appear to stand on four legs.
The artist has focused on colored porcelain using the nerikomi technique, in which multiple pigmented clays combine to create a marbling or patterned effect. Baek recently began working with rougher, sandy stoneware, which affords more freedom to scale up in size and complexity.
“I love to have the freedom to incorporate different materials and ways of making when it fits the work,” Baek says. “Even if I shift materials or techniques, I’m always drawing from the main foundational ideas that drive my work.”
“Walking Cloudbloom” is included in the Korean International Ceramics Biennale exhibit at the Gyeonggi Museum of Ceramic Design in South Korea. She is also working toward a three-person show at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey, scheduled to open in February. Find more on Baek’s website and Instagram.
“Walking Cloudbloom” (2024)
Alternate view of “Flower Power”
“Blended Party” (2024)
Detail of “Blended Party”
From the ‘Flowering Vessel’ series (2024)
“Sweater-wearing Beast” (2023)
“Cloudbloom with Small Clouds” (2024)
Detail of “Cloudbloom with Small Clouds”
Work in progress in the studio
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sculpture

More stories

Vipoo’s Exuberant Porcelain Characters Emanate Optimism and Togetherness

Einar and Jamex de la Torre’s Monumental Glass Assemblages Hurtle Through ‘Collidoscope’

Nature Alights on Cheerful Faces in Abi Castillo’s Ceramic Sculptures

Yumi Okita’s Butterflies and Botanicals Metamorphose from Colorful Thread

Fantastical Totems Emerge from Clay in Yu Maeda’s Vibrant Sculptures

Idiosyncratic Ceramic Sculptures by Janny Baek Evoke Nature and Desire

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