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    Anatomy and History Collide in Borosilicate Glass Sculptures by Kit Paulson

    
    Art
    History
    Science

    #anatomy
    #glass
    #sculpture

    October 19, 2021
    Christopher Jobson

    Lungs, 2020. Flame-worked borosilicate glass. All photos © Kit Paulson, shared with permission
    In a lovely clash of anatomy and antiquity, artist Kit Paulson (previously) forms impossibly fragile objects entirely from glass. By referencing historical artworks through lace patterns, or traversing the structures of blood veins and bones found in the human body, she externalizes the internal and reveals hidden visceral structures all around us. She pushes the idea further still by creating wearable sculptures like masks and gloves.
    Paulson works primarily with slender tubes of borosilicate glass heated with a torch through a method called flameworking. “Even with its sterility and stability, glass must be manipulated by hand, relying on very the physical, muscle memory of the hands which is invisibly powered by blood and bone,” she shares with Colossal.
    The artist just arrived at Bild-Werk Frauenau in Germany, an international forum for glass and visual arts where she’ll teach for the next 6 months. You can explore more of her work on Instagram and see dozens of her small glass objects available on Etsy.

    #anatomy
    #glass
    #sculpture

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    12,000 Sheets of Wrinkled Rice Paper Drape Around a Monumental Installation by Zhu Jinshi

    
    Art

    #bamboo
    #installation
    #paper
    #sculpture

    October 15, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters. All images courtesy of the artist and Pearl Lam Galleries, shared with permission
    More than 12,000 sheets of delicate Xuan paper form the ruffled exterior of Zhu Jinshi’s suspended “Boat” sculpture. The renowned artist, who’s currently living and working in his hometown of Beijing, is widely regarded for pioneering Chinese abstract art, and this monumental installation from 2015 is a reflection of his conceptual, meditative practice.
    Spanning 18 meters long and seven meters wide, “Boat” is comprised of wrinkled paper layers draped around bamboo frames. Countless thin cotton threads hold the individual components in place and intersect the curved, tunnel-like form with straight lines that extend vertically to the ceiling. Bisected with a central space for viewers to pass through, the metaphorical work considers the passage of time and space and is an extension of Zhu’s 2007 installation “Wave of Materials” (shown below), which features a single, halved form anchored to the gallery floor with stones.
    The artist is exhibiting at West Bund Art and Design 2021 next month and is opening a solo in Shanghai at the end of the year. Until then, explore an archive of his works at Pearl Lam Galleries and on Artsy.

    “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters
    Detail of “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters
    Detail of “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters
    “Wave of Materials” (2007), Xuan paper, cotton thread, bamboo, and stones
    “Wave of Materials” (2007), Xuan paper, cotton thread, bamboo, and stones

    #bamboo
    #installation
    #paper
    #sculpture

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    An Exhibition of 50 Piñatas Explores the Cultural Significance of the Festive Object

    
    Art
    Craft

    #installation
    #paper
    #piñatas
    #sculpture
    #social commentary

    October 14, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    Installation view of Roberto Benavidez’s sculptures (front) and Isaias Rodriguez, “resilience” (2021) (back). Photo by Madison Metro, Craft in America. All images courtesy of Craft in America, shared with permission
    A ubiquitous decoration at birthdays and family celebrations, piñatas are conventionally associated with fun, festivity, and of course, their potential to split open and release candy and other treats. Now on view at Craft in America, a group exhibition re-envisions the party staple by connecting it with contemporary practices that extend the playful artform’s capacity for social and political commentary.
    Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration features approximately 50 works from Mexico- and U.S.-based artists and collectives, who explore the evolution of traditional construction techniques and the object’s broad cultural significance that reaches beyond its Mexican heritage. The fantastical creatures of Roberto Benavidez’s illuminated manuscript series, for example, encapsulate questions about race and sin, while Justin Favela (previously) translates the confrontation between American pop culture and Latinx experiences into fringed, abstract landscapes. Other works include a massive COVID-19 vaccine bottle by Lisbeth Palacios, Diana Benavidez’s motorized cars that speak to issues at the San Diego/Tijuana border, and a swarm of tiny suspended monarchs by Isaias Rodriguez.
    If you’re in Los Angeles, stop by Craft in America before December 4 to see the exhibition in person or take a virtual tour on the nonprofit’s site.  (via Hyperallergic)

    Roberto Benavidez, “Illuminated Hybrid No. 3” (2019). Photo by the artist
    Detail of Isaias Rodriguez, “resilience” (2021). Photo by Matthew Hermosillo
    Justin Favela, “Baño de los Pescaditos (after José María Velasco)” (2019). Photo courtesy of the artist
    Left: Lorena Robletto (Amazing Piñatas), “Alebrije Installation” (2021). Photo by Madison Metro, Craft in America. Right: Lorena Robletto (Amazing Piñatas), “Seven Point Star Installation” (2021). Photo by Madison Metro, Craft in America
    Roberto Benavidez, “Illuminated Hybrid No. 5” (2018). Photo by Madison Metro, Craft in America
    Left: Giovanni Valderas, “No Hay Pedo (Canary)”  (2016). Photo by Giovanni Valderas. Right: Lisbeth Palacios (All Party Art), “COVID Vaccine” (2021). Photo by Madison Metro, Craft in America
    Diana Benavidez, installation view of “Border Crosser” and “La Pinche Migra” (from Vehículos Transfronterizos series) (2021). Photo by Madison Metro, Craft in America

    #installation
    #paper
    #piñatas
    #sculpture
    #social commentary

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    Between Wounds and Folds: Suspended Cow Carcasses and Tree Stumps Reveal Layers of Discarded Fabric by Tamara Kostianovsky

    
    Art

    #animals
    #death
    #installation
    #sculpture
    #textiles
    #trees

    October 11, 2021
    Christopher Jobson

    Photo © Etienne Frossard. All images courtesy the artist, shared with permission.
    Working with the tattered remnants of consumer culture, artist Tamara Kostianovsky (previously) asks us to question the origins, process, and disastrous results of our seemingly unquenchable desire to buy and waste. Four distinct bodies of the artist’s work spanning fifteen years have been gathered at Smack Mellon in DUMBO, Brooklyn to form Between Wounds and Folds. The textile ecosystem of cow carcasses harboring new life, vibrantly hued cross-sections of trees, and colorful birds of prey, are constructed from repurposed fabrics and discarded textiles. In this final state, the soft pieces function as an echo of their concealed beginnings. Smack Mellon shares in a statement:

    Through alternating softness and aggression, her installations identify the nuances of violence that exist between a personal encounter and its normalization on a social and ecological level. Kostianovsky’s work asks for a re-imagination of human rights and environmental redemption models in order to consider the resultant violence as part of a larger, inseparable system.

    Between Wounds and Folds is on view until October 31, and you can explore more of the Brooklyn-based artist’s work on Instagram.

    Photo © J.C. Cancedda
    Photo © Roni Mocan
    Photo © Etienne Frossard
    Photo © J.C. Cancedda
    Photo © Etienne Frossard
    Photo © J.C. Cancedda
    Photo © J.C. Cancedda
    Photo © J.C. Cancedda
    The artist in her studio © J.C. Cancedda

    #animals
    #death
    #installation
    #sculpture
    #textiles
    #trees

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    Unearthly Anatomical Works Sculpted in Crystal and Glass by Debra Baxter Explore Grief and Loss

    
    Art

    #anatomy
    #crystals
    #glass
    #metal
    #sculpture

    October 8, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Catch your Breath” (2021), alabaster, bronze, and druzy snow chalcedony, 10 x 10 x 5 inches. All images courtesy of form & concept, shared with permission
    Artist and jewelry designer Debra Baxter (previously) explores the endurance of grief, mortality, and human bonds in Love Tears. Comprised of anatomical and figurative sculptures, the multifaceted series blend alabaster, quartz, and wood with delicate glass or metal to create forms that contrast the fragility of the body and natural world with the rugged topographies of crystals and rock.
    Simultaneously corporeal and unearthly, the spliced works evoke the Victorian tradition of mourning jewelry, which used various motifs and deep colors as memorials. In “Catch Your Breath,” for example, branch-like veins in bronze sprawl throughout crystalline lungs, while “Love Hard” bisects a smooth, glass heart with spiky quartz. “There’s inevitable pain in every form of love,” Baxter says about the series. “I’m fascinated by the ways in which we decorate this grief and mourning, and I wanted to see how far I could push myself with balancing the immediate, often ornate, demonstration of loss, and my use of permanent materials. This is about loss and legacy.”
    Love Tears will be on view at Santa Fe’s form & concept gallery from October 29, 2021, to January 15, 2022, and you can find more of Baxter’s bodily works on Instagram.

    “Crystal Brass Knuckles (forever)” (2021), sterling silver and quartz, 5 x 4.5 x 2 inches
    Left: “Soften the Blow” (2021), walnut and glass, 9.25 x 10 x 7.5 inches. Right: “” (2021), alabaster and glass, 9 x 6 x 6 inches
    “Love Hard” (2020), glass and quartz, 8 x 3 x 3.5 inches
    Left: Detail of “Ear to the Ground” (2020), alabaster and glass, 10 x 4 x 3 inches. Right: “” (2020), alabaster and green onyx, 12 x 7 x 4 inches
    “Holding It Together” (2021), bronze and amethyst, 9 x 16 x 5 inches

    #anatomy
    #crystals
    #glass
    #metal
    #sculpture

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    Aerial Net Sculptures Loom Over Public Squares in Janet Echelman’s ‘Earthtime’ Installations

    
    Art

    #earthquakes
    #fiber art
    #installation
    #sculpture
    #site-specific
    #time

    October 7, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Earthtime 1.78” (2021), Vienna. All images © Janet Echelman, shared with permission
    Suspended in public squares and parks, the knotted sculptures that comprise Janet Echelman’s Earthtime series respond to the destructive, overpowering, and uncontrollable forces that impact life on the planet. The Boston-based artist (previously) braids nylon and polyurethane fibers into striped weavings that loom over passersby and glow with embedded lights after nightfall. With a single gust of air, the amorphous masses billow and contort into new forms. “Each time a single knot moves in the wind, the location of every other knot in the sculpture’s surface is changed in an ever-unfolding dance,” a statement about the series says.
    The outdoor installations are modeled after geological events that have extensive effects beyond their original locations and the power to increase the planet’s daily rotational speed. All of the titles allude to the number of seconds lost during a specific occurrence, with “Earthtime 1.78” referring to Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami and “Earthtime 1.26” speaking to a 2010 tremor in Chile.
    Containing innumerable knots and weighing hundreds of pounds, the monumental nets are the product of countless hours and a team of architects, designers, and engineers who interpret scientific data to imagine the original form. Each mesh piece begins in the studio with techniques done by hand and on the loom, and the threads are custom-designed to be fifteen times stronger than steel once intertwined. This allows them to withstand and remain flexible as they’re exposed to the elements, a material component that serves as a metaphorical guide for human existence.
    Echelman will exhibit an iteration of “Earthtime 1.26” in Jeddah from December 2021 to April 2022, with another slated to be on view in Amsterdam this winter. You can see more of the prolific artist’s works on her site and Instagram.

    “Earthtime 1.26” (2021), Munich
    Detail of “Earthtime 1.26” (2021), Munich
    “Earthtime 1.78” (2021), Vienna
    “Earthtime 1.78” (2021), Helsinki
    “Earthtime 1.78” (2021), Vienna
    “Earthtime 1.78” (2021), Borås, Sweden

    #earthquakes
    #fiber art
    #installation
    #sculpture
    #site-specific
    #time

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    No Dogs Allowed: More than 70 Artists Present a Show of Cat Art in L.A.

    
    Art
    Photography

    #cats
    #collage
    #humor
    #painting
    #paper
    #sculpture

    October 7, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    Alexandra Dillon. All images courtesy of Cat Art Show, shared with permission
    More than 70 artists feature cats as their muse for a feline-centric group exhibition that scratches well beyond the tropes associated with the frisky creatures. Now in its fourth iteration, the Cat Art Show features sculptures, paintings, collages, and a variety of other works by artists from 16 countries—Ravi Zupa (previously), Lola Dupré (previously), and Aniela Sobieski (previously) are among them—that capture the feisty antics, adorable wide-eyed stares, and stealthy adventures of both domestic and wild breeds. The exhibition is the project of curator and journalist Susan Michals, who also wrote the 2019 book compiling hundreds of photos by cat-enthusiast and photographer Walter Chandoha.
    If you’re in Los Angeles, stop by The Golden Pagoda between October 14 and 24 to see the quirky, spirited works in person, and check out the available pieces on Instagram. As with previous shows, 10 percent of all sales will be donated to cat care, with this year’s funds going to Kitt Crusaders, Faces of Castelar, and Milo’s Sanctuary.

    Vanessa Stockard
    Endre Penovac
    Anna Sokolova
    Lavar Munroe
    Angela Lizon
    Michael Caines
    Lola Dupré
    Holly Frean

    #cats
    #collage
    #humor
    #painting
    #paper
    #sculpture

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    From Canine Ceramics to Abstract Constructions, a Group Show Opens Hashimoto Contemporary’s Los Angeles Space

    
    Art

    #ceramics
    #painting
    #sculpture

    October 1, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    Laura Berger, “I Remember the Smell of the Sage” (2021), oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches. All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission
    Ranging from Dan Lam’s drippy, neon blobs (previously) to the minimal, bodily paintings of Laura Berger (previously), an inaugural exhibition at Hashimoto Contemporary highlights a diverse array of pieces from two dozen artists working today. The group show launches the gallery’s new space in Culver City and situates Katie Kimmel’s animated ceramic pups (previously) alongside Augustine Kofie’s geometric abstractions and the graffitied scenes by Jessica Hess. If you’re in Los Angeles, you can see the works in person through October 2—keep an eye on Hashimoto’s site for upcoming exhibitions at the new location—and find some of our favorites below.

    Front left: Dan Lam, “No Man Could Resist” (2021), resin, acrylic, adhesive on polyurethane foam, 23 x 21 1/2 x 17 inches. Back center: Dan Lam, “She’s So Heavy” (2021), resin, acrylic, adhesive on polyurethane foam, 18 x 32 x 30 1/2 inches. Front right: Dan Lam, “Pillar of Strength” (2021), resin, acrylic, adhesive on polyurethane foam, 32 1/2 x 29 1/2 x 27 inches
    Left: Stacey Rozich, “” (2021), watercolor and gouache on paper, framed, 22 x 17 1/2 inches. Right: Jeffrey Cheung, “Tangle II” (2019), acrylic on canvas, 72 x 60 inches
    Katie Kimmel, “Bulldog Planter” (2021), ceramic, 20 x 22 x 20 inches
    Jessica Hess, “Break Free Redux” (2021), oil and acrylic on canvas, 65 x 73 inches
    Katie Kimmel, “Bulldog Vase” (2021), ceramic, 8 x 8 x 5 1/2 inches
    Dan Lam, “She’s So Heavy” (2021), resin, acrylic, adhesive on polyurethane foam, 18 x 32 x 30 1/2 inches
    Augustine Kofie, “Disfigure of Speech” (2021), acrylic polymer on duck canvas, strip framed by artist, 48 x 51 inches

    #ceramics
    #painting
    #sculpture

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