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      Speckled with Light, Glowing Glass Sculptures React to Viewers with Shifts in Brightness

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      Art

      #glass
      #light
      #sculpture
      #sun
      #weather

      March 30, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      Detail of “Liquid Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile” (2019), glass, phosphorescent material, broad-spectrum UV lights, motion detector, 3,353 x 4,267 x 3,658 millimeters as installation. Photo by Yasushi Ichikawa, 33rd Rakow Commission, courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass. All images © Rui Sasaki, shared with permission
      Approach the delicate glass artworks by Rui Sasaki, and witness the unpredictable patterns of the weather through a subtle glow of blue light. The Japanese artist’s experiential body of work translates varying forecasts into speckled sculptures that radiate once encountered, an intimate process that Sasaki describes as a way to “visualize subtle sunshine, record today’s weather, and transfer it from here to there/from there to here.”
      At their brightest, the phosphorescent crystals are tinged green before fading to blue. “Visitors will doubtless be surprised to find that even if they cannot see anything on first entering the gallery, stay long enough and their eyes will become accustomed to the dark, and the elements of the work will gradually become visible,” Sasaki writes. Because each encounter sparks a unique reaction in the embedded lights, no two experiences will be the same. She explains:
      The phosphorescent glass used stores light of a wavelength close to that of sunlight, with this stored light then glowing in the dark. That is to say, one is now seeing light accumulated in the past. If a viewer remains in the gallery for an extended period, the next viewer will see the work glowing weakly in the darkness. With longer viewing time, the light of the phosphorescent glass fades, moment by moment, until finally the gallery is plunged into darkness. This might occur a minute later, or a day later, depending on viewer movements.
      Many of the sculptures evoke organic elements in material, concept, and sometimes form, whether shaped into swollen raindrops or a sun-like orb. Others, though, are depicted through domestic scenes with dinnerware or a suspended chandelier, a juxtaposition that relates to Sasaki’s feeling she had lost her sense of home after moving to the U.S. for a few years. Now living in Kanazawa, the artist is using the weather and surrounding environment as a way “to recover from the reverse culture shock and rediscover my intimacy towards my home Japan little-by-little and day-by-day.”
      Sasaki’s sculptures are part of multiple group shows, including one at Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art & Design through April 4, another at Art Museum Riga Bourse that will re-open April 6, and an upcoming spring exhibition at Tainan Art Museum in Taiwan. She also has a solo exhibition at Tokyo’s Gallery DiEGO Omotesando slated for May. Watch this interview and studio visit for a glimpse into her process, and follow where her work is headed next on Instagram.

      “Weather Project” (2015), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, sunshine, 1,050 x 1,300 x 750 millimeters (as installation)
      “Liquid Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile” (2019), glass, phosphorescent material, broad-spectrum UV lights, motion detector, 3,353 x 4,267 x 3,658 millimeters as installation. Photo by Yasushi Ichikawa, 33rd Rakow Commission, courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass
      “Liquid Sunshine” (2016), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, solarium lights, motion detector, timer, 2,300 x 5,800 x 3,100 millimeters (as installation). Photo by Pal Hoff
      “Liquid Sunshine” (2016), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, solarium lights, motion detector, timer, 2,300 x 5,800 x 3,100 millimeters (as installation). Photo by Pal Hoff
      “Liquid Sunshine” (2016), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, solarium lights, motion detector, timer, 2,300 x 5,800 x 3,100 millimeters (as installation). Photo by Pal Hoff
      “Liquid Sunshine/I am a Pluviophile” (2019), glass, phosphorescent material, broad-spectrum UV lights, motion detector, 3,353 x 4,267 x 3,658 millimeters as installation. Photo by Yasushi Ichikawa, 33rd Rakow Commission, courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass
      “Remembering the weather” (2020), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, lights, motion sensor, plywood, 1,800 x 590 x 300 millimeters. Photo by Kichiro Okamura
      “Weather Chandelier” (2015), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, metal, timer, motion detector, solar panel, sunshine, 700 x 550 millimeters. Photo by Kichiro Okamura, collection of Glasmuseet Ebeltoft
      “Weather Mirror” (2021), glass, phosphorescent crystal mixture, mirror, foot switch. Photo by Kichiro Okamura

      #glass
      #light
      #sculpture
      #sun
      #weather

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      Life-Sized Wildlife Protrude from Ornate Rugs in Perspective-Bending Sculptures

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      Art

      #animals
      #carpets
      #rugs
      #sculpture
      #textiles

      March 29, 2021
      Anna Marks

      “Persian Kangaroo.” All images © Debbie Lawson, shared with permission
      A new menagerie of polar bears, stags, and kangaroos resemble typical wildlife except for the fact that they’re literally swept under the carpet, their features hidden from view. These towering sculptural forms are by artist Debbie Lawson (previously), who crafts animals that are cloaked in sweeping Persian rugs. Rather than being camouflaged by a forest, jungle, or snow-covered Arctic, Lawson’s creatures boldly protrude from the fabric and loom over the viewer.
      In her process, Lawson sculpts the animals from a combination of chicken wire and masking tape. She then layers luscious carpets across them, creating the illusion that these animals are about to jump, walk, and prance out of the fabric. This method is derived from what Lawson describes as her ability to spot hidden images in floors, textured walls, and various patterns, an interest that’s mirrored in her perspective-altering sculptures that appear to leap out from the gallery’s walls.
      Peek inside Lawson’s studio and find a larger selection of her carpeted creatures on her site and Instagram.

      Lawson with “Polar Bear” in-progress
      “Bear Cartouche”
      Detail of “Persian Kangaroo”
      Detail of “Polar Bear” in-progress
      Left: “Blue Stag.” Right: “Red Boar”
      “Bear Cartouche”
      Detail of “Red Boar”

      #animals
      #carpets
      #rugs
      #sculpture
      #textiles

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      Bold Bands of Paint Bisect Playful Sculptures of Carved Wood by Willy Verginer

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      Art

      #acrylic
      #games
      #kids
      #sculpture
      #wood

      March 24, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      Detail of “I pensieri non fanno rumore” (2019), different types of wood, acrylic color, 150 x 100 x 107 centimeters. All images © Willy Verginer, shared with permission
      Clusters of wooden spheres bubble up the fingertips and bodies of the children in Willy Verginer’s poetic sculptures. The Italian artist (previously) contrasts realistic carvings of adolescent figures with elements of whimsy and imagination. Alongside the forms that evoke childhood games are thick stripes of monochromatic paint, which wrap around the sculptures and bisect them in unusual places.
      Whether a pastel, neutral tone, or black, the color is symbolic and used to convey subtle messages. Verginer’s works often stem from what he sees as the absurdity of ecological issues or larger societal problems, like the U.S. banking collapse. “My largest effort and research focus on not tying myself to the naturalistic representation of figures, but on giving something more through a dreamlike study, or better an absurd one, and not an imaginary one,” he says. “This world and the whole connected system were so absurd that they made me reproduce an equally absurd situation.”

      Detail of “Chimica del pensiero” (2019), lindenwood, acrylic color, 168 x 46 x 45 centimeters
      Many of the sculptures shown here are part of Verginer’s most recent series, Rayuela, which is the Spanish term for hopscotch and the title of Julio Cortázar’s counter-novel that can be read from front to back or vice versa. Written in a stream-of-consciousness style, the book produces varying endings and meanings depending on the reader’s sequence. Cortázar’s adventurous format combined with the imaginative nature of the game informed Vreginer’s approach to the series, which the artist explains:
      (In rayuela), kids outline an ideal map on the ground, which starts from the earth and reaches the sky, through intermediate stages marked with numbered squares, on which they jump according to where a pebble is thrown. I can see a metaphor of life in this game; our existence is full of these jumps and obstacles. Each of us aims to reach a sort of sky.
      In June, Toronto’s Gallery LeRoyer will have an exhibition of Verginer’s precisely carved works, and the artist has another slated for September at the Zemack Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv. Until then, find more of his sculptures on Instagram.

      “Pensieri nascosti” (2020), lindenwood, acrylic color, 172 x 39 x 33 centimeters
      “Chimica del pensiero” (2019), lindenwood, acrylic color, 168 x 46 x 45 centimeters
      “I pensieri non fanno rumore” (2019), different types of wood, acrylic color, 150 x 100 x 107 centimeters
      “Scisserlé,” lindenwood, acrylic color, 200 x 59 x 46 centimeters
      “Palvaz” (2019), lindenwood, acrylic color, 95 x 70 x 47 centimeters
      “Rayuela” (2020), tiglio, acrylic color, 123 x 110 x 90 centimeters

      #acrylic
      #games
      #kids
      #sculpture
      #wood

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      Smooth Curves and Negative Space Complete Elegant Wooden Sculptures by Ariele Alasko

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      Art

      #sculpture
      #wood

      March 23, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Ariele Alasko, shared with permission
      From hunks of beechwood or maple, artist Ariele Alasko carves sculptural works that take the shape of smooth curves, ruffles, and squiggled lines. The elegant pieces play with contrast and negative space and are assembled into abstract compositions, whether as a smaller wall object or expansive mobile-style suspension. In a note to Colossal, Alasko shares that she strives to sustainably source all of her materials, whether from local lumber yards or her own property in Washington State. The artist holds a BFA in sculpture from Pratt Institute, and you can follow her carvings on Instagram.

      #sculpture
      #wood

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      A Monumental Bas-Relief Sculpture by Nick Cave Connects Senegalese and U.S. Cultures in a Web of Beadwork

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      Art

      #bas-relief
      #beads
      #installation
      #sculpture
      #sequins
      #site-specific
      #video

      March 22, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Nick Cave, by Michael JN Bowles, shared with permission
      Innumerable pony beads, pipe cleaners, sequins, and objects gathered from two continents overlay a web of rainbow mesh that’s suspended in the U.S. Embassy atrium in Dakar. Installed in 2012, the expansive work by Chicago-based artist Nick Cave (previously) is composed of amorphous swells and circular patches of multicolor netting that stretch 20 x 25 feet. Physically connecting pieces of both U.S. and Senegalese culture, the webbed, bas-relief sculpture symbolically stands as “a unifier that brings people together,” Cave says in an interview.
      Virginia Shore and Robert Soppelsa curated the project for Art in Embassies, a program led by the U.S. Department of State that fosters cross-cultural exchange through visual arts and spans more than 200 venues in 189 countries. “When you think about Art in Embassies and cultural diplomacy, what is interesting for me, as an artist, is, how can I facilitate that within the work that is developed? Yes, I will create the piece for the embassy, but I was also interested in ways to integrate the artists that live and work here,” he says.
      Cave developed the structural portion of the work in his Chicago studio, and after meeting Sengalese artists, scholars, and students, he utilized pieces from three locals—Seni M’Baye, Loman Pawlitschek, and Daouda N’Diaye—once on site. The resulting installation, which weighs nearly 500 pounds, took Cave and ten assistants more than three months to complete.
      Watch the interview below for more on the process behind the monumental project, and follow Cave’s work on Instagram.

      [embedded content]

      #bas-relief
      #beads
      #installation
      #sculpture
      #sequins
      #site-specific
      #video

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    • 113 Shares159 Views

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      Subversively Embroidered Money and Penny Sculptures Question Historical Narratives

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      Art

      #coins
      #embroidery
      #metal
      #money
      #politics
      #sculpture
      #social commentary

      March 18, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      From Insurrection Bills. All images © Stacey Lee Webber, shared with permission
      Throughout 2020, Stacey Lee Webber developed Insurrection Bills, a revisionary collection of United States currency overlaid with subversive stitches: flames envelop monuments, a wall is left unfinished, and an eclectic array of face masks disguise Abraham Lincoln’s portrait. Contrasting the muted tones of the paper, the vibrant embroideries stand in stark contrast and as amended narratives to those depicted on the various denominations. “The series references feelings of anger, turmoil, and frustration during the tense political climate while recontextualizing and questioning the beloved iconography we see on our money,” she tells Colossal.
      Currently working from her studio and home in Philadelphia’s Globe Dye Works, Webber is formally trained in metalsmithing—she has an MFA from the University of Wisconsin, where she initially began using currency as the basis of her projects—and sees the two mediums as an ongoing conversation. Embroidery “allows me to work in a quieter setting outside of my metal shop acting as a sort of ying to the yang, soft and hard, masculine and feminine,” she says.
      Many of Webber’s sculptures involve soldering coins, including the copper penny works that make up The Craftsmen Series and question the value of blue-collar labor in the U.S. Comprised of hollow, life-sized tools, the collection visualizes “putting endless amounts of work into a single cent,” the artist says.
      Webber has multiple exhibitions this year, including at TW Fine Art Palm Beach Outpost in April, Philadelphia’s Bertrand Productions in October, and Art on Paper Fair in New York City this November. If you can’t see the currency-based projects in person, head to Instagram, where the artist shares a larger collection of her works and glimpses into her studio.

      “Masked Abes,” from Insurrection Bills
      From Insurrection Bills
      Detail of “Masked Abes,” from Insurrection Bills
      A ladder from The Craftsmen Series, soldered pennies
      From Insurrection Bills
      Jewelry made from coins

      #coins
      #embroidery
      #metal
      #money
      #politics
      #sculpture
      #social commentary

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      Busts of Unabashed Women by Gerard Mas Are Sculpted with a Contemporary and Cheeky Twist

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      Art

      #busts
      #humor
      #sculpture

      March 18, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Lady of the chewing gum,” polychrome resin. All images © Gerard Mas, shared with permission
      Despite their modest clothing and perfectly plaited hair, the women that artist Gerard Mas sculpts are spirited, brazen, and undeniably shameless. Whether blowing a wad of bubblegum, sporting visible tan lines, or unabashedly digging in their noses, the corset-clad figures are steeped in humor and wit and cast a contemporary light on the long-held conventions of the medium.
      Mas began the ongoing series a few years ago as he ventured into figurative sculpture and struggled with portraying perfection and beauty. He shares:
      This was an impossible job. There was always something that broke that beauty. And a sculpture attempting to speak of beauty with some disproportion or flagrant compositional flaw is pretentious if not ridiculous… I decided to anticipate that failure and deliberately introduce discordant elements that broke that pretended beauty by making our sense of good taste squeak. Let’s say it’s an ode to the impossibility of beauty.
      Based near Barcelona, Mas originally trained as a restorer with a focus on reconstructing floral ornaments in architecture. “In my obsession with contemplating the art of other times, I also realized that our current cultural codes prevent us from contemplating the art of the past without reinventing its meaning. We are subjected to an avalanche of daily images that shapes the way we look,” he says. This experience continues to inform his practice that seamlessly melds traditional techniques—his use of standard materials like marble, alabaster, carved wood, gilding, and polychrome, for example—and contemporary subject matter.
      If you’re in Madrid, you can see Mas’s sculptures at Estampa from April 8 to 11. Otherwise, peruse a larger collection of his figurative works on his site and Instagram. (via The Jealous Curator)

      “Call center lady,” polychrome resin
      “Lady of lloret,” polychrome resin
      “Lady of the chewing gum”
      “Lady of the necklace” (2018), polychrome resin
      “Lady of the cactus” (2019), polychrome alabaster
      “Lady of the collar”
      “Picking nose lady”
      “Lady sticking out tongue” (2007), polychrome alabaster

      #busts
      #humor
      #sculpture

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      Evoking Fire and Air, Intricate Paper Masks by Artist Patrick Cabral Honor Filipino Culture

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      Art

      #festivals
      #masks
      #paper
      #Philippines
      #sculpture

      March 15, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      Detail of “Lupa.” All images © Patrick Cabral, shared with permission
      Encircled by oversized crowns of paper, two new masks by Patrick Cabral celebrate Filipino culture through elaborately fashioned works defined by their colors. Titled Mananayaw ng Langit at Lupa, or Dancers of Heaven and Earth, the ongoing series was commissioned by the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art for the Dinagyang Festival. The cultural celebration is held annually the last week in January with the Ati Tribe competition, which involves warrior dancers performing to loud chants and drum beats, as the main event.
      Preserving the tradition in paper, Cabral’s masks both mimic the performers’ costumes and draw on the detail and intricacy of his earlier animal figures. “Lupa” is brilliantly colored and embodies the passionate spirits of a dragon or crocodile, representing Earth, fire, and light. “Langit,” on the other hand, is more subdued with bird-like features, peacock feathers, and a quiet expression. It symbolizes air, flight, horizons, and dreams. “Both animals are important because birds are used in ancient sea navigation, which our ancestors are known for, and the crocodile is the biggest animal native to the Philippines…I want one to look calm and the other chaotic. One is a feather. One is fire,” the Manila-based artist says.
      Cabral currently is working on an exhibit for the Philippine Pavillion at the World Expo that shares the “courage of our ancestors, the people who brave the angry ocean from Taiwan to the Batanes Islands.” Follow that project and explore a larger collection of the artist’s painstakingly constructed works on Behance and Instagram.

      “Langit”

      “Lupa”
      Detail of “Langit”
      Detail of “Lupa”
      Cabral with “Langit”

      #festivals
      #masks
      #paper
      #Philippines
      #sculpture

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