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    Laser-Cut Steel Forms Radiate Ornate Patterns in Anila Quayyum Agha’s Immersive Installations

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    “A Beautiful Despair (Blue)” (2021), lacquered steel and halogen bulb, 60 x 60 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC, © the artist. Photo by Steve Watson / Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth. All images courtesy of Seattle Asian Art Museum, shared with permission

    Laser-Cut Steel Forms Radiate Ornate Patterns in Anila Quayyum Agha’s Immersive Installations

    August 6, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Influenced by the ornate decor of Islamic mosaics and architecture, Anila Quayyum Agha creates large-scale installations that utilize the power of light and shadow to transform a room. Laser-cut steel structures, like her seminal work “Intersections,” take a simple cube as a starting point. The artist incises elaborate patterns from the surface, then situates a light inside, which casts shadows onto the surrounding walls.

    Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light, which opens later this month at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, marks the first time the Pakistani-American artist’s work has been exhibited in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Indianapolis, she is known for exploring the ever-evolving relationships between cultural identity, gender, art, and spirituality.

    “A Beautiful Despair (Blue)” (2021), lacquered steel and halogen bulb, 60 x 60 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC, © the artist. Photo courtesy of Masterpiece Art Fair, London

    “Through the use of light and color, the artist’s ornate designs have the ability to turn spaces into ethereal environments reminiscent of traditional sacred spaces through the use of lanterns or mashrabiya, wooden lattice screens that diffuse light, casting intricate shadows while allowing for the flow of air and creating intimacy,” the museum says.

    Geometry of Light will include three of Agha’s space-transforming installations, plus a number of framed, mixed-media paper works. The exhibition runs from August 27 to April 19, 2026, and you can find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “This is Not a refuge! (2)” (2019), laser-cut, resin-coated aluminum and light bulb, 93 x 58 x 72 inches. Courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC, © the artist. Photo courtesy of Columbia Museum, Columbia, North Carolina

    “A Beautiful Despair (Blue)” (2021), lacquered steel and halogen bulb, 60 x 60 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC, © the artist. Photo by Steve Watson / Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

    “Liminal Space” (2021), laser-cut and lacquered steel, 65 x 65 inches. Image courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC, © the artist. Photo by Steve Watson / Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

    Detail of “Liminal Space” (2021). Photo by Steve Watson / Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth

    “This is Not a refuge! (2)” (2019), laser-cut, resin-coated aluminum and light bulb, 93 x 58 x 72 inches. Courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC, © the artist. Photo courtesy of Masterpiece Art Fair, London

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      Splashes of Stainless Steel by Zheng Lu Embrace Philosophy, History, and Technology

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      “Undercurrent” (2023), stainless steel, 340 x 410 x 630 centimeters. All images courtesy of Zheng Lu and Galerie Sept, shared with permission

      Splashes of Stainless Steel by Zheng Lu Embrace Philosophy, History, and Technology

      February 20, 2025

      ArtNature

      Kate Mothes

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      Composed of highly polished stainless steel, the sculptures of Zheng Lu (previously) appear suspended in space and time. Whether secured atop a pedestal, installed in a public park, or hanging in midair, each piece strikes a fine balance between motion and stillness and fluidity and fixedness.

      The Beijing-based artist is deeply influenced by traditional Chinese philosophy and calligraphy. The energy, or qi, that courses through the universe shapes his work and is known to facilitate health, stability, and harmony in all aspects of life. Thousands of Chinese characters borrowed from historic texts additionally coat many of his sculptures, calling upon the past as a way to interface with the present.

      “Undercurrent,” stainless steel

      Lu is also increasingly interested in the burgeoning relationship between human artistry and artificial intelligence. “The advancement of technology will inevitably blur the boundaries between tools and creators, but the essence of creation remains rooted in human nature,” the artist tells Colossal. Viewed as a tool rather than a stand-in for human creativity, he is interested in how machine learning prompts us to more carefully consider authorship.

      Through a creative approach that alternates between human and machine, Lu likens his process to “a relay race, with the artwork itself as the baton.” He continues:

      I pass the baton to the computer, and it passes it back to me, each of us shaping the piece in turn. The final outcome is not entirely predictable. The existence of the world is defined by balance, and none of us can escape this principle. Hence, I embrace this method both in my life and work, where the process of creation is akin to the growth of life.

      Lu is represented by Galerie Sept, and you can find more on the artist’s website.

      Installation view of “Undercurrent”

      “Water in Dripping Vortex,” stainless steel

      “Whatever Journey it Takes” (2024), stainless steel, 560 x 540 x 240 centimeters

      “Water in Dripping Circulation,” stainless steel

      “Colosseum Fantasy” (2024), stainless steel, 120 x 100 x 242 centimeters

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    • 88 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      David Moreno’s Anthropomorphic Foundations Support Cascading Villages

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      Detail of “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción.” All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permission

      David Moreno’s Anthropomorphic Foundations Support Cascading Villages

      September 19, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      From thin rods of steel, Barcelona-based artist David Moreno (previously) constructs towering houses and cascading villages that reflect the architecture of our lives. He often incorporates anthropomorphic, anatomical elements, suggesting skeletons or beating hearts.

      For example, “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción,” which translates to “head construction—head under construction,” a hillside-like foundation takes the form of a face. And “Resumen 2020,” meaning “Summary 2020,” is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, assuming the silhouette of a human skull.

      “Resumen 2020”

      Moreno’s sculptures alternate between rigidity and fluidity as he manipulates the thick wire into solid walls or curving arcs, such as in “La vie en rose.” Balanced carefully on columns of scaffolding, gabled structures cling somewhat precariously to their supports, referencing the sprawling, stacked hillside favelas like those in Rio de Janeiro.

      The artist is currently conceptualizing a new three-meter-wide installation for an architecture firm in Miami, and he has been scaling down his larger sculptures into gold and silver pendant designs. Check out more of Moreno’s work on Behance, and follow updates on Instagram.

      “Los Del Extrarradio”

      “Construcción en cabeza—Cabeza en construcción”

      “El dorado en expansion II”

      “Vanitas”

      “La vie en rose”

      “Conexion de catedral II”

      “Melodía Circular”

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    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in Art

      John Pai Transforms Steel Into Delicate, Airy Sculptures

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      “Shared Destinies” (2014), welded steel, 85.5 x 108 x 85 centimeters. Photos by Geoffrey Quelle. All images © John Pai, courtesy of
      the artist and Gallery Hyundai, shared with permission

      John Pai Transforms Steel Into Delicate, Airy Sculptures

      September 12, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      For more than seventy years, John Pai’s artistic practice has delved into themes ranging from memory and the subconscious to international art forms, East Asian philosophy, and science. Starting in the early 1960s, he began working with steel, investigating both its technical and aesthetic potential through abstract shapes influenced by Constructivism.

      Pai is known for his meticulous and detailed metal sculptures, which weld thin strips in lattices and sheets to create delicate woven textures. A material we typically associate with heavy-duty construction is transformed into intimate works that appear as if they could float on air. Soft curves and gauzy surfaces suggest organic forms or textiles in contrast to industrial applications.

      “Risen, Fallen, Walken” (1987), welded steel, 120 x 109 x 54 centimeters

      Shared Destinies, the artist’s solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai, presents nearly 40 pieces Pai has made throughout the past seven decades. Comprising welded steel sculptures, drawings, and paintings, the show illuminates the artist’s multidisciplinary approach to material, process, and form.

      In the work “Shared Destinies,” for example—which lends the show its name—layers of delicately welded steel suggest a woven basket. Ethereal pieces like “Invocation” bring to mind the undulating, woven wire sculptures of Ruth Asawa. The visible inner structures mirror the universal layers of the human psyche, time, and the artist’s journey of self-exploration.

      Shared Destinies continues through October 20 in Seoul. See more on the gallery’s website.

      “Involution” (1974), welded steel, 98 x 98 x 97 centimeters

      “Forgotten Rule” (1990), welded steel, 92 x 102.5 x 41.8 centimeters

      “Untitled” (1982), welded steel, 86 x 52 x 58 centimeters

      ‘Heaven and Earth’
      series, 1 to 7 (2024), welded steel, variable dimensions

      “Untitled 1970, Entitled 2021” (1970), welded steel, 92 x 92 x 38.9 centimeters

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    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Art

      SpaceWalk: A Spectacular Rollercoaster-Esque Staircase Loops Through a South Korean Park

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      Art
      Design
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #stairs
      #steelJanuary 27, 2022Grace EbertAll images © Heike Mutter and Ulrich GenthTowering 70-meters above ground at its highest point, “SpaceWalk” is the latest undulating sculpture by Hamburg-based artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth. The monumental staircase winds in loops and elevations similar to that of a rollercoaster throughout Pedestrians enter the work at a central staircase, which breaks into two paths: one gently sloped walkway leads to a view of Yeongil Bay and the surrounding city, while the other is a steeper climb through a helix. Both are designed to mimic an otherworldly experience. “The title ‘SpaceWalk’ is taken from the terminology of outer space missions. It describes the act of exiting the space vehicle in the weightlessness of outer space. More literally, ‘SpaceWalk’ can be understood to mean ‘a walk through space,’” they say.For more of the duo’s architectural projects, head to their site. (via This Isn’t Happiness)
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #stairs
      #steelDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More