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    Sinister Skies Set the Scene for Derelict Buildings in Lee Madgwick’s Surreal Paintings

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    “Fracture.” All images courtesy of Lee Madgwick, shared with permission

    Sinister Skies Set the Scene for Derelict Buildings in Lee Madgwick’s Surreal Paintings

    October 14, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Beneath ominous skies and set within flat, green parkland, Lee Madgwick’s folly-like buildings strike an unsettling note. His surreal paintings feature dilapidated facades and uncanny shrubbery against cloudy, deep gray skies—usually with something just a little strange going on.

    In “Drift,” for example, bricks dislodge from the top of a boxy structure and float into the sky one by one, and “Fracture” defies gravity altogether with a hovering apartment tower that crumbles from below. Madgwick’s rural scenes nod to landscapes and developments that are often overlooked, imbuing them with what he describes as “an undercurrent of mischievous menace.”

    “Echoes”

    Madgwick’s paintings aren’t without hints of dark humor, like in “Echoes,” in which half a building appears to be missing, as if washed away in a now-calm stream. Inside the ragged remains, a waterslide makes use of the height.

    People are nowhere to be seen in Madgwick’s compositions, although their presence is felt in the graffiti left on walls or curtains drawn in various windows. His latest body of work continues “to portray that mysterious and melancholic otherworldliness of seemingly long abandoned and isolated buildings under heavy skies,” he tells Colossal.

    The artist’s work will be on view at Brian Sinfield Gallery in Burford, Oxfordshire, from October 18 to November 4. Find more on Madgwick’s website and Instagram.

    “Badlands”

    “Drift”

    “Boom!”

    “Empire”

    “Evanescence”

    “Hope”

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      Innumerable Dots Form Bright, Bold Gradients in Nano Ponto’s Entirely Handpoked Tattoos

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      All images courtesy of Nano Ponto, shared with permission

      Innumerable Dots Form Bright, Bold Gradients in Nano Ponto’s Entirely Handpoked Tattoos

      October 2, 2025

      ArtIllustration

      Grace Ebert

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      In the hands of Argentinian tattooer Nano Ponto, lush gradients and surreal compositions emerge from layers and layers of tiny dots. Entirely self-taught, Ponto never learned to use the machines typical for many artists working in the medium. He instead embarked on an experimental journey 13 years ago that has since produced a vibrant catalog of designs, from a grayscale eye crying primary colors or a vivid beam shooting from a flying saucer.

      Ponto shares that while his process is typically slower than that of artists who utilize machines, his tools and approach are simple. “I just have to layer dots until I reach my desired saturation and look, which varies from skin to skin and the tattoo’s characteristics,” he says. “I use several kinds of needles to play with dot width, resolution, tattooing depth, ink saturation, and a few more variables to create my designs.”

      While based in Buenos Aires, Ponto has spent the past few years moving between Europe, Mexico, and the U.S. Travel has been essential to his development from the beginning because most artists work with newer technologies and don’t share the same technical approaches. “Ten years ago, it was key for me to start traveling to meet other handpoked tattoo artists to share experience and knowledge, as there was no one in Argentina I could do this with,” he adds.

      Ponto’s latest travels have brought him to Brooklyn, where he’s a guest resident this month at Atelier Eva. Find more about his availability and bold designs on Instagram.

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      ‘Spirit Worlds’ Illuminates Our Timeless Quest to Comprehend the Supernatural

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      Agnes Pelton, “Fountains” (1926), oil on canvas. Photo courtesy of Peter Palladino/The Agnes Pelton Society. All images courtesy of TASCHEN, shared with permission

      ‘Spirit Worlds’ Illuminates Our Timeless Quest to Comprehend the Supernatural

      August 13, 2025

      ArtBooksHistoryPhotography

      Kate Mothes

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      Since time immemorial, humans have been both awed and guided by the power of the unknown. A basis of spiritual beliefs the world over is the abiding question, why?—a probing wonderment often followed closely by, what happens when we die?

      Human belief systems provide structure that help us to make sense of the world, and yet the nature of our existence—and how we fit into the context of the cosmos—comprises some of the most beguiling mysteries of all. It’s no surprise that across cultures and throughout millennia, our search for meaning and connection with other worlds has inspired incredible creativity.

      Adolf de Meyer, “Fortune Teller” (1921)

      Spirit Worlds, forthcoming from TASCHEN on September 15, celebrates art’s relationship to other realms. More than 400 works spanning thousands of years, paired with essays and interviews with scholars and practitioners, illustrate our fascination with supernatural, from angels and celestial beings to darker forces like ghosts and demons.

      The title marks the sixth installment in The Library of Esoterica series, which also includes titles like Plant Magick and Sacred Sites. Spirit Worlds clocks in at more than 500 pages, surveying death rites, altars, sacred temples, the messages of prophets, links mediums make with the other side, symbolic statuary, and more.

      “In this expansive volume, we board the ferry across the storied river and enter the gloomy passages between lands, stepping across the threshold—to part the most sacred of veils,” the publisher says.

      Pre-order your copy in the Colossal Shop.

      Mariusz Lewandowski “Soul Hunter” (2015), 40 x 50 centimeters

      The Jade Emperor or King of Heaven at Chua On Lang taoist temple, Ho chi Minh City, Vietnam

      “Paradiso, Canto 12: The rings of glorified souls in the sun,” illustration from ‘The Divine Comedy’ by Dante Alighieri, 1885. Digitally colored engraving originally by Gustave Doré

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    • 163 Shares109 Views

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      Vibrant Paper Collages by Lawrence Meju Explore Daily Life and the Human Psyche

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      “It Takes Two to Tango” (2025), paper on Brazilian hardboard, 122 x 91 centimeters. All images courtesy of Lawrence Meju, shared with permission

      Vibrant Paper Collages by Lawrence Meju Explore Daily Life and the Human Psyche

      August 13, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      “I often approach my work as a form of quiet world-building, and in many ways, I think of it as a visual journal,” says Lawrence Meju, whose distinctive and vibrant collages draw on surrealism, everyday experiences, and memories.

      The Lagos-based artist remembers working with paper collage during some of his earliest introductions to art-making in school, but it wasn’t until 2020, at the height of the pandemic when access to shops and materials was limited, that a little resourcefulness transformed into a new way of working.

      “Surreal Situation for Two I” (2023), paper, 60 x 50 centimeters

      “I found these interesting, textured papers somewhat abandoned,” Meju tells Colossal. Not necessarily a material he would have chosen off the bat, he was nevertheless motivated to make something—anything—during that time. And the challenge paid off. “I made a quick portrait of myself that leaned towards abstraction, and this was what started my body of work titled Extranormal Portraits.” More recently, his compositions have become increasingly complex and fluid, with numerous figures and symbolic items like clocks, cut flowers, and plants.

      Meju’s pieces boldly explore links between daily life, the human psyche, relationships, and perception. “I am currently engaging with themes of fragmentation, reinvention, and identity,” he says. “This engagement is also an ode to my process of creating these collages.” By simplifying the human form and other objects into layered, textured, colorful shapes, he delves into the myriad ways memories, histories, identities, and emotions overlap and inform who we are.

      “A guiding force in my work is my commitment to keeping my inner child alive, as well as the drive to create what I want to see in the world,” Meju says. “At first, carving a path outside the mainstream was uncomfortable, but leaning into that discomfort has allowed me to develop a mode of expression that feels authentic to me.”

      Meju is currently planning some sculptural works and objects that riff on the visual language of his two-dimensional pieces. If you’re in London in October, find the artist’s work at 1-54 art fair, presented by Soto Gallery, and see more on his Instagram.

      “Merry Men I” (2025), paper on Brazilian hardboard, 90 x 60 centimeters. Photo by Samuel Adedotun, Adeyemi-Adejolu

      “Self-Portrait Morning Glory” (2023), paper, 60 x 50 centimeters

      “In Full Bloom” (2024), paper on Brazilian hardboard, 122 x 91 centimeters

      “She Measures the Hours in Petals” (2025), paper on modeling board, 90 x 60 centimeters

      “Army for Two” (202), paper on Brazilian hardboard, 122 x 91 centimeters

      “What Is Left to Do” (2022), paper, 60 x 50 centimeters

      “Before the Sun Sinks Low” (2022), paper, 60 x 50 centimeters

      “Hands at Play” (2025), Giclee archival fine art paper print, 55.3 x 38.1 centimeters

      “Light Your Path” (2024), paper on paper, 60 x 50 centimeters

      “The Garden That Is Your Mind” (2025), paper on modeling board, 90 x 60 centimeters

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      Christina Bothwell Taps into Dream Worlds in Surreal Glass and Ceramic Sculptures

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      All images courtesy of Christina Bothwell and Heller Gallery, shared with permission

      Christina Bothwell Taps into Dream Worlds in Surreal Glass and Ceramic Sculptures

      August 4, 2025

      ArtCraft

      Kate Mothes

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      Youthful and mysterious figures emerge from glass and ceramic in the uncanny sculptures of Christina Bothwell (previously). Animals and children form the artist’s primary focus, often embellished with painted florals, nestled in shells, or encapsulated within bird cages. Her husband and collaborator, Robert Bender, often adds wood elements like deer antlers or spider-esque legs. Tender and also occasionally unsettling, the pieces hint at the surreal stuff of dreams, memories, and the spirit world.

      Bothwell’s solo exhibition, Screen Memories, just opened at UrbanGlass’s Robert Lehman Gallery. Presented by Heller Gallery, the show brings together a wide selection of new and recent pieces and continues through September 12 in New York City. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

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      “Utopian Visions of Hope” (2025). All images courtesy of Sapar Contemporary, shared with permission

      An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

      June 6, 2025

      ArtClimate

      Grace Ebert

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      In Symbiotic Utopia, Agus Putu Suyadnya imagines a future in which tropical ecosystems not unlike those of Southeast Asia become sites for humanity to commune with nature.

      Surrounded by verdant foliage and moss-covered roots that seem to glow with blue and green fuzz, a recurring astronaut figure approaches each scene with comfort and ease. In one work, the suited character cradles a chimpanzee à la notable conservationist Jane Goodall and waves a large bubble wand to create trails of the iridescent orbs in another. And in “Cosmic Self Healing,” the figure sits in a comfortable chair, a large potted plant at his side. This typical domestic scene, though, is situated on the moon, and Earth’s swirling atmosphere appears behind him.

      “Cosmic Self Healing” (2022)

      While alluring in color and density, Suyadnya’s paintings are surreal and portend an eerie future irredeemably impacted by the climate crisis. The astronaut, after all, is fully covered in a protective capsule, a sign that people can only survive with this critical adaptation. “Humans cannot live without nature,” the artist says, “whereas the natural world without mankind will continue to survive. So why, as humans, do we think we have the upper hand?”

      Symbiotic Utopia is on view through July 7 at Sapar Contemporary in New York. Find more from Suyadnya on Instagram.

      Detail of “Cosmic Self Healing” (2022)

      “A Hug for Hope”

      “Steady Humility Wins Every Time” (2025)

      “Yearning for Home” (2024)

      “Playful Nature is the Future” (2024)

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    • 138 Shares199 Views

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      In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Tends to the Garden of Consciousness

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      “Magnetic” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 23.62 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and DCG Contemporary, shared with permission

      In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Tends to the Garden of Consciousness

      May 29, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      With scenic vistas for faces, blossoms for eyes, or nothing but coral above the shoulders, Rafael Silveira’s surreal portraits summon aspects of human consciousness that span the spectrum of the wonderful and the weird. The Brazilian artist describes his work as “a profound dive into the human mind,” merging flowers, landscapes, and uncanny hybrid features into visages that channel humor with a slightly sinister undertone.

      Silveira’s forthcoming solo exhibition, Agricultura Cósmica at DCG Contemporary, traverses “the fertile terrain of the subconscious,” the gallery says. “With a nod to pop surrealism and the uncanny, his work imagines the mind as a garden where thoughts are seeds and images (are) the wildflowers that sprout.”

      “PLEEESE” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 23.62 inches

      Silveira works predominantly in oil, using panel or canvas as a surface and occasionally surrounding his works with ornate, hand-carved wooden frames. The sculptural details of the frames, like an anatomical heart in “Eyeconic Couple” or an all-seeing eye topping “A Crocância do Tempo” — “the crunchiness of time” in Portuguese — read like talismans.

      Many of Silveira’s compositions begin with a traditional head-and-shoulders portrait composition as a starting point, but instead of skin we see a distant horizon, like in “Magnetic,” or a figure’s head supplanted by a stalk of coral or a column of fire. Other pieces omit the human outline altogether in amusing arrangements of vivid flowers, which suggest wide eyes and addled expressions. While human forms shed their emotional autonomy as they converge with their surroundings, the flora in works like “OMG” and “PLEEESE” are a profusion of awe and desire.

      Agricultura Cósmica opens in London on June 12 and continues through July 10. The show runs concurrently alongside an exhibition titled Plural by embroidery artist Flavia Itiberê. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      “Eyeconic Couple” (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 15.75 × 35.43 inches

      “Inside Out” (2025), oil on canvas, 35.4 x 31.5 inches

      “A Crocância do Tempo” (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 35.4 x 31.5 inches

      “The Artifice of Eternity” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 31.5 inches

      “OMG” (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 × 23.62 inches

      “Paixão Ardente” (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 35.4 x 31.5 inches

      “The Roots of Reality” (2025), oil on canvas, 35.4 x 31.5 inches

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      Frank Kunert’s Uncanny Photos Chronicle a Surreal Miniature World

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      All images © Frank Kunert, shared with permission

      Frank Kunert’s Uncanny Photos Chronicle a Surreal Miniature World

      May 1, 2025

      ArtPhotography

      Kate Mothes

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      It’s hard to imagine a welcome mat being rolled out at the entrance to a Secret Service compound, let alone a table for two perched atop a diving platform in the middle of winter. But for Frank Kunert, these unsettling scenarios happen practically every day, albeit on a very small scale.

      Kunert’s photographs (previously) capture a range of structures and interiors that for myriad reasons, feel just a little bit “off.” Whether it’s a racetrack’s snack stand interrupting one of the running lanes, a solo dining table stuck out in the snow, or an idyllic yet impossibly narrow apartment complex, the artist’s hand-built miniature sets explore where familiarity and the uncanny meet.

      Tapping into the absurdities of everyday life, Kunert plays with architecture, quotidian objects, customs, and our associations with home or public spaces. His elaborate models appear realistic enough at first glance, but upon closer inspection, we notice things that challenge our sense of scale and material, like chalk lines on a racetrack or powdered sugar-like snow.

      Kunert meticulously designs the lighting, furniture, wall coverings, and outdoor settings to give the impression of a reality turned sideways—sometimes literally. His compositions possess a dark, ironic undertone, prompting us to pause and suspect, for example, whether what’s on the other side of the nondescript door labeled “FUN” is actually as advertised. People are never present, but we can imagine customers having just left a restaurant or a homeowner sitting just inside a closed door.

      Kunert is currently working on a series titled Dreams Come True, some images from which are shown here, which will be compiled in a book or exhibitions down the line. And later this month, Hatje Cantz releases a new monograph, The Best of Frank Kunert, now available for pre-order. Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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      Hundreds of Fantastic Creatures Inhabit a Sprawling Universe by Vorja Sánchez

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      Detail of “Late At Night.” All images courtesy of Vorja Sánchez, shared with permission

      Hundreds of Fantastic Creatures Inhabit a Sprawling Universe by Vorja Sánchez

      April 8, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      In Organic Harmony, curious, hybrid insects and wide-eyed furry creatures populate a world of natural textures and surreal intrigue. Vorja Sánchez (previously) has been dreaming up the fanciful series for the last year and a half, which he debuts at Beinart Gallery later this month.

      Inspired by the diversity of the forest and the vivid drawings of German biologist Ernst Haeckel, Sánchez imagines a vast ecosystem. He’s particularly drawn to patterns and employs similar motifs to create cohesion across multiple pieces. Soft, fluffy fur, slender leaves with curled tips, and gleaming eyes attached to unexpected body parts appear in several of his works.

      “Ancient Tales”

      Sánchez shares that by studying recurring patterns in nature, he’s learned to identify the biological purpose of many shapes and forms, which influence how he selects a particular characteristic for a single creature. The artist adds:

      There’s a harmony in what might seem like randomness, and above all, nature doesn’t care about scale or importance—everything exists on the same level and is balanced. It’s a concept that fascinates me and serves as a profound metaphor for life.

      A mix of graphite, ink, watercolor, gouache, spray paint, and more layer together in this sprawling collection to create what Sánchez calls “a fluid dialogue” between the materials and motifs. “There were moments when the creative process for each piece was like trying to remember a dream,” he says. “When you attempt to complete these hazy images, your memory transforms into something more intricate and elusive.” Rather than impose an aesthetic direction on the creatures, the artist prefers to let the blotting, drippy nature of the materials prevail.

      Organic Harmony runs from April 26 to May 18 in Brunswick. Find more on Instagram.

      “Insect Dialogue”

      Detail of “Insect Dialogue”

      “The Sound of Cotton”

      Detail of “The Sound of Cotton”

      “Organic Findings”

      “Late At Night”

      Detail of “Organic Findings”

      “Elixir”

      “Hazy Memories of Nocturnal Visitors”

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