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Through Stacks of Laundry and Humble Vessels, Danym Kwon Cherishes the Mundane
by Aurelia Butler 11 August 2025, 13:59
“Dear Moments” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas, 51 1/4 x 114 1/2 inches. All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission
Through Stacks of Laundry and Humble Vessels, Danym Kwon Cherishes the Mundane
August 11, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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For Danym Kwon, the concept of home is mutable. The artist (previously) recently relocated to San Jose from her native Seoul, having spent just a few years back in South Korea before realizing that she longed to return to the Bay Area where she lived while her children were young.
“I may never have had a place to stay forever. But wherever we were together became a home,” Kwon says about her move and the paintings and sculptures that emerged from the experience. “These works are my way of holding onto that—of cherishing the moments that pass too quickly.”
“A Message of Comfort” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas in cherry wood foldable frame, 22 1/8 x 33 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches
On view at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York, Dear Moments presents Kwon’s tender, pastel-hued recollections of family life. Tucked within her signature stacks of laundry are small vignettes of siblings digging in the sand at the beach, a couple wandering through an art museum, and a parent snuggled up in bed with their child and a book. The artist’s vessels are similar, depicting a woman strolling along a candy-colored path or a young boy playing with blocks and a toy car.
Having worked largely on canvas, she ventures into birch sculpture for this exhibition, plucking the doting characters common within her paintings and presenting them in three dimensions.
Seemingly mundane, these familial scenes become magical and revered in Kwon’s hands. She beckons viewers into a world where even chores like folding clean clothes offer space for reflection and calm. While we might not treasure such simple moments in the present, Kwon suggests, we should hang on dearly to the small embraces and quiet acts of togetherness that ultimately make us feel at home.
Dear Moments is on view through August 30. Find more from Kwon on her website and Instagram.
“Looking together” (2025), acrylic gouache on birch plywood, 9 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 1 1/8 inches
“A Still Life of You” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas, 35 3/4 x 28 5/8 inches
“Sand, Stories and a Small House” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas, 17 7/8 x 17 7/8 inches
“Sunday” (2025), acrylic gouache on birch plywood, 12 1/2 x 21 3/4 x 1 1/8 inches
“My Favorite Path” (2024), acrylic gouache on canvas, 35 3/4 x 28 5/8 inches
“Little Reader’s Nest” (2025), acrylic gouache on paper in cherry wood frame, 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches
Detail of “Dear Moments” (2025), acrylic gouache on canvas, 51 1/4 x 114 1/2 inches
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Kirsty Elson’s Spirited Creatures Breathe New Life into Weathered Driftwood
by Aurelia Butler 1 August 2025, 18:46
All images courtesy of Kirsty Elson, shared with permission
Kirsty Elson’s Spirited Creatures Breathe New Life into Weathered Driftwood
August 1, 2025
ArtCraft
Grace Ebert
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Wander into Kirsty Elson’s Cornwall studio, and you’ll likely greet a menagerie of creatures alongside scraps of driftwood and rusted bits of metal. Scouring local beaches and embankments, the artist (previously) has an impeccable ability to envision a piglet’s ear or a dog’s snout from a weathered hunk of timber. Once in her studio, quirky characters emerge from scratched and worn materials, their lively personalities shining through the signs of age.
Elson sells some of her sculptures on her website, and you can follow her work on Instagram.
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Cosemtics and Cosmos Blend in Circe Irasema’s Wooden Sculptures
by Aurelia Butler 25 July 2025, 14:45
‘Hecha a mano’ (2024). All photos by Ramiro Chávez, courtesy of Proyectos Monclova, shared with permission
Cosemtics and Cosmos Blend in Circe Irasema’s Wooden Sculptures
July 25, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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“For me, painting is a question about time,” says Circe Irasema. The artist, who lives and works in Mexico City, thinks deeply about the dominance of the male gaze in Western art history and how that authority influences the technical and material qualities of the works themselves. Preserving a piece made in this tradition, her work acknowledges, necessarily means preserving all that it represents.
As a contrast, the artist has turned to an unconventional feminized medium. Using colorful eyeshadow cakes, powder blushes, and long acrylic nails, Irasema creates “an alternative version of the history of painting. A history that tells intimate or hidden stories about the body, the feminine, the performative, metamorphosis, the fragility and transience of life, the domestic, the gaze, and beauty.”
“Los brazos de Morfeo (from ‘Cosmic Garden’ series)” (2025), gouache, acrylic, and polished artificial nails on an anatomical wooden mannequin, two pieces of 80 x 20 x 8 centimeters each
Combining comestics and adornments with more common materials like gouache and acrylic paint, Irasema creates vibrant anatomical models and more abstract wooden works embedded with eyeshadows. Appearing as paintings from a distance, these mixed-media works meld a traditional art form with a longstanding mode of self-expression and beautification.
Given the delicate nature of powder compacts—a reality for anyone who’s dropped an eyeshadow palette and watched it shatter—the fragile material requires a level of care that becomes symbolic for the artist. “It stems from a popular understanding that relates to the everyday, distances itself from academia, and maintains a connection with sentimental education,” she adds. Where expression through high art has long been privileged, makeup and fashion have historically been read as shallow and even frivolous, a conception Irasema handily rejects.
Many of the works shown here are part of a series titled Cosmic Painting, a nod to the shared etymological root of the terms cosmetics and cosmos. Translating to “order,” “the word is understood as something harmonious and beautiful,” the artist adds. “This Greek meaning represents and is the basis of the canon of beauty that emerges from geometry, the cornerstone of painting since the Renaissance. This work attempts to use these same premises to reconfigure this pictorial notion with the compact powder of makeup.”
Irasema is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at Carrillo Gil Art Museum and creating works for Art Basel Miami. Follow her practice on Instagram.
“Pintar II” (2024), gouache, acrylic, and polished artificial nails on an anatomical wooden mannequin, 27 x 8 x 8 centimeters
‘Hecha a mano’ (2024)
“Cartografía de formas simples” (2024), eyeshadow palettes on 17 plywood assemblages, 122 x 244 x 4 centimeters
“Flor estrella (from ‘Cosmic Garden’ series) (open)” (2024), gouache and eyeshadows inlays on veneered wood, 6 x 40 x 40 centimeters
Installation view at Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City (2024)
Detail of “Arcoiris (from ‘Cosmic Garden’ series)” (2024), eyeshadow palettes on tropical wood assemblage
Installation view at Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City (2024)
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Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing
by Aurelia Butler 24 July 2025, 13:51
All images courtesy of Brett Stenson, shared with permission
Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing
July 24, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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When Portland-based artist Brett Stenson was studying illustration in college, he hung out with a few industrial designers with whom he pored over how things were made. “We spent a lot of late nights watching 3D modeling tutorials, geeking out over sculpted clay figures, and rewatching the Wētā Workshop DVD about building The Lord of the Rings sets,” he tells Colossal. Stenson was especially fascinated by the world of vinyl toys and wished he knew how to make his own, even though the learning curve felt steep.
The artist’s interests began to shift as he considered more approachable mediums to achieve what he wanted to make. “Even then, wood always felt like the material I connected with most,” he says. “I was drawn to antique and vintage objects—things that felt like they had been made by hand, with warmth and intention. Vinyl, as cool as it was, never quite resonated in the same way.”
In 2018, Stenson signed up for a workshop at Wildcraft, a studio school based in Portland, to learn how to make Norse carved-wood Christmas ornaments. “Suddenly, I could see the endless possibilities—if I could sketch it, I could carve it,” the artist says. “The tools, the process, even the idea of becoming one of those old guys who wanders around a woodworking store all day—it all felt deeply romantic and aligned with who I wanted to grow into.”
Stenson started with a simple knife and began whittling away at hunks of timber, only to find that he quickly needed to upgrade to better tools so that the process didn’t take forever. He also introduced clay modeling, composing animals, figures, and other objects in a more malleable material before committing to wood. Focused on whittling bears and other woodland creatures, which often carry freshly plucked fish or flowers, he emphasizes emotional perception through animals—the sweet slyness of a fox or a charming bear proud of its fresh catch.
“Lately, my obsession with carving bears has started to shift,” Stenson says. “I find myself more interested in exploring the human side of my work.” Since the recent loss of his dog, he’s been exploring a theme that, at least at first, seems unrelated, but outdated technology like retro televisions, satellites, old computers, and disused telecom gear play into what he describes as “a kind of futile attempt to communicate with him again.” He adds that he’s interested in how there “all these tools we built to connect with one another, and yet the afterlife remains out of reach.”
Stenson is also the Senior Art Director of Young Jerks, a branding and packaging design studio based in Brooklyn. See more work on his website and Instagram, and find screen prints for sale in his shop.
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Six Activist Trolls Tromp Through a California Woodland to ‘Save the Humans’
by Aurelia Butler 22 July 2025, 17:32
“Kamma Can: The Treasure Troll.” All images courtesy of Filoli, shared with permission
Six Activist Trolls Tromp Through a California Woodland to ‘Save the Humans’
July 22, 2025
ArtNature
Grace Ebert
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As visitors wander through a mile-stretch of Filoli’s Natural Lands this summer, they’ll encounter a group of eager wooden characters ready to share their wisdom. Trolls: Save the Humans is a playful, yet urgent exhibition by Danish artist Thomas Dambo (previously), who’s known for creating enormous fairytale characters from reclaimed wood.
At Filoli, Dambo has installed six creatures, each with a distinct personality and agenda. There’s the innovative “Kamma Can,” a “treasure troll” that enjoys teaching people to turn their leftover wrappers and disposable containers into vibrant creations. “Ibbi Pip: The Birdhouse Troll” is similarly concerned with transforming the environment by installing avian homes, while “Sofus Lotufs: The Listening Troll” directs our attention to the forest floor and asks us to be mindful of the changes happening all around.
“Sofus Lotus: The Listening Troll”
“I’m so happy my Trolls get to spend some time amongst the giant redwoods at Filoli,” Dambo says. “I spent a day hiking in the forest, and it is a magical place where I know my Trolls will feel at home.”
Staggering in stature and inviting in presence, the characters are activists at their core and passionate about teaching sustainability. Like much of the artist’s practice, this exhibition utilizes the charm and wonder of fairytales to convey critical messages about the climate crisis and human behavior.
Trolls continues through November 10 in Woodside, California. Follow Dambo’s passionate personalities on Instagram.
“Ronja Redeye: The Speaker Troll”
Detail of “Sofus Lotus: The Listening Troll”
“Ibbi Pip: The Birdhouse Troll”
“Basse Buller: The Painting Troll”
“Sofus Lotus: The Listening Troll”
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Wood and Ceramic ‘Guardian’ Assemblages by Expanded Eye Emphasize Earthy Materials
by Aurelia Butler 9 July 2025, 18:52
Casa Mahala installation. All images courtesy of Expanded Eye, shared with permission
Wood and Ceramic ‘Guardian’ Assemblages by Expanded Eye Emphasize Earthy Materials
July 9, 2025
ArtCraft
Kate Mothes
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Blurring the distinction between abstraction and figuration, Expanded Eye’s recent works explore themes of the divine feminine and “the peaceful power of the Earthmother,” the duo says. Comprising Lisbon-based artists Jade Tomlinson and Kevin James, Expanded Eye is known for characteristically geometric, figurative tattoos and assemblages (previously) that incorporate wood and repurposed materials into bold compositions. Through large-scale installations and framed pieces, the artists explore the possibilities of texture, pattern, and color.
Tomlinson and James have put their tattoo practice on hold to focus on sculptural reliefs. Ceramic, in particular, has become a central tenet of their practice, inspired by the rich tile tradition of Portugal, known as azulejo—an exemplification of cross-cultural exchange. The artists are interested in “using this grounding, ancient material from the earth to depict serene guardians in earth tone colors, to evoke stillness and calm in this fast-paced world.”
“Earth Flow” (2025), glazed hand-cut tiles in wooden tray frame, 58 x 48 centimeters
Past and present converge in Expanded Eye’s compositions, channeling an interest in timelessness and the continuum of clay, carving, and building methods. The graphic elements and fragmented features also call to early 20th-century art historical Modernism, especially the Cubist movement. It’s this “fusion of traditional materials with a unique modern approach that excites us—connecting the past to the present,” the artists tell Colossal.
Expanded Eye is currently working on their largest tile commission to date and plans to further merge ceramics with other facets of their practice. Explore more on the artists’ website and Instagram.
Casa Mahala installation
Detail of Casa Mahala installation
“Earth Mother” (2024), glazed and hand-cut tile panel in wooden tray frame, 117 x 71 centimeters
“Lunar Guardian” (2024), glazed and hand-cut tiles in wooden tray frame, 34.5 x 24 / 13 x 24 centimeters
“Guardians series 3” (2024), glazed and hand-cut tiles in wooden tray frame, 54.5 x 24 centimeters
“Earth Dance” (2025), glazed ceramic tile panel in wooden tray frame, 128 x 71 centimeters
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Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams
by Aurelia Butler 16 June 2025, 16:15
“Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024),
walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches. All images courtesy of Andrew Rafacz, shared with permission
Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams
June 16, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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“The model railroader is the truest creator: engineer, architect, and master of his own timetable,” reads a statement about Josh Dihle’s feverish exhibition, Basement Arrangement.
Armed with hundreds of minuscule objects from coral to LEGO, Dihle concocts dreamlike worlds in which figures become topographies and every cavity houses a surprising detail. Peek inside the cheek of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary,” and find a wooly mammoth with lustrous stones embedded in its wooden tusks. “Confluence” is similar as carved fish jut out of the foam-and-plaster ground alongside trees and palms with widespread fingers.
Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches
Evoking model railroads and dollhouses, Dihle’s sculptural paintings incorporate recognizable objects but with an uncanny, if not skewed, perspective. Stretching nearly five feet tall, the large-scale works hang on the wall and draw a contrast between the overall composition, viewed straight on, and the miniature vignettes best taken in at a 90-degree angle. Step back and see an aerial landscape with hills shaped like lips or a sunken nose, while close-up inspection becomes a dizzying hunt for unlikely items tucked into every crevice.
The exhibition title originates with hermit hobbyists, who seem to come alive when cloistered in worlds of their own making. What appears to outsiders as an escape from reality is, for them, an attempt to organize the chaos and take control, even if in the form of toys and make-believe.
If you’re in Chicago, see Basement Arrangement at Andrew Rafacz through July 18. Find more from Dihle on his website.
Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches
“Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches
Detail of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches
“Brittle Star” (2025), oil, acrylic, casein, colored pencil, Legos, fossils, rocks, plastic toys, marbles, mosaic tile, buttons, carved walnut, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, and plywood on panel, 47 x 21 inches
“Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches
“Sighting” (2025), casein, colored pencil, rocks, fossils, eyeball agate, agate, amber, found objects, plastic toys, mosaic tile, marbles, LEGO, beads, thumb tacks, and beach glass on carved basswood, 18 x 14 x 1.5 inches
“Falls” (2025), acrylic, turquoise, meteorite, fossil, marble, rocks, plastic toy, paper pulp, plaster gauze, twine, maple, and foam on panel, 42 x 32.5 x 11 inches
“Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches
Detail of “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches
Installation view of ‘Basement Arrangement’
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Homewares and Laundry Take on Lives of Their Own in Tobias Izsó’s Mixed-Media Sculptures
by Aurelia Butler 28 May 2025, 12:36
“#1” (2023) from the series ‘off the cuff,’ textile, foam, horsehair, walnut, lime, oil willow, rattan, and brass, 80 x 70 x 5 centimeters. All photos by Simon Veres. Images courtesy of the artist and Christine König Galerie, shared with permission
Homewares and Laundry Take on Lives of Their Own in Tobias Izsó’s Mixed-Media Sculptures
May 28, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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Shoelaces, zippers, chairs, and other domestic items adopt unexpected personalities in the uncanny sculptures of Tobias Izsó. Incorporating a wide range of materials, from various woods and paper to leather and textiles, the artist investigates the emotional terrain of private spaces. Izsó depicts sweaters, shoelaces, shirt cuffs, and piles of laundry merging with their surroundings or seemingly possessing minds of their own.
Christine König Galerie, which represents the artist, exhibited Izsó’s series off the cuff last year in its project space, KOENIG2. The works explore relationships between home, self, and the emotional influence of stuff. Izsó’s work will be on view at Kunstverein Dresden in October, and you can find more on the artist’s Instagram.
“#8” (2024) from the series ‘off the cuff,’ oak, paperclip, and paper, 15 x 19 x 14 centimeters
“#6” (2023) from the series ‘off the cuff,’ webbing, leather, stainless steel, bentwood, oak carpet, textile, rattan, veneer, and brass, 170 x 47 x 35 centimeters
“#3” (2024) from ‘off the cuff,’ beech, walnut, cherry, oak, and elm, 116 x 45 x 43 centimeters
“#2” (2023), from the series ‘off the cuff,’ rattan, beech, Afrik, walnut, raffia walnut, and raffia, 82 x 60 x 12 centimeters
“#5” (2024) from the series ‘off the cuff,’ cherry wood, pine wood, leather, and textile, 108 x 30 x 855 centimeters
“#4” (2024) from the series ‘off the cuff,’ cherry wood and wall anchor, 99 x 42 x 15 centimeters
Installation view of ‘Off the Cuff’ at KOENIG2 by_robbygreif
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wood

More stories

Through Stacks of Laundry and Humble Vessels, Danym Kwon Cherishes the Mundane

Kirsty Elson’s Spirited Creatures Breathe New Life into Weathered Driftwood

Cosemtics and Cosmos Blend in Circe Irasema’s Wooden Sculptures

Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing

Six Activist Trolls Tromp Through a California Woodland to ‘Save the Humans’

Wood and Ceramic ‘Guardian’ Assemblages by Expanded Eye Emphasize Earthy Materials

Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

Homewares and Laundry Take on Lives of Their Own in Tobias Izsó’s Mixed-Media Sculptures

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