ko kirk yamahira
These paintings are the work of Seattle based artist Ko Kirk Yamahira. ‘Paintings’, you ask? Well, yes, that’s how they start out:
“… the finished painting is a beginning rather than an end. Painstakingly removing individual threads from the weave of the canvas, Yamahira deconstructs his paintings, turning surface into form.”
What? Yep! If you happen to be in Seattle, you can see his work as part of a two-person show {with Emily Counts} at Studio e until September 12th, 2020. Threads. WHAT.
emily counts
Okay, hold the phone… a ceramic mural?! YEP! The hands, the fruit, the color palette… all of it!!! This beauty is the work of Seattle based artist Emily Counts, and is installed at Facebook HQ in Redmond, Washington. I seriously could have posted everything in her entire portfolio… like this piece, or this one, or even this one. Here is part of Emily’s artist statement, explaining why she does what she does:
“My ceramic and mixed media sculptures begin with an interest in connectivity, whether physical, social, or conceptual. Many pieces are comprised of objects attached to one another via tethers or chains while other works connect vertically, consisting of shapes stacked high on top of each other. Each element is paired, sequenced, grouped or assembled. With all of these physical couplings I am considering how associations are formed in our minds, and also how similar connections occur within our bodies, in nature, and through technology. Chain reactions, associative memories, and social networks are all examples of the types of connections that influence my work. I especially look for pathways and relationships between things that may seem unrelated on the surface.”
Beautiful. Emily is currently part of a two-person show, with Ko Kirk Yamahira, at Studio e in Seattle. The show runs until Sept 12, 2020. ps. I’ll be writing about Kirk tomorrow, because his work is gorgeous too!
megan constance altieri
Ahhh, eavesdropping… it’s one of my favorite hobbies, and apparently I’m not alone. American artist Megan Constance Altieri turned bits and pieces of overheard conversations into an installation, titled “Sonder : The Art of Empathy Through Eavesdropping” {which was the “Installation Public Vote” winner of Michigan’s prestigious ArtPrize in 2018!} Here is the description of this lovely project:
“Sonder illustrates the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as our own. In our awareness of even a single other person we begin to grasp the magnitude of the 7.6 billion coexisting realities all as specific and important as one another. Over the past two years, Altieri has gathered fragments of overheard conversations and hand-stamped them on articles of clothing matching those of the speaker. Viewing these articles collectively challenges our capacity for empathy, curiosity, and awareness of others. Sonder seeks to help us grasp the beautiful complexities of humanity by allowing a momentary escape from our own lens. In exchange for our perspective, we are offered a truer understanding of our identity as a dot among a sea of dots.”
So, so, so many beautiful dots. FYI, Megan has recently turned this installation in to a book! You can find it here.
patty carroll
Uh, yep, that looks exactly right. Quick personal aside, this is precisely how I felt when I went from being a full-time Creative Director to a full time At-Home Mama. Oof, it was a tricky transition {I burned a shitload of cookies}. Anywho, this photography series – that clearly strikes a chord with me – is the work of Chicago based artist Patty Carroll. All of these images are from the latest iteration, titled ‘Demise’, of her ongoing series ‘Anonymous Women’. Here is the description from Patty’s site:
“‘Anonymous Women’, consists of a 3-part series of studio installations made for the camera, addressing women and their complicated relationships with domesticity. By camouflaging the figure in drapery and/or domestic objects, Carroll creates a dark and humorous game of hide-and-seek between her viewers and the Anonymous Woman …
In the latest narratives, “Demise,” the woman becomes the victim of domestic disasters. Her activities, obsessions and objects are overwhelming her. Her home has become a site of tragedy. The scenes of her heartbreaking end are loosely inspired by several sources including the game of clue, where murder occurs in one of five rooms of the house: Dining Room, Kitchen, Hall, Conservatory, and Library.”
Domestic disasters… ah yes, I know them well.
joana vasconcelos
Okay, I’m officially obsessed. I tried to pick just one of these pieces to showcase, but how could I not show you the giant mirror mask, the Marilyn shoes made out of pot and pans {that’s the artist, for scale!}, and a fabulous, feathery, burlesque-looking “Lilicoptère” exhibited at Versailles?! These beauties are just the tip of the absolutely gorgeous iceberg that is the portfolio of Lisbon based artist Joana Vasconcelos… and clearly, the art world agrees. Here’s a tiny snippet from her CV. Look at this badass list:
Her work became known internationally after her participation in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005, with the work A Noiva [The Bride] (2001-05). She was the first woman and the youngest artist to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles, in 2012. Recent highlights of her career include a solo exhibition at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the project Trafaria Praia, for the Pavilion of Portugal at the 55th Venice Biennale; the participation in the group exhibition The World Belongs to You at the Palazzo Grassi/François Pinault Foundation, Venice (2011); and her first retrospective, held at the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon (2010).
Damn.
louise meuwissen
Oh. My. Word. This is “Ecology of Time”, 2018… zillions and zillions of found beads made of glass, leaded-crystal, Swarovski crystal, ceramic, plastic, acrylic, resin, bakelite, mother-of-pearl, shell, pearls, jade, agate, and the list goes on! This suspended stunner is the work of Australian artist Louise Meuwissen. She has been “painting with found materials” since art school, and I could not love this more! Oh, hold on a second…
“I’m a collector by nature, and have always loved the treasure hunt of second hand shopping at op-shops and markets. I’m attracted to objects that contain a certain level of care, communicate something of a specific time or place, or otherwise feel particularly precious. I love things that are handmade, have bold or unusual prints, are made from luxurious materials, or evoke some sort of nostalgia.”
Okay, love is now officially through the roof.
julie maren
Acorns! Yep, I thought I’d just jump right in with the answer to your question of, “Wha?”. This is just one of many, many, many installations by American artist Julie Maren. It’s part of an ongoing series, titled “Biophilia”, and was installed in 2018 at Walker Fine Art {Denver}. How many acorns, you ask? Just over 800 acorn tops, each one filled with colorful paint! LOVE. Here is Julie’s story about this work, and how it came to be:
“Biophilia is a metaphor for interconnectedness. Each Biophilia (acorn top filled with material) represents an individual, beautiful and complete on its own. A group of Biophilia represents the synergy of a community as a whole.
Acorns, as seeds, are symbols of growth and unlimited potential. Just as one seed can grow into a massive oak that can plant a whole forest, the acorn teaches us about our own potential and what/ how/ who we share with the world. Through this metaphor, Biophilia provides a reminder of this relationship and our interconnectedness with our larger community and world.
“Biophilia” wall-sculptures are the result of my journey to take my paintings out of the confines of traditional square and rectangular canvases. I found paint filled acorn tops to be the perfect vehicle to transcend the omnipresent dot patterns in my paintings, indicative of space and time—and transform them into expansive, multi-dimensional murmurations of color and shadow—like coordinates on a three-dimensional grid.”
Community, unlimited potential, and hundreds of colorful ‘dots’… could I love this more? Nope. {You have to watch that speedy install video above. So. Many. Acorns.}
rebecca belmore
This is “trace” {2014}, a breathtaking a community project by Toronto based artist Rebecca Belmore. This cascading blanket of beads has a permanent home at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Rebecca is a member of the Lac Seul First Nation (Anishinaabe) whose artwork is “rooted in the political and social realities of Indigenous communities, [and] makes evocative connections between bodies, land and language.” Yes, yes it does! Here is the description – that was written before the project began – of this very important project:
“With the creation of the large ceramic blanket, ‘trace’, Belmore honours the original inhabitants of the land upon which the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is built. This land bears evidence of over 6,000 years of Indigenous presence where 500,000 artifacts were excavated from the ground beneath the museum, including thousands of ceramic shards. Using clay from beneath the city of Winnipeg, thousands of small “shards” will be formed by hand. The action of squeezing a small lump of clay in one hand will produce an organic shape that will be pierced through the centre to become a “bead”. These shapes, although unique, will identify as being similar due to the hand-made process and because of their vast number. The beads will then be fired and woven together to produce the large-scale blanket-like form. The use of clay, the earth itself, imbues the artwork with a sense of timelessness. The modest gesture of forming these beads is a reminder of how precious and universal the bond is between humans and the earth.” ~ written by Lee-Ann Martin
Amazing. Rebecca, and fellow sculptor Osvaldo Yero, worked with the people of Winnipeg to create these hand-squeezed beads, and the result is absolutely stunning.
caroline monnet
Styrofoam, insulation, plexiglass, concrete, foam, wood … and that final piece? It’s is embroidery on Tyvek {a synthetic material used to wrap houses during construction}. What?! Yes. This is the very powerful work of Montreal based, Algonquin-French artist Caroline Monnet. Her show, titled “R-Value”, is currently showing at Division Gallery in Montreal. Here is the exhibition description:
“For years, the housing situation in Indigenous communities has remained grievously unchanged. In remote regions with harsh winter conditions, construction materials can be scarce and expensive. Construction financing is cannibalized for repair and upkeep, while residents and local councils are excluded from decision-making. The result is generic housing, unattuned to its environment and bearing no resemblance to traditional dwellings. Caroline Monnet’s recent work grapples with colonialism’s impact, updating outdated systems with Indigenous methodologies. Combining contemporary building materials and patterns transmitted across generations, Monnet creates hybrid objects. Resembling city maps and bar codes as much as they do traditional weaving and beading, the patterns she prints on, weaves into, or cuts from insulation offers a glimpse back and a path forward.
Meticulous, beautiful, powerful. This work will be at Division until July 1, 2020.
