She’s done it again… another immersive, jaw-dropping collage that I want to move into immediately. “Biodiversity” is the latest insane collage by Berlin based artist Clare Celeste Börsch. I’ve written about her several times, she was on the podcast in 2018, and so when I saw this installation, clearly, I had to share it too! Here are Clare’s words about her newest paper wonderland:
68% of biodiversity lost in just 50 years…
My latest artwork shares a message of love, urgency and hope. Love for our planet, our future selves, our children and future generations. Urgency, because climate change is upon us and the predictions of what to come are dire. And Hope, because there is still a narrow window of time to act and there is still so much we can save.
We are currently on track for 4 degrees of warming by the year 2100. This means a future marked by increasingly violent storms, droughts, wildfires, flooding, and crop shortages.
But we have the tools and technologies to respond to this crisis. We must now collectively and individually rise to this unprecedented challenge. In the video, I list concrete ways you can make a difference today. Please watch and share! It is available on YouTube.
Okay, I’m a little late to the game on this work by Chinese artist Peng Wei, but oh my goodness I love it! She’s been making these paper-molded pieces since 2007… women’s body parts covered in hand painted xuan paper. This work represents her concern over the Westernization of traditional Chinese culture. Look carefully, because she’s hidden treasures like ladies wearing some very non-traditional high heeled shoes while going about their daily tasks. ps. the boots were a collaboration with shoe designer Sergio Rossi in 2012.
Loooooove! These are the hand-cut collages of New York / Atlanta artist Christa David. I’ve been following her for awhile, and ooooh, these latest pieces made up of… is that skirt?… are so great. The compositions, color choices, and the stories they stir up:
“In my artwork, context, specifically story, is essential. Stories, like currency, are circulated. Using materials sourced from historical archives, vintage and contemporary magazines and newspapers, I cut and compose mostly intimate-sized narrative collages that describe my thoughts about the stories I’ve heard and told about myself and others.”
Yep, once again, I’m gonna need my scissors and every old magazine I can find. Happy Wednesday.
This is North Carolina based paper artist Griffin Carrick. Yeah, that’s right. This is PAPER. Giant paper doilies that I desperately want to drape over something in my yard, and delicate vessels expertly quilled. This is PAPER. Here’s part of Griffin’s backstory that I just had to share:
“A maker at an early age, I crafted my way through childhood, quilling for the first time in the third grade, a vase of flowers! But it would be another 20 years before I tried my hand at quilling again. During that extended quilling “hiatus” I pursued my other creative passions, architecture and interior design. Designing barbie’s dream house and sketching up reimagined floor plans for the homes of friends and family. That passion lead me to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural studies and then a Master of Arts in Interior Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I followed that up with a career in commercial and residential design while also teaching interior design online to undergraduate students.
In July of 2016, in search of a creative outlet that didn’t require the use of my computer and while on the hunt for sculptural art for the walls of my home, I rediscovered quilling and this time I was hooked! I put my own spin on this centuries old craft by ditching the backing traditionally used to display quilled coils and instead glued the coils to each other resulting in textural and semi-transparent paper sculptures.”
These are just a few of the absolutely breathtaking paper sculptures by Haitian born, New York based artist Fabiola Jean-Louis. Yes, I said paper. She’s chosen paper as her main medium because it “acts as a tether linking the present to a past when paper was not just a basic currency, but held the power to determine the freedom of a human being.” That gave me chills. Also, chill-inducing, this caption she recently wrote on Instagram regarding her paper shoes:
“Paper shoes. They are one of my favorite things to make, and have a deeper meaning that many people don’t realize. The feet of my ancestors were not allowed to wear such delicate shoes, because they weren’t seen as delicate creatures. And, it’s not that we cared to be. Just the same, the importance of our feet has long been overlooked. Remember that they helped us stand firm, helped us run, and sometimes they failed by giving out as our bodies succumbed to the painful whip. Somehow our feet have always helped us get back up.”
Soft, quiet, elegant… and a little bit sad? These dreamy pieces are the work of Netherlands based artist Tamara Jungnickel. I can’t find the ‘why’ behind these lovely faces, but I’m pretty sure they’re feeling all the feels. Behind that foggy pink, I think these ladies have some very deep thoughts, and a lot to say.
*A few of these pieces are available via Tekenkabinet {scroll to the bottom of page 1 on that site to find Tamara’s work.}
I couldn’t decide… should I write about #tarplife, a series filled with blue tarps painted into the photographic interiors of design books, or a bunch of campers who’ve found their way into the pages of outdoorsy magazines from a body of work titled “Encamped” … okay fine, I’ll show BOTH! This is the work of Seattle based artist JoEllen Wang, and this is part of her artist statement:
“… At the heart of my process, where all my inspiration comes from, is everyday life in an urban environment. I paint images of familiar objects and subjects which for me simultaneously trigger nostalgia and complicated feelings about reality. I like to take my subject out of context, or see it out of scale, as an exercise in questioning the value I associate with it.
I paint diminutive campers in generic settings. The subject matter is homelessness, but the paintings are small and cute, and easily consumed, like candy. I paint campers and tent cities into picturesque landscapes. It’s celebrating the great outdoors, but also seeing the misplaced displaced-the people easily ignored at home…”
Gasp! This is the surreal work of Mexican artist Carlos Amorales, titled “Black Cloud”. The still images above are from the first time this was installed in 2007 {Yvon Lambert, Paris}, and the video is from the CURRENT installation at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. These black paper beauties will be covering the walls there until June 7th, 2020. Happy Monday.
Today, FRIDAY MAY 22nd at NOON {et} I’ll be hosting a LIVE ART SALE on Showfields.com! I curated a grouping of the 8 fabulous artists above {and ok yes, I curated myself into the lineup!}. Please tune in because A. it’ll be fun, and B. for every person that hops on to watch, Showfields will be donating $1 to the charity of my choice… I chose Doctors Without Borders ♥ Soooo, come on over, invite a friend… or ten! This post gives you a peek at half of the available work, and here’s the description I wrote for this curation:
“While the various pieces are quite different – from ceramic eye masks and quiet landscapes, to self portraits and embroidered bits of nature – for me, the element that connects this collection is the feeling of intimacy. Each piece gives us a peek into the artist herself, creating a cocktail of beauty, humor, and vulnerability … and yes, that’s my favorite kind of cocktail!”
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Aaaaand that’s a wrap! That was FUN! A bunch of the work sold during the LIVE event, but you can still pop over to Showfields to see my curation and buy some gorgeous work from some very talented artists.
Money, money, money! Well, I found the origami work of Japanese artist Yosuke Hasegawa first, and then I fell down his ‘portfolio full of cash’ rabbit hole. Honestly, he had me at Liz folded from old Canadian bills, followed closely by Abe as a Starbucks cup… but then I saw those stunning 3D pieces… I mean, WHAT? Love.
