Yeah. I know, right? This is the absolutely breathtaking paper-cut work of British born, France based artist Rogan Brown. I wrote about him five years ago, and my mind is still blown by the magic he makes. Now, I know you’re already shouting, ‘wait, does he do this by hand?!’ … yes, some of it. These ridiculously detailed, science-meets-fiction masterpieces are a combination of hand-cut and laser-cut paper. Speaking of paper, here are Rogan’s thoughts on his chosen material:

“Paper embodies the paradoxical qualities that we see in nature: its fragility and durability, its strength and delicacy; there is a pleasing poetic symmetry in taking this material that was cut from the forest and by cutting and transforming it once again returning it to its origins.”

Beautiful. Happy Friday.

 

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A post shared by Karen Navarro (@karennavarroph) on Mar 5, 2020 at 4:30pm PST

You hit play on that video, right? Wow. LOVE. This is the fabulous work of Karen Navarro, an Argentine-born artist currently based in Houston. These pieces are from two different, but similar, bodies of work. The red/pink pieces are from “Deconstruction”, and the more sculptural works are from her ongoing series titled, “The Constructed Self”. So, why does she slice and dice her portrait photography? I’ll let Karen explain:

“I depart from stereotypical photographic portraits of subjects to render them through constructive and deconstructive methods. To disrupt photography’s flat, two-dimensional surface I cut and reassemble the images to build sculptures and collages. I use photography as the basis for the three-dimensional objects as a means to challenge our visual perception. Often implying that identity is, in fact, a social construct while also engaging with notions of existentialist.”

Love.

Now THIS is how you kick off a Monday morning! Oh my word, this is the absolutely stunning paper-cut work of UK based artist Pippa Dyrlaga {aka @bearfollowscat on Instagram}. And yes, if the two ladies in the first piece look like they’re apart while together, they are:

The Age of the Introverts: A response to the social distancing advice during the recent Coronavirus pandemic and a reflection that although we are not physically present, we can still communicate, collaborate and share ideas. {Hand cut 36gsm Awagami Factory Kitakata washi paper, hand painted.}

*Gasp* I already loved these oil paintings so much, and then I saw the photos of the work installed and, yes, my heart skipped a beat… the scale, the beautiful altars on the floor, all of it! And those ‘in studio’ images are breathtaking. This is the most recent work by Puerto Rico-born, New York-based artist Iruka Toro. This show just came down from the walls of LaCa Projects in Charlotte North Carolina, but these are their words about “THE IRUKA ELVIS SPELL”:

Transcendence. Transformation. Surrender. In her third solo exhibition at LaCa Projects, these themes are evident in Iruka Maria Toro’s new body of work, which offers deeply personal insights into her recent name change and the evolution of her work in tandem with a constant exploration of her spiritual identity. Through a system of complex but connected clues into deeply-rooted belief systems, Toro invites viewers inside her world, with references to the tarot, magic, prayer, ritual, femininity, and medicinal practices. As if painting with a technicolor lens, Toro makes visible hidden spiritual dimensions through intense, color-saturated works, intimate and careful dissections of living flora, and juxtapositions revealing a unique and important relationship, echoing her steadfast reverence to the natural environment and its undeniable connection to humankind.

Sigh. Magic.

Ah, the work of California based artist Casey Gray… they’re always like an image search puzzle … for grownups. If you want an up-close look, Casey currently has a show at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco, titled “I Can Taste The Sun”. Here’s the show description:

Utilizing his signature, complex masking and aerosolized acrylic technique to create densely detailed and symbolic works, Gray has created a series of paintings, sculptures and works on paper that celebrate the simple joys in life – from the idyllic landscapes of California to a perfect summer picnic.

Drawing from the world around him, Gray seamlessly incorporates historical painting tropes alongside studio ephemera to create surreal yet plausible still lives and scenes. Each painting is an invitation to the viewer to decode the symbolism and underlying narrative or statement held within the work, like an unfolding poem. The exhibition explores “the power of nature and the outdoors to nourish and heal.”

Dynamic new sculptural works and experimental works on paper will also be debuted at I Can Taste the Sun, showcasing Gray’s multi-faceted practice. A continuation of his wavy symbol paintings, the sculptures pull individual elements such as a flower or tree into an undulating, three dimensional object. Illustrative and graphic works on paper serve as snapshots of moments between paintings, rounding out the artist’s sun soaked world.

You’ll be able to taste the sun until February 29, 2020.

Ceramic sculpture that looks like collage … collage that look like ceramic sculpture … LOVE!!! This is the work of Toronto based artist Stephanie Cormier, and this is a lovely sentence that I pulled from her artist statement that sums up her work for me:

“There is a special attention to wonder, speculation and the limits of human understanding and expression.”

Yep ♥

Jaw. Dropped. This is the paper work of Denmark based artist Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen. The colors, those textures, the scale… oh my word, I’m in love. Also, paper. It’s all PAPER!

*bio photo by Frederik Lentz Andersen

Oh my goodness. This is the latest work from American artist Hollie Chastain. I’ve written about Hollie a zillion times, because what she does with found images and old books is always beautiful. Case in point… look what she’s doing now!? Those forgotten book pages had no idea they were about to be woven together! LOVE. Happy Friday.

Oh my. This is the work of Norway based, British born Elizabeth Croft. She is a curator and an artist, who creates installations, works with text, and all sort of other things… but the collage-lover in me was instantly smitten with her 3D collages.Yes! Little black diorama boxes full of weird wonderfulness, beautifully combining bits of nature with found images. I love all of the details that come together to help tell a strange story… those teeth, for example. I dunno what’s happening there, but I LOVE them.

Blurry photographs? Nope. Pastel, pencil, spray paint and ink on paper, mounted on panel… have I said ‘gasp’ yet? Gasp! This is the work of Geneva based artist Eliana Marinari, and this is a description of how and why she does what she does:

Eliana Marinari ‘s practice employs a longstanding discipline of drawing, reinterpreting the genres of landscape and portrait as a means to question our perception of reality. Her work reflects an intense fascination for the power of images and explores the human ability to recall a visual object and generate semantic associations.

Her interest has been formed by current theories on visual recognition to explain the transition from a perception-driven representation to memory-driven elaboration of concepts: meaning is attributed to each feature and translated on assumptions based on previous experiences, cultural beliefs and values.

Eliana Marinari’s two main series Recognition and Recollection borrow details from archives, found images and her own photographs. Carefully constructed by glazing aerosol acrylic on pastel and pencil drawings, the vestigial image mimics the process of creating a visual representation in our mind and brings time, memory, loss and an emotional narrative to the subject.

Beautiful! If you happen to be in Geneva, be sure to stop by her solo show, titled “Recollection Memory”, at Le Salon Vert. The opening event is this Thursday January 16th from 6-8pm, and the show will run until February 22nd, 2020.