colin roberts
I mean, you really need to see these beauties in action! Go click PLAY on those videos up there, I’ll wait. So gorgeous, right!? The way they catch the light, changing throughout the day. Stunning. I’ve written about LA based artist Colin Roberts before, but these plexi-glass pillows / disco balls could not scream NEW YEAR’S EVE 2020 more! Yep, I’m going to bed early so I can get a jump on this brand new year. Happy New Year to you and yours, see you in 2021.
haegue yang
Okay, I didn’t even know where to begin when it came to sharing the work of Berlin based, Korean artist Haegue Yang. She is so prolific, and has been since forever, therefore I just grabbed a bunch of my favorite pieces from over the years. One of the themes that ties them together, though, is movement… note the wheels, handles, and hit PLAY on that video above. Beautiful! So that’s already impressive enough, now allow me to share this … her work is currently showing at MoMA in New York, the AGO in Toronto, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in Manila. All three of these exhibitions will be up until February 2021. She also has work showing at TATE St.Ives in Cornwall now until May 2021. I think that’s everything at the moment… but don’t quote me on that!
leonardo benzant
Fabric, beads, leather, semi-precious stones, string… oh my word. This is the painstakingly meticulous work of New York based artist Leonardo Benzant. His artist statement is equally as powerful, so I’ll hand it over to him:
“My practice is driven by my connection to the trans African-Atlantic diaspora. I recognize both my ties and disjunction from an ancestral past by considering the possibilities of genetic imprints, cultural identification, innate and intuitive beliefs and a conscious seeking of links that reveal continuities that are hidden or largely unsuspected by the mainstream. I imagine myself as an Urban Shaman exploring both my familiar visible world and the hidden dimensions of other realms that lurk beneath the surface of daily life. The sense of personal cosmology in my practice grows from both experiencing and observing the details of everyday life and ritual. Artworks emerge out of the crossroads of life, history, memory, and imagination, a place between that suggest multiple layers of meaning. Inspiration is derived, in part, from the various modes of communication that I have studied and encountered in African-derived rituals.”
An ‘Urban Shaman’, indeed. Leonardo is represented by Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem, and his work is currently being shown at the Taubman Museum of Art {Virginia} until February 7, 2021.
ian berry
Jeans! Yep, a zillion pieces of cut up denim transformed into installations, “paintings”, and sculpture. This is the jaw-dropping work of London based artist Ian Berry. Using old articles of clothing, scissors and glue, Ian creates everything from News Stands and Living Rooms, to Secret Gardens filled with blue-hued wildlife…
[Denim] is simply his medium for seeing the world, his paint, and what a material to use in this modern world; with all its symbols and dualities, as well as being such a common item of clothing that unites many around the globe.
Okay, this makes me miss wearing jeans. Jeggings don’t count, do they? Anyway, Ian’s work can be seen all over the place these days. Take a peek at the NEWS section on his site for current and upcoming exhibitions. Happy Monday.
abigail brown
Gasp! “Beasts of My Imagination” is the latest series by UK based artist Abigail Brown. I wrote about her paper maché animal heads waaaaaay back in 2014 and, as you can plainly see, her work is just getting more and more fantastical! Who do we have to thank for these latest sculptures, paintings and gigantic animal masks? You guessed it…
“Late March 2020 when the Corona virus pandemic hit, I packed up what I could from my studio and headed home for three months of lockdown.
It’s been a strange strange time and my emotions have been in constant flux… from fear and panic, anxiety and nightmares, to finding joy and delight in a slower more simple pace.
I’ve had time to explore ideas as they came without having to find a reason for them and it’s been an exciting journey to see where they lead me.”
I’m so glad these beasts found their way out of Abigail’s imagination, and into the world. Happy Friday.
cyril lancelin
I mean, any post that starts and ends with giant cactus installations is a-okay by me! This is the jaw-dropping, sometimes inflatable, lose-yourself-inside-it work of Lyon based artist Cyril Lancelin. I love all of these crazy amazing pieces, but I think my favorite might be the first one… “Inverted Cactus”. Here’s Cyril’s description, found on his Instagram feed.
“‘Inverted Cactus’ : Installation with fake cactus. People can position themselves just under it. It feels like 2020… immersive at one point only, but feels more immersive than ever.”
You can say that again.
clémentine de chabaneix
First, that bear’s side-eye is everything. Second, yes, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve written about the work of French artist
Clémentine de Chabaneix… but can you blame me!? All of these pieces are from her current show, titled
“ANIMUS”, at
Galerie du Passage in Paris. Here are Clémentine’s words about this work:
“ANIMUS” is a set of enamelled ceramic sculptures, made in my workshop for a year. A privileged parenthesis allowing me to deepen a universe that I have been exploring for ten years of ceramic practice. “ANIMUS” A word which evokes me, by its etymology, which relates to the soul and by analogy of sound to the word ANIMAL. For a long time, I have declined countless combinations of mixed man-animals. Psychological portraits arranged like riddles. Colorful snakes, crystal horns, galvanized flowers, meteorites, foxes, masks, toads, crocodiles… I develop a symbolic vocabulary that evokes human identity in its complexity, its contradictions, its poetry.
In this work, the animal figure appears, like an alter ego: the animal counterpart, with soft or disturbing forms, inexorably placing man in an equation from which he cannot extricate himself. “
Beautiful. “ANIMUS” runs until February 27, 2021. ps. Here’s a peek the gallery just posted on Instagram:
elizabeth alexander
Paper. No, seriously … allllll of it is paper. Even the chair, table, etc. I know, it’s a little bit too much for my brain to handle on a Monday morning, but alas, it’s true. This is the installation work of Massachusetts based artist Elizabeth Alexander. Here’s her artist statement to help explain these wonders:
“Cast paper, [she casts paper!?] sculptural collage, and altered objects are my methods for deconstructing domestic vignettes of traditional success and beauty. Long hours of unmaking and rebuilding found materials provide space to record memories and observations as I reexamine supposed truths within the domestic sphere. Repetitive processes become internal centering elements as I work to carefully break down these concepts.
The ubiquitous notion of the American home as a symbol for status, power, values, and security has led me to examine my own relationship with home and consider its untidy qualities. Living with and loving others who battle mental illness and chronic pain has complicated my experience with private space. I aim to unearth the human presence within our material surroundings and explore home as a place that is shaped by our stories and bears witness to our secret lives.”
Beautiful. ps. Elizabeth’s work was recently selected for “Paper Routes – Women to Watch 2020” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC… of course it was! The show runs until the end of January 2021.
zsófia keresztes
Gasp! Glass mosaic, grout, copper pipe, thread, styrofoam… now that is a materials list! This is the work of Budapest based artist Zsófia Keresztes. Most of her sculptures and installations center around her interest in the intersection of the digital world and the body. The tears for example, “represent social media and its predatory claims on our sadness – and the sadness of others. They are toxic.” Well here’s something that will cause tears of joy… it’s just been announced that Zsófia will represent Hungary at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022! Amazing news! Congratulations, Zsófia… I hope I get to see your jaw-dropping work in person.
{quote via Elijah Wheat Showroom, NY}.
makoto azuma
Gasp! “Frozen Flowers” by Japanese artist Makoto Azuma. This breathtaking piece is from 2018, but as we head into winter here in the Northern hemisphere, it feels very appropriate! I’m sure you’ve seen this artist’s work before, perhaps his “Botanical Space Flight” {flowers in space… seriously}. This final icy installation is absolutely stunning, but wait, there’s more! His ‘in progress’ shots {captured by Shunsuke Shiinoki} are just as beautiful. If you ever feel like you don’t have enough energy to head into the studio for an afternoon, let this insanity be your inspiration:
Now that is commitment. To learn more about Makoto Azuma, Shunsuke Shiinoki and AMKK – their co-founded flower and plant institute – click here. Happy Monday.
