Hypnos. All images courtesy of Clara Lacy, shared with permissionOtherworldly Flowers Emerge from Darkness in Clara Lacys Meticulous Graphite DrawingsApril 1, 2025ArtNatureKate MothesNature has always been a subject of fascination for Clara Lacy, who roamed the fields and streams around her home in Hampshire when she was young, spurring an interest in studying biology. Art also emerged as a way for her to channel her interest in animals and plants, tapping into the long-held tradition of artists documenting flora and fauna for science.As she moved around to different parts of the world, with stints in Hong Kong and Sydney before returning to the U.K., Lacy absorbed each places variations in botanical life, weather, and light, inspiring a body of work that reflects on climate change, species loss, and the need to find balance between humans and nature, she says.ThanatosThe World Has Dropped Its Petals is a series of elaborately detailed graphite drawings illuminating the world of flowers. In heavily contrasted grayscale, the blooms are devoid of the bright colors we typically associate with their petals and foliage, instead highlighted by an array of textures and naturally occurring patterns.Ive always been drawn to monotone work for its subtle tonal variations, offering a contrast to the bombardment of colour and light around us, all vying for our attention, Lacy tells Colossal. She was drawn to graphite because its limited palette helps the subject to stand out through contrasts like delicate lines or deep blacks. Shes also interested in how graphite is often overlooked in fine art, classified typically as a sketching material rather than a standalone medium.Lacy titles her pieces after characters in Greek myth like Thanatos, the personification of death, and twin brothers Nyx (Night) and Hypnos (Sleep). She uses her own photos for reference, collaging and layering components in Photoshop until she finds an overall composition that resonates. The World Has Dropped Its Petals draws inspiration from stills lifes of the Dutch Golden Age, too, characterized by dark backgrounds from which flowers or fruit appear to pop in brilliance.The series is on view through April 13 at James Gorst Architects in London. Lacy has also started working on a new project exploring time and aging, which emphasizes zoomed-in views of flower fragments. Find more on the artists website and Instagram.HeimarmeneHeliosNepheleSeleneElpisNyxNext article

Torino, Italy. Image MantraApril 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for ArtistsApril 1, 2025OpportunitiesColossalEvery month, we share opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. Make sure you never miss out by joining our monthlyOpportunities Newsletter.2025 Booooooom Art & Photo Book AwardFeaturedBooooooomand Bookmobile are teaming up for this popular open call supporting artist publishing. Nine artists, illustrators, or photographers will be selected to create a book or zine featuring a cohesive body of work at no cost. Zine applications are free to all, while book applications are free to Booooooom members or $15.Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PST on June 6, 2025.Open CallsArtadia Awards(New York)Artists receive unrestricted funds of $15,000, and honorariums will also be provided to finalists.Deadline: April 1, 2025.Future Lions 2025 (International)This global competition celebrating young creative talent (under age 25 or enrolled in university) is seeking applications for its 20th cycle. The prompt is to connect an audience to a product or service from a brand you choose in a way that wasnt possible three years ago. Deadline: 23:59 BST on April 13, 2025.All About Photo Magazine Open Call (International)For its 47th issue, AAP Magazine is accepting submissions of portfolios or bodies of work around the theme of shadows. Winners receive $1,000 cash, their work published in the magazine, and press coverage. There is a $35 entry fee.Deadline: April 15, 2025.YICCA Art Prize 2025(International)YICCA accepts all kinds of contemporary artworks and offers a first prize of3,00 and a second prize of 1,000. Selected artists will have the opportunity to exhibit in a European art gallery.Deadline: April 30, 2025.GrantsThe 2026 open callseeks proposals for new artistic works in the visual arts, performing arts, film, and literature. The Creative Capital Awardprovides unrestricted project grants of between $15,000 and $50,000 to individual artists to create new work, and the newState of the Art Prizeprovides unrestricted artist grants of $10,000.Deadline: April 3, 2025.WFF Housing Stability Grant(New York City)This program offers five $30,000 grants distributed over three years to visual artists who need support for stable housing.Deadline: 5 p.m. ET on April 8, 2025.Prix Viviane Esders(Europe)The Viviane Esders Endowment Fund welcomes applications for the fourth edition of the Prix Viviane Esders, recognizing European photographers over 60 years old who have developed photographic careers over several decades. One established photographer receives 50,000, and two finalists receive 5,000 each.Deadline: April 13, 2025.Open to all disciplines, this grant program offers up to $20,000 for the creation of environmental art projects by women artists.Deadline: 5 p.m. ET on April 15, 2025.Vital Impacts Flash Grant(International)Annie Griffiths, one of National Geographics first female photographers, is donating 50 percent of all proceeds from her newsletter to support a $2,000+ grant for photographers. Applicants should explain how they will document and uplift the natural world using the funds.Deadline: April 22, 2025.The Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant (International)This program provides one-time financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs resulted from an unforeseen catastrophic incident and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Awardees typically receive $5,000, up to $15,000.Deadline: Rolling.This fund commissions visual artists to create company projects on a rolling basis. Awardees will receive between $500 and $5,000.Deadline: Rolling.Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (International)The foundation welcomes applications from painters, sculptors, and artists working on paper, including printmakers. Grants are intended for one year and range up to $50,000. The artists circumstances determine the size of the grant, and professional exhibition history will be considered.Deadline: Rolling.Residencies, Fellowships, & More This residency is awarded with an initial one-year commitment with the option for a second-year renewal. Accepted residents will be provided numerous financial and professional benefits including a monthly stipend, annual material and firing budget, 24/7 access to a private studio space, furnished housing,and other opportunities. There is a $40 application fee.Deadline: April 1, 2025.This six-week residency offers one artist access to The Weaving Mills floor loom, knitting machine, sewing machine, other miscellaneous tools, and various fabrics, yarn, and buttons. There is a $400 stipend and teaching opportunities.Deadline: April 1, 2025.Al & Mickey Quinlan Artist Residency (Midwest)Running from August 4 to September 28, this program is geared toward emerging and mid-career artists working in drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography. It is in partnership with the Miller Art Museum.Deadline: April 7, 2025.KODA Social Practice Residency (International)Open to mid-career women and/or non-binary artists, this residency offers a $1,000 honorarium, studio space, an optional exhibition, and more. Peace-building is this years theme.Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on April 10, 2025.Open to LGBTQ+ artists, this program offers a live-work space for either six weeks or four months. There is a $25 application fee.Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on April 13, 2025.Mudflat Year-Long Residency (International)Clay artists are eligible for this program, which offers, private studio space, a $75 monthly materials stipend, an $800 monthly housing stipend, opportunities to teach, and a solo exhibition.Deadline: April 16, 2025.The John O. Calmore Creative Activism Artist Residency (International)Citizen artists working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, or interdisciplinary practices and dedicated to social justice are eligible for this program. Residents receive a $6,000 stipend, an exhibition in Toronto, lodging, and a private studio. There is a $35 application fee.Deadline: April 21, 2025.Frank Lloyd Wrights Martin House is the site of this two- to four-week residency that offers two tracks: the artist program supports the development of a new work, while the researcher program is geared toward projects that will result in published writing. Residents deliver a public program and are offered a $5,000 stipend and up to $1,000 in travel expenses. Deadline: May 9, 2025.2025 Thirdspace: Emerging Artist Summer Intensive Program (International)This month-long residency at OCAD University brings together interdisciplinary emerging artists to develop a new body of work with mentorship from artist Van Maltese. There is a $4,600 CAD program fee.Deadline: May 13, 2025.Josephine Sculpture Parks Artist-in-Residence (International)Two artists will receive 10-week residencies to create a new large-scale, outdoor work. Stipends include $1,000 for a site visit stipend, $2,000 per week for the residency, $500 per week for lodging, and up to $2,500 for materials. Residents also receive studio space, mentorship, and an exhibition.Deadline: 11:59 p.m. MT on May 14, 2025.The Studios of Key West Residencies (International)Approximately 40 visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, media artists, performers, and interdisciplinary artists are accepted each year for these month-long residencies. Chosen applicants receive lodging. Deadline: May 15, 2025.Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence (International)This annual award offers one early-career artist developing new works addressing plants, gardens, or landscapes $10,000 and a two- to five-week stay at Oak Spring. Visual artists, writers, dancers, and musicians are eligible.Deadline: May 31, 2025.The Farm Margaret River Residency (International)This five- to eight-week residency is geared toward site-responsive projects and engagement with the land. Residents receive a $7,500 stipend, studio space, accommodations, and travel assistance.Deadline: 5 p.m. AWST on June 2, 2025.The Kyoto Retreat (International)Artists, curators, and writers are eligible for this four-week retreat in Kyoto for research, exploration, and inspiration. Chosen applicants receive a roundtrip flight, a private bedroom, and $800 to supplement meals and local transportation.Deadline: July 15, 2025.If youd like to list an opportunity, please contact[emailprotected].Next article

Detail of Dont Worry About the Government. All images courtesy of Adam Ledford, shared with permissionFilled with Half-Pots, Adam Ledfords Life-Size Room Drawings Reflect Timeless RoutinesApril 1, 2025ArtKate MothesIn Harold and the Purple Crayon, the young protagonist composes a fantasy reality using the deceptively simple power of line. Harold manifests numerous adventures with a single writing instrument, drawing himself into ever more exciting capers. For artist Adam Ledford, Crockett Johnsons iconic 1955 childrens book provides one reference point for his approach to large-scale installations.Ledford dots life-size line drawings of domestic spaces with half pots, or reliefs of ceramic vessels, which reflect how everyday objects represent individuals values, experiences, and projection of identity. Canisters of coffee or cleaning solutions detail vintage packaging design, while other items like cooking utensils or decorative objects highlight personal taste and daily routines.Detail of Dont Worry About the GovernmentI am the person visiting your house, who is eyeing up all the tchotchkes, asking about your tea kettle, and picking up and looking at the bottom of your tableware, Ledford tells Colossal. He credits his love for pottery for providing the lens through which he also learned Americas historical timeline, describing how the objects help set a mental stage for the abstract process of thinking about the past.In Ledfords expansive installations, which range from multiple walls to single architectural features, black-and-white outlines represent kitchen cabinets, countertops, or fireplaceslocations where containers and vessels are collected, stored, or displayed. Theater, for example, is a replica of his own kitchen. The artist says, The drawn environments are a stage setting for the objects to play and star.Ledfords work is currently on view in Dinner Table, on view through May 29 at The Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington. Find more on the artists website and Instagram. You might also enjoy the hand-drawn installations of Anastasia Parmson and Shantell Martin.Theater Detail of TheaterDetail of TheaterDont Worry About the GovernmentDetail of Dont Worry About the GovernmentA Room with a ViewDetail of A Room with a ViewDetail of Dont Worry About the GovernmentNext article

Pair of Covered Vases (2024), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 56 x 62 inches. All photos by Jenny Gorman, courtesy of Hesse Flatow, shared with permissionFlowers Entwine Porcelain Animals and Objects in Lizzie Gills Surreal TablescapesMarch 31, 2025ArtGrace EbertTo have something be uncanny, you must first introduce the familiar, says Lizzie Gill. Likening her compositions to a dining tables place settings, the artist paints elaborate still lifes that explore the matriarchal lineages and how objects passed down shift in meaning over time.The vivid works feature flat backdrops met by boldly striped or floral linens and a menagerie of animals seized by fresh blooms. A marble and dust emulsion, which Gill layers on the acrylic-painted panel with a bakers piping tool, adds a life-like texture to the petals. She also utilizes an image-transfer process to translate various pieces from her mothers porcelain collection, further enmeshing her works in domestic traditions.Wedgwood (Nightlines) II (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesThe still life, Gill says, is her preferred platform for exploring the tenets of Surrealism and what it means to be a steward. In Lunar Still Life (Avec Lhippopotame), for example, long stems coil around an animated porcelain seal and hippo rendered in delicate blue and white. Still Life With Four Cerulean Vessels is similarly lively as a miniature fox with a vine wrapped around its torso wanders across the tablescape.Decorating the vases are unlikely scenes depicting volcanic eruptions, rocket launches, and even a menacing twister ripping across the terrain. Embellishing antique forms with contemporary imagery, the works juxtapose the calm propriety associated with domestic spaces and world-changing, explosive actions generated by both humans and nature.Based in Sharon, Connecticut, Gill is currently researching historic textiles for upcoming works, and those shown here are on view in her solo exhibition Paraphernalia through April 26 at Hesse Flatow. Follow the latest on Instagram.Lunar Still Life (Avec Lhippopotame) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 40 inchesDetail of Wedgwood (Nightlines) II (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesStill Life With Four Cerulean Vessels (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 48 x 40 inchesTea For Two (Avec Le Caniche) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 40 x 48 inchesWedgwood (Nightlines) III (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesLunar Still Life (Avec le Elephant) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 60 x 80 inchesWedgwood (Nightlines) (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inchesNext article

All images courtesy of the National Park ServiceA Years-Long Collaboration Sees a Traditional Tlingit Tribal House Return to Glacier BayMarch 31, 2025Kate MothesPeople have lived in the area around modern-day Glacier Bay National Park, along Alaskas rugged southern coastline, for at least around 3,000 years. Nearby, in Groundhog Bay, evidence of human habitation extends back a mindboggling 9,000-or-more years.In the mid-18th century, advancing glaciers forced ancestral Huna Tlingit people to abandon their homes. While they could visit certain areas occasionally to hunt and fish, the evolving conditions and ice prevented them from living there. And when the area was designated a national monument in 1925, it seemed possible the displacement would be permanent.I never, ever thought that I would ever see the day, in my lifetime, that Tlingits could return to the Homeland, says local resident Jeff Skaflestad in the opening of the National Park Services short film, Sanctuary for the Future. But in 2016, thanks to many years work and a collaboration between the National Park Service and the Hoonah Indian Associationthe tribal government of the Huna Tlingit clansXunaa Shuk Ht marked a momentous homecoming.Both a space for tribal ceremonies and a nexus of living history, the house is a sacred place for the Indigenous community that also provides visitors the opportunity to learn about Huna Tlingit culture, history, and oral traditions.Xunaa Shuk Ht, which roughly translates to Huna Ancestors House, was brought to life by three Tlingit craftsmen: Gordon Greenwald, Owen James, and Herb Sheakley, Sr., who spent countless hours carving their ancestors stories into meticulously selected trees and wooden panels.In a large carving shed in nearby Hoonah, Alaska, the artisans, along with occasional help from friends and neighbors, worked on totem poles, boats, oars, and architectural details. Having Elders come in and talk with us, just to share with us, that was a highlight of my days, James says. Sheakley adds that as they began carving, it was an obvious decision to make their own tools, too, as a way of connecting to time-honored traditions.https://www.nps.gov/nps-audiovideo/audiovideo/70b705f7-d8a1-4a94-924d-803504e62921720p.mp4It was a collaboration between the clans, says tribal administrator Bob Starbard. We had to get the Elders to talk about what stories could be told, what crests should be on, in which order where everything should be located.Popular culture often misrepresents the purpose and subject matter of totem poles, erroneously attributing the figures to gods or mythical creatures. While aesthetically remarkable and complex, ancestral Tlingits didnt really even consider the motifs to be art. Instead, they are chapter titles to oral history, Greenwald says, often based on real things that have happened as opposed to mythical stories.In Xunaa Shuk Ht, the totems serve as structural supports, literally holding up the house and framing an elaborately carved wall, or screen, which portrays a geographical representation of different clans histories.Following the dedication in 2016, additional Raven and Eagle Totems were raised in front of the house in 2017, and Yaa Naa Nx Kooteyaa, the Healing Pole, was raised a little ways away, along the Tlingit Trail, in 2018. Plan your visit to Xunaa Shuk Ht and learn more about the Huna Tlingit Homeland on the parks website.Next article

Livros 2 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inches. Photos by by Ivan Macedo Dias. All images Guy Larame, courtesy of JHB Gallery, New York, shared with permissionBlasting Books with High-Pressure Water, Guy Larame Scales Mountains of KnowledgeMarch 31, 2025ArtKate MothesFrom his mountainside studio in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Guy Larame (previously) creates otherworldly sculptures that mirror nearby peaks like Pico da Calednia. Using a unique method of blasting antique books with high-pressure water and stripping them of their covers, he manipulates the bound text blocks into craggy cliff faces and rocky promontories.When viewed from certain angles, each sculptures identity as volumes of text nearly vanishes as we perceive mountains in miniature. As one moves around the pieces, the rigid form of stitched binding appears or printed pages ruffle and hint and the contents.Detail of Livros 3Larames sculptures tread the line between object and landscape, juxtaposing themes of knowledge, history, and archives with geology, time, and the environment. The artist often employs dictionaries and encyclopedias, which constantly evolve and require updates, exploring the tension between physical representations of information and learning and our relationship with the natural world.Find more on the artists website.Livros 3 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.06 x 10.63 x 8.27 inchesLivros 6 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 7.87 x 14.17 x 5.91 inchesLivros 6Livros 2 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inchesLivros 1 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 6.66 x 9.84 x 5.91 inchesLivros 5 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 11.4 x 15.75 x 9.06 inchesDetail of Livros 5Livros 4 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.84 x 15.75 x 9.06 inchesNext article

All images courtesy of Stan Squirewell and Claire Oliver Gallery, shared with permissionIn Vivid Reliquaries, Stan Squirewell Layers Anonymous Portraits and Patterned TextilesMarch 28, 2025ArtPhotographyGrace EbertThrough intimate, mixed-media collages, Stan Squirewell excavates the stories of those who might otherwise be lost in anonymity. The artist gathers images from the Smithsonians archives and from friends and family that he then reinterprets with vibrant prints and patterns. Layering unknown pasts with present-day additions, Squirewell explores how everyday traditions and rituals remain through generations.His new body of work, Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease, invokes ubiquitous items like the over-the-counter decongestant and hair care. Growing up, I was shaped by elders around me, and everyday objects like Robitussin, hotcombs, and grease became vessels for the rituals that anchored me to my heritage, the artist says. These items transcend their mundane uses: they embody traditions passed down through generations, grounding me in a collective identity.Girls on Saturn (2025)Squirewell cuts and collages images and fabrics from his collection before photographing the composition, which then undergoes a digital editing process. An elaborate frame complements each piece with charred shou sugi ban edgesa Japanese burning techniqueand hand-carved details. The sides bear various inscriptions connecting past and present, including lines from Langston Hughes poems and glyphs from ancestral African languages that have fallen out of use.Because the identities and histories of many of the subjects are unknown, Squirewells work adds a new relevance to their images. How have daily, domestic practices and the legacies of previous generations informed the present? And how do these traditions create a broader collective experience? Rooted in these questions, the dignified works become reliquaries that honor whats been passed down and how that continues to inform life today.Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease is on view through May 24 at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem. Find more from Squirewell on Instagram.Teddy (2024), artist-printed photos collaged with paint and glitter in a hand-carved shou sugi ban frame, 43 x 35 x 3 inchesTeddys Lil Sisters (2024), artist-printed photos collaged with paint and glitter in a hand-carved shou sugi ban frame, 29 x 24 x 2 inchesGirls on Saturn (2025)Next article

A guide to the Unknown Other. All images courtesy of Damien Cifelli, shared with permissionInhabitants of a Fictional World Search for Understanding in Damien Cifellis Vibrant PaintingsMarch 28, 2025ArtKate MothesIn Tarogramma, the imaginary world conceived by Damien Cifelli (previously) as a setting for his vibrant paintings, plants are plentiful, but animals dont exist. The landscapes are as diverse and enigmatic as its inhabitants, who commune with bodies of water, traverse the desert in a suit, and size up an enigmatic object on a dinner plate.Cifellis stylish figures investigate their environment to try to understand their place within it. Many of the paintings shown here were recently exhibited at Spinello Projects in Miami, emphasizing the artists recent focus on analyzing what life is like in this fictive world.I make a map in my mind but each time I raise my head it disappearsIn Tarogramma, symbols are imbued with disassociated meanings unrelated to what we think they could be, says a statement for his show. Iconography, such as flags or emblems, represent regions that exist not as physical places but as ideas or states of mind. This world is devoid of ethnic, cultural, or gender hierarchies, and identity is fluid and chosen, which encourages constant transformation.Occasionally, Cifellis paintings reference famous artworks like Wanderer before the Sea of Ice, which nods to German RomanticistartistCaspar David Friedrichs 1818 painting, Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog. Capturing the solipsism of the 19th-century work, Cifelli translates the view into an arctic scene of jagged ice, with the central figure wearing a coat decorated in symbols evocative of biological forms.Explore more on Cifellis website and Instagram.The trick is to know what you are looking forA new route to the interiorEverything that happens will happen todayDream AnimalGreen Fingers, Unit 14Infinite GroundAt the foot of the mountain, the land speaksWanderer before the Sea of IceNext article

Yellow, White, Orange, Pink, Blue, Yellow, White (2025), diptych, oil on canvas, 200 320 centimeters. Photos by Bartosz Zalewski. All images courtesy of Krzysztof Grzybacz and Galeria Dawid Radziszewski, Vienna, shared with permissionKrzysztof Grzybaczs Floral Compositions Are Tender Portrayals of TogethernessMarch 27, 2025ArtKate MothesArranged by size and hue, the blooms in Krzysztof Grzybaczs large-scale oil paintings appear in comfortable togetherness, each individuals features amplified by its placement next to those that differ. HisFloral Compositionsseries organizes the flowers against swaths of green fabric, exploring their potent symbolism.Grzybacz taps into the age-old tradition of flowers in oil, rendering their petals and stems in vibrant hues that capture their unique outlines and textures. Rooted in still life, his compositions are underpinned by abstraction and the artists fascination with layering and perspective.Yellow (2025), oil on canvas, 200 160 centimetersThe works in Grzybaczs current solo exhibition at Galeria Dawid Radziszewski also reference the queer community. Flowers are like people: they pose, search for their own space, and mark out boundaries, says a statement from the gallery. The artist nods to the role of order and systems, while also emphasizing the importance of celebrating diversity.Grouped together in front of textile folds, oblique grids, or distorted human features, the artist invokes the power of alliances through a sense of tenderness, curiosity, and pliability.Floral Compositions continues through March 29 in Vienna. Find more on Grzybaczs website and Instagram.Blue, yellow, orange, white, pink (2025), oil on canvas, 100 80 centimetersOrange, blue, pink, yellow, white, maroon, purple (2025), oil on canvas, 200 160 centimetersWhite, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Purple (2025), oil on canvas, 200 160 centimetersBlue, White, Yellow, Orange, Pink (2025), oil on canvas, 100 80 centimetersWhite, maroon, orange, yellow, blue (2025), oil on canvas, 70 60 centimetersNext article

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE no9 (2023), 48 x 72 inches. All images courtesy of Tia Keobounpheng, shared with permissionTia Keobounphengs Vibrating Textile Geometries Merge Modernism and Smi HeritageMarch 27, 2025ArtCraftKate MothesTia Keobounpheng learned to weave during a visit to Oulu, Finland, when she was 18 years old. Seated beside two older Finnish women in a community weaving center, she worked for hours, hardly speaking a word. Two decades later, following university studies in weaving, architecture, and design, the Minnesota-based artists memory of her first lesson connects her to her ancestral land and its time-honored craft traditions.On wood panels, Keobounpheng weaves colorful threads to create precise geometries in vibrating color. She says, My exploration into geometry coincided with learning that in my known familial histories, there was a suppressed Smi lineage through my great-grandmothers line, thereby completely changing the narrative of our Finnish heritage.Detail of THREADS no6The Smi people of northern Norway,Sweden,Finland, and RussiasKola Peninsula are an Indigenous group with their own unique languages and a traditional, semi-nomadic livelihood that includes practices like reindeer and sheep herding, coastal fishing,and fur trapping.Historically, as the Scandinavians remained mostly south and Smi communities lived in the north, contact was uncommon. But by the 19th century, Scandinavian governments began to assert sovereignty over the north, targeting the Smi, who were increasingly viewed as primitive or backward. Their language was outlawed and many cultural customs suppressed as they were forced to assimilate into Scandinavian society.During the pandemic, Keobounpheng was helping her son during a distance-learning 4th-grade geometry class, and a particular phrase caught her attention. Geo means earth, so geometry is just measuring the earth, the teacher said.These words changed my worldview and reminded me that underneath rigid linear laws, an entire foundation of forgotten circular consciousness exists, the artist says. Aside from the powerful conceptual connections I was able to draw from geometry as a visual language to understand and express a circular, expansive worldview, the physical motions of spinning the compass awakened something deep within me.THREADS no6 (202), 24 x 18 inchesKeobounphengs compositions are both exact and interwoven, as shapes blend into other shapes, neither fully independent nor simply an all-over pattern. She describes the physicality of moving a needle and thread back and forth through paper or wood as a means of metaphorically stitching this worldview into her muscle memory.The artists father was a self-trained architect, and from him, she adopted a modernist lens. Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, and Josef and Anni Albers were early favorites of mine in my teen and young adult years, she tells Colossal. These days, Agnes Martin, Hilma af Klint, and Smi artist Outi Pieski are my anchors of inspiration.Each piece requires initial planning to map the geometry, drill holes, select the color palette, and begin threading a black-and-white framework. But often, all of my best intentions or visions for what the work will be start to loosen and sometimes fly away, she says. There is always a point, with every piece, where I must surrender my plan and give way to the threads.The artists work will be on view in Weinstein Hammons Gallerys booth at EXPO Chicago at the end of April. She is also currently participating inNordic Echoes Tradition in Contemporary ArtatScandinavia House, which runs from April 5 to August 2 in New York City and also includes work by Sonja Peterson. Find more on Keobounphengs website and Instagram.THREADS no19 (2024), 16 x 16 inchesWHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE no15 (2024), 24 x 18 inchesTHREADS no25 (2025)Detail of THREADS no25THREADS no18 (2024), 16 x 16 inchesTHREADS no7 (2022), 24 x 18 inchesCIRCLE ROUND no5 (2023), 12 x 12 inchesWHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE no13 (2024), 96 x 48 inchesReverse of THREADS no25Next article

Strelitzia Reginae, a.k.a. Bird of Paradise III. All images courtesy of Lili Arnold, shared with permissionTropical Flowers and Prickly Cacti Leap from Lili Arnolds Vibrant Block PrintsMarch 26, 2025Kate MothesEvery year, Lili Arnolds mother would block-print holiday cards to send to family and friends. When she was old enough to wield a carving tool, Arnold began to make her own, too. But it wasnt until college, when she took an Intro to Printmaking class, that she became enthralled with the practices myriad methods.Block printing specifically captured Arnolds attention because of its relatively simple components and techniqueno giant presses required. The block can expand in scale, incorporate different colors, or be layered with numerous pressings.Strelitzia Reginae, a.k.a. Bird of ParadiseI think what I love most about the process is seeing my first print after so many hours of sketching, planning, carving, and troubleshooting, Arnold tells Colossal. Theres a lot of thought and time invested in the steps before the actual print becomes real, so when I see that first reveal, its both terrifying and thrilling.Arnolds compositions often revolve around natural subjects, especially botanicals like cacti and tropical flowers. She is fascinated by the environments infinite interaction of colors, textures, patterns, and symmetry.Theres such vast diversity of plant life out there, each ecosystem encapsulating unique details and wonders, she says. We as artists and botanical patrons have the pleasure of translating and expressing our appreciation of this beauty through our artwork, writing, gardening, exploring, and beyond.Follow updates on Arnolds Instagram, and browse prints available for purchase in her shop.Zantedeschia Albomaculata, a.k.a. Spotted Calla Lily IIIPalm Study IIIEmergence of SpringOpuntia Ficus-Indica, a.k.a. Prickly PearBlocks ready for printingPulling Opuntia Ficus-Indica, a.k.a. Prickly PearBlock for Banksia ProlataNext article

Photo by Markus Elblaus. All images courtesy of Svea Tisell, shared with permissionSvea Tisell Weaves Vibrant, Sculptural Furniture from Reclaimed RopeMarch 26, 2025CraftDesignKate MothesIn early 2025, designer Svea Tisell founded Kryss, a studio that takes an expansive approach to a single material and experimental processes. From lengths of rope sometimes measuring thousands of meters, she creates unique furniture objects in which craft traditions and contemporary design converge.Kryss is named after a sailboat that belonged to Tisells great-grandfather, intertwining notions of tradition, function, and innovation. The artist is currently focused on creating furniture objects using a technique called MultiWeave, developed by Estonian textile artist and teacher Kadi Pajupuu. Using reclaimed climbing ropes or surplus from the production of shoelaces, Tisell incorporates a rigid framework of warp supports around which weft threadsor sturdy ropeare guided.The grid, consisting of conduits for threading the material, offers structure and support during the weaving process but is removed once the piece is finished, allowing it to be reused. Whether a seat or small table, the knotted rope then adjusts to weight and movement and subtly adapts to use over time.For Kryss, Tisell is fascinated by the possibilities of translating textiles into three-dimensional forms that interact and provide different functions. She tells Colossal that the project concentrates on the fundamental characteristics of the material, where textile is the main character, keeping its soft and receiving qualities, while also supporting itself independently.Find more on Tisells Instagram.Photo by Markus ElblausNext article

15-17 Years Winner: Ben Lucas, Street Cleaners. Feral pigeon (Columba livia domestica), Essex, England. All images the photographers, courtesy of BWPA, shared with permissionFeral Pigeons and a Feisty Fox Take Top Honors in the 2025 British Wildlife Photography AwardsMarch 25, 2025NaturePhotographyKate MothesFrom swimming guillemots and sun-dappled Scots pines to a coy seal and ravenous pigeons, the winners of this years British Wildlife Photography Awards celebrate the diversity of animal life across Great Britain.Jurors considered more than 13,000 images submitted by amateurs and professionals alike, with the top award going to Simon Withyman, who captured a striking portrait of a female fox in his hometown of Bristol.British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 and Winner of Urban Wildlife: Simon Withyman, Urban Explorer. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Bristol, EnglandI had been photographing this vixen for three years, Withyman says. This streetwise fox was a successful mother and had a family of young mouths to feed. I was instantly drawn to the interesting perspective effect of these railings and wanted to showcase some beauty in this everyday urban scene.Additional impressive images include Drew Buckleys dramatic view of Scotlands Monadhliath Mountains with a white hare in the foreground and a troupe of ravenous pigeons headed for a bag of chips, captured on a GoPro by teenager Ben Lucas. See even more in the BWPA 2025 winners gallery.Wild Woods Winner: James Roddie, Storm Light Over the Caledonian Forest. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Glen Strathfarrar, ScotlandHabitat Winner: Drew Buckley, Kingdom of the Hare. Mountain hare (Lepus timidus), Highlands, ScotlandCoast and Marine Runner-up: Ben Porter, The Seal Cave. Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), Bardsey Island, WalesUrban Wildlife Runner-up: Paul Goldstein, Bus Pass. Swan (Cygnus olor), Mitcham, EnglandAnimal Behaviour Runner-up: Paul Browning, The Rain-Deer. Red deer (Cervus elaphus), Surrey, EnglandBlack-and-White Winner:Mark Kirkland, Guillemot Kingdom. Guillemot (Uria aalge), St. Abbs, ScotlandCoast and Marine Winner: Nicholas More: Blue Shark. Blue shark (Prionace glauca), Penzance, Cornwall, EnglandAnimal Portraits Runner-up: Ben Hall, Red Grouse Coming in to Land. Red grouse (Lagopus lagopus), Yorkshire Dales National Park, EnglandNext article

Detail of Empire Builder. All images courtesy of Sonja Peterson, shared with permissionDelicate Ecosystems Converge in Sonja Petersons Intricate Cut Paper CompositionsMarch 25, 2025ArtClimateKate MothesInspired by natures myriad forms and relationships, Minneapolis-based artist Sonja Peterson creates sprawling scenes from intricately cut paper. Working intuitively while focusing on the environment and our place within it, she merges organic motifs and animals with humans and historical references.The inherent simplicity of a blank piece of paper is a compelling attribute for Peterson, who is fascinated by the possibilities of texture, pattern, and the relationship between positive and negative space. Originally, the artist made drawings on large sheets, which she began to cut into in order to rearrange compositional elements. She became increasingly interested in the art of the incision and removed other media altogether.Lost and SearchingMy choice of paper echoes the idea of the fragility that I want to convey as I look at the precariousness of ecological systems, Peterson tells Colossal. The works structural integrity is, at times, reliant on its interconnectivity; if elements disconnect, the entire system is in threat of collapsing.An overarching theme in Petersons work revolves around interconnectionboth natural and human-madehighlighting how our global trade systems, manufacturing, and agriculture are fundamentally reliant on our environment, even as they contribute to an ever-growing climate crisis. She often combines human interactions with botanical details, like a sunken ship in Lost and Searching or the salient history of European colonialist expansion in Empire Builder.The artist is interested in our global systems as something of untamed wonder, a gaze that was once reserved for the natural world, she says. She often juxtaposes botanical details with human-made structures, such as ships or buildings. Nature is now often seen as contained patchwork or a constructed binary to a technological world that is now the wild frontier.Petersons work is currently on view in Nordic Echoes Tradition in Contemporary Art at Scandinavia House, which runs from April 5 to August 2 in New York City. The show celebrates contemporary folk arts from the Upper Midwest, featuring more than 50 works by 24 artists. Find more on the Petersons website and Instagram.The Undergound Plot of the Royal Pommes Frites, cut paper and acrylic on wallpaper, approximately 72 x 50 inchesDetail of The Undergound Plot of the Royal Pommes FritesDetail of Lost and Searching, cut paper and acrylic on wall, 114 x 50 inchesEmpire Builder (2022), hand-cut paper and acrylic on wall, 106 x 64 inchesGhost Ship Part 1 (2022), cut paper, 112 x 50 inches. All images courtesy of Sonja Peterson, shared with permissionLayered Losses, hand-cut paper, 50 x 58 inchesDetail of Lost and SearchingInstalling Navigator, cut paperNext article

Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1510), oil on oak panels, 81 x 152 inches. Image courtesy of the Museo del Prado, MadridTraverse Hieronymus Boschs The Garden of Earthly Delights with SmarthistoryMarch 24, 2025ArtKate MothesHave you ever wondered why two large owls sit on either side of the central panel in The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch? Or perhaps youve noticed the strangely fleshy, sculptural fountains rising from the bodies of wateror are they stone? Why is the right side so dark, and who are all these people anyway?Narrated by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, Smarthistorys latest video tours the uncanny landscapes of Boschs famous triptych, which continues to confound our expectations of Christian art of the Renaissance.Smarthistory is a small nonprofit that collaborates with hundreds of art historians, curators, archaeologists, and more, who are committed to making art history as accessible as possible. Through essays, conversations, and videos, the organization presents scholarly information in engaging, digestible, yet analytically rigorous lessons.For Smarthistorys video examining some of the motifs in The Garden of Earthly Delights, Harris and Zucker dive into some of the most alluring details of Boschs historic painting, parsing mysteries that have persisted since its creation at the turn of the 16th century.The overarching narrative of Boschs masterpiece remains largely an enigma. Although it is wonderfully playful and wonderfully inventive and just an incredible thing to look at, it would have been deeply troubling to Boschs generation, Zucker says. His society would have looked at this as sinful, even though the people that are being represented here didnt understand sin. (More on that in a minute.)An anomaly of its genre, the painting was commissioned by Engelbert II, a wealthy member of the court of the Duke of Burgundy, probably intending it for his palace. The work consists of three panels in the style of an altarpiece, with two half-size panels on either side of a central composition, which fold inward like two doors to reveal another painting on the exterior.Detail of the left panel portraying God introducing Eve to AdamIn Boschs case, he depicted a crystalline sphere in grisaille, or all-gray, which portrays an overview of the earth with God perched in the upper left-hand corner, readying to make something of the lackluster orb. Two biblical phrases, for he spake and it was done, from Psalm 33, and for he commanded and they were created, from Psalm 148, reference Creation.Turning over the panels, as if opening the cover of a book, we enter an otherworldly realm where humans and beasts mingle with oversized animals, fruit, and surreal structures. On the left, Adam and Eve are introduced by a young God, before Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit hanging in the Garden of Eden. In the center, dozens of nude figures frolic, eat, engage in sexual activities, forage, swim, and fly. On the right is hell.One of the most compelling theories is that the central panel is an alternate story, Zucker says. What if the Temptation had not taken place? What if Adam and Eve had remained innocent and had populated the world? And so is it possible that what were seeing is that reality played out Boschs imagination?Exterior of The Garden of Earthly Delights shown with panels closedTwo oversized owls, symbolic of the presence of evil, flank the central panel. While people appear unashamed of their selves or actions, a sense of uneasiness pervades the scene, balancing the dichotomies of paradise and hell; holiness and sin.The largest figure is a figure which art historians call the tree man,' Dr. Harris says. His legs look like the branches of trees with more branches growing from them. But where we might see his feet, we see two unsteady boats in the water with figures in them, suggesting that theres an inherent instability to this figure who can barely balance in this way.Smarthistorys video illustrates compositional tools that provide clues to underlying narrative and metaphor, like the way the tree man appears to look back across space at Adam and Evespecifically Adams lustful gaze as the representation of humankinds origin. In this representation, we dont need the apple. We dont need the serpent. All we need is Adams lustful gaze as he is introduced to Eve, Dr. Zucker says. And the rest, so to speak, is history.Explore more from the world of art on Smarthistorys website. You might also enjoy this fantastical parade in The Netherlands devoted entirely to Bosch and Roberto Benavidezs Bosch-inspired piatas.Detail of the central panelDetail from the right-hand panel depicting HellDetail of the central panelDetail of the central panelNext article

2024 Stockton UniversityIn Electric Garden, Ricky Boscarino Leads a Tour of His Whimsical Handbuilt HomeMarch 24, 2025ArtFilmKate MothesIn December 1988, artist Ricky Boscarino was on the hunt for real estate. Not just any property would do, though. It was really my boyhood ambition to built my dream house, where literally all my dreams could come true, he says in the short documentary Electric Garden. Little did he know that over the course of the next four decades, a dilapidated hunting cabin would transform into a veritable way of life.Luna Parc emerged on a wooded six-acre parcel in northwestern New Jersey and has been in progress continually since 1989. Family lore is that we were carpenters for many, many generations, Boscarino says. My whole life became about making things with metal, wood, glass, fabric, concrete.With numerous additions and labyrinthine levels, Luna Parc includes a kind of living museum, where Boscarino adds new work all the time, plus studios devoted to various mediums, living spaces, and an expansive sculpture garden. At 5,000 square feet, the self-described madcap artists vibrant, elaborately ornamented home evokes a fairytale dwelling or a whimsical, Tim Burton-esque construction.Boscarino continues to add new details to Luna Parc, whether electrifying a concrete sculpture garden with colored lights or adding new works to the museum. The house occasionally opens to the public during the summer months, and you can learn more and plan your visit on Boscarinos website. Watch the documentary in full on Vimeo.Next article

Jacopo Ligozzi, A Groundhog or Marmot with a Branch of Plums. (1605), brush with brown and black wash, point of the brush with black and brown ink and white gouache, and watercolor, over traces of graphite on burnished paper, sheet: 13 x 16 5/8 inches. All images courtesy of The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., shared with permissionLittle Beasts Is a First-of-Its-Kind Museum Collaboration Reveling in Art and the Natural WorldMarch 21, 2025Kate MothesDuring the 16th and 17th centuries, major developments in colonial expansion, trade, and scientific technology spurred a fervor for studying the natural world. Previously unknown or overlooked species were documented with unprecedented precision, and artists captured countless varieties of flora and fauna in paintings, prints, and encyclopedic volumes.Marking a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World pairs nearly 75 prints, drawings, and paintings with around 60 objects from the NMNH collection.Jan van Kessel the Elder, Insects and a Sprig of Rosemary (1653), oil on panel, 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 inchesIn major cities like Antwerp, artists such as Joris and Jacob Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel created highly detailed drawings, prints, and paintings of these insects, animals, and otherbeestjes, or little beasts in Dutch, says the National Gallery of Art. Their works inspired generations of artists and naturalists, fueling the burgeoning science of natural history.Natural history has been a focus for scholars since ancient times, albeit early commentary was a bit more wide-ranging than its definition today. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire is Pliny the Elders Naturalis Historia, which consists of 37 books divided into 10 volumes and covers everything from astronomy to zoology and mineralogy to art.Studying the natural world in ancient and early modern times was predominantly a philosophical pursuit until a discernible change during the Renaissance. By the 16th century, attitudes had shifted. The humanist learning tradition, centered on literature and the arts, began to give way to more advanced explanations for natural objects, describing their types and transformations and grouping them into classes.Private collections played a fundamental role in founding many natural history archives. The popularity of Wunderkammers, or rooms of wonder, transformed a pastime of the wealthy into exercises in scholarly prestige. By the late 17th century, more rigorous and formalized classification systems emerged as the philosophical component waned.Wenceslaus Hollar, Shell (Murex brandaris) (c. 1645), etching on laid paper, plate: 3 3/4 x 5 3/8 inchesThroughout this time, artists like Albrecht Drer, Clara Peeters, and Wenceslaus Hollar created works that responded to new discoveries. From biologically accurate renderings of shells and insects to playful compositions that employ animals and plants as decorative motifs, paintings and prints were often the only means by which the public could see newly discovered species.Artandsciencehave been closely aligned throughout the 175-year history of the Smithsonian, says Kirk Johnson, director of the NMNH. Even today, researchers at the National Museum of Natural Historydepend on scientific illustrators to bring clarity and understanding to the specimens they study.Little Beasts opens on May 18 and continues through November 2 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Find more on the museums website.Clara Peeters, Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail (c. 1610), oil on copper,overall: 6 9/16 x 5 5/16 inches; framed: 10 x 9 x 1 1/2 inchesRobert Hooke, Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses. / With observations and inquiries thereupon (1665), bound volume with etched illustrations height (foldout illustrations significantly larger): 12 3/16 inchesJan van Kessel the Elder, Artists Name in Insects and Reptiles [bottom center] (1658), oil on copper, overall: 5 5/8 x 7 1/2 inches; framed: 9 7/8 x 12 1/8 inchesJan van Kessel the Elder, Noahs Family Assembling Animals Before the Ark (c. 1660), oil on panel, overall: 25 3/4 x 37 3/16 inches; framed: 32 3/4 x 44 1/4 inchesAn Elephant Beetle (Megasoma e. elephas) from the Department of Entomology collections at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural HistoryWenceslaus Hollar, Two Butterflies, a Wasp, and a Moth (1646), etching on laid paper, plate: 3 3/16 x 4 3/4 inches; sheet: 3 1/4 x 4 13/16 inchesNext article

The Prophet (2025), oil on canvas, 48 x 30 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and albertz benda, New York and Los Angeles, shared with permissionRobert Peterson Summons Black Resilience and Tenderness in Vibrant PortraitsMarch 20, 2025ArtKate MothesIn characteristically glistening blue hues, Robert Petersons striking portraits invite us into emotionally complex inner worlds.Peterson centers the Black body in paintings that challenge dominant narratives surrounding Black lives, celebrating beauty, compassion, and resilience. Tender portraits reveal the essential humanity of vulnerability and individuality with an emphasis on themes of empathy and togetherness.Protect Those Tears (2025), oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inchesPetersons choice of oils, a traditional portrait medium, embeds his work in the continuum of Western painting. However, instead of highly stylized scenes or elaborate ornamentation, his figures are often set against bold, flat backgrounds and they appear half-dressed or in casual clothes, unguarded and relaxed.In his forthcoming solo exhibition, We Are Forever at albertz benda, Peterson examines familial connections, paying homage to the strength and dedication inherent in the relationships between siblings and parents and their children.At the core of this new body of work is a profound sense of intimacy, offering a thoughtful reflection on presence and the enduring significance of his subjects stories, the gallery says.We Are Forever runs from March 27 to May 3 in New York. Find more on the artists website and Instagram.Untitled (Purple) (2025), oil on canvas, 18 x 14 inchesWater Me (2025), oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inchesHamsa Tattoo (2025, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inchesUntitled (Black) (2025), oil on canvas, 18 x 14 inchesInstallation view of works at the Dallas Art FairNext article

All images courtesy of Art21A Visit to Amy Sheralds Studio Revels in Her Commitment to BeautyMarch 19, 2025ArtFilmGrace EbertFrom the studio to her childhood bedroom in Columbus, Georgia, to the museum, a new film from Art21 presents a broad portrait of Amy Sherald. The artist is perhaps best known for her depiction of former First Lady Michelle Obama and her signature images of Black Americans rendered in grayscale.In Singular Moments, the Art21 team peers into Sheralds process and captures the intricacies of creating a work. Reference photos taped to a wall and paint squirted onto white paper plates accompany the artist as she works on her increasingly large-scale canvases.Sherald frequently paints people she knows, beginning with their faces and eyes before moving on to the rest of their figures. As the title of the film suggests, her focus is on a single moment of beauty. I think beautiful paintings are important, she says in the film. I say figuration is like the soul food of art making. Its what takes you back home and what you eat when you need comfort, and we all need that at some point.The film comes ahead of Sheralds first solo exhibition at a New York museum, American Sublime, which will present about 50 works from 2007 to today next month at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In addition to a visit to the artists parents home, filled with grade-school pictures and teenage art projects, viewers also witness the creation of some of her more recent works, particularly those exploring what it means to be an American.Watch Singular Moments above, and be sure to read our conversation with the artist in which she discusses anxiety and finding respite in her work.Next article

All images courtesy of Resketch, shared with permissionResketch Upcycles Misprints and Unwanted Paper into Reclaimed NotebooksMarch 19, 2025DesignGrace EbertAlthough recycling paper uses less water than manufacturing the material from wood pulp, the process still requires significant energy and resources. The team behind Resketch has found a way to skip that step altogether.Founded by Chicago-based artist Shawn Smith and now helmed by Skaaren Design, the company makes notebooks and sketchpads of unused architectural diagrams, maps, logs, sheet music, and more. The resulting designs offer users the opportunity to creatively engage with the original markings and add their own additions to the printed pages. Flipping through a notebook also becomes an act of discovery as old calendars or bureaucratic forms are tucked between graphs and lines.Through partnerships with the creative community and local and national businesses, we rescue 8 to 10 tons of high-quality, unused paper every year that would otherwise prematurely enter the waste stream, Resketch says. The company currently collaborates with schools, businesses, architectural firms, and creatives across the U.S. to source materials with just enough blank space for a doodle or to-do list.Shop notebooks and pads in Resketchs store, and keep an eye on Instagram for their latest products. (via Core77)Next article

Overlook (2025). gouache, acrylic, ink, and 42 vintage postcardson panel, 32 x 40 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Cristin Tierney Gallery, shared with permissionVintage Postcard Paintings by David Opdyke Demonstrate an Ecological Future in PerilMarch 19, 2025ArtClimateKate MothesThe first known postcard printed as a souvenir can be traced to Vienna in 1871, followed by commemorative cards for famous events like the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889 and the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893. It wasnt long before a fashion for picture postcards took the U.S. by storm throughout the first half of the 20th century.For David Opdyke, the iconic correspondences form the groundwork for an artistic practice examining capitalism, globalization, consumerism, and our fraught and increasingly disconnected relationship with the environment. Occasionally darkly humorous yet steeped in a sense of foreboding, his uncanny scenes suggest what kind of world we might live in we do nothing to stem the mounting climate crisis.Charismatic Megafauna (2024), gouache and ink on vintage postcard, 4 x 6 inchesOpdyke summons idyllic coastlines, national parks, government monuments, wildlife, and civic infrastructure to weave fractured yet cohesive topographies, says Cristin Tierney Gallery, which is presenting the artists current solo exhibition, Waiting for the Future.For nearly a decade, Opdyke has invoked the nostalgia of landscape postcards to interrogate the climate emergency within the context of American politics and geographies. Through these carefully altered compositions, Opdyke merges the past and the future, presenting both urgent and inevitable visions of environmental upheaval, the gallery says.The artist often uses antique cards that he purchases on eBay, painting scenes of environmental disasters or discordances between nature and architecture. Alternating between cartoons and life-like portrayals of trees, animals, fires, and structures, his compositions range from single cards to wall-spanning assemblages, his gouache-painted details spreading from frame to frame.In Overlook, for example, giant tentacles destroy bridges, rising sea water threatens cities, and huge fires rage in institutional buildings. A dome encloses a metropolis, a rocket named Mars 2 heads for a new home in the solar system, and an airplane banner advertises Technology Will Save Us in a bleak yet not unimaginable reality fueled by techno-utopianism.Enough of Nature (2025), gouache, acrylic, and ink on 500 vintage postcards, 104 x 168 inchesIn his large-scale Enough of Nature, Opdyke transforms natural landscapes into encampment sites for those displaced from their homes, and portions of the overall composition appear to dislodge from the main grid as if floating away.Caught tenuously between outmoded industrial practices, shifting societal value systems, and a rapidly evolving climate crisis, Opdykes piecesWaiting for the Future underscores the precariousness of complacency, a cautionary tale, the gallery says, laying bare the fragility of our constructed environment.The show continues through April 26 in New York City. Find more on the artists website. Detail of OverlookMain Stage (2015-2020), gouache on vintage postcard, 6 x 4 inchesUnity, Industry, Victory (2024), gouache and ink on vintage postcard, 6 x 4 inchesInsurrection (2015-2020), gouache on vintage postcard, 4 x 6 inchesFourth Wall (2015-2020), gouache on vintage postcard, 4 x 6 inches If you cant say something nice (2024), gouache and ink on two vintage postcards, 4 x 12 1/2 inchesBreaking In (2015-2020), gouache on vintage postcard, 6 x 4 inchesDetail of Enough of Nature First Contact (2023), gouache and ink on vintage postcard, 4 x 6 inchesNext article

Images Salvador Dominguez, shared with permissionSalvador Dominguez Confronts Identity and Labor Through Woven Pipe Cleaner VesselsMarch 18, 2025ArtCraftJackie AndresI was among the first in my family to go to college, artist Salvador Dominguez says. Years after graduating, I began to realize the biggest challenge was going to be sharing the work I make with those closest to me. When art is so deeply intertwined with identity, a profound irony can form when trying to share it with loved ones who havent had access to the same resources or lessons in Western art theory and history. Even when the work itself is rooted in shared culture and family connection, how do artists bridge this gap?The Chicago-based artist confronts this question in a series of hand-woven vessels titled Mano de Obra. Paying homage to a nostalgic vibrancy from his upbringing in southern California and Mexico, the brilliant colors within Dominguezs work serve as cultural markers. Memories of vividly painted houses and colorful statues inside corner stores and carnicerias, or butcher shops, guide the artists use of color and pattern, each component tethered to his sense of identity.Pipe cleanerswhich are fairly accessible and easily recognized by both children and adultsproved to be a clear choice as Dominguez contemplated different materials to work with. Weaving each slender, fuzz-covered wire into functional vessels greatly alters the value of the material in a fascinating way and evokes a familiar environment in which the artist was raised, where trade and craft were used interchangeably as currency.Recently, Dominguez has begun to teach his mother, Silvia, the weaving techniques he developed with pipe cleaners. He shares:Her labor within domestic life often went unseen, but her imagination came alive through craft and embroidery. By involving her in this creative process, I not only honor her contributions but also try to maintain our connection, transforming her labor into a visible and valued part of the work. I remain curious about how this collaborative effort has the potential to bridge the gap between generations, particularly since we live in separate parts of the country.To stay inspired, the artist also collects a slew of domestic items. From his mothers hand-embroideredtortillerosto household textiles like pillowcases and table runners from Indigenous artisans from Mexico, Dominguezs collection of precious goods influences form, pattern, and palette in his own work. Though he has encountered these articles since early life, turning to them for research has established a new, unique relationship with the familiar objects.Dominguez is anticipating a group exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium this May with de boer gallery. Find more work and updates on the artists website and Instagram.Photo by Ian Vecchiotti. Courtesy of the artist and ANDREW RAFACZ, shared with permissionNext article

Squat lobster: Galathea sp. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Gallardo. All images courtesy of Ocean Census, shared with permissionOcean Census Expeditions Discover More Than 800 New Marine SpeciesMarch 18, 2025Kate MothesInvolving more than 800 scientists from more than 400 institutions worldwide, Ocean Census has embarked on ten expeditions and numerous workshopsso farwith a sole aim: discovering new species in the worlds greatest frontier. Last week, the organization announced that it had discovered 866 new species, further advancing our understanding of marine biodiversity. Among the finds is a newly identified guitar shark, which belongs to a distinctive group of animals that share characteristics of both sharks and rays.Guitar Shark: Rhinobatos sp. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Sergey BogorodskyAnother revelation is the pygmy pipehorse, which was found off the coast of Africathe first time the genus has been spotted outside of the cool waters of New Zealand. Ocean Census says:These diminutive pipehorses are masters of camouflage, remaining elusive as they inhabit coral reefs and blend seamlessly into their surroundings. Many members of the family Syngnathidaewhich also includes seahorses, seadragons, and pipefishare classified as Threatened on the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction, bycatch, and targeted fishing.While 866 is a remarkable number of discoveries, Ocean Census has its work cut out. The identification and official registration of a new species can take up to 13-and-a-half yearsmeaning some species may go extinct before they are even documented, says a statement.To address this lag and accelerate identification, the initiative was launched jointly in 2023 by The Nippon Foundation and Nekton with a mission to close critical knowledge gaps before its too late.Pygmy Pipehorse: Syngnathidae. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Richard SmithOceans cover more than 70 percent of our planets surface, but these vast bodies of water remain largely unexplored. Of the estimated one to two million marine species on Earth, only 240,000 are known to science, Ocean Census says.Currently on a 35-day expedition to the South Sandwich Islands, the project joins four additional programs, including Schmidt Ocean Institute, to search for new species off the South Atlantic Oceans volcanic archipelago. Find more on Ocean Censuss website.Gastropod: Turridrupa sp. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Peter StahlschmidtCoral: Octocoral (Maldives). The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Asako Matsumoto, ShaaanMollusc: Granulina nekton. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Jess Ortea, Leopoldo MoroSea Star: Tylaster sp. The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Martin HartleyCrinoid with Octocoral Attached. Martin Hartley / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean CensusDetail of Crinoid with Octocoral Attached. Martin Hartley / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean CensusNext article

Jersey boxers (Gigartina sunday). All images from Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections by Mandy Barker, published by GOST Books. All images Mandy Barker, courtesy of the author and GOST, shared with permissionMandy Barkers Cyanotypes Revive a Pioneering Botanists Book to Warn About Synthetic DebrisMarch 18, 2025Kate MothesIn 2012, I found a piece of material in a rock pool that changed my life, artist Mandy Barker says. Mistaking this moving piece of cloth for seaweed started the recovery of synthetic clothing from around the coastline of Britain for the next ten years.Barker is known for her photographic practice that takes a deep dive into marine debris. Her work has been featured in publications like National Geographic, The Guardian, VOGUE, and many more. Often collaborating with scientists to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the earths oceans, she eloquently highlights its harmful impacts on marine habitats, wildlife, and all of us who depend on the ocean for sustenance.Patterned blouse (Laminaria materia)Forthcoming from GOST Books, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections surveys the unexpected and out-of-place along British shores. At first glance, each specimen appears like a fragment of a leaf or a scatter of organic material, but upon closer inspection, the subjects of Barkers images reveal details of unraveled polyester or scraps of nylon tights.Barker hopes to raise awareness of the damaging effects of fast fashion, synthetic clothing, and the increasing amounts of microfibers in the oceans. The fashion industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all international flights and container ships combined and is also the second-largest consumer of water, requiring about 2,000 gallons of water to produce a single pair of jeans.Barkers new book is composed as an homage to the work of trailblazing botanist and photographer Anna Atkins (1799-1871), who is thought to be the first woman to take a photograph and the first person to publish a book containing photographic illustrations. Her 1843 study, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, employed blue photograms to illustrate photosynthetic organisms and seaweeds.Barkers work serves as a kind of sibling or sequel to Atkins pioneering publication, presented in a similar style with handwritten names in Latin beneath each specimen.Coat lining (Dichloria vestis)In their updated versions, the titles take Atkins scientific names as a starting point and tweak them just slightly to conjure references to clothing or the human body. In the plate titled Dichloris vestis, for example, Barker draws on a real type of algae Atkins catalogued, Dichloria viridis, but vestis is instead a tongue-in-cheek reference to outerwear, often made of polyester or other synthetic materials. Conferva tibia, which portrays frayed tights, employs the Latin word for leg.From John o Groats at the northernmost tip of Great Britain to Lands End at its southernmost, Barker recovered specimens of clothing from more than 120 beaches. Her finds, ranging from parkas to wigs to sports jerseys, were pulled from the sand, tide pools, or directly from the sea. In Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections, Barker looks to the past to better understand how our actions in the present have both immediate impacts and will shape the future of the climate crisis.Find your copy on GOSTs online store, where signed editions are also available, and explore more of Barkers work on her website and Instagram.Nylon tights (Conferva tibia)Shawl (Odonthalia amiculum), shown on a spread from Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections by Mandy BarkerJacket lining (Rhodomenia ignotus)Fishnet tights (Chylocladia funda)Two Blouses (Asperococcus indusium)Synthetic fur hood (Myrionema Palliolum)Lining (with algae) (Grateloupia intra)Next article

All images courtesy of SpeakLocal, shared with permissionWho Shot Me? Help Identify the Anonymous Photographer Who Captured 1960s San FranciscoMarch 17, 2025HistoryPhotographyGrace EbertBetween 1966 and 1970, a San Francisco-area photographer captured thousands of images documenting civil rights demonstrations, protests against the Vietnam War, Grateful Dead concerts in Golden Gate Park, and so much more. Their archive is a veritable treasure trove of the eras counter-culture and evidence of their willingness to put themself in the middle of the action to get the perfect shot. The problem, though, is that no one knows who the photographer is.Bill Delzell, of the nonprofit SpeakLocal, encountered the archive in 2022 after a friend introduced him to its then-owner, who was looking for a buyer. A commercial photographer and collector, Delzell found himself enamored by the images and compelled to become their new custodian. I have no interest in owning the work, he told Colossal. I just have an interest in discovering who the photographer is.In total, the collection contains 2,042 processed 35-millimeter colorslides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film, meaning there are around 8,400 images in all. Alongside moments of angst, outrage, and joy, there are glimpses of critical happenings, like the seconds before Muhammad Ali burned a draft card while speaking at an anti-war rally.More than half of the film is unprocessed, meaning the photographer never even saw much of the collection. Delzell thinks this suggests the person was a student or hobbyist, rather than a journalist or artist who might be motivated to develop the images to sell or utilize in their work.This is the second unidentified photographic archive to come out of San Francisco in recent years after a similar Kodachrome collection was discovered in 2023. Anonymous works like these inspire questions about worth and merit when so often, we ascribe value based, in part, on the creator. This work really forces us to look at all of that and question what is the value of the work. Is the value the expression of the photographer? Or is the value the amalgam of all parts and pieces? Delzell asks.The image with Katy in the foreground with her familyAlthough many questions about the archive remain, a few clues have surfaced. Early in the discovery process, Delzell texted a handful of images to his friend Katy. She responded saying she could see herself in one of the photos. She was five years old, wide-eyed, and walking with her family while holding onto her sisters stroller. She was crossing in front of people marching against the unjust treatment of migrant farmworkers, Delzell writes. It was 1968 on Dolores Street.When he shared a different selection of photos with another friend named Amanda, he was similarly surprised. She was on her way to visit her friend Stanley Mouse, he says. Amanda called him quickly to say that Mouse, who designed the Grateful Deads iconic skeleton and roses poster, was in the background of the image of people sporting blue and green body paint in Golden Gate Park. Its fun that these little coincidences that remind us of how history continues to touch us, Delzell adds. The project, which is now called Who Shot MeStories Unprocessed, surpassed its goal on Kickstarter, although there are still opportunities to access some of the rewards. This funding will allow Delzell and the SpeakLocal team to develop the rest of the film and establish a broad platform for disseminating the images. Plans include a database, book, immersive exhibition in San Francisco, and a documentary. If they act quickly, sharing the archive will hopefully bring more people forward who can help identify the photographer and offer insights into its creation. Peoples living memories might still be able to help us, he notes.Several theories have emerged, but one of the most compelling is that the images belong to French filmmaker Agns Varda. A black-and-white image of a storefront captures a reflection in the glass windows, and the person behind the lens appears to be a woman with her signature bowl cut. Varda was a wonderful collaborator, Delzell says. Shes pretty much grabbing every neighbor, every friend shes got to help her tell her stories. Shes inspired me to think of this as a community project.Even if Varda isnt behind the shotsher daughter claims she isntDelzell says its possible these images were taken by a group of people or as visual notes for a potentially larger project. Perhaps they were part of a research process for a film or a novel that we have yet to connect. Or maybe, he speculates, the photographer utilized their camera to immerse themself in a variety of situations and be introduced to communities they might not otherwise.Whatever the answers, the focus at the moment is on garnering interest from those who might have a connection to people featured in the images or be able to offer context. SpeakLocal intern Amari Kiburi is hosting a short exhibition of the project this week at Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, and Delzell is looking for curators and enthusiasts interested in doing the same. We get to try to imagine what inspired this person to spend five years (amassing this archive) and then to have lost it, which is what really baffles me, he says.There are many more images from Who Shot MeStories Unprocessed in the video below. If youre interested in getting involved with the project, reach out to SpeakLocal. (via Smithsonian Magazine)Next article

Still Life with Jars (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 84 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Harpers, New YorkPorcelain Vessels Are Portals Through Time and Space in Paintings by Sun Hwa KimMarch 17, 2025ArtKate MothesIn the late 17th century, during Koreas Joseon Dynasty, a particularly rotund, plain white porcelain vessel rose to popularity. Nicknamed moon jars for their milky glaze and spherical form, the earliest examples were finished in wood-fired kilns to add character to their minimalist surfaces. Treasured and reproduced by skilled artisans throughout the centuries, the classic style continues to influence contemporary artisans.For Brooklyn-based artist Sung Hwa Kim, the traditional Korean jar serves as a starting point for an ongoing series of paintings invoking decorative vessels as metaphorical containers for the past. In the context of the still-life, he conjures what he refers to as visual haikus, poetic evocations of the passing of time, like changing seasons and the transition from day into night.Still Life with Jar, Ashtray, and Vincent van Gogh Painting (2024), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 72 x 60 inchesIn Kims current solo exhibition, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring at Harpers, the artist emphasizes quiet, everyday moments in domestic settings that often overlook brick buildings or the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Some of his compositions are vibrantly monochrome, setting the scene for a vase on top of a table, containing a scene from a historic painting or faraway landscape.Kim often incorporates spectral, glowing insects (previously) and situates the vessels on sills or near windows. Vases contain landscapes, trees, and animals, while decor on the walls reference works by famous modernists like Vincent van Gogh, Ren Magritte, and Sanyu.Inside the pots, the flora appears ghost-like or faded, rendered in fuzzy gray marks, and objects left nearby, like a pencil and notebook or a drinking glass, suggest that someone was recently present but an unspecified time has passed since they left. The jars serve as portals to other times and places just as the windows provide views of another world. Ultimately, Kim masterfully inhabits the role of guide, making perceptible the delicate threshold between what fades and what endures, says a gallery statement. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring continues in New York through April 5. See more on the artists website and Instagram.Still Life with Jar, Fruits, and Incense Burner (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 72 x 60 inchesStill Life with Jar and Round Glass Top Table (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 50 x 40 inchesStill Life with Jar, Moon Lamp, and Ren Magritte Postcard (2024), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 72 x 60 inchesStill Life with Jar, Pencil, and Notebook (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 48 inchesStill Life with Jar (2024), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 50 x 40 inchesStill Life with Jar and Sanyu Painting (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 48 inchesStill Life with Jars (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 48 inchesNext article

All images courtesy of Heather Rios, shared with permissionDelight in Heather Rioss Delectable Cakes Made from Polymer Clay and EmbroideryMarch 17, 2025Kate MothesWhile Heather Rioss slices of layer cake look ready to stick a fork into, you may want to think twice. Formed of polymer clay and finished with embroidery, the artist pairs the sweets with a vintage plateand sometimes a forkin playful trompe loeils.Enveloped in realistic frosting and decorated with berries, blossoms, and sprinkles, each work evokes pieces youd be ready to dig into at a birthday or wedding. Rios meticulously embroiders each sponge element, fashioning patterned layers in thread on a hoop before transferring the finished panel to the sculpture.In addition to freestanding forms, Rios embellishes small paintings with shallow reliefs of cakes on canvas, emphasizing vibrant color and the fluffy texture of the exposed interiors.Many of Rioss cakes would be exceedingly difficult to achieve in reality, like detailed floral designs or motifs from blue-and-white porcelain. Lucky for us, we can have our cake and keep it, too. Find more on the artists Instagram, and purchase a slice from her Etsy shop.A sponge embroidery in progressNext article

All images Windy Chien, shared with permissionThrough Knotted Installations, Windy Chien Reinterprets the Hitching PostMarch 14, 2025ArtCraftJackie AndresSince the 1800s, hitching posts have shaped a history anchored in utility and community. Scattered throughout towns and outside common areas, the sturdy objects offered a secure point to tie down horses, especially during social events or gatherings. San Francisco-based artist Windy Chien reinterprets this functional object in her ongoing Hitching Post series.Interdependent forms are particularly fascinating to Chien. If the object around which the hitch is tied were to be removed, the hitch collapses and loses its integrity, she says. Just as the presence of the knot relies on another element to remain intact, social spaces and gatherings rely on collective presence.Having received commissions for the projects since 2019, Chien creates unique pieces for a wide range of communal areas, such as airports, offices, houses, and ranches. Cutting wooden supports to various lengths and fastening rope by wrapping and knotting, the flowing and geometric compositions stretch across walls and exterior facades.Combining motifs from her Circuit Board series with other techniques, Chien recently completed a large installation in a Los Angeles office stairwell comprised of four works, each spanning 20 feet wide in a gradient of six hues. In April, the artist is looking forward to Ruth Asawas retrospective at San Francisco MOMA, where she will be showing several works alongside the exhibition. Find more on her website and Instagram.Next article

For 16 days this spring, an international kite festival will soar above the beaches of Cervia. Artenvento returns to northern Italy from April 19 to May 4 with more than 200 participants from 50 countries and five continents. In its 45th year, the 2025 festival welcomes artist Kadek Armika, whos known for incorporating Balinese kite-making traditions into his modern, flying sculptures. This iteration also marks the 80th anniversary of the citys liberation in WWII and revolves around a theme of solidarity and peace.Find more about the festival and its broad programming, including workshops, music, and acrobatic performances, on its website.Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article This April, Thousands of Kites will Paint the Sky for an International Festival of Flight appeared first on Colossal.

Leidy (2025), acrylic on burlap, 48 x 36 inches. All images courtesy of Jose Lerma and Nino Mier Gallery, shared with permissionSparse Brushstrokes Give Rise to Thick Impasto in Jose Lermas Minimal PortraitsMarch 13, 2025ArtGrace EbertWhen Jose Lerma encountered Reception of the Grand Cond by Louis XIV by Jean-Lon Grme at the Muse dOrsay in Paris, he found himself drawn to the figures tucked far behind the crowd. Known for his meticulous realism, Grme rendered these small characters with minimal brushstrokes, a decision that has influenced Lermas work for more than a decade.Exaggerating the sparse quality of the figures, Lerma (previously) paints portraits in wide swaths of acrylic applied with brooms and industrial tools. The new works retain the contrasts of earlier pieces as well-defined strokes sweep across the burlap to form heavy, impasto ridges. Yamila (2025), acrylic on burlap, 72 x 48 inchesAt Nino Mier Gallery in Brussels, Lermas new solo exhibition Bayamonesque presents the culmination of his current style. The title references his upbringing in Bayamn, Puerto Rico, and how we think about resemblance. Painting both real subjects and manufactured characters, the portraits reference those who might otherwise be relegated to the background, stripping down their likeness to only whats necessary. Vacillating between figurative and abstract, the compositions are what Lerma refers to as the summary of a portraitThe abstract painter in me is, above all, drawn to certain people for specific features that can be broken down to their bare minimum as paintable elements: an expressive cowl, a striking nose, a distinctive shape of lips.Bayamonesque is on view from March 14 to April 17 in Brussels. Find more from Lerma on Instagram.Celimar (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesLeda (2025), acrylic on burlap, 72 x 48 inchesClarisa (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesFelo (2025), acrylic on burlap, 24 x 16 inchesIsmaela (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesRania (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesFernanda (2025), acrylic on burlap, 24 x 16 inchesLisi (2025), acrylic on burlap, 48 x 36 inchesNext article