Hystercine Rankin (1929– 2010), “Memory Quilt” (ca. 1994), fabric; appliquéd, hand-embroidered, and hand-quilted, 88 x 82 inches. All images courtesy of Mississippi Museum of Art, shared with permission ‘Of Salt and Spirit’ Celebrates the Legacy of Black Southern Quilters April 23, 2025 ArtCraft Kate Mothes You may have heard of the remarkable quilters of Gee’s Bend, but do you know about the Crossroads Quilters, like Gustina Atlas? Or Hystercine Rankin? Mary Mayfair Matthews? You’re in luck if you have a chance to visit Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South at the Mississippi Museum of Art, which shines a light on dozens of incredible Black Southern quilters and takes a celebratory approach to showcasing their myriad styles and techniques. MMA is home to one of the South’s largest collections of quilts, from which more than 50 handmade and machine-stitched examples were drawn for this expansive exhibition. Merging research, interpretation, and community engagement, curator Dr. Sharbreon Plummer aimed for “a cohesive, experiential study of American art through a Black feminist lens.” The show parses cultural narratives around the art form, spotlighting the impact of the craft across generations and geography. Emma Russell, “Star Quilt” (1978), cotton blend; hand-pieced, appliquéd, and hand-quilted, 81 x 77 inches A wide range of contemporary and historic pieces converge in Of Salt and Spirit, including figurative and narrative works alongside vibrant geometric compositions. Many of the works were acquired by the museum from Roland L. Freeman (1936-2023), a photographer who documented African-American craftspeople and guilds in his work as a stringer for Time magazine and Magnum Photos. Freeman collected more than 100 quilts, made several of his own, and published a couple of books on the subject. “Quilts have the power to create a virtual web of connections—individual, generational, professional, physical, spiritual, cultural, and historical,” he says in his second book, A Communion of the Spirits (1996). In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum also highlights the large-scale, ongoing AIDS Memorial Quilt project, which was initiated in 1985 at the height of the epidemic. Paralleling Of Salt and Spirit’s focus on creative expression, identity, and strength, the AIDS quilt—which will be on display at MMA for a two-week period beginning May 5—honors quilting for its role in resistance and remembrance. Of Salt and Spirit continues through May 18 in Jackson. Plan your visit on the museum’s website. You may also enjoy a look back at Souls Grown Deep Like the Rivers, a monumental survey recognizing the artistic traditions of Black artists. Mary Mayfair Matthews, “Folk Scenes Quilt” (1992), rayon, cotton polyester blend, lace, lamé, and buttons; hand-pieced and appliquéd, 86 1/4 x 74 inches Annie Dennis (designed by Roland L. Freeman), “Voodoo Quilt” (1987), fabric; hand-pieced, appliquéd, hand-embroidered, and hand-quilted, 83 1/2 x 64 inches Detail of “Voodoo Quilt” Gustina Atlas, “Variation on Dresden Plate Quilt” (1998), cotton; machine- pieced and hand-quilted, 81 1/2 x 80 inches Clancy McGrew, quilted and appliquéd by Jeraline Nicholas, “Storytime at the Library” (2004), fabric; machine-pieced, appliquéd, embroidered, and hand-quilted, 41 3/4 x 83 1/8 inches Mabel Williams, “Improvisational Strip Quilt” (1968), cotton, polyester, wool, twill; hand-pieced and hand- quilted with appliquéd and embroidered backing, 85 x 65 inches Clancy McGrew, quilted by Tammy McGrew, “Clancy’s Beauty Salon” (2004), fabric; machine-pieced, appliquéd, and hand-quilted, 67 5/8 x 49 1/2 inches Roland Freeman, “Maya Angelou, Author, Educator, and Quilter (top left and bottom right); Dolly McPherson, Maya Angelou, and Beverly Guy-Sheftall (top right and bottom left), Winston-Salem, North Carolina, November 1992” (1992), Chromogenic print with quilted mat (1996) by Anita Knox, 36 x 36 inches Roland Freeman, “Catherine Gill with Sunburst Quilt (left) Made by Her Mother, Classy Blaylock, fromDecatur, Mississippi, Flagstaff, Arizona, April 1993″ (1993), Chromogenic print, 27 x 38 inches Next article

From postage stamps to jetliner specifications to items he packed for the journey, José Naranja’s sketchbooks (previously) capture minute details of numerous international trips. “I’m lost in the intricate details, as always,” he tells Colossal. Everything from currency to noodle varieties to film references make their way into small books brimming with travel ephemera and observations. Naranja is currently working on a thicker book than he has in the past, which is taking more time to fill, along with an illustrated card project called 2050, which merges science, tech events, and his signature “beauty of note-taking” aesthetic. The artist has also reproduced some of his sketches in The Nautilus Manuscript, a small batch-printed, hand-bound edition available for sale in his shop. Follow updates on the artist’s Instagram. 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 Through a Love of Note-Taking, José Naranja Documents His Travels One Tiny Detail at a Time appeared first on Colossal.

“I’ve Got Bundles and I Got Flewed Out (Green)” (2023). All images courtesy of the artist and Detroit Institute of Arts, shared with permission Tiff Massey Celebrates Detroit Culture and Style in Monumental Mixed-Media Installations April 23, 2025 Art Kate Mothes From larger-than-life double-bobble hair bands to a wall of elaborate braids, Tiff Massey spotlights distinctive Detroit style. Trained as a metalsmith, the artist employs the power of material and scale to highlight the city’s neighborhoods and Black identity and culture. 7 Mile + Livernois, Massey’s solo exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts, takes inspiration from the crossroads at the heart of the city’s Black business and fashion district, where the artist grew up. The area will soon be home to a new arts and community space that Massey is spearheading in an effort to guide and celebrate local kinship. “Everyday Arsenal” (2018) Personal adornment is central to the artist’s expression, which she channels through jewelry, sculptures, and mixed-media assemblages to underscore Black style with a focus on her hometown. “Whatupdoe” and “Everyday Arsenal,” for example, respectively transform a contemporary chain necklace and silver rings into monumental installations, creating terrains of portal-like tunnels and interlocked angles. The “ancestral flyness” of the artist’s parents and previous generations also provides a limitless well of inspiration. “How they adorned themselves has definitely been influential not only to how I adorn myself but also to the ideas that I have within the works,” Massey says in an interview for the DIA exhibition catalogue. “Detroiters, when we step outside, we step outside. We want people to see it. We want people to see us. And that has left a tremendous impression on me.” 7 Mile + Livernois continues through May 11. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram. “Baby Bling” (2023) “Whatupdoe” (2024) Detail of “I’ve Got Bundles and I Got Flewed Out (Green)” Next article

“Makahiya IX” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches. All photos by Julieta Christy Sarmiento, courtesy of The Mission Projects, shared with permission In Luminous Portraits, Florence Solis Invokes Feminine Power Amid Constraint April 22, 2025 Art Grace Ebert When touched, the hypersensitive makahiya plant folds its minuscule leaflets inward, protecting itself from any potential threat. Florence Solis draws on this defensive response in an ethereal collection of portraits. Beginning with digital collages that meld figures and delicate, organic ornaments, the Filipino-Canadian artist translates the imagined forms to the canvas. Shrouded in dainty, beaded veils or entwined with botanicals, each protagonist appears bound and concealed, their bodies and faces obscured by hair or grass. “Sirena” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches As Solis sees it, the figures may be restricted, but they’re also able to find strength and transformation. “Filipino women, much like the makahiya, have been taught to yield, to soften, to take up less space,” she says. “And yet, beneath this quietness lies an undeniable force—one that persists, adapts, and reclaims space in its own way.” Working in saturated, often single-color palettes, Solis renders figures who appear to harness magical powers. She references Filipino folklore and the belief in the power of the everyday to lead to the divine, painting women rooted in tradition and myth, yet determined to see their transformation through. The vivid portraits shown here will be on view at EXPO CHICAGO this week with The Mission Projects. Find more from Solis on Instagram. “Sa Lupa (On Ground)” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches “Totem” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches “Makahiya VIII” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches “Makahiya VII” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches “Alay (Offering)” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches Next article

“Since the Beginning and End of Time” (2024), hand-embroidery, bells, and shell buttons on hand-stitched indigo-dyed kapa (barkcloth) garment, approx. 50 x 44 inches. All images courtesy of Lehuauakea, shared with permission Reviving an Ancestral Hawaiian Tradition, Lehuauakea Reimagines Kapa in Bold Textile Works April 22, 2025 Kate Mothes “My favorite thing about kapa is that it is simultaneously ancestral, ancient, and contemporary,” says Lehuauakea (Kanaka Maoli), who recently received the Walker Youngbird Foundation grant for emerging Native American artists. Kapa, the Indigenous Hawaiian practice of clothmaking, uses the inner bark of the wauke, or paper mulberry tree, to create garments and textiles. For Lehuauakea, the technique forms the foundation of a practice rooted in the artist’s Hawaiian lineage and material traditions. Softening the fibers enough to create cloth requires a labor-intensive method of soaking pieces of bark. Through an arduous process of beating and stretching with tools like the iʻe kuku, a thin, pliable fabric emerges. “It is a very malleable material that reflects the current state of the natural environment, and the surrounding community and personal hand of the maker,” Lehuauakea tells Colossal. “It requires a level of patience and perseverance while also paying close attention to the nature of the bark and pigments you are working with.” “Still Finding My Way Back Home” (2025), kapa (barkcloth), reclaimed Japanese fabrics, indigo and madder root dyes, ceramic beads, bells, earth pigments, hand-embroidery, and metal leaf, approx. 18 x 9 feet Kapa is derived from ancient Polynesian practices—it’s called tapa in other parts of the Pacific—and Hawaiians elaborated on the custom by incorporating watermarks, natural pigments, and fermentation. Traditionally, kapa possessed both practical and spiritual qualities, as it was used for everyday apparel and bedding but also served as a carrier of mana, or healing life force. When the U.S. controversially annexed the territory and the import of cotton amped up in the late 19th century, the practice all but died out. Lehuauakea’s interest in kapa emerged when their family relocated to Oregon when they were young. Over time, the artist felt increasingly disconnected from their home and sought a way to conjure a link to their Hawaiian ancestry. “I remembered learning about kapa as a child and how we’d use patterns to tell stories, so in my junior year of college I taught myself how to carve ʻohe kāpala, or traditional carved bamboo printing tools used for decorating finished kapa,” the artist says. Then it was onto learning how to make the barkcloth itself, with the help of artisan and mentor Wesley Sen, spurring Lehuauakea’s passion for the medium. “Puka Komo ʻEkahi: Portal to Grant Permission” (2024), earth pigments and metal leaf on kapa (barkcloth), 28 x 28 inches Fascinated by the potential to not only continue a time-honored Kanaka Maoli art form but also to experiment and push the boundaries of the material, Lehuauakea makes large-scale installations, hand-stitched garments, mixed-media suspended works, and hand-painted two-dimensional compositions— “in other words, forms that you wouldn’t see in ancestral samples of pre-contact Hawaiian kapa,” they say. The artist continues: As an Indigenous cultural practitioner and artist, I believe it is important to have a solid foundation in the traditional knowledge of the practice before attempting to expand on it or experiment with more contemporary expressions of the medium because I am not singular in this work; I am simply building on a tradition that was passed down through many generations before me, and I can only hope that I am able to inspire future generations to continue it. Lehuauakea is currently working toward solo exhibitions at the Center for Contemporary Art Santa Fe and Nunu Fine Art in New York City, exploring ideas around Native Hawaiian cosmology, celestial cycles, and the relationship between Native Hawaiian language and pattern. Find more on the artist’s website. “Kūmauna” (2024), earth pigments hand-painted on kapa (barkcloth), 26 x 48 inches Detail of “Still Finding My Way Back Home” “I Walk With My Ancestors (1 of 2)” (2024), earth pigment and wildfire charcoal hand-painted on kapa (barkcloth), 29 x 61.5 inches “Night Eyes” (2024), earth pigments and wildfire charcoal hand-painted on kapa (barkcloth), 78 x 18.5 inches “Mele o Nā Kaukani Wai (Song of a Thousand Waters)” (2018), mixed mulberry papers, handmade plant dyes and mineral pigments, gouache, ceramic beads, and thread, approx. 11 x 8 feet Detail of “Mele o Nā Kaukani Wai (Song of a Thousand Waters)” Next article

Wangari Mathenge, “Re-Membering (Folded In Time)” (2025), oil on canvas, 57.99 x 82.01 inches Here’s What We’re Excited to See at EXPO CHICAGO 2025 April 21, 2025 Grace Ebert This week marks the beginning of Chicago’s art world Olympics as the largest fair returns to Navy Pier. From April 24 to 27, EXPO CHICAGO will host hundreds of galleries, site-specific projects, talks, and multi-disciplinary programming both downtown and across the city. To help you navigate, we’re sharing the artworks we’re most looking forward to seeing. And, if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, use the code COLOSSAL25 for $5 off. 1. Wangari Mathenge with Pippy Houldsworth Gallery (London) The Chicago-based, Kenyan artist will present a collection of vivid new paintings that speak to the immense amount of information generated through her intensive research process. Surrounded by books, plants, and brightly patterned East African Kanga fabrics, Mathenge’s figures lounge among objects that transcend colonial narratives. Ilhwa Kim, “Calculative Flight” (2024), hand-dyed hanji paper, 132 x 164 x 13 centimeters 2. Ilhwa Kim, Gordon Cheung, and Zheng Lu with HOFA (London) We’ve long been enamored by Kim’s roving, rolled-paper compositions that delineate dense pathways through broader expanses. Her dynamic works will be on view alongside Cheung’s decadent paintings and Lu’s stainless steel splashes. Florence Solis, “Makahiya VI” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches 3. Florence Solis with The Mission Projects (Chicago) Beginning with digital collage before moving to acrylic and canvas, Solis renders ethereal portraits of women infused with Filipino folklore. Delicate leaves and flowers entwine with coiled hair, while veils shroud the figures in luminous coverings, binding each with a protective, yet restrictive layer. Suntai Yoo, “The Words” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 91 x 117 centimeters 4. Suntai Yoo with Galerie Gaia (Seoul) Fragmented, surrealist landscapes figure prominently in Yoo’s paintings, which frequently pair common objects like books, bicycles, and apples with Korean letters. The artist is particularly interested in metaphor and how distinct items interact to create meaning. Desmond Beach, “The Guardian of the Small & Sacred” (2025), digital painting, woven Jacquard loom, hand and machine sewn pieceworked fabric, 47″x 47 inches 5. Desmond Beach with Richard Beavers Gallery (Brooklyn) Mixing digital painting with patchwork quilts, Beach creates bold, forward-looking portraits. The Baltimore-born artist invokes the ways that trauma can be harnessed for resistance and collective solidarity. Jimmy Beauquesne, “Phase 3. Knight of infinite resignation” (2023-2024), colored pencils on paper, hand-cut metallic frame, 62 x 41 x 2 centimeters 6. Jimmy Beauquesne with Fragment (New York) Nested inside hand-cut metallic frames, Beauquesne’s colored-pencil works imagine a dreamy, apocalyptic world that drips with fantastic details. The nine pieces form a narrative of humanity’s transformation sparked by phantasmagorical change. Next article

“Cardi (1571-2021)” (2021), wall painting, dimensions variable. Borgo Universo, Aielli. Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro Monumental Murals by Agostino Iacurci Vibrantly Reimagine Urban Facades April 21, 2025 ArtDesign Kate Mothes Murals by Agostino Iacurci bring drab buildings to life in bold jewel tones, playful patterns, color blocks, and symmetry. Whether painting directly onto bricks and plaster or designing immense fabric sheaths to cover construction scaffolding, the artist’s vibrant compositions enliven street corners and urban thoroughfares. Iacurci often emphasizes geometric patterns, flora, classical vases, and niches that hold symbolic objects or figures. You might enjoy checking out Gingko Press’s Mural Masters, a survey of the next generation of street artists, and see more on Iacurci’s website and Instagram. “Landscape n.1” (2021), wall painting, 27.7 x 7.1 meters. Las Vegas, Nevada. Commissioned by Life is Beautiful “Disegno d’esame” (2021), enamel on wall, dimensions variable. Pascucci Elementary School, Santarcangelo di Romagna. Photo by Francesco Marini “Grüne Oase” (2024). Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Photo by Ivan Murzin “COINCIDENCES.” Ensorinstituut, Oostende, Belgium. Produced by The Crystal Ship Detail of “COINCIDENCES” “Landscape n.2” (2021), print on PVC scaffold sheet, 17 x 14 meters. Pastificio Cerere, Rome. Photo by Carlo Romano “Landscape n.3” (2021). Pinacoteca Civica, Foggia. Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro “L’antiporta” (2021), paint on wall, dimensions variable. Biblioteca Ugo Tognazzi, Pomezia. Curated by Marcello Smarrelli and Pastificio Cerere for Sol Indiges. Photo by Lorenzo Palmieri Detail of “L’antiporta” Detail of “Cardi (1571-2021).” Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro Detail of “Disegno d’esame.” Photo by Domenico d’Alessandro Next article

Photo © Joshua Rozells, shared with permission A Stunning Image of the Australian Desert Illuminates the Growing Problem of Satellite Pollution April 18, 2025 NaturePhotography Grace Ebert In January 2021, Joshua Rozells ventured out into the Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia, intending to photograph a star trail. But after shooting for more than three hours and reviewing his images, he realized that the light patterns he captured weren’t what he had hoped for. “There were satellite trails visible in almost every single photo,” he wrote on Instagram. “Instead of trying to get rid of them for a star trail, I decided to put the satellite trails together into a single image to show how polluted the night sky is becoming.” Stitching together 343 distinct photos, Rozells illuminates a growing problem. When Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched Starlink in 2019, 60 satellites filled the skies, with a race from other companies to follow. That number has now topped 10,000, with tens of thousands more in the works. SpaceX alone plans to launch 40,000 more. Rozells’ composite visually echoes pleas from astronomers, who warn that although satellites collect essential data, the staggering amount filling our skies will only worsen light pollution and our ability to study what lies beyond. Because this industry has little regulation, the problem could go unchecked. “Thankfully, astronomers across the globe have taken notice of this growing issue and are starting to speak up,” Rozells adds. “Organisations such as the International Astronomical Union’s Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky are advocating for the regulation and protection of the night sky.” (via Kottke) Next article

Photo © Joshua Rozells, shared with permission A Stunning Image of the Australian Desert Illuminates the Growing Problem of Satellite Pollution April 18, 2025 NaturePhotography Grace Ebert In January 2021, Joshua Rozells ventured out into the Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia, intending to photograph a star trail. But after shooting for more than three hours and reviewing his images, he realized that the light patterns he captured weren’t what he had hoped for. “There were satellite trails visible in almost every single photo,” he wrote on Instagram. “Instead of trying to get rid of them for a star trail, I decided to put the satellite trails together into a single image to show how polluted the night sky is becoming.” Stitching together 343 distinct photos, Rozells illuminates a growing problem. When Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched Starlink in 2019, 60 satellites filled the skies, with a race from other companies to follow. That number has now topped 10,000, with tens of thousands more in the works. SpaceX alone plans to launch 40,000 more. Rozells’ composite visually echoes pleas from astronomers, who warn that although satellites collect essential data, the staggering amount filling our skies will only worsen light pollution and our ability to study what lies beyond. Because this industry has little regulation, the problem could go unchecked. “Thankfully, astronomers across the globe have taken notice of this growing issue and are starting to speak up,” Rozells adds. “Organisations such as the International Astronomical Union’s Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky are advocating for the regulation and protection of the night sky.” (via Kottke) Next article

Known for their elaborate performances almost as much as their albums, the American band OK Go just released a new music video that is very literally a hall of mirrors. Filmed in a Budapest train station, “Love” incorporates 29 robots and 60 mirrors that move in perfect synchronicity. The result is an endlessly evolving kaleidoscope that distorts reality and illusion, connecting the band and their surroundings through a trippy, impeccably timed production. To get a closer look at the making of this iconic video, check out the behind-the-scenes video shot from the perspective of each band member. 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 OK Go’s New Music Video Is a Dizzying Kaleidoscope of 60 Mirrors and 29 Robots appeared first on Colossal.

Ana María Hernando, “El intento del agua/The Intent of Water” (2025), tulle, wood, metal lattice, felt, velvet. All images courtesy of BravinLee, shared with permission With 60 Artists, ‘The Golden Thread’ Weaves Together a Survey of Contemporary Fiber Art April 17, 2025 ArtCraft Grace Ebert The monumental textile exhibition that took over an 18th-century warehouse last spring is back for a second iteration. In the South Street Seaport area of Manhattan, The Golden Thread 2: A Fiber Art Show returns with more than 100 artworks made by 60 artists from around the globe. As with the first iteration, this reprisal includes eight site-specific installations that respond to the former mercantile space. Tomo Mori, “(we) keep going” (2025), donated fabrics, used clothes and linens, acrylic and cotton fillings, and anodized aluminum wires Organized by BravinLee, The Golden Thread is a sweeping survey of contemporary fiber art encompassing a vast array of materials, aesthetics, and subject matter. Several artists connect textiles’ historical association with femininity and domesticity, including Ana María Hernando’s pair of cascading tulle works. Frequently working with the gossamer fabric, Hernando sees her sculptures as an act of rebellion in which “softness becomes less a discreet quality and more a function of power, both formally and symbolically.” Similarly, Diana Weymar presents “American Sampler,” a collection of embroidered, typographic works made during a five-year period. Created to showcase a woman’s skill and literacy throughout the 18th century, samplers have a long history as sites of feminine expression. Weymar draws on this legacy for this patchwork tapestry, which is part of her ongoing Tiny Pricks Project created in 2018 in response to Donald Trump’s tumultuous first term. Colossal readers will recognize several artists in this second exhibition, including Caitlin McCormack, Rima Day, Willie Cole, and Ulla-Stina Wikander. The Golden Thread is on view through May 16. Tiny Pricks Project (Diana Weymar), “American Sampler” (2020-2025), vintage textiles and cotton floss Detail of Tiny Pricks Project (Diana Weymar), “American Sampler” (2020-2025), vintage textiles and cotton floss Caitlin McCormack, “Babylon Rec Room,” vintage wallpaper on salvaged drywall with crochet cotton string and glue embellishment Ali Dipp, “Concession No 3 (Trumbull, Capitol)” (2024), manually stitched threads on denim jeans, 79 x 117 inches Left: Fran Siegel, “Medicine Wheel” (2020), cyanotype, scrim, embroidery, sewing, string, and mounted on bar, 90 x 60 x 10 inches. Right: Manju Shandler, “The Elephant in the Room” (2024), mixed media soft sculpture, 6 x 6 x 9 feet Traci Johnson. Left: “Lil Femme,” yarn on cloth, 12.5 x 22 inches. Right: “Love Me in a Place Where There’s no Space or Time” (2023), yarn on cloth, 7.5 x 7.2 feet Sam Dienst, “Clutter Conundrum” (2024), hand-woven tapestry with yarn, beads, paint, and felt, 56 x 57 x .25 inches Previous articleNext article

Tom Leighton (previously) is known for highlighting plants’ photosynthesis process by swapping their characteristic greens for otherworldly fluorescent colors. Often focused on the nightlife of specimens found around his Cornwall home, Leighton photographs in a manner that turns common species into extraordinary subjects. His newest series, Spines, expands on this trajectory. The macro images concentrate on the fine fibers cloaking stems and flowers. Water droplets cling to the surfaces as if the plants had just emerged from a heavy downpour. The glistening botanicals capture the surrounding light, while the thick dew drops add a glimmering, skewed view of the lifeforms that reside underneath. Prints of Leighton’s images are available on his website. Keep up with his latest projects on Behance and Instagram. 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 Water Droplets Cling to Fluorescent Plant Spines in Tom Leighton’s Alluring Photos appeared first on Colossal.

All images © Christina Mittermeier, courtesy of Hemeria, shared with permission Remarkable Photos by Cristina Mittermeier Spotlight the Need for Hope Amid Crisis April 16, 2025 Kate Mothes Through her tireless research and advocacy for the protection of the world’s oceans, Cristina Mittermeier has emerged as one of the most prominent conservation photographers. Along with Paul Nicklen, she co-founded SeaLegacy to focus on the impact of communication through art and science, confronting critical issues like endangered biodiversity and the climate crisis. She also founded the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), a professional community focused environmental issues. Acknowledging the negative and potentially disastrous effects of indifference, skepticism, and inaction, Mittermeier posits that one thing remains as important as ever. “HOPE may not be a plan or a strategy, but it is vital for our survival,” she says in an introductory note for her new book. “I ferociously reject apathy, cynicism, and fear, and with tenacity and determination, I choose kindness and Hope.” Published by Hemeria, HOPE is organized into six chapters that highlight the myriad ways humanity and nature are fundamentally intertwined. The first, “Indigenous Wisdom,” features the knowledge and traditions of communities who tap into ancient ways of connecting with the earth. Additional chapters focus on the oceans, arctic realms, the afterlife, future generations, and how all of these elements are interwoven. Throughout, Mittermeier’s bold photographs of wildlife, remarkable landscapes, tribal rituals, and family bonds serve as reminders of incredible beauty, resilience, and determination. Mittermeier travels the world, visiting remote communities, attending significant ceremonial events, and documenting fragile ecosystems. “Images can help us understand the urgency many photographers feel to protect wild places,” she says in a statement. She continues: My work is about building a greater awareness of the responsibility of what it means to be human. It is about understanding that the history of every living thing that has ever existed on this planet also lives within us. It is about the ethical imperative—the urgent reminder that we are linked to all other species on this planet and that we have a duty to act as the keepers of our fellow life forms. HOPE is available for purchase now in Hemeria’s shop and will be available widely in other retail locations this October. Dive into more of Mittermeier’s work on her website and Instagram. Next article

Aerial view of “Wired Scape,” Guangzhou, China. Photos by RexZou. All images courtesy of 100architects, shared with permission Land, Sea, and Wiry Trees Converge in 100architects’ Imaginative New Playground April 16, 2025 Design Kate Mothes Through colorful squiggles embedded with games, trampolines, and sculptural trees, a new public park in Guangzhou, China, re-envisions the possibilities of play. “Wired Scape,” which design firm 100architects bills as an “an entangling forest of imagination and fun,” takes inspiration from the natural landscape to create a one-of-a-kind playground in a residential area. Trees resembling balls of colorful wire appear to spin out of the ground, and curvaceous green and blue forms reflect the interaction of land and water. Lively trees made from pipes spiraling around central cores serve a triple purpose as climbable structures, shade-providing canopies, and supports for a series of interconnected bridges throughout the park. The overall aesthetic recalls computer-generated imagery in video games or animation. 100architects aimed to break away from traditional playground design and instead focus on the layout as a multigenerational space. Children’s imaginations are stimulated by myriad ways to jump, climb, slide, and run, while caregivers and parents have ample options for shaded seating with clear sight lines. Explore 100architects’ exuberant public installations on the studio’s website and Instagram, and check out more incredible playgrounds. Next article

Photo by Mauricio Hoyos. All images courtesy of Ralph Ziman, shared with permission Five Years in the Making, an MiG-21 Fighter Jet Gets a Glow-Up from Tens of Millions of Glass Beads April 15, 2025 Kate Mothes “We’re going to make stuff out of beads that is going to take people’s breath away,” says Ralph Ziman in the trailer for “The MiG-21 Project,” a military jet that he and a transcontinental team coated nose to tail in millions upon millions of glass beads. For the past 12 years, the Los Angeles-based artist has examined the impacts of the Cold War Era and the global arms trade through a trilogy titled Weapons of Mass Production, motivated by his upbringing in Apartheid-era South Africa. More than half a decade in the making, “The MiG-21 Project” completes the series. The first installment, “The AK-47 Project,” reimagined the aesthetic of one of the world’s most ubiquitous wartime weapons, the Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947, by coating dozens of the guns in colorful glass beads. The second project revolved around the Casspir, a heavy-duty Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV) introduced in the 1970s, which he likewise ornamented in vibrant geometric patterns. “The idea was to take these weapons of war and to repurpose them,” Ziman says, flipping the narrative about icons of violence and transforming them instead into symbols of resilience, collaboration, and collectivity. Vehicles and firearms morph into a theater of hope and strength in the face of a terrible 20th-century legacy. Apartheid, which in Afrikaans means “separateness,” is the name assigned by the minority white-ruled Nationalist Party of South Africa to a harsh system of racial segregation that began in 1948. The period lasted until 1991 and was closely linked within the context of international relations to the Cold War as tensions erupted between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. Spurred by the deterioration of the two countries’ WWII alliance and fears about the spread of Communism into the West, the war began in 1947 and also ended in 1991 when the U.S.S.R. was dissolved. During this time, the Russians produced a fighter jet called the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. The plane is “the most-produced supersonic fighter aircraft of all time,” Ziman says. “The Russians built 12,500 MiG-21s, and they’re still in use today—just like the Casspir and just like the AK-47s. But it’s one thing to say, hey, I want to bead a MiG, and then the next thing, you’ve got a 48-foot MiG sitting in your studio.” The MiG-21 cockpit “The MiG-21 Project” combines photography and costume design with historical research and time-honored Indigenous craft. The project encompasses not only the jet but a series of cinematic photographs and elaborate Afrofuturist regalia inspired by military flight suits, African tribal textiles, and space travel. Ziman’s team comprises numerous skilled artisans from Zimbabwe and Indigenous Ndebele women from South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province, who are renowned for their beadwork. For the Ndebele, beadwork is a means of expressing cultural identity and rites of passage, taking on powerful political connotations in the 20th century as it became associated with pre-colonial African traditions and identity. Tapping into the lessons of our not-so-distant past, Ziman addresses current conflicts like war and the global arms race, modern colonialism, systemic racism, and white supremacy through the lens of Apartheid. Funds raised throughout the process, part of the mission of the Weapons of Mass Production trilogy as a whole, are being donated to the people of Ukraine in support of the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia. You’ll be able to see the “The MiG-21 Project” later this year in Seattle, where it will be on view from June 21 to January 26, 2026, at the Museum of Flight. Explore more on Ziman’s website. Photo by Mauricio Hoyos Photo by Mauricio Hoyos “Hero Of Cuito Cuanavale,” Inkjet on Moab Entrada paper, 43 x 56 inches Photo by Mauricio Hoyos Detail of the MiG-21 cockpit Photo by Mauricio Hoyos “The Raider and Her MiG-21,” Inkjet on Moab Entrada paper, 43 x 56 inches Photo by Mauricio Hoyos Next article

Photo by Mauricio Hoyos. All images courtesy of Ralph Ziman, shared with permission Five Years in the Making, an MiG-21 Fighter Jet Gets a Glow-Up from Tens of Millions of Glass Beads April 15, 2025 Kate Mothes “We’re going to make stuff out of beads that is going to take people’s breath away,” says Ralph Ziman in the trailer for “The MiG-21 Project,” a military jet that he and a transcontinental team coated nose to tail in millions upon millions of glass beads. For the past 12 years, the Los Angeles-based artist has examined the impacts of the Cold War Era and the global arms trade through a trilogy titled Weapons of Mass Production, motivated by his upbringing in Apartheid-era South Africa. More than half a decade in the making, “The MiG-21 Project” completes the series. The first installment, “The AK-47 Project,” reimagined the aesthetic of one of the world’s most ubiquitous wartime weapons, the Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947, by coating dozens of the guns in colorful glass beads. The second project revolved around the Casspir, a heavy-duty Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV) introduced in the 1970s, which was likewise ornamented in vibrant geometric patterns. “The idea was to take these weapons of war and to repurpose them,” Ziman says, flipping the narrative about icons of violence and transforming them instead into symbols of resilience, collaboration, and collectivity. Vehicles and firearms morph into a theater of hope and strength in the face of a terrible 20th-century legacy. Apartheid, which in Afrikaans means “separateness,” is the name assigned by the minority white-ruled Nationalist Party of South Africa to a harsh system of racial segregation that began in 1948. The period lasted until 1991 and was closely linked within the context of international relations to the Cold War as tensions erupted between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. Spurred by the deterioration of the two countries’ WWII alliance and fears about the spread of Communism into the West, the war began in 1947 and also ended in 1991 when the U.S.S.R. was dissolved. During this time, the Russians produced a fighter jet called the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. The plane is “the most-produced supersonic fighter aircraft of all time,” Ziman says. “The Russians built 12,500 MiG-21s, and they’re still in use today—just like the Casspir and just like the AK-47s. But it’s one thing to say, hey, I want to bead a MiG, and then the next thing, you’ve got a 48-foot MiG sitting in your studio.” The MiG-21 cockpit “The MiG-21 Project” combines photography and costume design with historical research and time-honored Indigenous craft. The project encompasses not only the jet but a series of cinematic photographs and elaborate Afrofuturist regalia inspired by military flight suits, African tribal textiles, and space travel. Ziman’s team comprises numerous skilled artisans from Zimbabwe and Indigenous Ndebele women from South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province, who are renowned for their beadwork. For the Ndebele, beadwork is a means of expressing cultural identity and rites of passage, taking on powerful political connotations in the 20th century as it became associated with pre-colonial African traditions and identity. Tapping into the lessons of our not-so-distant past, Ziman addresses current conflicts like war and the global arms race, modern colonialism, systemic racism, and white supremacy through the lens of Apartheid. Funds raised throughout the process, part of the mission of the Weapons of Mass Production trilogy as a whole, are being donated to the people of Ukraine in support of the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia. You’ll be able to see the “The MiG-21 Project” later this year in Seattle, where it will be on view from June 21 to January 26, 2026, at the Museum of Flight. Explore more on Ziman’s website. Photo by Mauricio Hoyos Photo by Mauricio Hoyos “Hero Of Cuito Cuanavale,” Inkjet on Moab Entrada paper, 43 x 56 inches Photo by Mauricio Hoyos Detail of the MiG-21 cockpit Photo by Mauricio Hoyos “The Raider and Her MiG-21,” Inkjet on Moab Entrada paper, 43 x 56 inches Photo by Mauricio Hoyos Next article

“Megaera” (2023), bronze and velvet, 59 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches. All images courtesy of Marianna Simnett and SOCIÉTÉ, Berlin, shared with permission Formidable Bronze Crowns by Marianna Simnett Conjure Myth and the Sublime Feminine April 15, 2025 Art Kate Mothes For Marianna Simnett, sticking to one medium or theme defies her interpretation of what art can be. She fights the natural proclivity of her audience to typecast her practice as one thing. “Trying to shed those expectations every time—trying to do something different—it’s exhausting but so worth it,” she says in an interview for Art Basel. “Now the signature is that people don’t know what to expect, and that’s the best outcome possible.” Among myriad strains of her practice—which include filmmaking, sculpture, installation, painting, and performance—a collection of bronze crowns created between 2022 and 2024 command our attention. Situated on top of bespoke velvet cushions, Simnett’s Crowns are cast in an alloy that would make the elaborate headpieces burdensome or even painful to wear, yet the meticulously formed arches, band, and spikes manifest as delicate mammals and birds. “Hydra” (2023), bronze and velvet, 55 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches “Simnett uses vivid and visceral means to explore the body as a site of transformation,” says a statement from SOCIÉTÉ, which represents the artist. “In psychologically charged works that challenge both herself and the viewer, Simnett imagines radical new worlds filled with untamed thoughts, strange tales, and desires.” Named for powerful female figures from ancient lore like Discordia, the Greek goddess of strife, or Lilith, a she-demon in Jewish and Mesopotamian mythology, Simnett’s Crowns examine the power, ferocity, and sublimity of allegorical female figures. One can imagine that only supernatural beings could wear these pieces and feel comfortable. Simnett’s sculptures were first shown in her exhibition OGRESS in 2022. “In fairy tales and folklore, the ogress is a voracious monster who deceives men and torments children in her quest to ravish them whole,” says an exhibition statement. Simnett wielded “the ogress’ insatiable hunger as a radical force,” illuminating the role of women in myth and legend, especially the symbolic tension between embracing and fearing those who are different. Simnett’s solo exhibition Charades opens at SOCIÉTÉ on May 1, coinciding with Berlin Gallery Weekend. Explore a wide range of the artist’s multimedia work on her website and Instagram. “Laverna” (2023), bronze and velvet, 55 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches Detail of “Laverna” “Discordia” (2023), bronze and velvet, 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 16 inches “Maniae” (2022), bronze and velvet, 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 16 inches “Lilith” (2024), bronze and velvet, 57 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches Detail of “Lilith” “Astraea” (2023), bronze and velvet, 55 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches Next article

All images © Dmytro Soloviov, courtesy of Fuel, shared with permission ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ Chronicles the Nation’s Midcentury Architectural Marvels April 15, 2025 Kate Mothes During the Soviet era, modernist architecture rose to popularity as a means to express power, prestige, and views toward the future following World War II. Across Eastern Europe, asymmetric details, geometric rooflines, circular footprints, monumental murals, and blocky brutalist structures rose in defiance of pre-war classical and vernacular styles. In Ukrainian Modernism, Kyiv-based photographer and researcher Dmytro Soloviov’s first book, the nation’s under-recognized mid-20th-century built heritage takes center stage. “Ukraine’s modernist buildings are an extraordinary blend of function, avant-garde aesthetics and ingenious design, but despite these qualities, they remain largely unrecognised,” says a statement from FUEL, which will release the book later this month. Soloviov chronicles a buildings that are often stigmatized for their inception during the Soviet era and subsequent neglect and redevelopment over time. In the face of the nation’s struggle to overcome Russia’s ongoing incursion, war continues to threaten historic buildings. Ukrainian Modernism combines Soloviov’s contemporary photos with archival images, exploring the breadth of the region’s architectural marvels. Preorder your copy on FUEL’s website. Next article

All images courtesy of Atlantic Productions / Magellan / National Geographic ‘Titanic: The Digital Resurrection’ Unveils an Unprecedented View of the Harrowing Maritime Disaster April 14, 2025 Kate Mothes In the summer of 2022, a team of deep-sea researchers spent six weeks in the North Atlantic Ocean at a remote site about 370 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland. The final resting place of RMS Titanic, which sank on April 14, 1912, the ocean floor bears the magnificent remains of the 883-foot-long vessel. When the ship disembarked from Southampton, England, it carried more than 2,200 passengers and crew, but only about 700 were rescued after it struck an iceberg. Using remotely operated underwater vehicles, scientists explored the wreck from a range of vantage points, expanding their survey across a debris field that stretches as wide as three miles. The aim of this expedition revolved around capturing an unprecedented digital view of the ship, enabling a lifelike, virtual reconstruction. Two submersibles captured a whopping 16 terabytes of data, comprising 715,000 images and a high-resolution video. The files were processed and assembled over the course of seven months to create what Atlantic Productions head Anthony Geffen describes as a “one-to-one digital copy, a ‘twin,’ of the Titanic in every detail.” Released last Friday, Titanic: The Digital Resurrection chronicles the monumental task of capturing the footage and creating a never-before-seen view of the famous site. Produced by Atlantic Productions and National Geographic, the film follows the crew of deep-sea investigation outfit Magellan as they explored the iconic, hulking remains. “Accurate to the rivet,” a statement says, the film traces nearly two years of research by historians, scientists, and engineers. “Their mission is to review and challenge long-held assumptions, including reconstructing a minute-by-minute timeline of the tragedy to uncover new insights into the ship’s final moments on that fateful night in 1912.” Titanic: The Digital Resurrection is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Next article

All images courtesy of the artist and Saatchi Gallery, London, shared with permission In Elaborate ‘Textile Paintings,’ Anne von Freyburg Reframes Femininity in European Art History April 14, 2025 Art Kate Mothes As if splashed onto the wall with a monumental brush, Anne von Freyburg’s installations visualize fabric and fiber as gestural splotches of paint. Colors bleed into one another and drips extend to the floor in what the London-based Dutch artist describes as “textile paintings.” Drawing on 17th and 18th-century European painting traditions like the still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age and the stylized exuberance of Rococo, von Freyburg reframes relationships between craft and fine art. “Fantasia (After Boucher, Venus and Cupid)” (2022), textile painting: acrylic ink, synthetic-fabrics, tapestry-fabric, sequin fabrics, hand-embroidery, polyester wadding, and hand-dyed tassel fringes on canvas, 144 x 195 centimeters References to Rococo artists like Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher play prominently in von Freyburg’s solo exhibition, Filthy Cute, at Saatchi Gallery. Tapping into “the clichés of heterosexual romance and societal expectations of women…she explores the pressures women face, particularly the expectations of being ‘caretakers’ and ‘pleasers,'” says a statement. Von Freyburg turns her attention to themes of compassion, freedom, and women as sovereign individuals. Filthy Cute celebrates sensuality and the feminine while highlighting unexpected associations between materials. The artist’s abstract compositions often reference florals that are blurred, dripping, and verging on complete abstraction. Glossy fabrics in a range of colors swirl without fully mixing, resulting in sensual shapes that are beguiling and strange. Von Freyburg describes one undergirding theme as “commodity fetishism,” tapping into the 17th-century fashion for Dutch floral still lifes and the infamous economic speculation bubble that characterized Tulip Mania between 1634 and 1637. The show continues through May 11 in London, running concurrently website and Instagram. “Kabloom (After Jan van Huysum, Flower still-life)” (2024), acrylic ink, synthetic-fabrics, PVC fabric, tapestry-fabric, sequin fabrics, hand-embroidery, polyester wadding, and hand-dyed tassel fringes on canvas, 230 x 130 centimeters “Tuttifrutti (After Jan van Huysum, Flower still-life)” (2024), acrylic ink, synthetic-fabrics, PVC fabric, tapestry-fabric, sequin fabrics, hand-embroidery, polyester wadding, and hand-dyed tassel fringes on canvas, 235 x 135 centimeters Next article

Lauren Ly, “Convenience Store Woman” (2024), edition of 30 Spotlight on Drawing: Discover Five Artists Ahead of The Other Art Fair Brooklyn April 14, 2025 Sponsor The Other Art Fair This Mother’s Day weekend, The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, returns to ZeroSpace in Brooklyn for its 15th local edition, running May 8 to 11. Known for putting independent artists front and center, the fair continues to challenge traditional art-world norms by offering direct access to 125 cutting-edge creators. In the lead-up to this spring’s fair, we’re shining a light on the medium of drawing—a form that remains as immediate and intimate as ever. Whether through figurative studies, whimsical illustrations, or expressive linework, these five standout artists are using drawing to push boundaries and connect with viewers in fresh, personal ways. Lauren Ly draws cozy, detail-rich interiors inspired by childhood nostalgia, literature, and imagined worlds filled with comfort and whimsy. Steve Moors, “The Audition” (2024), edition of 12 Trained in documentary photography, Steve Moors now crafts expressive digital prints that unite hand drawing, design, and photographic sensibility. Andrea Cáceres is a NYC-based illustrator blending playful design with storytelling across brands, products, books—and her own pet brand. Ben Lenovitz, “Mow Mow” NYC artist Ben Lenovitz transforms everyday pets into charming characters, a practice born from serendipity (and irony—he’s allergic!). Charles Buckley, “Don’t Look Up” (2024) Shaped by West Coast roots and NYC energy, Charles Buckley creates nostalgic ink drawings inspired by found photos and memories.  Beyond the artwork, The Other Art Fair offers a lively and immersive visitor experience. Featured artist and New York Times bestselling author Anna Marie Tendler invites guests to sit for a portrait within her richly styled photographic tableau—an extension of her celebrated series Rooms in the First House. Illustrator Joe Kraft brings a whimsical twist to art appreciation with an interactive scavenger hunt across the venue. Artist Kelli Kikcio will offer a curated selection of flash designs so you can take art home with you permanently in the form of a machine-free tattoo (Thursday and Friday only). Each day at the fair offers fresh, hands-on experiences led by artists. Visitors can receive a complimentary fantasy hand-drawn illustration from Ben Lenovitz (Thursday only) and personalize their fashion with on-the-spot patch sewing by OOH Baby (Friday only). Over the weekend, take part in hands-on paper flower making with Summer Space Studio (Saturday and Sunday )—perfect for a Mother’s Day moment.The fair turns up the energy with Friday Late, a special evening curated with Secret NYC. Featuring DJs, interactive installations, and local sips, it’s a vibrant snapshot of Brooklyn’s creative pulse.Whether you’re an art collector, a curious newcomer, or simply seeking a creative escape, The Other Art Fair Brooklyn promises bold work, boundary-breaking talent, and a true celebration of artistic energy.Grab your tickets now to experience Brooklyn’s artistic energy firsthand. Next article

Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves. All photos by Maximilian Geuter, courtesy the artists and Kunstverein München, shared with permission An Ikebana Artist and His Student Sow an Unconventional Approach to Flower Arranging April 12, 2025 ArtNature Grace Ebert “I want to explode the idea of beautiful ikebana,” says Kosen Ohtsubo, one of the foremost conceptual artists working in the Japanese tradition. Since the 1970s, Ohtsubo has been unsettling the ancient art of flower arranging. Incorporating atypical botanicals like cabbage leaves or weaving in unconventional materials like bathtubs and scrap metal, the artist approaches making with the mindset of a jazz musician, a genre he frequently listens to while working. Improvisation and experimentation are at the core, along with an unquenchable desire for the unexpected. Detail of Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves An exhibition at Kunstverein München in Munich pairs Ohtsubo with Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham who, after discovering the ikebana icon’s work in a book in 2013, became his student. Titled Flower Planet—which references a sign that hangs outside Ohtsubo’s Tokorozawa home and studio—the show presents various sculptures and installations that invite viewers to consider fragility, decay, and the elusive qualities of beauty and control. Given the ephemeral nature of the materials, photography plays an important role in most ikebana practices as it preserves an arrangement long after it has wilted. This exhibition, therefore, pairs images of earlier works with new commissions, including Ohtsubo’s standout orb titled “Linga München.” Nested in a bed of soil and leaves, the large-scale sculpture wraps willow with metal structures and positions a small candle within its center. Similarly immersive is “Willow Rain,” which suspends thin branches from the ceiling. Subverting the way we typically encounter fields of growth, the work is one of many in the exhibition that seeds questions about our relationship to the natural world and the limits of human control. Flower Planet is on view through April 21. Explore Ohstubo’s vast archive on Instagram. Detail of Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves Kosen Ohtsubo, “Willow Rain” (2025), 800 basket willow branches, metal frame Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, “Corruption” Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, “Penny Waking up from a Dream” (2025), carrot, Chinese long bean,reflecting sphere, Japanese woven bamboo basket Detail of Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham, “Penny Waking up from a Dream” (2025), carrot, Chinese long bean, reflecting sphere, Japanese woven bamboo basket Detail of Kosen Ohtsubo, “Linga München” (2025), 300 Basket willow branches, candle, metal frame, plastic and metal ties, scrap metal, soil, various flowers and leaves Kosen Ohtsubo, “怪芋III / Strange Callas III” (2025), Calla lily, willow, custom-designed iron box Next article

Director Winston Hacking (previously) and animator Philippe Tardif are back with another collaborative music video that propels us through an uncanny series of portals. For Foxwarren’s catchy “Listen2me,” the pair created a cheeky animated collage in which characters gab as we’re pushed closer to their faces. The result is a mesmerizing, surreal video that, to Foxwarren’s pleading lyrics, compels our attention. Find more from Hacking on Vimeo. 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 A Bizarre Animated Music Video for Foxwarren Compels Us to Listen appeared first on Colossal.

All images courtesy of Richard Haining, shared with permission Melding Craft and Sustainability, Richard Haining Sculpts Sleek Vessels from Reclaimed Wood April 11, 2025 Grace Ebert Renewal is at the center of Richard Haining’s practice. The Brooklyn-based artist and designer (previously) sculpts supple vessels and functional goods from reclaimed wood sourced from local workshops or buildings destined for demolition. Intrigued by signs of wear and former uses, Haining has a deep reverence for the material and its history. In his ongoing STACKED series, small offcuts nest together in intuitively laid grids. An angle grinder and hand tools help to smooth any jagged edges and create the soft, sleek forms Haining is known for. The artist shares that his inspiration comes from a wide array of sources, “from Classical Antiquity to East Asian design (to) 17th-century European Craftsmanship.” His holy trinity, though, is beauty, craftsmanship, and mindfulness for the environment. He adds: By juxtaposing repurposed ‘low-value’ materials with ‘high-art’ forms, I invite viewers to reconsider what is truly valuable. Ultimately, I hope to spark a conversation about sustainability, showing that art, craftsmanship, and environmental responsibility can coexist—and that beauty can emerge from the most unexpected places. Haining is participating in two group exhibitions in New York, one at Lyle Gallery through April 20 and Paraphernalia Exhibition: Desire opening on May 7. Follow the latest on Instagram. Next article

All images courtesy of “The Promise of Spring” How Do You Honor an Artist? A Daughter Grapples with Continuing Her Mother’s Legacy April 10, 2025 ArtFilm Grace Ebert Anyone who’s stood to inherit a family business knows the difficulty of charting one’s own course. “Legacy is complicated,” says Violet Oliphant-O’Neill, the daughter of the wildly prolific artist Sarah Oliphant. “(When you have) parents who are successful, being their child is complicated.” Directed by Anna Louise Andersen, “The Promise of Spring” is an intimate portrait of a mother and daughter and the struggle of inheriting a parent’s passion. The film visits Oliphant Studios, which has painted backdrops gracing the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New York Times and stood behind icons like Michelle Obama and Simone Biles, to name a few. It’s been in operation since 1978. Oliphant’s output is revered globally, but for her daughter, stepping into an essential role in the studio isn’t simple. The film follows the pair as they work together and unravels each of their journeys to art-making—Oliphant through a natural proclivity that began in childhood and Oliphant-O’Neill by way of her mother. As Andersen writes, the film grapples with “the tension between honoring family traditions and creating one’s own destiny.” Watch “The Promise of Spring of Above,” and find more from the filmmaker on Vimeo. Next article

“Harmonizing With an Architect” (2025), gouache and ink on paper, 42 1/2 x 60 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Western Exhibitions, shared with permission Geometric Scaffolding Structures Geoffrey Todd Smith’s Gouache-and-Ink Portraits April 10, 2025 Art Grace Ebert From the center of a gridded structure made of striped orbs and oblong shapes are two elements redolent of eyes. Seeming to peer out from the largely abstract composition, these facial features are augmented by forms that mimic ears, noses, and mouths all nested within the vivid patterns. The work of Chicago-based artist Geoffrey Todd Smith, these ambiguous portraits rendered in gouache and ink reference masks or mirrored reflections, revealing a distant figure without a defined identity. “To be honest, I keep thinking of them as evolving forms,” he tells Colossal. “I try to find new things in them when I look at them. I’m not entirely sure I want to figure them out because I probably won’t want to make them if I understand them.” “Picture of Dorian Greige” (2024), gouache and ink on paper, 24 x 22 inches Continually drawn to abstraction and geometry, Smith is known for his mesmerizing works that infuse elaborate, often zigzagged motifs with simple structures. Vibrant spheres seem to spill across the paper, creating trippy, symmetric compositions bursting with energy. The artist departs from pure abstraction in this new body of work as he incorporates humanoid components amid his interlocked shapes. Geometry still provides a scaffolding, though. He adds: If there is a break from logic, that sense of order can quickly collapse, creating tension, sort of like removing the bottom pieces in a game of Jenga. Either way, geometry helps me construct a sort of game board to which I respond with more decorative or ornamental decisions. Even the decorative hand-drawn elements play an optical and structural role. They either assert or interfere with order, depending on how I manipulate them. These ornamental additions are the product of a slow, introspective process. Smith prefers not to mix colors and instead layers materials to achieve a particular palette. “Medieval Knievel” (2025), gouache and ink on paper, 33 x 29 inches “The mark from a gel pen is so immediate and relatable. I like that they were marketed to teenagers because nobody feels quite as deeply as they do at that age,” he says. “I think of the intensity and rigor of my marks as mysterious emoting or like writing a gut-wrenching, abstract love letter.” If you’re in Chicago, you can see Smith’s solo show Assembly at Western Exhibitions through April 12. Otherwise, find more of his work on his website and Instagram. “Frock Of Regals” (2023), gouache and ink on paper, 22 x 30 inches “King Cobralabra” (2024), gouache, acrylic and ink on paper, 24 x 22 inches “Beastmaster General” (2024), gouache and ink on paper, 24 x 22 inches “Mixed-Message Magician” (2025), acrylic, gouache, and ink on paper, 37 1/2 x 29 inches “Chicago Armadillo” (2023), acrylic, gouache, and ink on paper, 30 x 22 1/4 inches “Atom Bomb Boom Box” (2023), acrylic, gouache, and ink on paper, 30 x 22 1/4 inches “Molotov Pineapple” (2023), acrylic, gouache, and ink on paper, 22 1/4 x 30 inches Next article

“Gored Cowboy” (2024-25), oil on linen, 84 x 68 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and HARPER’S, New York, shared with permission In Hyperrealistic Oil Paintings, Chloe West Summons Magical Realism in the American West April 10, 2025 Art Kate Mothes Set against mountains, desert plains, and the cobalt blue skies one finds at high elevations, Chloe West’s striking oil paintings merge Dutch Golden Age iconographies with both mythic and everyday motifs of the American West. West was born and raised in Wyoming, the peaks and pastures of which continue to influence her hyperrealistic figurative works. In her current solo exhibition, Games of Chance at HARPER’S, the artist draws on European portraiture and still life traditions in a series of self-portraits and tableaux challenging stereotypes of the West as a frontier molded by machismo. “Cowboy Philosopher” (2024-25), oil on linen, 84 x 68 inches “Cowboy Philosopher,” for example, portrays the artist in direct confrontation with the viewer, seated beside a mountain lion skull at a table covered with a celestial tapestry. The painting evokes Salomon Koninck’s “A Philosopher” (1635) and works by other Flemish artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, who often depicted alchemists and scholars in their studies accompanied by skulls, devices, and documents. West subverts our understanding of cowboy culture as predominantly masculine, juxtaposing her own body with bones, small weapons, and fabric backdrops that establish a tension between life and death, folklore and daily life, and the sacred and the profane. Animal bones, thorns, and knives nod to memento mori, a reminder of the impermanence of life, while also invoking the supernatural and a sense of cyclical time. Casting deep, dark shadows, the glaring sun reveals all. Portraying herself in western wear, West bonds to the continuum of the landscape and its customs and narratives while considering the way European attitudes and actions like Manifest Destiny shaped our understanding of the region. The artist taps into legend, history, and magical realism to blur distinctions between the past and contemporary experience. “Ultimately, throughout Games of Chance, West confronts the idealization of frontier heroism, dismantling its pre-established boundaries and expanding upon the legacy it left behind,” the gallery says. Games of Chance opens today and continues through May 10 in New York City. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram. “Hand with Opossum Skull” (2024-25), oil on linen, 24 x 20 inches Detail of “Gored Cowboy” “Trapper’s Still Life” (2024-5), oil on linen, 48 x 38 inches “Pearled Back” (2024-25), oil on linen, 58 x 46 inches “Portrait with Capped Skull” (2024-25), oil on linen, 58 x 48 inches “Pocketknife” (2024), oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches “St. Veronica at the Geyser Basin” (2024-25, oil on linen, 48 x 38 inches “Hand with Thorn” (2024-25), oil on linen, 24h x 20w in Detail of “Cowboy Philosopher” Next article

Jeremy Miranda ‘And Then There Was Everything’ Unearths the Allure of Natural Motifs at Joy Machine April 9, 2025 Joy Machine Joy Machine is thrilled to announce its second exhibition, And Then There Was Everything, featuring works by Paul S. Briggs, David Cass, Laura Catherwood, Yellena James, Jeremy Miranda, Jeffly Gabriela Molina, and Anna Ortiz. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 18. And Then There Was Everything takes its name from the opening line of Richard Powers’ novel The Overstory, which beckons readers into a winding, interconnected narrative tuned into the intimations of the trees. Powers writes that “a good answer must be reinvented many times, from scratch,” a sentiment each artist uniquely investigates through painting, ceramic sculpture, and collage. Iterating on natural motifs, these artists tap into our personal and collective psyches to unearth the recurring messages within. Paul Briggs, “Effloresce (Series)” (2025), black stoneware, white cone 6 glaze Anna Ortiz, “Reflexión” (2024), oil on canvas, 30 x 34 inches Miranda and Molina grapple with similar questions as they utilize recollections of moments and spaces. Observation is at the heart of Miranda’s works, and he harnesses the ethereal qualities of light to cast familiar spaces anew. In his hands, a nondescript pocket of forest or humble bonfire becomes dreamlike, prompting questions of perspective and how we understand our relationships to the settings that surround us. And Then There Was Everything is on view from April 18 to June 7. RSVP to the opening reception here. Jeffly Gabriela Molina, “Mother Our Castles Will Not Be Made of Sand” (2020), watercolor on Arches 300 Lb, 23 x 23 inches David Cass, “Pulley I – Rockport, ME” (2023-24), oil on marine pulley, 23 x 11.5 x 8 centimeters Next article

Ceilings detail from Khiva’s Tash Hauli Palace. All images © Christopher Wilton-Steer, courtesy of Hemeria, shared with permission Christopher Wilton-Steer’s 25,000-Mile Journey Captures a Contemporary View of an Ancient Trade Route April 9, 2025 Kate Mothes From aerial views of modern-day Venice to a 15th-century caravanserai in Kyrgyzstan, Christopher Wilton-Steer’s awe-inspiring photographs capture contemporary views of life along a series of 1,500-year-old trade routes. An extraordinary historical, cultural, and archaeological phenomenon, the Silk Road connected China in the East to Rome and the Mediterranean in the West. Around 4,000 miles long in its entirety and comprising numerous linking routes—some of which still exist as highways today—the network was used to transport valuable silks from China westward while sending wool and precious metals east. Travelers also transmitted global news, religious beliefs, and disease—most famously The Black Death in the 14th century—along the storied route. An aerial view of Venice In The Silk Road: A Living History, forthcoming from Hemeria, Wilton-Steer traces the trade artery from Italy through the Balkans and into Turkey, wending through Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and India, before continuing through the breadth of China. Starting in London, the photographer traveled nearly 25,000 miles across Europe and Asia, detouring to visit nearby cities and cultural centers, mountains, deserts, remote communities, and spectacular architecture. He captures elaborate mosaic ceilings like those of the Tash Hauli Palace in Khiva, Uzbekistan, or the Shrine of Fatima Masumeh in Qom, Iran. And traces of medieval cities, like Ani in Turkey, sit timelessly in vast landscapes. “When we fly somewhere, we arrive at the destination and most aspects of life of different,” Wilton-Steer says in a foreword. “Traveling overland, I wanted to experience the transitions between different cultures and gain a deeper understanding of what connects us.” In our increasingly integrated world, trade is facilitated through elaborate pan-global shipping networks facilitated by modern technologies. Yet the system is volatile, and the impacts of a global pandemic, accidents, or tariffs can usher in waves of disruption. As China embarks on the world’s largest-ever infrastructure project through its Belt and Road Initiative, the legacy of the Silk Road is front-and-center as the endeavor aims to connect more than 60 percent of the global population. Wilton-Steer is interested in the juxtapositions of contemporary life with ancient traditions, cultures, and historical narratives. Just as the Silk Road helped shape European and Asian civilization hundreds of years ago, the route’s legacy underpins the region’s contemporary social, economic, and cultural spheres. The Silk Road: A Living History will be released on May 20, and you can order your copy in Hemeria’s shop. Wilton-Steer is donating proceeds from the book to the Aga Khan Foundation, which addresses root causes of poverty and works to improve the quality of life in a number of countries along the Silk Road and further afield. You might also enjoy Fatemeh Hosein Aghaei’s stunning photographs of historic Iranian mosques and palaces. Tash Rabat Ceiling details from the Shrine of Fatima Masumeh, Qom The Mausoleam of Oljaytu, Soltaniyeh Alem Entertainment Centre, Ashgabat Details from the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan Next article

“Somewhere in Time,” oil on canvas, 195 x 195 centimeters. All images courtesy of Sebas Velasco and the History Museum of Bosnia and Heregovina, shared with permission Sebas Velasco’s Dreamy Oil Paintings Illuminate Cinematic Urban Landscapes April 9, 2025 Art Kate Mothes Sebas Velasco (previously) has long been drawn to the landscapes and cultures of the Balkans and former Yugoslavian countries in southeastern Europe, where he has spent the past decade traveling and researching for his large-scale paintings and murals. The Morning Will Change Everything at the History Museum of Bosnia and Heregovina marks the Spanish artist’s first institutional exhibition. Inspired by the title of a song by Sarajevo-based band Indexi, the show continues Velasco’s exploration of urban landscapes and themes of relationships and passing time. “Wherever I May Roam,” oil on canvas, 195 x 195 centimeters Rendered in oil on wood or canvas, Velasco’s paintings depict figures, architecture, and old cars illuminated by street lamps or headlights in a realistic yet dreamlike world. Taking cues from photography through the use of cinematic lighting effects and portraiture, he often juxtaposes contrasting elements like grassy meadows with brutalist high-rises or derelict cars with wildflowers. Whether glowing under an orange street light or spotlit against a fuzzy smattering of brake lights and apartment windows, Velasco’s subjects are relaxed, poised, and unhurried. One can imagine the din of car horns, music, and other city noises in the background, yet Velasco emphasizes brief, self-assured interactions as if momentarily, time is at a standstill. Nighttime plays a starring role in Velasco’s compositions, which tap into dualities of the known and unknown, revelations and secrets, individuality and anonymity, and the quotidian and the extraordinary. He conjures “gateways to complex socio-economic narratives,” the museum says, emphasizing the power of humanity amid ever-evolving identities and the tumult of globalization. Find more on Velasco’s website and Instagram. Detail of “Wherever I May Roam” “Golf II,” oil on wood, 41 x 27 centimeters “The Morning Will Change Everything,” oil on wood, 120 x 120 centimeters “Agata,” oil on wood, 81 x 65 centimeters Detail of “Agata” “Yugo 45 III,” oil on wood, 24 x 35 centimeters “Interior Night Sarajevo II,” oil on wood, 46 x 33 centimeters Velasco working on a painting in his solo exhibition at the History Museum of Bosnia and Heregovina Next article