Tag: Design

Chicago-based designer Nicholas Rougeux is fascinated by early encyclopedic publications, from a 17th-century Dutch manuscript dedicated to mixing watercolors to Palladio’s The Four Books of Architecture. Most recently, he took an interest in ornithologist John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds. Published between 1849 and 1861, the beautifully illustrated five-volume series contains 360 hand-colored lithographic plates made in collaboration with his assistant, Henry Constantine Richter. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and

A brand new 18-meter-long Strandbeest scuttles across the sands of a beach in The Netherlands in a short video by Dutch artist Theo Jansen (previously), who has been releasing his otherworldly creatures into the world each year since 1990. Throughout the summer, Jansen experimented with connecting several units together, which could work in succession. “Animaris Rex is a herd of beach animals whose specimens hold each other as defense against storms,” he says. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support indep

Shrouded with an air of mystery, Fatima Ronquillo’s enchanting oil paintings redefine the long-established style of Europe’s Old Masters. The subjects of her canvases are opulently-adorned, paired with a mélange of Catholic icons, flora, fauna, and magical realism that are bound together by motifs evocative of Colonial-era art. In her forthcoming solo show, Amore: An Ode to Love, Ronquillo accentuates a dream-like world where symbols of history, love, and longing come together. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal

From hundreds of metallic emergency blankets suspended from a gallery ceiling to a series of giant inner tubes that engulf an entire room, SpY’s monumental kinetic installations (previously) invite viewers to lose themselves in kinetic choreography and dramatic lighting. In both “Zeros” and “Eclypses,” for example, bold, black shapes are cast in red light, dwarfing the visitor as the forms slowly sway. Many of the works require the viewer to activate them by moving through the middle or interacting with various passageways and perspectives. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 pe

Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu (previously) questions conceptions of disposability in You Thought You Could Throw Me Away. On view this month at 193 Gallery in Paris, the exhibition includes a selection of Muriu’s striking portraits that camouflage her body amongst vivid, kaleidoscopic backdrops. Vibrant and disorienting, the photos emphasize the artist’s limbs, hair, and eyewear made of everyday materials and ask viewers to reconsider who and what are thought of as expendable. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts

For centuries, a lone tree grew in a gully known as Sycamore Gap along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, one of England’s most beloved landmarks. Last week, an act of vandalism reduced the stalwart icon to a stump, generating shock and sadness for its loss. While the National Trust works to protect the remains to see if it can regrow, the story sheds a light on trees’ vulnerability while at the same time standing as emblems of strength and resiliency. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article

In a celebration of global cultural fusion, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA upends Western art historical portrayals of African customs in vibrant mixed-media collages and sculptures (previously). Merging textiles with fiberglass, brass, raffia, wooden masks, and more, the artist highlights our associations with specific materials, pairing them with elusive narratives. Shonibare incorporates the colorful designs into backgrounds, like in the Modern Spiritual series of woodcuts, or clothes dancing figures in a variety of of styles, like in “Sun Dance Kids (Boy and Girl).” His use of the distinctive cotton textiles, common in West and Central Africa, reference complex colonial histories, alluding to “the legacy of African aesthetics and the history of modernism while conceptualising his sculptures as ritual objects with power i

In Transcending the Garden, Sipho Mabona continues to push the boundaries of origami through large-scale folds inspired by beastly and geological shapes. On view now at Glacier Garden Lucerne, this body of work evokes both animal physiques and the rigid, monumental nature of glaciers portrayed through monochromatic geometries. Mabona became known for his animal sculptures ranging from small schools of koi to a life-sized interpretation of an elephant. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as littl

Every month, Colossal shares a selection of opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. If you’d like to list an opportunity here, please get in touch at [email protected]. You can also join our monthly Opportunities Newsletter.   BLINK Cincinnati Call for ArtistsFeatured With the highly anticipated return of its massive public art spectacle, BLINK, Illuminated by ArtsWave, is calling for artists working in light-based experiential installation, murals, projection mapping, digital art, or animation to submit proposals for the October 17 to 20, 2024, event. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a

Tina Kraus (previously) recreates nature’s beauty, idiosyncrasies, and diversity through her intricate paper sculptures. Though the environment has been a source of inspiration since her childhood, Kraus explains to Colossal, “In the past decade, I have become more and more worried about the future. The climate crisis, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity already have a big impact on nature and life on this planet.” These disquietudes gave rise to her Paper Life! More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support indep