Art

Section

Art Photography

The Silent City: Digitally Assembled Futuristic Megalopolises by Yang Yongliang

Sleepless Wonderland, Lightbox, 2012

Sleepless Wonderland, Lightbox, 2012 (detail)

Sleepless Wonderland, Lightbox, 2012 (detail)

Sleepless Wonderland, Lightbox, 2012 (detail)

Snake and Grenade, Lightbox, 2012

Snake and Grenade, Lightbox, 2012 (detail)

Wolf and Landmines, Lightbox, 2012

Full Moon, Lightbox, 2012

Bowl of Tapei No. 03, 2012

Bowl of Tapei No. 04, 2012

Chinese artist Yang Yongliang (previously) recently released three new bodies of work that will be on view at Galerie Paris-Beijing from from March 14th to April 27th, 2013. Born in Shanghai in 1980, Yongliang is known for his sprawling photographic collages that depict the devastating effects of uncontrolled urbanisation and industrialisation. At a distance the works look like traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy but when viewed up close, the peaceful mountains and seascapes are found to be choked with buildings, factories, and machinery. The images of above scarcely convey the detail in these pieces, but look at this high resolution version of Sleepless Wonderland to get an idea. Head over to Galerie Paris-Beijing to explore more of the three collections titled Silent Valley, Moonlight, and a Bowl of Taipei. All images courtesy the gallery.

Art

The Street Art and Drawings of IEMZA

French street artist IEMZA tells IdN that he treats the creation of his outdoor paintings like sketches, incorporating a hierarchy of lines both organic and faintly architectural. The artist often utilizes decaying walls as a backdrop, where the underlying structures of abandoned buildings have been laid bare and work in perfect harmony with IEMZA’s imperfect, dripping line work. His subjects are equally terrifying and beautiful: hallowed-eyed faces both haunting and sensual, and other-worldly insects or monsters that completely dominate the canvas they live on. You can see much more of his work on Facebook and Flickr.

Art

Dramatically Blurred Oil Paintings by Valerio D'Ospina

I’m really enjoying the perspective and mood in these oil paintings by Valerio D’Ospina. Born in southern Italy but now living and working in Pennsylvania the artist paints gritty scenes from industry including ship yards, trains, and factories as well as broad “urbanscapes” that are captured from a dramatic, almost blurred perspective. His most recent solo show was at Hall Spassov Gallery back in October. (via cosas cool)

Art

Anna Gillespie Fuses Nature and Art in her Figurative Sculptures Made of Acorns, Beechnut Casings and Bronze

Sculptor Anna Gillespie lives and works in Bath where she infuses her figurative sculptures with elements collected from nature including numerous acorn caps or beechnut casings. Gillespie also works with bronze and stone, often recreating some of the same environmental elements by hand, a process I imagine is even more meticulous than harvesting and using individual seeds themselves. She most recently had a solo show at Beaux Arts Bath and published a book of her work spanning 2006-2012 where you can see many more stunning images of her sculpture.

Art

United States Map Made from Thousands of Wood Matches by Claire Fontaine

U.S.A. (burnt/unburnt) is a 2011 installation by Paris-based artist Claire Fontaine constructed from thousands of green matches that were inserted into a wall at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art as part art of “Evidence of Bricks” at the 2011 Time-Based Art Festival. Fontaine has produced several of her match installations and flaming geography, most recently completing a similar U.S.A. map at Queens Nails Gallery in San Francisco. Unlike the installation in Portland above, the Queens Nails artwork was actually set on fire, and while it may not have gone exactly as intended, the final post-flame artwork is impressive nonetheless. Photographs above for PICA by Dan Kvitka.

Art

Birds Made from Recycled Metal Scraps by Barbara Franc

Inspired by the forms of animals artist Barbara Franc seeks to capture a sense of motion as she recreates a variety of wildlife from birds to horses using reclaimed materials such as old food tins. Via her artist statement:

I have always been fascinated by the shapes and sculptural forms of animals, they present a never-ending source of inspiration to me. I try to capture a feeling of their movement and presence in my sculpture. For this I use wire and other materials in a way that suggests drawing in three dimensions. This allows me greater freedom to add changes whenever I want during the construction to keep the feeling fluid and to reflect the diversity of movement and form. I increasingly use recycled and discarded materials as I enjoy the challenge of transforming something with a past history into something new and exciting.

You can see much more of her work on her website, and she appears to have a number of works available via Union Gallery. (via junk culture)