Art

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Art

Bang: Ai Weiwei’s Latest Installation Made from 886 Antique Stools

Artist Ai Weiwei has unveiled a number of significant artworks in the last few weeks. The artist released a music video and created a large-scale diorama depicting scenes from his controversial imprisonment, and also created a sobering installation comprised of 150 tons of straightened rebar taken from schools that collapsed during the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Lastly at the 2013 Venice Art Biennale Weiwei contributed an installation consisting of 886 wooden antique stools called Bang. For centuries in Chinese culture it was common for families to have at least one of these handcrafted 3-leg stools for use in the home that was often passed down through generations. As the country has developed at lightning speed the stools have quickly been replaced by plastic and metal alternatives. Weiwei salvaged hundreds of these stools and used them to build this sprawling and nearly organic installation in the German Pavilion. You can learn more over on designboom. Photos by Roman Mensing. (via ignant)

Art Design

Tugboat Printshop Carves and Prints “The Moon”

Back in December Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth over at Tugboat Printshop shared a tantalizing peek at their largest hand-carved relief print ever, The Moon. The print is finally complete and it’s gorgeous. The illustration of the moon was first drawn with a pen onto a piece of 3/4″ birch plywood incorporating various topographical features of the actual moon. After that was carved the stars were carved into the sky on the same piece of wood, but the moon was then cut out with a jigsaw prior to printing.

If you’re interested, the duo published the process of how everything came together over on their website, and 200 copies of the limited edition print are now shipping. Next up: Desert Island.

Art

John Merritt Can Carve Almost Anything Out of a Single Piece of Wood

This video has been around for a bit but it was new to me. Woodcarver John Merrit carves just about anything you can imagine out of a single piece of wood. He doesn’t do it for money, just the challenge of creating insanely intricate pieces as gifts for his wife, friends, or simply a personal sense of achievement. As the video went on my jaw dropped at how nonchalantly he presents each increasingly amazing object with a sense of “oh yeah, this old thing”. (via the awesomer)

Art

Suspended Cloud Paintings by Joris Kuipers

While Dutch artist Joris Kuipers spent years studying traditional painting and fine art techniques at both the Arnhem Academy and the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen, his installations fly in the face of anything traditional. While borrowing from ideas rooted in expressionism as far as the application of paint and use of color, the artist constructs large-scale installations that spiral and twist off the walls, blurring the lines between painting and sculpture.

Two of his most recent works shown here were installed at Galerie Jaap Sleper in Utrecht and Het Plafond in Rotterdam. The artworks are made from suspended and raised components of depron foam coated with acrylic paint, appearing like a storm of whirling clouds or maybe flowers. I really hope he continues in this direction. (via saatchi online)

Art Food Photography

Portion Control: New Photos of Tiny People Living in a World of Food by Christopher Boffoli

Rock Candy Icefall

Fine art photographer Christopher Boffoli (previously) just released a new body of work as a continuation of his Big Appetites series where he imagines tiny people living in a world of giant food. Boffoli opens a new exhibition tomorrow night called Portion Control at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York where he’ll also have a few copies of his forthcoming book Big Appetites. All images courtesy the artist.

Caramel Apple Accident

Caramel Salt Harvesters

Cheesecake Daredevil

Cherry Pitters

Cookie Bear Ambush

Redrum

Art

Four New Murals by David de la Mano and Pablo S. Herrero

Pajaros

Pajaros

Transito

Transito

Transito

Baluarte

Baluarte, in progress

Eco

Eco

Artists David de la Mano and Pablo S. Herrero (previously) recently finished four new pieces on the streets of Winter Haven, Florida. The duo continued their exploration of human figures and the natural world with their fractal-like forms of faces and eyes. See much more here.