sculpture

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Art

Fantastical Creatures From Illuminated Manuscripts Recreated as Piñatas by Roberto Benavidez

Robert Benavidez looks to famous paintings and literature for source material for his metallic piñatas, such as Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights (previously). The Los Angeles-based artist’s most recent series Illuminated Piñata pulls characters from the Luttrell Psalter (c. 1325-1335), a famous medieval manuscripts. The book contains illustrations of fantastical hybrid creatures, which Benavidez further explores by creating three-dimensional sculptures using traditional piñata motifs.

Works from his Bosch series will be on view at the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, CA in the group exhibition BEAST, opening February 2, 2019. You can see more of his sculptural piñatas on his Instagram and website.

Art

Thousands of Shards of Glass Imitate Blurred Motion in a Towering Public Sculpture by Costas Varotsos

First completed in 1988, Dromeas or “The Runner,” is a 40-foot-tall public sculpture created by Greek artist Costas Varotsos. The densely layered work is formed from thousands of jagged shards of greenish-grey glass which are stacked around iron in the formation of a runner in motion. Originally the piece was installed in the Athens’s Omonia Square, but due to fear that it would topple from underground metro vibrations, in 1994 the city moved the piece to Megalis tou Genous Sholi square. When designing the sculpture, Varotsos considered which types of movement occur in these public spaces and how they might impact the viewing of his work.

“The position of people on the square is never fixed,” he explains. “As is the case with every city, here, too, objects and buildings are things you see while in motion. Rarely do you stop to look closely at something. Individuals observing the sculpture do so at two speeds, depending on where they are on the square: walking on the sidewalks or driving by in a car. The kind of space operating here is not only a purely visual one, but also one open to the sense of touch; one generating a tactile sensation.”

The ambiguous figure is meant to capture the exact moment one finishes a race—be that a literal translation of a marathon, or a more loose interpretation of conquering a challenging moment. You can see more of Varotsos’s public sculptures on his website. (via Atlas Obscura)

Art

Rusted Gears and Tools Combine to Create Figural Sculptures That Address Human Emotions

Sculptor Penny Hardy combines discarded metal items to create three-dimensional figures based on her body’s own dimensions. Although the physique has the same core reference, each sculpture is a unique creation based on the varied assortment of rusted gears, bolts, and screws used in its composition. In display, the works are either presented alone or in pairs of two, and express fundamental emotions through their relationship to the environment or each other.

“Through using my body frame as a canvas I wish to communicate some of these effects through the medium of sculpture,” she tells Colossal. “By using discarded man-made metal items, which have been so skillfully made and used to create their own mechanical energy, I hope to extend their life in another form, re-use that energy for a different purpose, and exchange their function to create a new entity.” You can see more of Hardy’s sculptures based on her own form on her website.

Art Design

Spiked Sculptures by Matthew Shlian Create Angular Geometry from Folded Paper

Paper engineer Matthew Shlian (previously here and here) combines intricate geometric tessellations with exact folds and creases to form bas-relief sculptures. Shlian has been crafting his paper artworks for several years. In recent sculptures the artist has introduced a vibrant color palette that strays dramatically from his traditional black and white works. Recent works include warm and cool tones, in addition to gouache washes that add texture and variation to his smooth paper surfaces.

In a statement on his website, Shlian explains, “My process is extremely varied from piece to piece. Often I start without a clear goal in mind, working within a series of limitations. For example on one piece I’ll only use curved folds, or make my lines this length or that angle, etc. Other times I begin with an idea for movement and try to achieve that shape or form somehow.”

Shlian is currently working on a book, tentatively due out in 2019. In the meantime you can see his work in person at Context Art Miami from December 4 – 9, 2018, shown by Duran | Mashaal Gallery. The artist also shares updates on his work via Instagram and Facebook.

Art

Abstract Goldfish Swim Through Imitation Plastic Bags in Multi-Media Constructions by Riusuke Fukahori

Riusuke Fukahori (previously) has long admired the appearance of goldfish, immortalizing realistic depictions of the small creature in layers of acrylic and resin. Previously Fukahori has focused on paintings of goldfish moving inside of Japanese household objects such as bamboo hats, wooden sake cups, and handmade bowls. For his new Irobukuro series his inspiration has turned to imitating the vessels and scenery of Mong Kok’s Goldfish Market in Hong Kong, where rows of colorful fish line stall after stall. For the included works he molds resin to resemble plastic bags filled with water. Instead of realistically depicting the detailed scales, eyes, and fins of the fish Fukahori paints abstractly to capture how a goldfish glides through the water.

These works, along with some of his more traditionally painted pieces in memory-laden objects are included in his third solo exhibition with Joshua Liner Gallery  in New York City, titled Goldfish Blossoms. Fukahori will present realistic paintings in black bowls used at a Buddhist temple, paint cans from his studio, and a wooden oke tub previously used at a restaurant he frequented as a child. The exhibition opens on December 13, 2018 and runs through January 19, 2019.

Art

Slumped Plexiglass Pillows by Colin Roberts Refract Light like Dazzling Disco Balls

Los Angeles-based artist Colin Roberts began creating pillows out of perspex, or plexiglass, in 2008. The solid imitations of typically plush objects are shaped to be dented and slumped which presents the illusion of softness despite their stiff composition. “I was inspired to use the pillow shape because it’s an object that is so common, yet as humans, we all have a special relationship to, without realizing it,” Roberts explains to Colossal. “A pillow is something every human can recognize and long for when needing rest. It represents comfort, rest, and sleep for our mind, body, and soul.”

The patchwork sculptures are often multi-colored and refract light like a mirrored disco ball. The artist’s work is currently being exhibited in the group exhibition Divided Brain at LAVA Projects in Los Angeles through December 16, 2018. You can see more of Roberts’s plexiglass sculptures on his website and Instagram. (via The Jealous Curator)

Art

Symbiotic Assemblages by Amy Gross Combine Animals and Insects with Fictionalized Habitats

South Florida-based artist Amy Gross creates hand-embroidered and beaded fiber sculptures that contain colorful nods to the natural world. Bees dot the surface of a work formed from leaves, honeycomb, and moss, while other works contain kaleidoscopic arrays of birds, mushrooms, and other fungi. Although the sculptures reflect a natural symbiosis, their structures are fictionalized in both their color and composition. None of the elements of her pieces are found objects, but rather each handmade from craft store supplies and objects like yarn, beads, wire, and paper.

“Making objects is my way of turning thought into something solid and real, and in a way, slowing time,” Gross tells Colossal. “I never use anything in my work that was ever alive, I collaborate solely with manufactured materials. They mimic living things but will not wither or die. It’s a very human desire to slow or control disintegration, to try to have a say in a volatile, uncontrollable world of change.”

Gross is included in a group exhibition titled Small Works, Big Impact which opens on November 15, 2018 at Momentum Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina. You can see more of her nature-inspired assemblages on her website.