Category Archives: Art

by - 1 Comment

Frank Kunert: Small Worlds

photos, miniatures, humorous photos, art, designphotos, miniatures, humorous photos, art, designphotos, miniatures, humorous photos, art, designGerman photographer Frank Kunert creates intricate, flawlessly detailed miniature models, full of humor and satire, and then photographs them. I’ve come across one or two of these photos before, but visiting Kunert’s website to see his extensive collection was a real treat. I felt myself grinning stupidly at the computer screen.

It’s too bad these can’t be enlarged to see more of the detail. Pretty incredible work. For one more week you can see a couple of Frank Kunert’s photographs live at the Museum of Art and Design as part of the Otherworldly exhibit.

via MAD

by - 2 Comments

Chus Garcia-Fraile: Barcode

Large Sculpture, Barcelona, Fun Art, Pop Art, Beach ArtLarge Sculpture, Barcelona, Fun Art, Pop Art, Beach ArtClick to enlarge

Chus Garcia-Fraile lives and works in Madrid, Spain. She works in all mediums, fluctuating between photography, drawing, sculpture, video and installation.

Barcode is an oversized sculpture that she created as part of the International Festival of Bennicassim — a music festival on the eastern coast of Spain, north of Valencia — a few years back. Nice!

Photos from fiberfib’s flickr

by - 0 comments

Nada Sehnaoui: Bringing Order to Chaos

Sehanaoui, Lebanon, Beirut, art installation, toilets, war, order, contemporary art, collabcubedSehanaoui, Lebanon, Beirut, art installation, toilets, war, order, contemporary art, collabcubedArt installation, Lebanon, Beirut, Nada Sehnaoui, War, Chaos, Identity, collabcubedBeirut-based artist Nada Sehnaoui creates installations that deal with issues of war, history and identity. In her installation Haven’t 15 Years of Hiding in the Toilets Been Enough?, Sehnaoui installed 600 toilets in downtown Beirut in memory of the 15-year long Lebanese war, a time when people used to hide from bombs and shrapnel in the bathrooms. She invited residents of the city to sit on the toilets, rest their feet and contemplate what had taken place.

In This Too Shall Pass (a prayer), Sehnaoui positions a large number of rolling pins in a circle, almost as if holding hands and united in prayer against the constant threat of war. And in Plastic Memory Containers, Nada Sehnaoui, surprised by the strong connection people felt with their 6000-year old history yet complete alienation from the more recent history of the civil war, she filled 100 plastic buckets with 3000 crumpled up pieces of paper with the question “How meaningful is it to have a 6000-year old history when we have no memory of our recent past?”

via moversnshakers

by - 2 Comments

Joshua Stern: Spitball Portraits

Joshua Stern, Spitballs, Photos, Portraits, Contemporary art, Parker's Box, Williamsburg GalleryJoshua Stern, Spitballs, Photos, Portraits, Contemporary art, Parker's Box, Williamsburg GalleryJoshua Stern, Spitballs, Photos, Portraits, Contemporary art, Parker's Box, Williamsburg GalleryTo see him, you wouldn’t think Joshua Stern to be the spitball-throwing type, and you’d probably be right. He is, however, a spitball-creating type who, instead of firing spitballs at others, chooses to make the tiny objects into sculptures of heads. He then proceeds to photograph them and magnify these miniature spitball sculptures onto 4 x 6ft. prints, or a least that’s what the artist did for his solo exhibit at Parker’s Box in Williamsburg, Brooklyn titled Straw Economy. “Magnifying the grandness of the insignificant” seems to be a theme in Stern’s work with some of its significance relating to art market values today.

You can see more of Joshua Stern’s work here and here.

by - 0 comments

Ahmed Mater: Medicine and Art

Ahmed Mater, Saudi Contemporary Art, x-ray artAhmed Mater, Saudi Contemporary Art, x-ray art, antennas

Click to enlarge

Ahmed Mater is a Saudi artist and M.D. who was born and raised in an Aseeri village which, unlike much of the rest of Saudi Arabia, retained its traditional architecture and culture. When his family moved to Abha, the regional capital and a modern Saudi city, he began to question the values of his traditional and conservative upbringing. The turmoil that he experienced “influenced and gave birth to new experiments” in his art.

From top to bottom: The Evolution of Man (silkscreened prints on lightboxes); Antenna series (neon tubes); Cowboy Code (plastic gun caps); Magnetism (UV Curved Virtu Print on White Aluminium)

Mater’s exhibit at the LACMA ends today and his next exhibit is at the British Museum in London starting at the end of January 2012 running through April. CORRECTION: Some of Ahmed Mater’s work was and will be included in the above exhibits, but these are not solo shows.

You can see more of his work on his site, blog, and flickr.

by - 0 comments

Jan Henrik Hansen: Music Materialization

sculpture, music into space, digital, architectural facades, cool artsculpture, music into space, digital, architectural facades, cool artsculpture, music into space, digital, architectural facades, cool artsculpture, music into space, digital, architectural facades, cool artClick to enlarge.

Swiss artist and architect Jan Henrik Hansen has been transforming music into space with his unique digital technique for the past 12 years. It’s not completely clear to me what that exactly means, but the results are singular and impressive. Working with all types of materials ranging from metal to wood to plastic and glass, Hansen creates both spectacular sculptures as well as architectural collaborations that include structural façades, window screens, and interior sculptural walls. He even has a proposal for a Vertical Park based on the USA National Anthem for New York City.

Yes, so back to the music aspect: all these works and structures are based on individual pieces of music from Bach Fugues to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.

From the artist’s site:
“…His music sculptures relate to their musical source on a subjective as well as on an objective level, dealing with the wide spectrum of music, from single sounds to whole arrangements.”

I would be interested to understand how the transformation from music to artwork takes place, but even without that understanding Jan Henrik Hansen’s work is amazing enough to stand on its own.

by - 1 Comment

Miler Lagos

art installations, books, sculpture, contemporary art, Colombianart installations, books, sculpture, contemporary art, ColombianColombian artist Miler Lagos works in several mediums including sculpture, installation and video. Much of his art is a metaphor for the fine balance between nature and culture especially in today’s state of diminishing resources.

For his upcoming show here in NYC, Lagos will create his installation piece Igloo, a 9-foot domed structure (see top photo) constructed of layers of reference books laid like bricks in a cylindrical shape. The igloo symbolizes the transfer of knowledge through generations at the same time serving as a shelter to protect from nature, despite its own fragility.

The second work from the top is Pie de Amigo (Foot of Friend) is an arc of stacked architecture books with one pencil placed in the leaves of each book that, if removed, would cause the whole piece to tumble.

Tree Ring Dating is a cross-section of a tree made from folded stock pages from newspapers, exploring the relationship between commodity and nature.

The last three pieces shown are: Silence Dogood; El Papel Aguanta Todo (The Paper Resists Everything) ; and Fragmentos del Tiempo (Fragments of Time)

Miler Lagos’ show Home opens September 8th at MagnanMetz Gallery in NYC.

by - 1 Comment

Blurry Photo Pencil Drawings

amazing pencil drawings, blurred yearbook photo drawings, Chiappe, VoltaNYamazing pencil drawings, blurred yearbook photo drawings, Chiappe, VoltaNYAmazing photo realistic pencil drawings of yearbook photosI first saw Paul Chiappe’s amazing pencil drawings a few months back at VoltaNY and was reminded yesterday when I was looking through my iPhoto gallery for something else and spotted photos I had taken of his work that day.

At first glance, I thought I was looking at a wall of blurred old yearbook photos, which in itself held some interest, but when I realized that these were in fact pencil drawings, well, I was completely awestruck. I had such a hard time believing it that I kept asking the gallery representative if she was sure that they were all pencil drawings. Surely some were photoshopped images. Maybe she had misunderstood. Maybe I had misunderstood. No. These small-sized (the largest are postcard size), hyper-realistic  portraits and group photos are all drawn by hand by artist Paul Chiappe of Edinburgh, Scotland. It would be impressive enough if these were in focus, but to be able to render the blurred aspect takes it to the next level.

You can see more of Chiappe’s incredible work on his site and at Madder139.amazing pencil drawings, blurred yearbook photo drawings, Chiappe, VoltaNY

by - 0 comments

David Kenworthy: Light Consumption

Pop art, light sculptures, toys and confectionsPop art, light sculptures, toys and confectionsPop art, light sculptures, toys and confectionsAustralian artist David Kenworthy uses light and color to transform the most mundane urban commodities into jewel-like relics of childhood and playful consumption. His is a modern-day pop art: emphasizing the fleeting and shallow by playing with objects found in mass-market discount stores including toys, toy bins, and confections such as jelly beans and gummy bears. By illuminating these objects they radiate their own uniquely colored light with a stunning glow and vivid intensity. Kenworthy aims to recreate with his light sculptures the same instantly gratifying but ultimately transient feelings that come with their consumption.

You can find more images of David Kenworthy’s work here, here, and here.

by - 0 comments

Tatsuo Miyajima: Counter Void in Tokyo

Counter Void, Installation, Tokyo, Tatsuo MiyajimaCounter Void, Installation, Tokyo, Tatsuo MiyajimaClick to enlarge.

At first glance the 3-meters-plus digital wall in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, appears to be a clock but, upon further inspection, it becomes clear that the randomness of the numbers and the speed in which they change, has little to do with time. Artist Tatsuo Miyajima created this work titled Counter Void which, instead of time, according to the artist, shows the contrast of “Life” and “Death”.

The piece displays the numbers differently in the day vs. the nighttime. During the day, the background’s neon light is turned off and the digital counters are displayed in white neon light. At night, the numbers drop out black from the white neon lit background. In both cases the digital counters keep counting from 9 to 1  with each counter counting at a different speed.

I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy seeing this live.

Photos: Local Japan Times; Kico’s flickr; Lu Yee
by - 0 comments

Rob Millard-Mendez: Masks

Masks, kinetic, interactive sculpture, witty art masks, mythologyMasks, kinetic, interactive sculpture, witty art masks, mythologyMasks, kinetic, interactive sculpture, witty art masks, mythologyClick to enlarge.

I got a huge kick out of these masks when I came across them the other day. Originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, where there are many old mill buildings left over from the 1800s, artist Rob Millard-Mendez was fascinated by late-nineteenth century mechanical technology. His art consists mostly of interactive kinetic objects with a combination of mythological, scientific, and historical references as well as an American Folk Art feel. There is a dark humor to his work, blurring the line between the tragic and the laughable.

From the artist’s website:
…The toy-like quality of the pieces is set in ironic counterbalance with a certain amount of dark whimsy. The interactivity ties in with the idea of power. The things we do (and do not do) affect the world, often more deeply than we know. In these works I am trying to make the viewer think about who has the power to influence whom and in what ways...
From top to bottom: Tends to Lash Out (Wood, steel, measuring sticks, reclaimed ivory): Unfertility Mask and detail (Wood, paint, steel, condoms); Unable to See Over the Hegemony (Wood, steel, measuring sticks, reclaimed ivory); Alchemist Mask (Wood, steel, lead, gold leaf); Critical Mas(k); detail of Critical Mas(k) (Wood, measuring sticks); Phaeton Mask; Detail of Phaeton Mask (Wood, steel, tile, oven mitts, matches). All images courtesy of the artist.

Rob Millard-Mendez currently resides in Evansville, Indiana, and teaches at the University of Southern Indiana. You can see the rest of his equally whimsical work on his site.

by - 0 comments

Giant 3D Letters for Home or Garden

Type Sculptures, Typography, Giant Letters for DecoratingType Sculptures, Typography, Giant Letters for DecoratingOne of these would be fun to have in the middle of our living room. Or maybe two or three to spell something out.

Jimmy Fiction Esq. is the man behind these giant three-dimensional letters, which are also available in numbers or symbols. Maybe a huge ampersand would be the thing to get. All letters are made of welded steel and resin or powder coated. They are sturdy enough for all-weather outdoor use as well.

These monumental type sculptures are manufactured to order and priced on an individual basis but, just to give you an idea, the ones pictured start at £700. My favorite line on Jimmy Fiction’s site? “If you want to write your beloved’s entire double-barrelled name across your garden, then well done you, you romantic and stylish fellow… and yes we can probably do you a discount.”

via typetoken

by - 0 comments

Bwindi Light Masks: Richi Ferrero

light lumen installation, african masks, richi ferrero, light artlight lumen installation, african masks, richi ferrero, light artClick to enlarge.

Richi Ferrero created this outdoor installation as part of Luminale 2010, which showed in Frankfurt at the Archeological Museum, using authentic African masks, LED lights and an acoustic system.

Forty identical masks, from an area at the border between Congo and Uganda, as small stones are placed in random order, in the open area of the Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt. Daylight gives the essence of representation, a state of waiting. The ritual will come to life when the artificial light will change in the dark, the colours of the masks, giving life to a dance strongly supported by the bi-vocal sounds of Tuva singers.

via luminapolis

by - 0 comments

The Kitchen Project

cool, futuristic kitchen design, yoes, sounds, lightcool, futuristic kitchen design, yoes, sounds, lightcool, futuristic kitchen design, yoes, sounds, lightClick images to enlarge.

I would imagine that cooking in the Kitchen Project – an actual kitchen in an apartment on West 67th St. in NYC — is a semi-surreal experience. With changing-color lighting, Cubist-feeling cabinets, and varying sound effects upon opening every door, this is not your mother’s (or father’s) kitchen. A collaborative project by artist Amy Yoes (commissioned by the client to create a kitchen that was a work of art and would give them the sense of living inside her video Rear-View Mirror) with Slade Architecture and Bronze Hill Inc.

The kitchen includes: LED lights that are programmed to cycle through the color spectrum at varying speeds; Stop-motion animations projected within the cabinetry; and cabinet doors and drawers that trigger amplified sounds when opened (see this short video to see it in action.)

Photos: Amy Yoes and Annie Schlechter for The World of Interiors
by - 0 comments

Angela McHarrie: Experimental Sculpture

Australian sculpture, Balancing, humorous, furniture, experimentalAustralian sculpture, Balancing, humorous, furniture, experimentalAustralian sculpture, Balancing, humorous, furniture, experimentalAustralian artist Angela McHarrie works in multiple mediums including sculpture, painting and installation. Her series of sculptures above deal with balance and uncertainty. As McHarrie points out:

My work is primarily an investigation of visual cognition, playing with how we make sense of what we see. This has taken the form of precariously balanced, ‘impossible’ structures, perceptual puzzles and more recently coded systems. As a result, the works often operate in the space between two and three dimensions and therefore range across sculpture, painting and installation.

This playfulness and experimental nature is also present in her most recent show at Perth Galleries titled Experiment in Production (bottom 4 photos), which ended this past weekend. This work explores genetic modification and our world of production, from research and development to the desired end product.

Images courtesy Harrison Galleries and Perth Galleries.
by - 4 Comments

MIT FAST Light

Festival of Art, Science Technology, MIT 2011, Light FestivalFestival of Art, Science Technology, MIT 2011, Light FestivalFestival of Art, Science Technology, MIT 2011, Light FestivalMIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) celebrated its 150th anniversary this year with 150 consecutive days of special activities and festivities. A major part of these celebratory events occurred during the Festival of Art, Science and Technology (FAST) which culminated in May with the FAST Light festival. On May 7th and 8th the open house featuring installation projects by faculty and staff took place around the MIT campus. Though all the projects are very interesting and worth checking out, for the purposes of keeping this post a reasonable length, I’m only posting about four of these installations.

From top to bottom:
Unflat Pavilion / Feather-Weight Houseby Nick Gelpi: A pattern cut into flat plywood stock transforms into a three-dimensional, freestanding pavilion. Architectural features appear as flat sheets are bent, unfurling into skylights, columns, buttresses, windows and vents.
Night of Numbers by Anna Kotova and Praveen Subramani: a dynamic lighting installation that tells the story of MIT’s past with projected numbers and phrases (that are relevant and meaningful to MIT students and alumni) on buildings around campus.
Maxwell’s Dream: Painting with Light, by Kaustuv De Biswas and Daniel Rosenberg. On display in the Infinite Corridor Community Lounge: An art installation that allows observers to play with a magnetic field to create patterns in light.
Dis(course)4, by Craig Boney, James Coleman and Andrew Manto: A stairwell transformed by a shimmering conduit designed to inspire delight, wonder and communication between floors.
Photo credits: Arts at MIT; caromk’s flickr; courtesy MIT.
by - 0 comments

Tec: Buenos Aires Street Art

Fase, graffiti, Argentinean Street ArtFase, graffiti, Argentinean Street ArtClick to enlarge

Tec started painting the streets of Buenos Aires in the 1990s. Known for his image of a fish cut in half as his tag, Tec was interested more in drawing iconic images that were bright in color instead of letter-based graffiti. He is a founding member of the art/design/music collective FASE and, along with DOMA art collective, were the force behind the graphic design influenced form of street art of bright colors and positive nature that largely defined street art in Buenos Aires in the years following the economic crash of 2001.

Tec continues to paint on urban walls.

You can see more of his work at his site and on his flickr photostream.

via graffitimundo

by - 1 Comment

Lang/Baumann: Inflatables

art installation, inflatable sculptures, structures, modern artart installation, inflatable sculptures, structures, modern artClick to enlarge

Sabina Lang (originally from Berne, Germany) and Daniel Baumann (originally from San Francisco) have been living and collaborating in Burgdorf, Switzerland since 1990.

Known for many different, usually, large-scale works that include Op-art wall and floor murals and mid-air hanging staircases, here we are focusing on a few of their latest inflatable sculptures/installations from the past couple of years.

From top to bottom:
Comfort #4 (Motiers); Comfor t#4 Paris, part of Nuit Blanche; Comfort #8, Warsaw; Comfort #3, Barcelona.

You can see much more of their work on their website.