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Los Carpinteros are a Havana-based duo consisting of Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodríguez. Formed in 1991, originally as a trio that included Alexandre Arrechea (see previous post) until his departure in 2003, the Cuban collective decided to renounce the idea of individual authorship and pay homage to an older tradition of artisans and skilled laborers. They create installations and drawings that merge architecture, design, and sculpture in surprising and humorous ways. Often, their very carefully crafted works set up contradictions between object and function, in addition to practicality vs. uselessness.

From top to bottom:
Cuarteto (Quartet); 16m; Luces del Estadio del Pueblo (Town Stadium Lights); La Montaña Rusa (The Rollercoaster); Free Basket; Patas de Rana Negras (size S) (Black Frogs’ Legs, size s); Sala de Lectura Ovalada (Oval Reading Room); Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional (National Liberation Movement); Casa (Home)

via Sean Kelly

Nice pencil drawings by Michelle D. Ferrera, based in California. Originally, Ferrera worked in journals but a few years ago, looking for a larger canvas, she picked up a piece of scrap wood from the garage and the rest is history. I really like the effect; the rustic quality of the wood grain in contrast with the smoothness of her drawings. And those hands and feet…impressive!

via artslant

With a mannequin arm adorning each of Em and Dan’s college rooms, one could begin to be concerned with our recent interest in truncated limbs. Not surprising, then, that artist Ronna Nemitz’s sculptures would appeal to us. There’s something about focusing in on the movement and detail of these legs and arms that I find interesting. Using plaster life casts, with steel for certain pieces such as the wire and diving board, Nemitz, from western U.S., created an exhibit titled The Pull of Gravity.

From the artist’s statement:
The pull of Gravity explores ideas of suspension, tension, and isolation through an on going narrative. Amplified and exaggerated moments are suspended in prolonged tension and isolation, pinpointing moments of transition. Truncated limbs replace entire figures. With the impending movement halted, the ephemeral nature of experience is momentarily arrested and able to be examined.

Everyone experiences some form of these moments in their lives and it is my attempt to make something physical that represents the complex and contradictory emotions involved in life’s transitions. Personal meaning takes shape out of these moments. We are the sum of our life’s transitions.

You can see more of Ronna Nemitz’s work on her website.