Here’s What We’re Excited to See at EXPO CHICAGO 2024
Next week marks the biggest and busiest art week of the year in Colossal’s back yard, EXPO CHICAGO returns to the Navy Pier from April 11 to 14 with hundreds of galleries, site-specific projects, talks, and satellite programming across the city. Numerous galleries, museums, artists, and curators are also partnering for EXPO ART WEEK, which launches April 8.
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Guardabosques’ Meticulous Paper Portraits Celebrate Diverse Bat Species in ‘Little Friends of Darkness’
Bats can be found nearly everywhere on the planet, except for extreme deserts and the poles, and there are more than 1,400 species with an incredible variety of traits. The tiniest is Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, also known as a “bumblebee bat,” because it’s less than 1.5 inches long and weighs only two grams. Then there’s the giant golden-crowned flying fox, which boasts a wingspan of more than five feet and weighs up to three pounds.
Guardabosques, the mind-boggling variety of the winged mammals inspires Amiguitos de la Oscuridad, or “little friends of darkness,” a continuing project—with its own Instagram account—capturing expressive likenesses in meticulously folded paper. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/guardabosques-paper-bat-sculptures/
Guadalupe Maravilla Appeals to the Children of War in a New Series of Retablos
Dating back to the late 18th century, retablos are small devotional paintings created to thank God or a saint for their protection during a particularly trying or dangerous event. In his show, Si no sanas hoy, sanarás mañana, Guadalupe Maravilla (previously) conjures this tradition as he nests narrative works inside spiny mixed-media sculptures that address the indelible impact of childhood trauma.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/guadalupe-maravilla-retablos/
Join Colossal at ‘Dreamscape,’ an Ethereal Edible Installation at The Other Art Fair Chicago
We’re excited to share a Colossal-curated project debuting April 11 at The Other Art Fair Chicago. On opening night, usher in spring with a magical edible installation by Chicago-based artist Hyun Jung Jun of Dream Cake Test Kitchen.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/dreamscape-other-art-fair/
Add an Inflated Sense of Joy to Your Digs with Home Studyo’s ‘Blow Up’ Collection
One of the drawbacks of balloons or beach balls is that they’re temporary; the helium eventually leaks out or the seams burst, squashing the fun. But Belgium-based Home Studyo came up with a way to add the playful touch of inflatable objects to your home without worrying about the air escaping. Cast in sturdy ceramic, the studio’s Blow Up collection adds a joyful, bouncy illusion to homewares often associated with fragility. Available in five colors, the vases, pitchers, and mirrors have names like “Emily” and “Pierre,” which add an inviting touch to personal spaces and social gatherings alike. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/home-studyo-blow-up-collection/
A Colossal Conversation: Alice Stites On Taking Risks, Respecting the Public, and Curating for 21c Museum Hotels
Walk into 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Chicago, and you might encounter a medicine cabinet filled with felted products by Lucy Sparrow, a photo from Carrie Mae Weems’s Kitchen Table series, and Angela Ellsworth’s unsettling bonnets made of pearls and pins, all within the lobby alone. The works were part of OFF-SPRING: New Generation, a traveling exhibition curated by Alice Stites that considers how rituals influence identity. They were also unusual sights for a venue that welcomes guests toting unwieldy luggage and grabbing a drink at the bar. More
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Look on the Bright Side with an Array of Playful Candles in the Colossal Shop
From paraffin to beeswax to various plants, candles have been made from all kinds of materials throughout the millennia—there’s even a fish called a “candlefish,” and we’re sure you can guess why. Thankfully, contemporary makers have a veritable wealth of ways to pour these waxy light sources in myriad shapes, colors, and sizes. When finding ways to add good design and touches of joy to our homes, a great candle is always a bright idea.
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In Iceland, Jan Erik Waider Captures Voluminous Bubbles Locked in a Frozen Glacial Lake
Decaying organic matter settled on the floor of a lake—or in the case of arctic regions, emerged from the ancient depths of melting glaciers—can produce gases like methane that get pushed upward and trapped between layers of ice when the water freezes.
Jan Erik Waider, who is drawn to the remarkable expanses of the North, recently documented an array of remarkable frozen patterns in the lake at the edge of the Skaftafellsjökull glacier. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/jan-erik-waider-iceland-bubbles/
Delectable Treats and Wild Blooms Radiate from Casey Gray’s Bountiful Still Life Paintings
Psychedelic flowers, a breakfast buffet, and a sprawling array of cheeses are just a few of the delightful spreads composed by San Francisco-based artist Casey Gray. Using acrylic spray paint and meticulous masking techniques, he builds up layers of color and contrast so that snacks, desserts, and blooms boldly “pop” as if illuminated by a spotlight against a dark background.
Sweet Bountiful Life at Hashimoto Contemporary welcomes viewers to a delectable presentation that celebrates food and togetherness. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/casey-gray-still-lifes/
Vincent van Gecko: Researchers Dub a Newly-Discovered Reptile After the Artist of ‘Starry Night’
In the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India, scientists have discovered two new gecko species, and one in particular has inspired an art historical name. The research team, consisting of Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray, Swapnil Pawar, Ishan Agarwal, Satpal Gangalmale, and Vivek Waghe, landed on the name Cnemaspis vangoghi because the blue coloration evoked Vincent van Gogh’s iconic “Starry Night” (1889).
sexual dimorphism, only the males resemble the Post-Impressionist painting and are largely blue except for a faded brown collar and upper body. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/vincent-van-gogh-gecko/
Patty Carroll’s Satirical ‘Anonymous Woman’ Is Overwhelmed by Her Own Domestic Perfectionism
The irony of the mannequin as “everywoman” is that the inanimate form doesn’t have much in common with real women at all. But for photographer Patty Carroll, that’s the point. “The mannequin is the ‘ideal woman’ who does not age, have wrinkles, fat, or any other human quality,” the Chicago-based artist says.
Anonymous Woman series (previously), Carroll captures scenes of domestic dismay and disaster, like a woman hiding from a bug infestation in the bedroom or falling from her office chair, still gripping a phone. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/anonymous-woman-patty-carroll/
One of the World’s Rarest Hummingbirds Makes a Dazzling Appearance in Colombia
Lost to science for more than six decades until it was photographed in 2010, the Santa Marta Sabrewing is one of the rarest hummingbirds in the world. Another sighting wasn’t documented until Yurgen Vega spotted one in 2022 and embarked on a joint study with researchers from the American Bird Conservancy, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, SELVA, ProCAT Colombia, and World Parrot Trust to trace the creature’s habitat and behavior. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/santa-marta-sabrewing/
April 2024 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists
Every month, Colossal shares a selection of opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. If you’d like to list an opportunity here, please get in touch at hello@colossal.art. You can also join our monthly Opportunities Newsletter.
ReadyLaunch GrantFeatured
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/april-2024-opportunities/
Francine LeClercq Stitches Thousands of Pixels from Digital Surveillance Footage in Meticulous Embroideries
Analogous to pixels, the tight grid of cross-stitch serves as a fitting canvas for translating digital footage to a handcrafted form. New York City-based artist Francine LeClercq’s embroideries of surveillance imagery capture the tell-tale date and time stamps and grainy black-and-white pictures in intricately detailed, monochrome compositions.
samplers, which makers—historically women—would create to demonstrate their needlework skill by stitching motifs like the alphabet, figures, their own names, and decorative borders. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/francine-leclercq-surveillance-embroideries/
Dozens of Ovoids Radiate Colorful Light in teamLab’s Newest Interactive Installation
Tokyo-based international art collective teamLab (previously) returns with another interactive exhibition titled teamLab: Continuous, this time taking the experience outdoors.
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Akea Brionne’s Uncanny Rhinestone Tapestries Unsettle Memory and the Familiar
Woven into Akea Brionne’s glimmery Afro-surrealist tapestries is an impulse toward sustainability. With a degree in the subject and a practice rooted in research, the Detroit-based artist began considering how to minimize waste while developing photographs. Curbing consumption became a grounding principle that goes beyond material excess, extending to “ideas, conceptions, thoughts, and ways of being,” she tells Colossal.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/03/akea-brionne-tapestries/
André Schulze Reimagines Traditional Still Life Paintings with Contemporary Pixellated Auras
When the paintings that form the foundations of André Schulze’s compositions were made, people likely had never heard of a pixel. The German artist’s elegantly framed revisions of vintage originals (previously) playfully nod to the art historical legacy of still lifes while adding a contemporary, digital-inspired twist.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/03/andre-schulze-pixellated-still-lifes/
Thibaut Derien Immortalizes the Aging Facades of France’s Shuttered Shops in Poignant Photographs
Shuttered blinds, peeling paint, and aging doors don’t usually indicate an invitation, but for French photographer Thibaut Derien, the fading facades of long-closed shops are well worth a stop. In his ongoing series J’habite une ville fantôm, which translates to “I live in a ghost city,” he captures myriad eras and architectural details in storefronts ranging from cafes to photo studios to fishmongers, drawn to what he describes as a desire to “immortalize” them before they disappear for good. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/03/thibaut-derien-ghost-city/
In Sand and Stone, Jon Foreman Sculpts Hypnotic Gradients and Organic Motifs
Nature’s subtle irregularities and variations are fodder for Jon Foreman (previously). Using found leaves, stones, and sand, the Wales-based artist assembles swirling gradients and organic motifs that radiate across forest floors and beaches. He precisely arranges each composition by size and color, relying on basic geometric principles to transform a humble material and unconventional backdrop into stunning artworks. Considering the constructions last just a short time before they’re blown or washed away, head to Foreman’s Instagram to see them in pristine condition. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/03/jon-foreman-sculpt-the-world/
Peter Frederiksen Dramatizes the Dark Humor of Classic Cartoons in His Cropped Embroideries
Chicago-based artist Peter Frederiksen (previously) pinpoints the most ridiculous, exaggerated moments in cartoons and animated shows to dramatize them further into absurdity. Cropping a single outlandish action or event, Frederiksen uses free-motion machine embroidery to stitch stylized compositions that, out of context, emphasize their dark humor.
Looney Tunes-style mishmash of feet and fists that burst through a bulging door in “Some locks won’t hold” and the tongue-in-cheek archery challenge of “Going easy on myself.” Often focusing on escalated tensions, the embroideries accentuate moments of high anxiety in a nostalgic, comforting childhood medium. More
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Peter Frederiksen Dramatizes the Dark Humor of Classic Cartoons in His Cropped Embroideries appeared first on Colossal.
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/03/peter-frederiksen-embroideries/