Just Add Water: Grow Your Own Furniture with These Pop-Up Sponge Designs
A team of industrial designers prototyped a furniture collection that dramatically transforms from flat sheets into fully functional objects, no tools required.
Up 5” chair as a starting point, Under Pressure Solutions (UPS) is an experimental research project helmed by industrial designers and ÉCAL teachers Camille Blin, Christophe Guberan, Anthony Guex, Chris Kabel, and Julie Richoz. The team recognized the rampant demand for online commerce and subsequent shipping processes that, for furniture, was often cumbersome, expensive, and wasteful given the size and bulk of the products. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/ups-sponge-furniture/
Tune into Your Own Brain Waves with Steve Parker’s Suspended Constellations of Salvaged Brass
Many therapists advise patients to reconnect with their inner voice, a part of treatment that, as anyone who’s tried it can attest, is easier said than done. But what if you could tune into to your internal ups and downs in the same way you listen to a song?
Sonic Meditation for Solo Performer series, Austin-based artist and musician Steve Parker fashions immersive installations of salvaged brass. Suspended in clusters with their bells pointing every direction, the instruments envelop a single viewer, who wears an EEG brain monitor and silently reads a series of meditations. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/steve-parker-sonic-meditation/
Imagining Worlds After Climate Disaster, Julie Heffernan Melds Chaos and the Sublime
Julie Heffernan likens her paintings to “advent calendars gone haywire.” Working in oil on canvas, the Brooklyn-based artist renders vast dreamworlds with tiny vignettes scattered across wider landscapes. Appearing from a distant or aerial perspective, the pieces envision the possibilities of life after fires, floods, and other climate disasters and potential opportunities for emerging anew.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/julie-heffernan-climate-paintings/
In Ernesto Neto’s Largest Installation to Date, the World Is a Crocheted Ship Moving to a Single Rhythm
An enormous, cascading installation of crocheted fabric strips stretches across a cavernous gallery in Ernesto Neto’s newest exhibition. At MAAT in Lisbon, the Brazilian artist (previously) presents Nosso Barco Tambor Terra, which translates to “our boat drum Earth,” a solo exhibition encompassing one of the largest suspended sculptures he has ever made.
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Max Naylor Rambles Through Mystical Woodlands in Ethereal Oil and Ink Paintings
Through ancient wooded glens and along rugged sea coasts, Max Naylor invites us to wander along shady passageways, squeeze between lichen-cloaked boulders, and inhale the fragrance of wildflowers. His detailed landscapes in ink and oil paint (previously) capture petals, branches, waves, and an array of botanicals in dreamlike scenes that teeter elegantly on the edge of reality.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/max-naylor-landscapes/
Hot Dogs, Rats, and Birkin Bags: Paa Joe’s Wooden Coffins Are an Ode to NYC’s Ubiquitous Sights
New Yorkers are known for their unwavering devotion to the city, but would they want to spend eternity inside one of its once-ubiquitous taxis or worse yet, in the body of a wildly resilient subway rat?
Celestial City at Superhouse, Ghanaian artist Paa Joe presents a sculptural ode to the Big Apple by carving an oversized rendition of the fruit, a Heinz ketchup bottle, a bagel with schmear, and more urban icons. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/paa-joe-fantasy-coffins/
Ewa Juszkiewicz’s Reimagined Historical Portraits of Women Scrutinize the Nature of Concealment
From elaborate hairstyles to hypertrophied mushrooms, an array of unexpected face coverings feature in Ewa Juszkiewicz’s portraits. Drawing on genteel likenesses of women primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries, the artist superimposes fabric, bouquets of fruit, foliage, and more, over the women’s faces.
Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso and Almine Rech, Juszkiewicz presents a suite of works made between 2019 and 2024 that encapsulate her precise reconception of a popular Western genre. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/ewa-juszkiewicz-venice/
Diverse Expressions: 5 Artwork Themes to Discover at The Other Art Fair Brooklyn This May
Get ready for an art event unlike any other. The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art returns to ZeroSpace in Brooklyn from May 16 to 19. With each new fair comes new experiences, and this edition is no different as it unveils a vibrant roster of fresh artwork, new talents, and unexpected delights.
120+ independent artists set to showcase their collections, the 10th edition of Mike Perry and Josh Cochran’s “Get Nude, Get Drawn” portrait experience, complimentary hand-crafted whisky cocktails (exclusively for those aged 21+) on Thursday’s Opening Night, and live performances on both Opening Night and the highly anticipated Friday Late soirée. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/brooklyn-other-art-fair/
Street Photographer Tony Van Le Captures Beauty in Brevity
As John Koening writes in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, the term sonder refers to “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—an epic story that continues invisibly around you.” This profound feeling reveals itself in Tony Van Le’s street photography, circling around the meaningful coincidences that he captures instantaneously.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/tony-van-le-street-photos/
Street Photographer Tony Van Le Captures Beauty in Brevity
As John Koening writes in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, the term sonder refers to “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—an epic story that continues invisibly around you.” This profound feeling reveals itself in Tony Van Le’s street photography, circling around the meaningful coincidences that he captures instantaneously.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/tony-van-le-street-photos/
Tali Weinberg Entwines Human and Ecological Health with Climate Data Sculptures
Anyone who’s tried to untangle a ball of yarn understands that fibers have a habit of knotting in ways that can seem impossible to unwind. These twisting, interlaced qualities ground much of Tali Weinberg’s fiber-based work as she pulls at the individual threads of our changing climate, using abstract weavings and textile sculptures to explore the inextricable nature of the crisis and the necessity for human intervention.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/tali-weinberg-climate-sculpture/
In Venice, Jeffrey Gibson Envelops the U.S. Pavilion in Kaleidoscopic Color and Flawed Promises
Written in blocky, bright typography, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” wraps the top of the neoclassical facade of the U.S. Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. The opening lines from the Declaration of Independence greet visitors to the groundbreaking exhibition the space in which to place me by artist Jeffrey Gibson, the first Indigenous artist to represent the U.S. with a solo exhibition.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/jeffrey-gibson-us-pavilion/
13 Bronze Figures Reinterpreted from Velázquez’s ‘Las Meninas’ Line Up in a Central Venice Plaza
Thirteen bronze women in wide pannier skirts stand single file in St. Mark’s Square in central Venice. The large-scale installation is the work of Spanish artist Manolo Valdés and on view for the 60th Venice Biennale that opened earlier this month.
Las Meninas a San Marco as he reinterprets the subjects of Diego Velázquez’s 1656 painting “Las Meninas,” or “The Ladies-in-waiting.” Led by the monumental “Infanta Margarita” who stands at the center of the original painting, the trailing figures are “Reina Mariana,” a nod to the infanta’s mother framed in a portrait in the background of Velzázquez’s work. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/las-meninas-a-san-marco-venice/
With Few Glimmers of Hope, the World Press Photo Contest Documents War, Migration, and Devastation
From Israel’s ongoing assault leaving the people of Gaza in horrific destitution to a record-breaking surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, the last year has seen incredible devastation around the globe. The 2024 World Press Photo contest gathers a profound and illuminating collection of images that approach myriad crises with compassion and clarity.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/world-press-photos-2024/
Hadi Rahnaward’s Fraying Rug of Charred and Pristine Matchsticks Crumbles Under Violence
Stamped with a footprint and burned patches, Hadi Rahnaward’s matchstick rug at Palais de Tokyo frays at the edges. Titled “Fragile Balance,” the meticulously laid installation is part of the exhibition Dislocations curated in partnership Portes ouvertes sur l’art, a nonprofit supporting artists in exile.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/hadi-rahnaward-fragile-balance/
Transforming Fabric into Flesh, Tamara Kostianovsky Fuses Cruelty and Beauty
If you walked into an exhibition featuring work from Tamara Kostianovsky in recent years, you likely encountered life-sized carcasses dangling from meat hooks. The Argentine-American artist (previously) is perhaps best known for these carnal sculptures of bone and flesh made from patterned fabric scraps. Newer additions include botanical vines winding through ribs and tropical birds perched inside that vacillate between beauty and brutality.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/tamara-kostianovsky-flesh-sculptures/
Cyrus Kabiru Fashions Elaborate Mixed-Media Masks and Goggles from Found Objects
Ranging from mechanical parts and cooking utensils to plastic caps and beads, Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru fashions dazzling eyewear and helmets from salvaged and found objects. The futuristic forms often obscure the eyes like an ornamental veil, and motorbike helmets provide a fitting canvas for fins and frills.
previously) originally began making innovative glasses after being denied a pair when he was young. The variety of materials the artist found around his hometown of Nairobi inspired him to create playful versions, bringing joy to those around him. More
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In ‘Felt Love,’ a Young Boy and His Mother Learn the Value of Spending Quality Time Together
A mother working overtime at home as a seamstress finds it difficult to carve out a few moments for her son in “Felt Love,” a poignant short film about family, togetherness, and quality time. Created by a group of students at San Jose State University as a senior thesis project in 2020, the piece combines a miniature 3D set with 2D animation to tell the story of a young boy who learns the depth of his mother’s hard work and adoration and how she learns to share that with him. More
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Stunning Scenes Made from Paper Unfold in Shannon Taylor’s Miniature Compact Dioramas
On New Year’s Eve in 2022, a huge storm swept through the Bay Area, causing major flooding and damage to Shannon Taylor’s studio. “I had been preparing pieces for an upcoming show and had to move my entire studio to a small table in our dining room,” she tells Colossal. “Due to stress and lack of space, I started making these diorama pieces as a way to relax.”
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/shannon-taylor-dioramas/
Flip Through More than 5,000 Pages of This Sprawling 19th-Century Atlas of Natural History
In the early 19th century, German naturalist Lorenz Oken quickly established himself as a leader in the Naturphilosophie movement, a current of Idealism, which attempted to comprehend a total view of nature by investigating its theoretical structure—a precursor to the natural sciences as we know them today.
Allgemaine Naturgeschichte Für Alle Stände, or General Natural History For All Classes, was published as a series of seven volumes between 1833 and 1843. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/lorenz-oken-natural-history/