Contorted Limbs and Bodies Disrupt the Mundane in Surreal Photographs by Cristina Coral
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Photographer Cristina Coral has an eye for subtle alterations that transform seemingly ordinary scenes into surreal images brimming with illusion. Often centered on a solitary woman, the conceptual photographs rely on texture, pattern, and the figures’
Fantastical Cartoons, Robotic Pets, and Vibrant Architecture Populate Digital Illustrations by Ori Toor
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In Ori Toor’s Gibberish universe, it’s not uncommon to see bulbous cartoon creatures, leaves sprouting from pockets of machinery, or tunnels wrapped in rainbows. Set against solid backdrops, the digitally rendered dreamlands are teeming with fantasticFiery Crayon Sculptures and Busts by Herb Williams Confront the Climate Crisis
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Herb Williams addresses some of the most pressing issues of our time—uncontrollable fires, hurricanes, and an impending lack of natural resources, to name a few—through an unusually playful medium. The Nashville-based artist creates colorful sculptures an‘Black Art: In the Absence of Light,’ a New Documentary, Celebrates the Rich Legacy of Black Art
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“I saw the need to build cultural awareness by helping to revise and redefine American art,” says the renowned professor, artist, and curator David Driskell in Black Art: In the Absence of Light. His words echo throughout the new HBO documentaWrite for Rights: An Illustrated Campaign for Amnesty International Aims to Free People Who Are Imprisoned
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A new campaign for Amnesty International exemplifies the power of the pencil in a moving series of illustrations by Bristol-based Owen Gent. Led by creative agency Cossette, the initiative was was designed for Write for Rights, an annual effort striving toA Stellar Panorama Frames the Milky Way and Other Celestial Bodies Through a Snowy Forest in Poland
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On a cold night at the end of January, astrophotographer Łukasz Żak traveled about 150 kilometers from his home in Wołomin near Warsaw to a rural region in northeastern Poland. Near the village of Siemiony, he ventured into -12 degree cold to snap a remarkOneClock: A Modern Take on the Analog Alarm Never Plays the Same Melody Twice
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Say goodbye to the days of being jarred awake by the alarm blaring from your iPhone. The creative team over at OneClock designed a streamlined device with the intention of rousing people in a more peaceful manner, one with soothing melodies that are in starkOtherworldly Ecosystems Populate Dense, Cross-Hatched Illustrations by Song Kang
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Packed with texture and depth, Song Kang’s ink-based drawings begin with “I wonder…I wonder how this will look compared to that, or I wonder if I can mix this and that,” she says. The Atlanta-based illustrator renders rich labyrinths populA Trio of Monumental Macramé Installations Stretch 37 Feet Across a Seaside Structure in Bali
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In just 12 days, Jakarta-based fiber artist Agnes Hansella fashioned a staggering trio of macramé installations that hang from a ceiling in Bali. Each of the knotted works spans more than 37 feet wide, cloaking the open-air structure in fringed fibers that eMixed-Media Portraits by Nelson Makamo Reflect Childhood Innocence and Wonder
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Nelson Makamo (previously) is known for his oversized, lively portraits of the children and teens he meets around Johannesburg. Using a distinct blend of acrylic, watercolors, monotypes, silkscreen, and oil paint, the South African artist often delineates the‘Same Energy’ is a New Visual Search Engine That Finds Related Images by Style and Mood
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Toronto-based developer Jacob Jackson just launched a simple visual search engine that’s particularly adept at gathering results with similar patterns, compositions, and textures. Aptly named Same Energy, the tool is still in beta and minimal by designPockets of Landscapes and Still Lifes Adorn Subjects in Lavish Portraits by Aniela Sobieski
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Aniela Sobieski is intrigued by “the human impulse to self-decorate,” a fascination that permeates every aspect of her portraiture. Evoking both baroque paintings and contemporary fashions, Sobieski adorns women and the occasional dog with elaboraCrackled, Billowing Bedsheets Disguise Miniature Ghosts by Ceramicist Lisa Agnetun
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Adorable, mischievous, and undeniably spirited, the porcelain figures that Lisa Agnetun sculpts breathe new life into the simple, bedsheet silhouette we’ve long associated with ghosts. Brimming with personality and energy, the specters are similarly outExpressive Portraits, Line Drawings, and Foliage Are Superimposed into Rich Illustrations by Ana Santos
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At the center of Ana Santos’s practice is a commitment to discovery. The Salamanca-based illustrator fuses multiple mediums—her work ranges from watercolor, ink-based drawing, and digital painting to embroidery and ceramics—into portraits superimposed wA Stunning Shot of Sharks Cruising Under a French Polynesian Sunset Wins the 2021 Underwater Photographer of the Year
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An exquisite shot of blacktip reef sharks circling underneath a jewel-toned sky in French Polynesia tops this year’s Underwater Photographer of the Year contest (previously). Captured by California-based Renee Capozzola, the winning entry frames a pairAnimals of the Lunar New Year Beautifully Illustrated by Felicia Chiao in an Ongoing Series
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We’re ushering in the Year of the Ox later this week, an occasion Felicia Chiao (previously) kicks off with an illustrated homage to the horned bovine. Rendered with gilded details and Chiao’s signature aesthetic, the drawing is the latest in theQuirky Illustrations by Christoph Niemann Reinterpret Household Objects in Clever Contexts
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For Christoph Niemann (previously), all it takes is a halved apple or pliers lying around his studio to spur a quirky drawing featuring the random object. The illustrator is known for his Sunday Sketches, a weekly drawing series, that play with scale and poArt and Activism Collide Throughout Montréal in Playful Street Interventions by Roadsworth
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Crosswalks become perches and bike lanes morph into a monkey’s ropes in Roadsworth’s lively street interventions. For decades, the Montréal-based artist (previously) has been altering sidewalks, alleyways, and other public spots with largely nature-bA Nairobi Entrepreneur Is Recycling Plastic Waste into Bricks That Are More Durable Than Concrete
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Collectively, we use a staggering amount of single-use plastic each year—we buy one million plastic bottles each minute around the world—most of which ends up in landfills, oceans, and other natural spaces. Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old entrepreneur froA Jazz Band Improvises an Entire Track in One Take for an Animated Music Video Honoring the Brushstroke
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The process behind most music videos begins with an audio track that an artist reacts to and pairs with a corresponding visual, an undertaking Vincent de Boer knows well. The Netherlands-based artist has been working with the jazz quartet Ill Considered sincJoin SCI-Arc This Summer for Making+Meaning, a Program Exploring Architecture and Design
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Making+Meaning students are introduced to the exploratory practice of architecture and design. It exposes participants to a wide range of techniques within a conceptual design framework, departing from the recognizable to create unique, engaging content and eInterview: Tonika Johnson Discusses the Folded Map Project, Which Brings Residents Together to Discuss Chicago’s Segregated Neighborhoods
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Though not Chicago’s true geographic center, the intersection of Madison Street, which runs east to west, and State Street, which runs north to south, is the central point for the city’s address system. Chicago native Tonika Johnson, however, has been visDozens of Contemporary Artists Collaborate with Puzzles with Purpose to Create Limited-Edition Jigsaws
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The team at Puzzles with Purpose launched a multi-pronged initiative last fall that directly supports artists and charities around the globe while giving the rest of us a much-needed distraction. Art X Puzzles tasked more than 80 creatives—the list iAbstract Masses of Porcelain Consume Embracing Figures in Sculptures by Artist Claudia Fontes
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Argentina-born artist Claudia Fontes (previously) continues her Foreigners series with small sculptures of figures enveloped by plumes of porcelain. Recent additions to the expanding collection are more abstract than previous iterations, which often revealedA Remarkable Short Film Dives into a Vancouver Lake to Document Tadpoles’ Evolution
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During the course of four years, Maxwel Hohn submerged himself in a remote lake on Vancouver Island to record the otherwise unseen life cycles of western toads. The hours of stunning footage culminate in the award-winning short film, “Tadpoles: TheFantastical Atmospheres Are Rendered with Dark Impasto Strokes in Digital Paintings by RHADS
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Impasto strokes in deep shades of blue and gray form the volatile environments that backdrop Artem Chebokha’s surreal works. The Saint Petersburg-based artist, who uses the moniker RHADS, mimics the texture of oil paint in his digital pieces. Situated withiEndangered Flora and Fauna Are Recreated in Textured Paper Sculptures by Mlle Hipolyte
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From her studio in Lyon, Mlle Hipolyte scores, crimps, and fringes bits of paper that become sculptural interpretations of endangered species. She undertakes a rigorous research process that’s comparable to that of a botanist or zoologist before startinBold Animal Portraits Emerge from Ornamental Backdrops in YoAz’s Digital Illustrations
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In YoAz’s Ornamental Animals, vibrant portraits of lions, gorillas, and other large mammals pop out of an expanse of decorative flourishes. The new series utilizes an ornate motif that’s consistent throughout each piece, with the faces of each creaturA Wildly Relatable Animation About Existential Dread Reminds Us to Enjoy the Moment
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Existential dread, we all have it. A poignant animation by Alisha Liu captures our collective anxiety as it zeroes in on a typical Sunday afternoon in Central Park. The main character (i.e. all of us) breaks the calm with questions about the meaning of life,Delightful Nighttime Landscapes Nestle into Stacked Wooden Boxes in Allison May Kiphuth’s Dioramas
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Allison May Kiphuth (previously) shrinks the expansive landscapes found throughout the eastern United States into picturesque dioramas brimming with natural life. Through layered watercolor and ink renderings, the Maine-based artist creates a mix of quiet forDemented Toys by Obvious Plant Confront Harsh Realities and the Mundanity of Life
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Unless you want a distraught child, double-check the packaging of your next purchase in case you accidentally snag a one-off toy by Jeff Wysaski, aka Obvious Plant. For years, he’s been littering supermarket and drugstore shelves with his action figureA Dramatic Bouquet of Paper Flowers Interprets an Ornate Pattern in Three-Dimensions
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In “Artemis,” artists Julie Wilkinson and Joyanne Horscroft translate the moody, floral pattern of House of Hackney’s wallpaper into a stunning, three-dimensional bouquet. The sculptural work is a tribute to the designer’s classic motiFebruary 2021 Opportunities: Grants, Fellowships, and Open Calls for Artists
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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 ourLush Florals Sprout from Corsets and Dresses in Enchanting Paintings by Artist Amy Laskin
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Through ethereal oil paintings, artist Amy Laskin juxtaposes decorative fashions and organic beauty. Thick bunches of hydrangeas, lilies, and wispy ferns spring from elaborate, beaded dresses and corsets, which swell into fully formed garments and shroud theRISD Continuing Education Announces 140+ Online Courses This Spring
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Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education is excited to announce more than 140 online courses for adults and teens this spring—including RISD’s Advanced Program for High School Students. RISD CE Certificate Programs are now being offered 100% onlA Monumental Collection of Slouching Figures Considers the Effects of Aging on the Body
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Nicole Havekost describes her towering figures as exhibiting the contradiction of “sublime embarrassment… Bodies are magical and glorious and gross and bewildering. Bodies are civilized and feral.” Through hand-sewn sculptures, the RochesterBursts of Inky, Technicolor Liquids Mimic Human Eyes in a Short Film About Optical Phenomena
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An entrancing short film by designer and artist Rus Khasanov (previously) fuses multiple optical tricks into a single work. Splashes of glittery, inky liquids crawl across the screen, resulting in a series of bubbles that mimic magnified shots of human eyAn Elaborate Kamidana Shrine Designed by Naohiko Shimoda Wraps an Inner Corner
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Architect Naohiko Shimoda’s interpretation of a kamidana—a small altar or “god shelf” that’s part of a tradition to bring Shinto shrines into private spaces—strays from the simple ledges most often found in Japanese homes. Designed witFragmented Garments and Body Parts Drift Away From Steel Sculptures by Regardt Van Der Meulen
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Regardt Van Der Meulen is concerned with the ephemerality of human life, a fascination that manifests in his sweeping steel sculptures. Fragmented and oversized, the works juxtapose the unyielding material with the movement inherent in the figures’ pose
