Yago Hortal, born 1983 in Barcelona, continues to live and work there and in Berlin.
Taking a more fluid approach to acrylic, he creates dynamic images that exist in a space between abstraction and representation, exploiting this material beautifully. More at: Yago Hortal
Category: ART
The Power of Colour Part1: Michael Reafsnyder
Perhaps it’s the burst of spring in the air but I’ve been yearning for sharp blasts of mind searing colours and found them in the work of Michael Reafsnyder and Yago Hortal (whose work I will discuss in part 2) both of who utilize thick layers of acrylics.
Michael Reafsnyder, born 1969, received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at Chapman University in 1992 and his Masters of Fine Arts at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1996.
He’s had numerous solo exhibitions nationally and internationally at such venues as Western Project in Culver City, CA; Blum and Poe in Los Angeles, CA; W.C.C.A in Singapore; Uplands Gallery in Melbourne, Australia and Galeria Marta Cervera in Madrid, Spain. The dimensional qualities to his work really bring the painting to life. See more at: Michael Reafsnyder.
Paul Cadden: Master of Reality
Born in 1964, Paul Cadden hails from Glasgow, Scotland. He has been shortlisted for artist of the year and specializes in reality. Hyperreality to be exact. With the aid of photos and videos, he delves into the illusional world, extracting ever more detail that creates worlds within worlds in graphite, often on recycled paper. The result is rather astonishing. He explains further:
“The virtual image becomes the living image, an intensification of the normal. These objects and scenes in my drawings are meticulously detailed to create the illusion of a new reality not seen in in the original photo. The Hyperrealist style focuses much more on its emphasis on detail and the subjects depicted. Hyperreal paintings and sculptures are not strict interpretations of photographs, nor are they literal illustrations of a particular scene or subject. Instead, they utilise additional, often subtle, pictorial elements to create the illusion of a reality which in fact either does not exist or cannot be seen by the human eye.” Indeed.
See more at : PAUL CADDEN
Starry, Starry Night: Van Gogh’s Vision Comes to Life
With a mesmerizing sense of absinthe induced hallucination, Van Gogh’s ethereal 1889 masterpiece,”Starry Night” comes magically to life, its haunting swirls set alight with interactive beauty. See below.
Get it for $1.99 @ the APP STORE
On Cloud 9: Berndnaut Smilde, Cloudmaker
BERNDNAUT SMILDE is a prolific young Dutch artist from Amsterdam who deals with transitional spaces, corridors, staircases and well, clouds. Beautifully momentary clouds that are created through the alchemy of smoke, moisture, and spot lighting. As Smilde himself says of his installations, which were developed for the online gallery probe, give form to “physical presence found within transitional space.”
Rick Owens + Michele Lamy Unplugged
I’ve always admired free spirits as the ultimate expression of life. Perhaps because I feel the conservative constraints imposed on everyone rather acutely. Take for example the incredible fusion of Rick Owens and Michele Lamy, locked in creatively and otherwise. A fascinating look at their dynamics and of course, their incredible works.
I have included some stills as I was not able to insert this video from “Another Mag” but have this link here:
http://www.anothermag.com/video/embed/148?shareurl=http://www.anothermag.com/exclusives/rick-owens
More: Rick Owens
Alexandra Pacula: Nightcrawling
Alexandra Pacula is a Polish born NYC artist and is a winner of the Saatchi showdown 2008.
“I suggest motion in order to slow down the scene and capture the fleeting moments, which tend to be forgotten,” Alexandra Pacula says. “By interpreting lights in graphic or painterly ways, I create a sense of space, alluding to a hallucinogenic experience. I want the viewer’s eye to travel within my composition and experience a familiar exhilarating event of an actual nightly excursion.”
“I am fascinated by the ambiance of the city at night and its seductive qualities. The breathtaking turbulence of speeding vehicles and hasty pedestrians evoke feelings of wonder and disorientation. The vibrant lights become a magical landscape with enticing opportunities and promises of fulfillment.”
Getting lost in these intoxicating visuals is a pleasure…
Renaissance Man: Christian Tagliavini
Christian Tagliavini was educated in Switzerland and Italy where he still resides. His mastery of form, color and technique is very accomplished. Since Bronzino and Bruegel are two of my favorite classicists, this photo essay hits the mark in more ways than one.
Corinne Reid: Painterly poetry
Corinne Reid hails from Salem, Massachusetts and appropriately has a dark streak when it comes to her beautiful DIGITAL work that retains all the delicacy of watercolours.
More at: Corinne Reid
To Live and Drive in LA: Chris Burden’s Metropolis ll
The performance artist/sculptor continues his odyssey with this 5 year project that has been unveiled at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).
The work looks at our future cities in an innovative kinetic sculpture that, truth be told, brings out the little boy in me…the mesmerizing <>.
Miniature cars speed through the city at 240 scale miles per hour; every hour, the equivalent of approximately 100,000 cars circulate through the dense network of buildings. The loud racket produced is meant to simulate the stress of living in the 21st Century. Love.
SEE IT IN MOTION BELOW:
For more see:
LACMA
Fashion Fusion: Nick Knight
In a very poetic interpretation of flowers and their power to inspire and mesmerize, Nick Knight elevates his metier to an extraordinary level. Like a page from Li Edelkoorts’ Bloom magazine come alive, Nick Knight’s genius let’s it all unfold elegantly.
Credits:
Photography: Nick Knight
Models: Jac at IMG and Ben
Styling: Alister Mackie
Hair: Brent Lawler
Make-up: Petros Petrohilos
Tailor: Paul Strotton
Photographic Assistance: Zoe Hitchen, Laura Falconer, James Robotham and James Nicholson
Styling Assistance: Ellie Cumming and Melissa Thompspn
Runner: Shaun James and Andrew Smith
Production: Charlotte Knight
Colour Me: CARNOVSKY
milan-based collective carnovsky (francesco rugi and silvia quintanilla) presents ‘RGB’,
an exhibition which showcases a series of wallpapers that mutate and interact with different chromatic stimulus.
the wall coverings consist of three different patterns (in red, yellow and blue respectively) that when overlapped,
result in a disorientation of images. when colors and patterns mix up, the lines and shapes entwine becoming oneiric
and not completely clear. through a filter (a colored light or transparent material) it is possible to see clearly the layers
in which the image is composed. each one of the red, green and blue (RGB) filters serve to reveal just one of the three images.
The Force Within : Trong G. Nguyen
Somewhere between Marcel Duchamp and Jeff Koons lies the dark humour and intriguing sculptural approach to Trong G. Nguyen’s work. Think outside the box.
LOL (Lady of the Lake)
2011, silicone, toy lightsaber, acrylic paint
24 inches tall (puddles variable)
Library
2007-Present, Rice kernels, ink, gold paint, gold leaf, clear mylar.
Each grain of rice contains a single word written in ink – with the book titles written on grains painted gold. The complete text or individual chapters written word for word on rice kernels.
5 x 3-1/2 x 1/4 inches each
Sandra Davolio: Ceramics
Sandra Davolio’s ornately delicate white porcelain vases are shown at the Modernity galery in Stockholm. An Italian ceramicist living in Denmark, the pieces combine typically-Scandinavian aesthetic restraint with the floral Italian character of spiraling petals.
See Sandra Davolio
Stuff It : Peter Gronquist
From Bio: Peter Gronquist was born in Portland, Oregon in 1979. Growing up in a creative family, he began drawing and painting at a very early age. This led to obsessive artmaking throughout his childhood that continues today. After highschool, Peter attended the School of Visual Arts for two years, then finished his bfa at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001. Peter currently resides in Oakland California (EAST BAY!) and tries to paint every day.
His latest project just opened in Venice. If only I had more room…
See more here: PETER GRONQUIST
Urban Chaos by Carl Hammoud
If your desk is an entry into your soul, then certainly these vignettes hold the key to something rather dark. Hailing from Sweden, Carl Hammoud focuses on tumultuous settings but in very calming and appealing color. Great draftsmanship as well… Perhaps one above my desk might make me feel more at home.
See more of his work here: Carl Hammoud
The Eerie World of Ruben Brulat
There is something profond about the insignificance of man when pictured against the immensity and power of the earth and our relationship to it. Well, yes, peaceful too.
Beautifully atmospheric.
check out more at: Ruben Brulat
The New PSYCHEDELICA
A new exhibit curated by Francesca Gavin in Eindhoven examines a generation affected by technological and digital psychedelica.
THRIFT MONOLITH SCULPTURES BY DERICK MELANDER
By Dan Gould
Derick Melander creates meticulous sculptures out of carefully folded second hand clothes. His work brings attention to the large amount of textile waste that is generated daily, and the clothing used in his pieces are usually donated after the fact.
He explains his work:
I create large geometric configurations from carefully folded and stacked second-hand clothing. These structures take the form of wedges, columns, walls and enclosures, typically weighing between five hundred pounds and two tons. Smaller pieces directly interact with the surrounding architecture. Larger works create discrete environments.
As clothing wears, fades, stains and stretches it becomes an intimate record of our physical presence. It traces the edge of the body, defining the boundary between the individual and the outside world.
ÆSTHETIQ 