Acceptance of the Inevitable: Art by Nicola Samorì
Interno assoluto, oil and sulphur on copper (photo by Rolando Paolo Guerzoni)
Italian artist Nicola Samorì creates rich mixed media artworks that deal with themes of death, decay, and loss. Though macabre in appearance, Samorì’s works take an attitude of fascination and exploration, eschewing depression in favour of a meditative acceptance of the inevitable.
Babette, fresco
I like the way that Samorì combines classical aesthetics…
A Portfolio of Painting by Howard Fonda
Untitled, acrylic and coloured pencil on raw canvas
Howard Fonda is a painter who works in a wide colour palette, building canvases that often seem more like drawings in the way that the pigment is applied and the way negative space is emphasized. The artist’s style is sketched and almost childlike in places, but Fonda’s expert eye for balanced composition lends the works an undeniable sense of intention.
Untitled, acrylic and…Installation Artworks by Koenraad Dedobbeleer
Surreptitious Plotting, concrete resin, copper, electrical cord, water pump
Koenraad Dedobbeleer is an artist who currently lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. In his practice, Dedobbeleer produces installation artworks and sculptures using a wide range of media and materials.
Those Unabused by an Awareness, spray painted wood, spray painted metal, wood, concrete, candies, textile
I really enjoy the way Dedobbeleer titles his…
Photos with Embroidery: Art by Natalie Ciccoricco
Pine, embroidery on found image
Natalie Ciccoricco is a Dutch artist who works in innovative collage techniques, blending found photos with embroidery techniques. The artist also creates graphic illustrations inspired by dreams, nature, literature, and other personal interests.
Come on In, Embroidery on found image
Ciccoricco’s recent project Down the Colour Hole puts an interesting spin on traditional collage techniques. In these…
Quasi-Monochrome: The Paintings of Ettore Spalleti
Untitled (installation veiw)Ettore Spalleti is an Italian painter who works in a quasi-monochrome style. The artist’s paintings often focus on a single hue, but use gradients and shading to create depth and volume.
A casa di...
It’s quite interesting to learn about the process that Spalleti uses to create his paintings. The artist starts by mixing oil, pigment, and gesso, then applying a single thin coat of the mixture to a…
Skulls and Skeletons: The Art of Vlad Gradobyk
UntitledArtist and illustrator Vlad Gradobyk uses bones as a motif, creating beautifully detailed illustrations of skulls and skeletons. The artist uses a dense, layered cross-hatching technique to produce images with an aesthetic similar to antique lithograph prints.
UntitledThere’s a wonderful -- and perhaps paradoxical -- sense of life in Gradobyk’s artworks. His skeletal figures are pictured eating, drinking, riding horseback,…
Femininity and Perception: The Art of Nicola Kloosterman
Black swan (created for LULA Japan to the theme YELLOW)
Dutch Nicola Kloosterman works in analog collage media, building striking, layered images with found photographs, textiles, and magazine advertisements. Much of the artist’s work concerns concepts of femininity and perception.
Untitled (from series Shadow Play)
I really enjoy the “less is more” approach that the artist takes toward collage art, like in Kloosterman’s…
The Art Portfolio of Chelsea Gustafsson
GeelongChelsea Gustafsson is an artist from Barwon Heads, Australia. In her artistic practice, Gustafsson works primarily in paint, addressing themes of manufacturing and consumption and the environment.
You Snooze You Lose
I really love the artist’s recent paintings of furniture -- the works are composed in the manner of still life or vanitas paintings, depicting familiar furniture and other household objects in arrangements…
The Egg Tempera Portfolio of Arnout Van Albada
Frambozentaartje, egg tempera and oil on panel
Arnout Van Albada is a Dutch artist who works primarily in egg tempera, creating subdued but detailed paintings of food. The artist’s works present their subjects with a sense of quiet reverence, focusing on the unique textures and colours of various edible and household objects.
Regout puddingvorm, egg tempera and oil on panel
Van Albada’s delicate paintings of pastries, such as…
The Art Portfolio of Cynthia Consentino
Birdie IV, altered commercial figurine, sculpted stoneware head and bird, glaze
Cynthia Consentino is a ceramic artist and sculptor currently based in Bucklan, Massachusetts. In her practice, Cynthia uses the sculptural medium to explore and break down expectations and dichotomies related to gender and reality.
Wolf Madonna, porcelain, glaze
Much of Cynthia’s work is also inspired by fairy tales -- works in which human figures are…
Saturated Abstract Artworks by Imi Knoebel
Gelbe Fahne, serigraphImi Knoebel is a German artist who produces bright, saturated abstract artworks that reference minimalism and geometric abstraction while devising a new and unique visual language.
Face 85, acrylic on plastic foil
Knoebel points to Kazimir Malevich as a major influence, and it’s clear to see where the latter’s Suprematist painting style -- consisting largely of simple shapes and flat planes of colour --…
Thought-Provoking Art Installations by Forensic Architecture
An NDVI analysis showing losses of vegetation between 5 days and 15 days after herbicidal spraying in GazaForensic Architecture, a group based out of the University of London, is a multidisciplinary art collective and research organization that gathers data about issues concerning human rights and governmental abuses of power, spinning that data into thought-provoking art installations.
The Killing of Tahir Elçi (video still)
The…
Fanciful Cities: The Art of Bodys Isek Kingelez
U.N., paper, paperboard, mixed media
Bodys Isek Kingelez was a Congolese artist who built colourful models of fanciful cities. The artist’s maquettes were often made with the intent of imagining harmonious, almost utopian alternative futures for the cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including Kingelez’ hometown of Kinshasa.
kimbembele ihunga
In his practice, Kingelez employed a wide variety of materials including…
Paintings of Faces: The Art of Joa Korhonen
MONSIEUR, acrylic on canvasJoa Korhonen is a musician and artist whose dual practices inform one another. The artist’s current visual practice revolves around paintings of faces, often abstracted to some degree and with expressions that seem to shift and reflect the viewer’s mindset as much as the artist’s.
IDENTITY 2.0, acrylic on cardboard
Korhonen works via an intuitive process, starting each with work with a…
Malavida: The Art of Alycia Rainaud
September SwitchbladeAlycia Rainaud -- aka Malavida -- is an artist based in Paris, France. In her practice, the artist is a graphic designer and illustrator, and works to create abstract images built out of undulating waves of flowing colour.
Tears On Screen
Rainaud’s work reminds me of that of J.D. Doria or Luis Pagan, especially in the way that she embraces and emphasizes the unique interactions of coloured media on a surface,…