Expressive 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 w
A 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’ poseA Mesmerizing Short Film Imitates Water Flowing Across the Earth with Ink and Dried Pigments
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You’d be forgiven for mistaking Roman De Giuli’s new short film for aerial footage of Earth’s outer crust. As its name suggests, though, “SATELLIKE” is a mesmerizing timelapse that mimics water gushing through canyons and seeping oveLoneliness Shrouds the Peculiar Scenes in Carlos Fdez’s Graphite Drawings
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Through rich, brooding illustrations, Carlos Fdez encapsulates lingering feelings of loneliness that cloud modern life. The blurred graphite veils each work with a surreal aura, layering the peculiar scenarios of sheep feasting on a wolf and distressed figureOversized Butterflies, Moths, and Beetles Cloak Vintage Books in Paintings by Rose Sanderson
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Worn copies of World Books, agricultural texts, and classic novels become canvases for Rose Sanderson’s insect studies. Now a few years old, the expansive series boasts more than 100 paintings featuring beetles, moths, and butterflies that splay across theA Mesmerizing Rendering of Fiona Apple’s Lips Dance Across the Screen in the ‘Shameika’ Music Video
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Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters was one of the few good things to come out of 2020, with the Grammy-nominated track “Shameika” even resulting in a heartwarming reunion between the singer and the schoolmate who inspired it. The now-iMysterious Marine Ecosystems Populate Rich Paintings by Robert Steven Connett
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Whether rendered as a snapshot of the ocean floor or a few drops of water under a microscope, the densely inhabited paintings by Robert Steven Connett (previously) are brimming with vitality. The Los Angeles-based artist probes the planet’s bodies of waA 9-Year-Old Dancer Grooves to an Intensely Choreographed Routine and Clocks 10,000 Steps in Just Three Minutes
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It’d be difficult for most of us to move as gracefully as nine-year-old Lilyana Ilunga, but a new campaign by the Swedish nonprofit Generation Pep just wants to get young people on their feet. Set to a revamped version of a 2007 track by French EDMA Brilliant Studio Ghibli-Style Ad for Travel Oregon Imagines the State as an Adventurous Dreamland
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Imagine Oregon’s hot springs, hiking trails, and sand-dune escapades “only slightly exaggerated.” An advertisement for Travel Oregon entertains that enhanced view of the western state as it paints it in a magical light, Studio Ghibli-style:Nostalgic Photographs by Ian Howorth Frame the Nuances and Liminal Moments of British Life
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Ian Howorth frames the seaside villages and debris-laden roadsides that populate the U.K. through evocative, nuanced photographs captured with 35 mm film. Born to a British father and Peruvian mother, Howorth moved often as a child before settling in the U.KVaried Bricks and Ceramic Blocks Comprise the Asymmetric Facade of a Spacious Community Center in Bengal
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What began as a task to install a new parking structure in Bansberia, India quickly morphed into an open community center awash with patterned brickwork. Conceived by Abin Design Studio, “Gallery House” spans 380-square-meters and combines multiple masonrLaser-Cut Paper Coils Into Intricate Vessels That Contrast Human Touch and Technology
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Human hands and machines converge in the meticulous process behind Ibbini Studio’s radial vessels. Collaborating since 2017, Abu Dhabi-based artist Julia Ibbini and computer scientist Stephane Noyer craft intricate sculptures informed by geometric principlLorna Simpson Photographs Rihanna in an Elegantly Collaged Collaboration for ESSENCE Magazine
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An extraordinarily glamorous collaboration graces the pages of ESSENCE’s January/February 2021 issue. The print publication paired acclaimed artist Lorna Simpson and pop icon and businesswoman Rihanna for a striking interpretation of modern beauty. WitTrimmed in Gold, Ceramic Vessels by Artist Yurim Gough Challenge Notions of Gender
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Through nine ceramic bowls, Yurim Gough untangles the complex narratives surrounding performance, appearance, and gender fluidity. Her identity-centric pieces—which are infused with layers of pencil renderings, thread, and other materials that can require nAn Innovative Installation Embeds Lights into a Five-Acre Field to Spur Crop Growth
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Spread across a thick field of leeks in the Netherlands is Daan Roosegaarde’s new installation that illuminates the practice of modern farming, highlighting the fields that feed us and their plights. In “Grow,” the Dutch artist and designer
