These dresses completely contradict the purpose and notion of clothing. Not only are they destroyed in wearing, but also provide not protection for the body and wouldn’t last a week even if left alone. Why? Beautifully, they are constructed entirely out of edible items, from tomato, to mushroom and eggplant. In this sense, the clothing also completely contradict the notion of food. Who would eat a dress, however beautiful? [Read more...]
In Australian artist Paul Davies’ paintings, mid-century homes dominate the landscape with their linear styling, large windows and near ubiquitous swimming pools. His dreamy paintings feature washes of color that bring them into a later era, one filled with drug experimentation taking place after the seemingly idyllic 50s and 60s. Here the swimming pools are often empty and unused, the symbols of a bygone optimism and strict perfectionism now forgotten. [Read more...]
It’s hard to get more bizarre or intriguing than these recent works from the New York/British collaborative duo Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick. Their mixed media series of photographs, paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures see a world of greenmen, bats and death dancers prancing about the countryside and the near outskirts of sometimes familiar towns. The imagery and the characters themselves often tightrope a fine line between the playful and the haunting… and it only gets better when we know the story behind what’s going on. [Read more...]
Benjamin Shine is the type of creative who makes something completely original no matter what he lays his hands on. Currently he is making astoundingly accurate portraits using tulle fabric as his medium – the same type of material used in a ballerina’s dress. By pleating and pressing the fabric he plays with its intrinsic translucent and opaque qualities as it is layered ever thicker. As if this work wasn’t challenging enough, he goes one step further by using only one uncut piece of fabric for an entire portrait. [Read more...]
With stark contrasts of organic and geometric form, Sairah Ali paints a world of colorful animals. Each of her paintings features a central animal figure – realistically rendered – while the background pops into bold multicolored pattern. Although not organic in form, the backgrounds are hued to inspire visions of nature: fields, the sky or the jungle. In this way, what could be two clashing elements form a beautiful and inspired whole. [Read more...]
As much as the corporate world turns me off, the Disney Princesses and rom-coms of my childhood have left a lasting impression and my brain is wired to find men in suits extremely attractive. Artist Sam Shuter has created a vibrant series of larger than life paintings showcasing the strength of a suit in our society. While women’s fashions change as often as the weather, the shape of a well-tailored suit is timeless, but Sam’s color choices bring the suits to life in a fun way. She says, “[The suit] has represented something for decades; power, productivity, strength, economic prosperity, and hard work.” As an artist, Sam embodies everything that she believes the suit represents. [Read more...]
Marcin Schleifer has a talent for combining dissimilar objects into a whole which almost makes sense. His art sees giraffes grow smokestacks for necks, fish sprout gun stocks for tails, a cat having its middle whittled away like wood… it’s all rather unusual. Using either cues from our culture, or simply the shape of the objects themselves for inspiration, he draws them together into images which are intriguing, comic and sometimes even disturbing. [Read more...]
Most children have big dreams. Maybe they want to meet their favorite athlete or go to Disney Land or be a princess. But 12 year old Luka dreams of doing things that most children take for granted- basic things like walking, getting dressed, and feeding himself. Luka was born with the degenerative disease muscular dystrophy and has just enough control of movements in his hands to operate his electric wheelchair and hold a pen in his hand to draw. Slovenian photographer Matej Peljhan helped Luka’s dreams come true through this fun photography project. Rather than working some photoshop magic, he used real props to make Luka look like he was break dancing, skateboarding, swimming, shooting hoops, walking up stairs, and flying away with a red balloon! [Read more...]
It’s not very often that you get to purchase a famous artists work at a bargain price. Most of the time those are the stories we here about in the news: “Picasso purchased for $26 at yard sale – new owner as surprised as the world.” The long running RCA Secret offers you almost the same chance. The annual sale, hosted by London’s Royal College of Arts, featured 2700 postcard sized artworks this year, some from students, others from often famous invited guests. The catch? The name of the artist is only revealed after you buy the piece. So, can you spot a Paula Rego at 20 paces? [Read more...]
I thought I was pretty cool for getting a shot of a mother and baby rhino from an elephant’s back in Chitwan Jungle when I visited Nepal until I saw the amazing photography of Mario Moreno. His wildlife images are absolutely stunning and he gets dangerously close to animals that would make me drop my camera! The selection here shows his brilliant command of photography at dusk, capturing the most perfect silhouettes of some of the most gorgeous animals on the planet. Moreno has been a professional photographer since 1995 and has always had a fascination with wildlife. His breathtaking photos have been featured in numerous photography and travel publications and even got him into the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
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