Michael Mapes - specimens from the "dutch master collection"

Dutch female specimen: J, 2013; 28"w x 34" h x 3.5" d; photographic prints, insect pins, pinning foam, gelatin capsules, glass vials, test tubes, paint samples, cast resin, magnifying boxes, plastic specimen bags, cotton thread.

When I see something by an artist that makes me wonder just what, exactly, I'm looking at, I know that I'm going to end up wanting more. And as you can probably imagine from Michael Mapes' specimens from the "Dutch Master collection" series, that was exactly my reaction to these works. At once fascinating, beautiful and not a little creepy, Mapes' collages of famous 17th century Dutch portraits are as wonderful to behold in the micro - with their thousands of dissected photos and materials that range from bits of hair to costume jewelry - as they are in the macro, where they're recognizable as portraiture.

Dutch female specimen: J (detail)

case no. 1627; female-Dutch; 2013; 29"w x 13" h x 3" d; photographic prints, insect pins, pinning foam, gelatin capsules, glass vials.

Dutch specimen MT2; 2013; 28"w x 34" h x 3.5" d; photographic prints, insect pins, pinning foam, gelatin capsules, glass vials, painted canvas, cast resin, pill organizer, plastic specimen bags, antique optometrist lens, cartography pins, cotton thread, magnification boxes, fake pearls.

Dutch specimen MT1639 (detail)

As the subjects of the paintings are divorced from their original context, which is to say the figure is dissected from the painting, the hierarchy of perception shifts from the subject as painting to that as person. Working with highly recognizeably source material maintains a strong connection to the orginal painting, which allows me to further abstract the reconstruction without losing an essential connection to the fact it is a painting as much as a person.

See more on Mapes' website.


(Via designboom)

Guy Laramée - adieu

Talk about ambitious. Artist Guy Laramée, whose work landscapes emerge out of carved books as well as paint, has truly outdone himself this time with Adieu (2013), his monumental homage to the Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Inspired in part by the Encyclopedia Britannica's announcement that, after 244 years, it would no longer print its multi-volume book sets, Laramée has transformed a 24-volume set into a stunning and nuanced landscape that draws on his travels in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. See more of Laramée's work on his website and through the JHB Gallery.


(Via Colossal)

Mark Wagner - currency collages

These incredibly intricate collages are the work of artist Mark Wagner, who creates portraits, landscapes and both historical and satirical scenes with U.S. currency. As he explains of his choice of material and process:

The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. Collage asks the question: what might be done to make it something else? It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept. Blade and glue transform it-reproducing the effects of tapestries, paints, engravings, mosaics, and computers—striving for something bizarre, beautiful, or unbelievable... the foreign in the familiar.

My creative production includes work in many media: from writing and artist bookmaking to drawing, collage, and assemblage. Though varied, this work is far from eclectic-forming several discrete bodies that both stand on their own and link in nature and theme to their counterparts.

In whatever media employed I have a tendency toward meticulous production and solid graphic presentation. Usually fantastical, occasional surreal, and often interdisciplinary- I am satisfied only when concept and craft meet on equally firm footing.

See much more on his website.

(Via designboom)

George Clooney customized by Yayoi Kusama

How could these images not make you smile? From a photography shoot by Emma Summerton for W Magazine comes Mr. Clooney in an Armani suit and set customized by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Yes, it seems like Kusama is everywhere these days, but there's certainly nothing wrong with that when such great images are the result. Read the interview right here.


(Via The Fox Is Black)

murakami's monster magic

Everything about this photo shoot was just so outrageous that I had to share it. A very unusual accompaniment to a Harper's Bazaar interview with Takashi Murakami, about his new movie Jellyfish Eyes, it features photographs by Jason Schmidt of model Angela Lindvall enjoying a lovely day in Los Angeles with some of the characters from the film. It's bizarre, to be sure, but it definitely made me smile.


(Artwork©Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Photographs by Jason Schmidt. Fashion Editor: Jessica de Ruiter. Via The Fox Is Black)

if I had a million dollars

I would buy...{the grid edition}

A grid cutting board, from wood ink.

Hackwirth Design House's White Dahlia shirt.

This Grizzly Grid etching by Julia Lucey. Available at Rare Device.

Happy Tape's plum grid 2pack of washi tape.

And label stickers from Baum-Kuchen.

Juan Fontanive

Ornithology, 2013. Collage on asuka and watercolor paper, stainless steel, motor and electronics. 12.7 cm x 9.4 cm x 10.1 cm.

Brooklyn-based artist Juan Fontanive is interested in exploring the beauty of sequential and repetitive movement, creating flip-book sculptures that bring hand-drawn animations to life.

Colibri, 2011. Graphite and colored pencils on paper, stainless steel, delrin, motor, electronics. 10 cm x 10 cm x 12.7 cm.

Violetear, 2011. Acrylic and graphite on paper, stainless steel, delrin, aluminum, motor and electronics. 10 cm x 10 cm x 12.7 cm.

I love how the subject matter of birds works so well with these, but how each piece is so distinctively unique. The first two of them above, Ornithology (2013) and Colibri (2011), are available as numbered editions through the New Museum (here and here).


(Via Colossal)

Aki Inomata

I first came across Japanese artist Aki Inomata's work at The Armory Show a few years ago, and while Why Not Hand Over a 'Shelter' to Hermit Crabs? (2009; 2010)was far and away my favorite work at the show, I pretty much forgot about her until just the other day, when I received a friendly reminder from designboom.

Inomata creates her clear plastic homes for hermit crabs based on the architecture of major cities. Because hermit crabs are so picky about their homes, to begin the process, she scans abandoned hermit crab shells, using these to base her designs. Next, she uses 3-D software to slightly enlarge the shells and design her elaborate cityscapes, using a rapid prototyping system to produce the finished shells. Finally, these are introduced to the hermit crabs, who get to chose the city in which to make their new home. As Inomata explains:

In this piece I gave hermit crabs shelters that I had made for them, and if they liked my shelters, I got them to use them as their shell.

I overheard that the land of the former French Embassy in Japan had been French until October 2009; that it was to become Japanese for the following fifty years, and then be returned to France. This concept made me think of hermit crabs, which change their shells. The same piece of land is peacefully transferred from one country to the other. These kinds of things take place without our being aware of it. On the other hand, similar events are not unrelated to us as individuals. For example acquiring nationality, moving, and migration.

The hermit crabs wearing the shelters I built for them, which imitate the architecture of various countries, appeared to be crossing various national borders. Though the body of the hermit crab is the same, according to the shell it is wearing, its appearance changes completely. It’s as if they were asking, “Who are you?”

Great concept, right? You can see more of Inomata's fascinating work on her website.


(Photographs © Aki Inomata)

Berndnaut Smilde - nimbus

Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde's Nimbus series began with a question: "Would it be possible to exhibit a raincloud." As it turns out, the answer is yes - sort of.

Using a labor-intensive process that combines thickening the air with moisture and a smoke machine, Smilde creates, and then photographs, his singular, indoor clouds. The spaces themselves range from the minimal to the opulent, but one thing remains true for each: regardless of the location, placing a cloud within it makes for an unexpected yet thoroughly enjoyable surprise. And while the nimbi themselves last for only a few seconds, the images of the clouds within each space remain as the perfect souvenir of a truly remarkable phenomena. See more on Smilde's website.

(Via Fast Company)

William Lamson - solarium

Isn't William Lamson's Solarium beautiful? Built as part of Storm King's 2012 Light + Landscape exhibition, Solarium is a functional greenhouse with a twist - all 162 panels that make up the work were created out of caramelized sugar. As Lamson explains:

Like a mountain chapel or Thoreau’s one-room cabin, Solarium references a tradition of isolated outposts designed for reflection. Each of the 162 panels is made of sugar cooked to different temperatures and then sealed between two panes of window glass.   The space functions as both an experimental greenhouse, growing three species of miniature citrus trees, and a meditative environment.   In warm months, a 5x8 ft panel on each side of the house opens up to allow viewers to enter and exit the house from all directions.  In addition to creating a pavilion like environment, this design references the architecture of a plant leaf, where the stomata opens and closes to help regulate the plants temperature. Set within the open the landscape, the house functions as a hybrid sanctuary at once evoking a plant conservatory, a chapel, and zen garden.

Isn't that incredible? I'm just sorry that I missed seeing it in person. Below is a video by Kate Barker-Froyland that describes the process in more detail, and you can see more images of Solarium as well as Lamson's work on his website.


(Images © William Lamson 2013. Via Colossal)

pbs idea channel

I just discovered PBS' Idea Channel, and am completely hooked. A weekly web series that examines the evolving relationship between modern technology and art, Idea Channel is not only entertaining, but it's also an incredibly smart, funny and remarkably thought-provoking show. I've included a few favorites here for you to watch, but if you like what you see, you can check them all out right here.

Jay Shells - rap quotes

Rap Quotes, an ongoing project by artist Jay Shells, is pretty brilliant stuff. Putting his love of hip hop to good use, Shells takes quotes from lyrics that call out specific places around NYC and puts them on signs, installing them at their specific corners and locations. See more in the video below!


(Via BOOOOOOM. Video/Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)

CW Roelle

I am incredibly impressed by these highly detailed wire drawings, by Providence-based artist CW Roelle. See much more on Roelle's Flickr site, right here.

(Via designboom)