Author Archives: Aaron Berger

Valerie Hegarty’s Paintings and Installations Literally Drip out of Their Frames

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Mildewed dressers are way past their peak. Desks are chopped in half. Paintings overflow.

Diggin’ on Valerie Hegerty’s works on canvas that drip and melt their way to the floor, and across the gallery spaces in which they’re installed. She perfectly captures an acidic energy. And some of the artist’s use of overgrowth is really brilliant. These make you wonder- does everyone decay and die like this eventually? Are we all just waiting to lose control of our faculties? Hegerty’s work celebrates the losses that are just as integral to life as gains.  (via)

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Daniele Del Nero’s Miniature Models of the Urban Landscape are Covered in Real Mold

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“After Effects” is a “series of architectural scale models” by Italian artist/designer Daniel DelNero. The models are “constructed with black paper covered with flour and a layer of mold to create the effect of old abandoned buildings.”

My purpose is to talk about the sense of time and destiny of the planet after the human species through the sense of restlessness which abandoned buildings are able to communicate.

First of all, I’m seeing at least four different colors of mold going on with these. That variety alone is impressive. And his positioning and construction of the work is right where it needs to be. See more miniature, decayed urban scenery after the jump. (via)

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Portraits of Women with Vegetable Weapons

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As part of our ongoing partnership with Feature Shoot, Beautiful/Decay is sharing Alison Zavos’ article on Tsuyoshi Ozawa.

Since 2001, Japanese photographer Tsuyoshi Ozawa has been traveling around the world photographing young women holding guns fashioned mainly from vegetables. As part of the process, the ingredients are chosen by Ozawa’s models and make up a hot-pot dish native to their country. After the portrait is completed, the “gun” is disassembled and Ozawa and his model share a meal made up of its parts.

Vegetable Weapon, a collaborative project promoting peace, will be on display at Misa Shin Gallery in Tokyo from September 21-November 2, 2012.

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Ceramic Bling and Insane, Animated Paper Mâché Masks by Cari Vander Yacht

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Amsterdam artist Cari Vander Yacht just closed a show at Nationale in Portland. The show, Breaking Bad, consists of cartoonish paper mâché masks and ceramic bling renditions (above). I can’t exactly put my finger on the subtle insanity involved in each mask. There’s something about those guys. And sure, the lampooning of excess through altered/exaggerated gold chains and bling isn’t exactly new, but Vander Yacht’s earthy ceramic work makes them feel that way. She also sets up a nice interplay by installing the sculptural works against patterned digital prints. Would’ve really liked to have caught this one in person. Portland why are you so far? See more from the show after the jump.

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Vintage Board Games from the Soviet Union

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Retronaut recently posted a gallery of early Soviet-era Russian board game designs and illustrations. The images seem to be taken from a LiveJournal user by the name of babs71. You’ll find some seriously gorgeous propaganda here. The vintage illustrations depict workers young and old, soldiers bravely entering battle to defend the Motherland,and some nicely stylized industrial complexes. Find more hammer and sickle goodness after the jump.

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Andre Ethier’s Lush Oil Paintings of Hobos and Monsters

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Canadian artist Andre Ethier‘s oil paintings are rich with all the messiness of life. He seems to find and expose more beauty and meaning from the unsavory elements of life than the average person does from generic blue skies and roses. I remember catching some of his works in person a few years ago and each one just glowed with so much power — hobos and monsters leering and searching from behind syrupy glazes. And Ethier’s quasi still lifes, well, they’re practically wall-mounted explosives. See what I mean after the jump.

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Studio Visit: Leon Reid IV’s Public Art

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I stopped by Leon Reid IV‘s studio in Greenpoint to see what he’s been up to lately. He’s been pretty busy. Last month, he installed “100 Story House” a public art piece created in collaboration with Julia Marchesi. And he released a new sculpture series less than two weeks ago. On top of all of that, he’s in the midst of raising funds for “A Spider Lurks in Brooklyn”, his proposed project to put a giant spider between the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge during October of 2014 (you can get involved with the project here). So I was pretty psyched that he was able to make time to show me around. Leon’s been creating public art in some form or another for eighteen years now, and his studio was full of past projects and concept sketches.

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People on the Beach are Reduced to Tiny Specs in Gray Malin’s Photos

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Final mourning of the end of summer. Aerial photos of beaches and beach people from California-based photographer Gray Malin. These are part of a series entitled À La Plage, À La Piscine. Malin shot the pictures from the open door of a helicopter flying over beaches and pools from the U.S. to Brazil, to Australia. Reducing us to our tiniest, the photographs reveal patterns that would’ve been otherwise undiscovered. (via)

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