For his series, Wilder Mann, photographer Charles Fréger traveled to 18 different countries to capture the costumes and masks of folk festivals and traditions. Creatures like bears, stags, mysterious hybrids and the occasional Krampus appear otherworldly—fashioned from materials like animal hides, bells, antlers, twigs and leaves. Photographed within their natural settings, the results are more film still than portrait instantly conjuring primitive stories and fairy tales. (via)
This week, The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco debuted “Ritual,” a solo exhibit by painter Charmaine Olivia. For “Ritual,” Olivia shrouds her signature female portraits with a veil of mysticism and magic, citing astrology, druidism, and the goddesses of ancient Greek mythology as inspirations. The beautifully haunting, almost spectral quality of Olivia’s female subjects is a result of her signature blend of realism and fantasy. While maintaining intensely realistic elements, many of the women are stripped down to their innermost layers, and further, into the paintings themselves, as translucent skin drips into bare bones, and tousled tresses fade into abstracted lines, revealing the grain of the wood surface beneath. “Ritual” presents these portraits as altars, flanked with offerings of flowers, candles, bones, and bottles, transforming the gallery into a place of worship, inviting us all to partake in a sacred ceremony to Olivia’s dreamy deities. View the show at The Shooting Gallery until February 4.
Seattle based illustrator Stacey Rozich’s work is littered with vibrant tribal patterns and drawings based on folklore. She brings an animated, lively, modern perspective to stories of myth. Her pattern work and line work are nothing short of exhilarating, playing reference to southwestern art, and tribal marks.
Check out artist Mark Whalen aka KillPixie’s magical worlds, exploring communication, sexuality, and ritual, littered with masked patterned people, mythical animals, and an eerie landscape all their own. His pieces incorporate mixed media ranging from paint to pen and ink to newer works with resin. He’s recently collaborated with musicians The Grates on their album Secret Rituals which seems to be a beautiful fit for them both.
