Korean artist Sung-Myung Chun creates eerie sculptures of young boys wearing his face who are usually in a situation that revolves around drama. He works with his life experiences through these sculptures of himself, and presents it to us cinematically by freezing them in moments of great reflection, violence, fatigue, etc – much like in T.V. shows or movies.
I am really enjoying Jane Benson’s work. One series in particular of hers I find to be quite intriguing; The Chronicles of Narcissim. Its narrative takes a closer look at people’s preoccupation with material and identity transformation as well as the tension that exists between both the natural and the artificial form of beauty. Benson was born in Thornbury, England and lives in both London and New York.
Polish artist Pawel Althamer explores the fragility of the body through his sculptures, videos, and performances. His latest installment is called the Brondo People in which he portrays his rendition of Auguste Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais (circa 1889). His life sized sculptures represent himself and his family members. Althamer constructed Brondo People from hair, straw, intestine, and cloth-visceral materials. He is currently showing at the Gwangju Biennale.
Looking at French photographer Alain Delorme’s Totems is almost surreal. It is so hard to believe that a single person can manage to carry all of these formations in such large quantities by themselves and only a bike. It is almost unbelievable. Photoshop or not, the atmosphere in which this is happening in comparison to the rest of the world is art in itself.
Slept on artist- extraordinaire and all around good guy, Ben Stone, just broke out his 3rd solo show here in Chicago @ Western Exhibitions. Full of ambition and humor, these new sculptures are NOT meant to be missed. More after the jump…
Hair. That’s right, I said HAIR. Agustina Woodgate gives new life to discarded human hair. After I saw “I Wanted to be a Princess” and “Sleepers“, I knew immediately that this was stretching the boundaries of what people consider art. Woodgate creates with stunning realism a portion of a castle reminiscent of one from Rapunzel, made with 3,000 blocks of human hair. In Sleepers, she constructed a pair of… slippers, perhaps even sturdy enough to wear outside. Through her work, she explores the relation between everyday objects and places and the overarching narratives that condition our unnatural relationship to the natural world.
If you’re a fan of sculpture be sure to check out Cinema Gallery’s exibition A Show of Heads. The exhibit tackles a wide array of subjects from which the artists reflect upon the psychological struggles that are fundamental to self-inquiry and the attempt to understand other human beings. It explores the pathos of idealism undermined by reality and the elusiveness of inner peace as promised by spiritual enlightenment.
A Show of Heads features work from Tom Bartel, Tanya Batura, Cristina Cordova, Thaddeus Erdahl, Judy Fox, Arthur Gonzalez, Roxanne Jackson, Doug Jeck, Akio Takamori, and Tip Toland.
Looks like an amazing exhibition, check out some of the artists after the jump!
Okay guys if you’ve never heard of Pipilotti Rist you need to check her out. Not only is she a really good video artist but she has quite possibly created the most magnificent chandelier ever! She created it using pieces of underwear that she collected from her family and friends. Not only is it an underwear chandelier, but it’s glowing too. Chandeliers don’t get much cooler than that my friends.
