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Salvador Dominguez Confronts Identity and Labor Through Woven Pipe Cleaner Vessels

2025-03-19 06:35:52

Salvador Dominguez Confronts Identity and Labor Through Woven Pipe Cleaner Vessels

“I was among the first in my family to go to college,” artist Salvador Dominguez says. “Years after graduating, I began to realize the biggest challenge was going to be sharing the work I make with those closest to me.”

When art is so deeply intertwined with identity, a profound irony can form when trying to share it with loved ones who haven’t had access to the same resources or lessons in Western art theory and history. Even when the work itself is rooted in shared culture and family connection, how do artists bridge this gap?

a vessel made from woven pipe cleaners in shades of pink and pops of green

The Chicago-based artist confronts this question in a series of hand-woven vessels titled Mano de Obra. Paying homage to a nostalgic vibrancy from his upbringing in southern California and Mexico, the brilliant colors within Dominguez’s work serve as cultural markers. Memories of vividly painted houses and colorful statues inside corner stores and carnicerias, or butcher shops, guide the artist’s use of color and pattern, each component tethered to his sense of identity.

Pipe cleaners—which are fairly accessible and easily recognized by both children and adults—proved to be a clear choice as Dominguez contemplated different materials to work with. Weaving each slender, fuzz-covered wire into functional vessels greatly alters the value of the material in a fascinating way and evokes a familiar environment in which the artist was raised, where trade and craft were used interchangeably as currency.

Recently, Dominguez has begun to teach his mother, Silvia, the weaving techniques he developed with pipe cleaners. He shares:

Her labor within domestic life often went unseen, but her imagination came alive through craft and embroidery. By involving her in this creative process, I not only honor her contributions but also try to maintain our connection, transforming her labor into a visible and valued part of the work. I remain curious about how this collaborative effort has the potential to bridge the gap between generations, particularly since we live in separate parts of the country.

a 360 degree gif of a vase made from woven pipe cleaners in shades of blue

To stay inspired, the artist also collects a slew of domestic items. From his mother’s hand-embroidered tortilleros to household textiles like pillowcases and table runners from Indigenous artisans from Mexico, Dominguez’s collection of precious goods influences form, pattern, and palette in his own work. Though he has encountered these articles since early life, turning to them for research has established a new, unique relationship with the familiar objects.

Dominguez is anticipating a group exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium this May with de boer gallery. Find more work and updates on the artist’s website and Instagram.

a vessel made from woven pipe cleaners with geometric pattern
detail of a a vessel made from woven pipe cleaners in shades of yellow and pops of red, pink, and green
a tall vessel made from woven pipe cleaners in shades of black and gray with geometric colorful detail
a vessel shaped like a 5 gallon bucket, made from woven orange pipe cleaners
a vessel made from woven pipe cleaners in shades of gray and black
a vase made from woven pipe cleaners in colorful shades
a vessel made from woven pipe cleaners in shades of red with small pops of light green and royal blue
Photo by Ian Vecchiotti. Courtesy of the artist and ANDREW RAFACZ, shared with permission

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Salvador Dominguez Confronts Identity and Labor Through Woven Pipe Cleaner Vessels appeared first on Colossal.

Ocean Census Expeditions Discover More Than 800 New Marine Species

2025-03-19 01:30:00

Ocean Census Expeditions Discover More Than 800 New Marine Species

Involving more than 800 scientists from more than 400 institutions worldwide, Ocean Census has embarked on ten expeditions and numerous workshops—so far—with a sole aim: discovering new species in the “world’s greatest frontier.”

Last week, the organization announced that it had discovered 866 new species, further advancing our understanding of marine biodiversity. Among the finds is a newly identified guitar shark, which belongs to a distinctive group of animals that share characteristics of both sharks and rays.

a photograph of a newly-discovered guitar shark, set against a black background
Guitar Shark: Rhinobatos sp. © The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Sergey Bogorodsky

Another revelation is the pygmy pipehorse, which was found off the coast of Africa—the first time the genus has been spotted outside of the cool waters of New Zealand. Ocean Census says:

These diminutive pipehorses are masters of camouflage, remaining elusive as they inhabit coral reefs and blend seamlessly into their surroundings. Many members of the family Syngnathidae—which also includes seahorses, seadragons, and pipefish—are classified as Threatened on the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction, bycatch, and targeted fishing.

While 866 is a remarkable number of discoveries, Ocean Census has its work cut out. “The identification and official registration of a new species can take up to 13-and-a-half years—meaning some species may go extinct before they are even documented,” says a statement.

To address this lag and accelerate identification, the initiative was launched jointly in 2023 by The Nippon Foundation and Nekton with a mission to “close critical knowledge gaps before it’s too late.”

a photograph of a newly-discovered pygmy pipehorse in the sand on the sea bottom
Pygmy Pipehorse: Syngnathidae. © The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Richard Smith

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet’s surface, but these vast bodies of water remain largely unexplored. “Of the estimated one to two million marine species on Earth, only 240,000 are known to science,” Ocean Census says.

Currently on a 35-day expedition to the South Sandwich Islands, the project joins four additional programs, including Schmidt Ocean Institute, to search for new species off the South Atlantic Ocean’s volcanic archipelago. Find more on Ocean Census’s website.

a photograph of a newly-discovered gastropod, its cone-shaped shell shown in a composite image with three different views and set against a black background
Gastropod: Turridrupa sp. © The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Peter Stahlschmidt
a photograph of a newly-discovered species of coral, photographed next to a label and a ruler
Coral: Octocoral (Maldives). © The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Asako Matsumoto, Shaaan
a composite photograph of different views of a newly-discovered sea snail against a black background
Mollusc: Granulina nekton. © The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Jesús Ortea, Leopoldo Moro
a photograph of a newly-discovered sea star against a black background
Sea Star: Tylaster sp. © The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Martin Hartley
a photograph of a newly-discovered stalky pink sea creature, set against a black background
Crinoid with Octocoral Attached. © Martin Hartley / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census
a photograph of a detail of a newly-discovered stalky pink sea creature, set against a black background
Detail of Crinoid with Octocoral Attached. © Martin Hartley / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Ocean Census Expeditions Discover More Than 800 New Marine Species appeared first on Colossal.

Mandy Barker’s Cyanotypes Revive a Pioneering Botanist’s Book to Warn About Synthetic Debris

2025-03-18 22:06:44

Mandy Barker’s Cyanotypes Revive a Pioneering Botanist’s Book to Warn About Synthetic Debris

“In 2012, I found a piece of material in a rock pool that changed my life,” artist Mandy Barker says. “Mistaking this moving piece of cloth for seaweed started the recovery of synthetic clothing from around the coastline of Britain for the next ten years.”

Barker is known for her photographic practice that takes a deep dive into marine debris. Her work has been featured in publications like National Geographic, The Guardian, VOGUE, and many more. Often collaborating with scientists to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the earth’s oceans, she eloquently highlights its harmful impacts on marine habitats, wildlife, and all of us who depend on the ocean for sustenance.

Patterned blouse (Laminaria materia)

Forthcoming from GOST Books, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections surveys the unexpected and out-of-place along British shores. At first glance, each specimen appears like a fragment of a leaf or a scatter of organic material, but upon closer inspection, the subjects of Barker’s images reveal details of unraveled polyester or scraps of nylon tights.

Barker hopes to raise awareness of the damaging effects of fast fashion, synthetic clothing, and the increasing amounts of microfibers in the oceans. The fashion industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all international flights and container ships combined and is also the second-largest consumer of water, requiring about 2,000 gallons of water to produce a single pair of jeans.

Barker’s new book is composed as an homage to the work of trailblazing botanist and photographer Anna Atkins (1799-1871), who is thought to be the first woman to take a photograph and the first person to publish a book containing photographic illustrations. Her 1843 study, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, employed blue photograms to illustrate photosynthetic organisms and seaweeds.

Barker’s work serves as a kind of sibling or sequel to Atkins’ pioneering publication, presented in a similar style with handwritten names in Latin beneath each specimen.

Coat lining (Dichloria vestis)

In their updated versions, the titles take Atkins’ scientific names as a starting point and tweak them just slightly to conjure references to clothing or the human body. In the plate titled “Dichloris vestis,” for example, Barker draws on a real type of algae Atkins catalogued, Dichloria viridis, but “vestis” is instead a tongue-in-cheek reference to outerwear, often made of polyester or other synthetic materials. “Conferva tibia,” which portrays frayed tights, employs the Latin word for “leg.”

From John o’ Groats at the northernmost tip of Great Britain to Land’s End at its southernmost, Barker recovered specimens of clothing from more than 120 beaches. Her finds, ranging from parkas to wigs to sports jerseys, were pulled from the sand, tide pools, or directly from the sea. In Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections, Barker looks to the past to better understand how our actions in the present have both immediate impacts and will shape the future of the climate crisis.

Find your copy on GOST’s online store, where signed editions are also available, and explore more of Barker’s work on her website and Instagram.

Nylon tights (Conferva tibia)
Shawl (Odonthalia amiculum), shown on a spread from ‘Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Imperfections’ by Mandy Barker
Jacket lining (Rhodomenia ignotus)
Fishnet tights (Chylocladia funda)
Two Blouses (Asperococcus indusium)
Synthetic fur hood (Myrionema Palliolum)
Lining (with algae) (Grateloupia intra)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Mandy Barker’s Cyanotypes Revive a Pioneering Botanist’s Book to Warn About Synthetic Debris appeared first on Colossal.

Who Shot Me? Help Identify the Anonymous Photographer Who Captured 1960s San Francisco

2025-03-18 04:04:26

Who Shot Me? Help Identify the Anonymous Photographer Who Captured 1960s San Francisco

Between 1966 and 1970, a San Francisco-area photographer captured thousands of images documenting civil rights demonstrations, protests against the Vietnam War, Grateful Dead concerts in Golden Gate Park, and so much more. Their archive is a veritable treasure trove of the era’s counter-culture and evidence of their willingness to put themself in the middle of the action to get the perfect shot.

The problem, though, is that no one knows who the photographer is.

a group of men in black berets stand together

Bill Delzell, of the nonprofit SpeakLocal, encountered the archive in 2022 after a friend introduced him to its then-owner, who was looking for a buyer. A commercial photographer and collector, Delzell found himself enamored by the images and compelled to become their new custodian. “I have no interest in owning the work,” he told Colossal. “I just have an interest in discovering who the photographer is.”

In total, the collection contains 2,042 processed 35-millimeter color slides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film, meaning there are around 8,400 images in all. Alongside moments of angst, outrage, and joy, there are glimpses of critical happenings, like the seconds before Muhammad Ali burned a draft card while speaking at an anti-war rally.

More than half of the film is unprocessed, meaning the photographer never even saw much of the collection. Delzell thinks this suggests the person was a student or hobbyist, rather than a journalist or artist who might be motivated to develop the images to sell or utilize in their work.

This is the second unidentified photographic archive to come out of San Francisco in recent years after a similar Kodachrome collection was discovered in 2023. Anonymous works like these inspire questions about worth and merit when so often, we ascribe value based, in part, on the creator. “This work really forces us to look at all of that and question what is the value of the work. Is the value the expression of the photographer? Or is the value the amalgam of all parts and pieces?” Delzell asks.

people at a march for cesar chavez
The image with Katy in the foreground with her family

Although many questions about the archive remain, a few clues have surfaced. Early in the discovery process, Delzell texted a handful of images to his friend Katy. She responded saying she could see herself in one of the photos. “She was five years old, wide-eyed, and walking with her family while holding onto her sister’s stroller. She was crossing in front of people marching against the unjust treatment of migrant farmworkers,” Delzell writes. “It was 1968 on Dolores Street.”

When he shared a different selection of photos with another friend named Amanda, he was similarly surprised. “She was on her way to visit her friend Stanley Mouse,” he says. Amanda called him quickly to say that Mouse, who designed the Grateful Dead’s iconic skeleton and roses poster, was in the background of the image of people sporting blue and green body paint in Golden Gate Park. “It’s fun that these little coincidences that remind us of how history continues to touch us,” Delzell adds.

The project, which is now called Who Shot Me—Stories Unprocessed, surpassed its goal on Kickstarter, although there are still opportunities to access some of the rewards. This funding will allow Delzell and the SpeakLocal team to develop the rest of the film and establish a broad platform for disseminating the images.

Plans include a database, book, immersive exhibition in San Francisco, and a documentary. If they act quickly, sharing the archive will hopefully bring more people forward who can help identify the photographer and offer insights into its creation. “People’s living memories might still be able to help us,” he notes.

a black and white image of a store window with the photographer's faint reflection

Several theories have emerged, but one of the most compelling is that the images belong to French filmmaker Agnès Varda. A black-and-white image of a storefront captures a reflection in the glass windows, and the person behind the lens appears to be a woman with her signature bowl cut. “Varda was a wonderful collaborator,” Delzell says. “She’s pretty much grabbing every neighbor, every friend she’s got to help her tell her stories. She’s inspired me to think of this as a community project.”

Even if Varda isn’t behind the shots—her daughter claims she isn’t—Delzell says it’s possible these images were taken by a group of people or as visual notes for a potentially larger project. Perhaps they were part of a research process for a film or a novel that we have yet to connect. Or maybe, he speculates, the photographer utilized their camera to immerse themself in a variety of situations and be introduced to communities they might not otherwise.

Whatever the answers, the focus at the moment is on garnering interest from those who might have a connection to people featured in the images or be able to offer context. SpeakLocal intern Amari Kiburi is hosting a short exhibition of the project this week at Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, and Delzell is looking for curators and enthusiasts interested in doing the same. “We get to try to imagine what inspired this person to spend five years (amassing this archive) and then to have lost it, which is what really baffles me,” he says.

There are many more images from Who Shot Me—Stories Unprocessed in the video below. If you’re interested in getting involved with the project, reach out to SpeakLocal. (via Smithsonian Magazine)

a photo of people at a demonstration. one holds up a sign that says "keep racism out of san francisco"
a man holds up his arms in a v with his back facing the camera, while people gather in the street in front of him
a black and white imager of a car painted like a face
a man holds a sign behind his back at a rally that says "kill for peace?"
a band plays
people sit atop an elaborately painted bus
a black and white image of a dense crows

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Who Shot Me? Help Identify the Anonymous Photographer Who Captured 1960s San Francisco appeared first on Colossal.

Porcelain Vessels Are Portals Through Time and Space in Paintings by Sung Hwa Kim

2025-03-18 01:00:00

Porcelain Vessels Are Portals Through Time and Space in Paintings by Sung Hwa Kim

In the late 17th century, during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, a particularly rotund, plain white porcelain vessel rose to popularity. Nicknamed “moon jars” for their milky glaze and spherical form, the earliest examples were finished in wood-fired kilns to add character to their minimalist surfaces. Treasured and reproduced by skilled artisans throughout the centuries, the classic style continues to influence contemporary artisans.

For Brooklyn-based artist Sung Hwa Kim, the traditional Korean jar serves as a starting point for an ongoing series of paintings invoking decorative vessels as metaphorical containers for the past. In the context of the still-life, he conjures what he refers to as “visual haikus,” poetic evocations of the passing of time, like changing seasons and the transition from day into night.

a vertical acrylic painting featuring a vase on a table near a window, and the vase contains a landscape painted by Vincent van Gogh, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jar, Ashtray, and Vincent van Gogh Painting” (2024), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

In Kim’s current solo exhibition, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring at Harper’s, the artist emphasizes quiet, everyday moments in domestic settings that often overlook brick buildings or the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Some of his compositions are vibrantly monochrome, setting the scene for a vase on top of a table, containing a scene from a historic painting or faraway landscape.

Kim often incorporates spectral, glowing insects (previously) and situates the vessels on sills or near windows. Vases contain landscapes, trees, and animals, while decor on the walls reference works by famous modernists like Vincent van Gogh, René Magritte, and Sanyu.

Inside the pots, the flora appears ghost-like or faded, rendered in fuzzy gray marks, and objects left nearby, like a pencil and notebook or a drinking glass, suggest that someone was recently present but an unspecified time has passed since they left. The jars serve as portals to other times and places just as the windows provide views of another world. “Ultimately, Kim masterfully inhabits the role of guide, making perceptible the delicate threshold between what fades and what endures,” says a gallery statement.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring continues in New York through April 5. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of red and orange, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking a city, and the vase contains a landscape, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jar, Fruits, and Incense Burner” (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 72 x 60 inches
a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of brown and gray, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge, and the vase contains a landscape, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jar and Round Glass Top Table” (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 50 x 40 inches
a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of blue, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking a city at night, and the vase contains a landscape with two birds, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jar, Moon Lamp, and René Magritte Postcard” (2024), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 72 x 60 inches
a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of pink and gray, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking a city, and the vase contains a landscape, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jar, Pencil, and Notebook” (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of green, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking a city, and the vase contains a landscape, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jar” (2024), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 50 x 40 inches
a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of red, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking a city, and the vase contains a green-and-yellow painting by Sanyu
“Still Life with Jar and Sanyu Painting” (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
a vertical acrylic painting predominantly in shades of green and yellow, featuring a vase on a table near a window overlooking a city, and the vase contains a landscape with emphasis on a tree, almost as if it is a portal
“Still Life with Jars” (2025), acrylic and flashe on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Porcelain Vessels Are Portals Through Time and Space in Paintings by Sung Hwa Kim appeared first on Colossal.

Delight in Heather Rios’s Delectable Cakes Made from Polymer Clay and Embroidery

2025-03-17 21:26:02

Delight in Heather Rios’s Delectable Cakes Made from Polymer Clay and Embroidery

While Heather Rios’s slices of layer cake look ready to stick a fork into, you may want to think twice. Formed of polymer clay and finished with embroidery, the artist pairs the sweets with a vintage plate—and sometimes a fork—in playful trompe l’oeils.

Enveloped in realistic frosting and decorated with berries, blossoms, and sprinkles, each work evokes pieces you’d be ready to dig into at a birthday or wedding. Rios meticulously embroiders each sponge element, fashioning patterned layers in thread on a hoop before transferring the finished panel to the sculpture.

a small sculpture of a slice of a Swiss roll on an ornate plate, with realistic frosting and fruit details and embroidery that looks like the texture of fluffy sponge

In addition to freestanding forms, Rios embellishes small paintings with shallow reliefs of cakes on canvas, emphasizing vibrant color and the fluffy texture of the exposed interiors.

Many of Rios’s cakes would be exceedingly difficult to achieve in reality, like detailed floral designs or motifs from blue-and-white porcelain. Lucky for us, we can have our cake and keep it, too. Find more on the artist’s Instagram, and purchase a slice from her Etsy shop.

a small sculpture of a slice of layer cake sitting on a blue-and-white porcelain plate, with realistic frosting details and embroidery that looks like the texture of fluffy sponge in the pattern of a Delftware plate
a polymer clay sculpture of a piece of layer cake with embroidered panels for the sponge and a pink plastic fork with a bite of cake on the end, sitting on a retro plate
a small sculpture of a layer cake, with realistic frosting details, sprinkles, and embroidery on that looks like the texture of fluffy sponge where a slice has been removed
a relief of a slice of layer cake on a square canvas, with embroidery details that resemble the texture of confetti sponge
a small sculpture of a slice of layer cake, with realistic frosting details and embroidery on that looks like the texture of fluffy sponge
a small sculpture of a slice of layer cake on an ornate pink plate, with realistic frosting details and embroidery on that looks like the texture of fluffy sponge
a relief of a slice of layer cake on a square canvas, with embroidery details that resemble the texture of confetti sponge
a relief of a slice of layer cake on a square canvas, with embroidery details that resemble the texture of multicolored sponge
am embroidery hoop with three cream-colored compartments with floral details, emulating the side of a sliced piece of layer cake
A sponge embroidery in progress

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Delight in Heather Rios’s Delectable Cakes Made from Polymer Clay and Embroidery appeared first on Colossal.