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Jessica Sellinger’s latest series of works – the Wave Collection – immediately stands out for unapologetically embracing and loving each “mistake” made. The Brisbane, Australia-based ceramic artist sees the series of wall sculptures and vessels as a representation of her own self-identity, and what I believe many of us aspire to. Each colored fold and wrinkle feels as though they’re full of energy and emotion. Almost, but not quite, resembling a coveted handbag or a type of sea creature.
It wasn’t until after finishing her studies in Interior Architecture in 2019 that Sellinger found clay. Now, it’s the medium she uses to create all of her handmade pieces in her home studio, where she experiments with color and form to create a contemporary approach to traditional methods.
Sellinger’s current work reaches two extremes, from minimal to bold sculptures, vessels, and furniture objects. Each is ever-evolving in design and functionality, with the aim of making even the simplest of spaces feel artistic. It’s possible because each of her works are made-to-order and will be individually unique from the others.
Photo: Jack Gibson
Jessica Sellinger
To learn more about Jessica Sellinger’s Wave Collection, visit tappancollective.com.
Two galleries from Iran are taking part in The Armory Show this year, providing a crucial international platform amid ongoing domestic unease. A protest movement set off by the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police nearly a year ago has been met by increasingly violent government suppression.
Sarai Gallery, established in 2018 and based in Mahshahr, is showing a solo stand dedicated to the Iranian artist Abbas Nasle Shamloo, who is known for his sombre depictions of nature and landscapes. The gallery takes part in around ten art fairs each year and is largely focused on selling internationally rather than in Iran, founder Hassan Saradipour says.
“One of our main goals is to show Iranian artists and introduce Iranian talent all over the world,” Saradipour says. In 2021, the gallery won the fair’s Presents Booth Prize for its stand featuring works by Moslem Khezri.
Saradipour says visitors are often surprised to see galleries from Iran at international fairs, particularly in the US because of sanctions placed on the country in 2019. The art market is not specifically named in the US sanctions, but they can complicate some aspects of operating a gallery, like wiring money to and from international bank accounts.
Taking part in so many art fairs over the years has helped Sarai Gallery and others raise Iranian artists’ profiles in the international art market, Saradipour says. The Armory Show in particular is “one of the best”, he says, because of its reach within the US market.
Hormoz Hematian, who founded Tehran-based gallery Dastan in 2012, agrees The Armory Show’s position in New York allows galleries access to “so many curious and interested people who come from around the world to see art”.
Dastan’s stand focuses on work by artists of Iranian heritage, including Nicky Nodjoumi (whom Hematian describes as “one of the legends of Iranian art”); Andisheh Avini, who also works as a senior director at Gagosian; and Reza Aramesh, a visual artist based in London.
“They bring attention to traces of a really ancient culture that has a wealth of history with visual arts, and their work is an extension of that lineage,” Hematian says.
Discerning curatorial trends among The Armory Show’s more than 220 exhibitors can be challenging, but this year one current is especially clear: the fair, its galleries and organisers are foregrounding the work of Indigenous artists. This negotiation of Native identity in a commercial context begs some questions, including: what does it mean to decolonise an art fair, and can it realistically be done?
Candice Hopkins—a Carcross/Tagish First Nation citizen who is the director and chief curator of Forge Project in upstate New York—is curating The Armory Show’s Focus section, which this year features 31 galleries showing solo and two-artist presentations. Her vision for the section “is less about representing artists who I feel haven’t been represented on this kind of stage before, and it’s actually a deeper exploration into thinking about material inheritances”, she says. “That can be practices and tools and techniques that are passed down over generations. That can be regional or place-based, because materials and their histories tell stories.”
She highlights the work of Eric-Paul Riege—a Diné textile artist and weaver based in Gallup, New Mexico, who is showing with Minneapolis-based Bockley Gallery—as typical of her approach to the fair. “He works with many generations of weavers in his family, and he taught himself to weave based on a weaving that was made by his grandmother that’s now part of the regalia that he makes,” Hopkins says. “He makes these giant, oversized soft sculptures, many of them modelled after what you would see today as contemporary Navajo jewellery. They’ve increasingly become animated, so they make sound and he performs in relation to them.” Riege’s presentation at the fair will include performances.
Hopkins’s section spans emerging artists, like Riege, and prominent figures like Tlingit and Unangax̂ artist Nicholas Galanin (showing with New York’s Peter Blum Gallery), Seneca artist Marie Watt and Choctaw-Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson, who was recently selected to represent the US at the 2024 Venice Biennale. (Watt and Gibson are showing with New York gallery Marc Straus.)
A sculpture by Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, a Cowichan/Syilx First Nations artist Courtesy of Macaulay & Co. Fine Art
Vancouver-based gallery Macaulay & Co. Fine Art is bringing a more historically tinged solo presentation of works by the Cowichan/Syilx First Nations artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, including a painting featured in the National Gallery of Canada’s landmark 1992 exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art, Land Spirit Power. That was “the first time that the National Gallery of Canada had ever done an exhibition even acknowledging contemporary Native art, and it was after a lot of activism from Native artists”, Hopkins says. “It’s an opportunity to see a piece of history.”
Emphasis on history as a timely consideration is also on the minds of gallerists at the fair. “There’s been an uptick in interest in Indigenous work over the past five years,” says Dave Kimelberg, a member of the Seneca Nation and founder of K Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, which champions works by Native American, First Nations and Indigenous artists. The gallery is showing at Armory for the second time, focusing on the work of G. Peter Jemison, a member of the Seneca Nation’s Heron clan. The stand will span works from the 1960s to today.
“Peter has had an amazing and varied career, and it’s so exciting that we get to bring him to an Armory audience,” Kimelberg says. “Our agenda is to get Indigenous artists into the contemporary art market.”
“Grab the Bull by the Horns” by Jack Zhi, United States. Bird Photographer of the Year 2023 and Gold Award Category: Bird Behavior.
Species: Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus and Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis.
Location: Southern California, United States.
“During the breeding season, a female Peregrine Falcon fiercely protects her young, attacking anything that comes near the nest. For four years, I attempted to capture these rare moments of her attacking large Brown Pelicans with incredible speed and agility. The high-speed chase made it challenging to capture a close-up shot with a long lens. The falcon’s precision was amazing as it struck at the pelican’s head.”
A striking photo of a female peregrine falcon fiercely defending her young was the top winner of the 2023 Bird Photographer of the Year contest. Selected from over 20,000 images, this bird of prey attacking a brown pelican that was too close to her nest earned American photographer Jack Zhi the title of Bird Photographer of the Year.
“For four years, I attempted to capture the rare sight of the female falcon attacking large brown pelicans with incredible speed and agility,” shares Zhi. “I love the eyes of the pelican in this image—surprised and scared. The action was fast and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever.”
Zhi’s dynamic image was one of many exceptional photographs entered into this year’s contest, which covers eight categories for adults, as well as special Video, Portfolio, and Conservation awards. Young photographers are also encouraged to enter, with 17-year-old German photographer Anton Trexler taking home the title of Young Bird Photographer of the Year.
All of the winning images are published in a hardcover coffee-table book that makes a wonderful gift for any bird lover. This year’s collection is available for purchase online. Check out some of our favorite Gold and Silver award winners of the 2023 contest and get your entries ready, as the 2024 is already taking submissions.
“Glistening-Green” by Nicolas Reusens, Spain. Gold Award Category: Best Portrait.
Species: Glistening-green Tanager Chlorochrysa phoenicotis.
Location: Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Ecuador.
“Venturing into the tropical forest, I was excited to spot the rare Glistening-green Tanager. After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid green bird on a perfect heart-shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colors. I captured every detail, grateful for this magical moment amid the lush jungle backdrop.”
“More Fish Please!” by Levi Fitze, Switzerland. Silver Award Category: Comedy Bird.
Species: King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus.
Location: Saunders Island, Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
“When observing King Penguins, I was struck by how their behavior sometimes resembles that of humans. This juvenile constantly begged until the annoyed adult walked away. However, the fact that the juvenile was more massive than the adult suggests good parenting overall.”
“Sunflower Paradise” by Mateusz Piesiak, Poland. Gold Award Category: Birds in the Environment.
Species: Brambling Fringilla montifringilla.
Location: Lower Silesia, Poland.
“Flooding meant that a field of sunflowers could not be harvested, and thousands of birds, including Greenfinches (Chloris chloris), Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) and Bramblings, flocked to it in winter. Despite their colorful plumage making them easy targets, when foraging, their colors blend with the surroundings, making them hard for predators to spot. Using a wide-angle lens masked with snow and dried sunflowers, I photographed a flock of Bramblings from their perspective, with one perched in front of my camera.”
“Blue Hour and Red Moon” by Anton Trexler, Germany. Young Bird Photographer of the Year and Gold Award Category: 15–17 years.
Species: Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula.
Location: Mainz, Germany.
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Blue atmosphere and red moon. Getting up before sunrise allows you to experience the magical awakening of animals. The blackbird is one of the first animals to awaken.”
“Parenting Goals” by Thomas Vijayan,
Canada. Silver Award Category: Best Portrait.
Species: Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri.
Location: Antarctica.
“Before capturing this image, I spent two days observing these penguins, lying flat on the ice to avoid scaring them. Waiting for the chick to appear, I finally got this touching shot of parental love. I trekked eight hours a day on soft snow to reach this colony and even made friends with some penguins.”
“Urban Paradise” by Xiaoke Wang, China. Silver Award Category: Urban Birds.
Species: Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo.
Location: Shenzhen, China.
“From October to March, Shenzhen is a wintering ground for over 100,000 migratory birds. In January 2022, tens of thousands of Great Cormorants were spotted flying over Talent Park, adding to the area’s avian diversity.”
“Flying Sword” by Rafael Armada, Spain. Gold Award Category: Birds in Flight.
Species: Sword-billed Hummingbird Ensifera ensifera.
Location: Bogotá, Colombia.
“The Sword-billed Hummingbird, common in the Andean forests, has the world’s longest bill relative to its size. This bird’s unique bill, adapted to feed on flowers with long corollas, makes it a vital pollinator, as bees and butterflies can’t reach the nectar and so don’t pollinate these plants. This image captures the bird approaching a feeder, with natural backgrounds and lighting.”
“Fascinating Droplet” by Jason Moore, Australia. Gold Award Category: Black and White.
Species: Musk Duck Biziura lobata.
Location: Perth, Australia.
“A young Musk Duck seems mesmerized by a drop of water falling from its mother’s mouth. Of course, it’s actually interested in the morsel of food that she has in her bill. Their coloration may be drab, but they more than make up for it with their beautiful expressions and fascinating displays.”
“No Way Out” by Antonio Aguti, Italy. Gold Award Category: Comedy Bird Photo.
Species: Purple Heron Ardea purpurea.
Location: Lake Chiusi, Italy.
“The Purple Heron is a migratory bird that nests in the lake basins of the Italian Peninsula and feeds mainly on fish, although it also preys on mice, snakes, toads, and other creatures. In this shot, the heron caught a large Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius) and voraciously swallowed it after several attempts to turn the fish onto its side.”
“Don’t Make War” by Ewan Heath-Flynn, United Kingdom. Gold Award Category: Conservation (Single
Image).
Species: European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur.
Location: Southern Malta.
“A Maltese hunter stands proud, having legally shot a European Turtle Dove, a prized quarry on the island. European Union legislation bans the hunting of Turtle Doves in the breeding season. Nevertheless, across the Mediterranean, an estimated 0.34–0.87 million are killed every year. Generations of Maltese have hunted this species on migration; a few continue to hunt and follow tradition. In 2017, Malta introduced a spring hunting moratorium, which left some hunters feeling their ‘traditional’ way of life had been spoilt. Unfortunately, the ban was lifted in 2022, allowing European Turtle Doves to be killed once again. The decision has the potential to dramatically impact and further damage this beautiful bird’s chances of survival and drive it further towards extinction. BirdLife International and their partner BirdLife Malta both condemn the hunting.”
“High-Key Terns” by Harry Sedin, Sweden. Gold Award Category: 12–14 years.
Species: Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea and Common Tern Sterna hirundo.
Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
“In a small inlet in Örnsköldsvik, there are terns everywhere during summer. So, one afternoon on an overcast day, I headed down to the water with the goal of photographing terns in flight. Instead of that, I ended up photographing an Arctic and Common Tern perched together on a railing. By utilizing the white of their bodies, the overcast weather, and the bright reflections in the water, I captured a high-key image of the two terns.”
“Verditer Flycatcher” by Arko Saha, India. Gold Award Category: 11 and Under.
Species: Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus.
Location: Pelling, Sikkim, India.
“Pelling is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. I observed so many birds when I visited the area. I snapped this very colorful bird in a garden near our hotel. The extremely vibrant blue color makes this bird so beautiful.”
“A Moment of Prayer” by Arto Leppänen, Finland. Gold Award Category: Urban Birds.
Species: Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa.
Location: Helsinki, Finland.
“During winter migration, owls from northern Finland often head to the south where they can find more food due to less snow. This Great Grey Owl chose a cemetery with abundant voles as its hunting ground. While hunting, the owl would often stop on tombstones or other structures to observe the area. Keeping a safe distance, I followed the owl and managed to capture a fleeting moment when it landed briefly on a beautiful angel statue.”
“The Dance of the Shadows” by Clément
Cornec, France. Gold Award Category: Birds in the Environment.
Species: Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri.
Location: Adélie Land, Antarctica.
“The Emperor Penguin breeds during winter in Antarctica, the coldest environment on Earth. It endures temperatures as low as -40°C during the long polar nights and 250km/h blizzards. Adaptations allow it to maintain body temperature and conserve energy.”
“Green Planet Flamingos” by Paul
Mckenzie, Ireland. Silver Award Category: Birds in Flight.
Species: Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor.
Location: Lake Bogoria, Kenya.
“This aerial photograph captures a flock of Lesser Flamingos in flight over a vast and concentrated bloom of cyanobacteria (sometimes called blue-green algae), their staple food source. The photo was taken from the open doors of a light aircraft.”
“Blue-Footed Fishing Dive” by Henley Spiers, United Kingdom. Silver Award Category: Bird Behavior.
Species: Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii.
Location: Los Islotes, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
“In early autumn, a sardine shoal at Los Islotes attracted seabird predators. Amid the shoal, I waited patiently for
the elusive shot of a Blue-footed Booby rising with a sardine in its beak. Finally, a crash came down close to me, and I instinctively captured the moment.”
“Seeing Eye to Eye” by Michael Eastwell, United Kingdom. Silver Award Category: Conservation (Single Image).
Species: Southern Boobook Ninox boobook.
Location: Bonorong Wildlife Hospital,
Brighton, Tasmania, Australia.
“Southern Boobooks, the smallest Australian owl species, are often brought to veterinary hospitals after car accidents. Their large, outward-projecting eyes adapted for low-light hunting make them vulnerable to injury. In this image, Dr. Luke Gregory is examining an owl named ‘Rocket,’ focusing on the posterior eye, where injuries can be less visible.”
“The Heron in the Palms” by Yaron Schmid, Israel. Silver Award Category: Black and White.
Species: Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala.
Location: Samburu National Reserve,
Kenya.
“Among Samburu’s most distinctive features are its Doum Palms (Hyphaene thebaica). While moving away from the river, I noticed a Black-headed Heron perched on one of the palm tree branches. I asked the guide to stop and captured a minimalistic image using a smaller lens.”
To the editor:
Saturday Art Market is a wrap — for our third and most successful summer. This has truly become a destination and we are grateful for each and every one of you who stopped by. Although our “unofficial clicker count” is not totaled, we are confident that our numbers will be close to 13,000 people who strolled through our space this summer, an increase in attendance of around 2,000 people.
This endeavor would not be possible without the combined efforts of many people including Carlson Music who provides our liability insurance, the local businesses who donate to help cover the cost of our advertising and musical groups, Explore Alexandria who financially supported us this year, also. Without the partnership of the City of Alexandria and the crew of the Alex Park Department, we would not exist. We are grateful, also, to the Echo Press for your weekly coverage of our musical groups.
The number of vendors rose this year to an all-time high of 35-40 who signed up to participate — giving rise to the fact that we always had a great variety of art available. Thank you, Alex Artists Guild for your support. Deja Bleu coffee and treats, Half Pint Ice cream, Doug Hasz and his popcorn all contributed to create a great festival atmosphere. Our musical groups were OUTSTANDING.
Thank you to Ron Branch and all the great people at the Farmer’s Market for sharing your space with us.
The arts are alive and well in Alexandria. Please continue to support all forms of Art throughout the coming year. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2024!
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Mimi Seykora, Bill Glade, Sandy Susag
Organizers of Saturday Art Market
Alexandria, MN
Bring on the art: September brings fresh exhibits to the Valley as colleges reopen
If one was to characterize UK-based Jones & Partners’ portfolio of industrial designs, “unfussy yet functional” comes to mind. It would also be obvious to spotlight the studio’s affinity for integrating multitasking and adaptable elements into a modern vernacular comfortably applicable to both commercial and residential environments, something fully on display with their award winning task lighting + charging concept, Current.
Born out of internal research identifying a lack of thoughtfully designed solutions for coworkers to plug into while working communally from one another across a large table or desk, Jones & Partners tapped into their experience in the contract furniture market and the electronic design realm. The result is an elegantly realized modular task lamp offering illumination, storage for stationery, wireless and USB port charging, and the option to add additional outlets in a single form factor sans any iota of clutter.
Presented in two version, the first is a minimalist task lamp equipped with a seamlessly integrated wireless charging surface situated on the left side of the lamp’s base near the task lamp’s on/off switch.
The second Current edition is akin to an iceberg, with a portion of the lamp base hidden beneath the tabletop. The surface mounted design conceals a larger plug-in unit, allowing for two interchangeable charging modules to be added/switched out as desired.
Installed in multiples, Current illuminates with an intimacy reminiscent of academic library lamps, albeit realized in a more contemporary form.
The slender “I-shaped” base and LED shade require only a minimal amount of space, both across surfaces and also visually as the antidote for workspace clutter.
The configurable task light currently remains a concept design, with eventual availability made more likely noting Jones & Partners earned a Red Dot Award 2023 for their creative efforts.
