From delicate gills and colorful caps to plump stems with remnants of soil stuck to the bottoms, Ann Wood’s elaborate fungi look like they were just plucked from the ground, but these stunning specimens are made entirely from paper (previously).

Wood has always been interested in working with the medium, and about ten years ago, she began making realistic plants. “At first, I looked at photographs and botanical illustrations to understand specimens,” she tells Colossal. “It became clear quickly that I needed to have real plant material to examine. I think it is the only way to truly understand the parts and how to sculpt them.” Only within the last year has Wood begun crafting mushrooms, carefully cutting tiny strips of paper or utilizing its inherent pulpiness to create fuzzy details.

Fungi is impossible to keep looking fresh for the week-or-so it takes to complete each piece, so the artist takes some minor liberties with color or texture but attempts to stick to nature as much as possible. “I often wake up in the morning with new ideas—new ways to use (the material) in a way that makes the mushrooms look real,” she says. “There’s an endless amount of things that could be created. I want to make one of everything.”

Wood works alongside her husband, fellow artist Dean Lucker, as Minneapolis-based studio WoodLucker. Find more on Instagram, where she often shares wonderful videos highlighting each specimen’s distinctive qualities.

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Like vinyl rainbows arching across the horizon, the wall sculptures that arise from Derrick Velasquez’s Denver studio capture movement and color in dynamic planes. The artist layers striped patterns in palettes evocative of beaches and deserts atop a wooden axis, creating a cascade of color from a central point. Velasquez  (previously) cuts the vinyl into non-uniform strips that, once stacked one atop the other, allow a shaggy, fluid edge to emerge.

The sculptures shown here are part of the artist’s ongoing Untitled series and are on view through July 28 at Skye Gallery in New York, alongside Linda Lopez and MarSha Yi Robinson. Find more from Velasquez on Instagram.

“Untitled 419” (2024), vinyl and walnut, 26 x 38 x 1 inches

“Untitled 411” (2024), vinyl and maple, 34 x 29 x 1 inches

Detail of “Untitled 419” (2024), vinyl and walnut, 26 x 38 x 1 inches

“Untitled 409” (2024), vinyl and walnut, 34 x 32 x 1 inches

“Untitled 425” (2024), vinyl and maple, 32 x 33 x 1 inches

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Archaeologists continue to uncover the area known as Insula 10 of Pompeii’s Regio IX neighborhood, and a recent finding includes a stunning sky-blue sacrarium, a space for ritual and conservation of sacred objects. Brilliant red lines the niches, where statues and other devotional iconography likely stood.

The 8-square-meter room is decorated in the Fourth Style (c. 60–79 C.E.), an intricate aesthetic that was less ornamental than its predecessor but took a more narrative and architectural approach. Adorning the walls are several women donning flower crowns and flowing garments, four of which correspond to the seasons. Two others grasp a plow and pedum, a shepherd’s crook, and are allegories of agriculture and sheep-tending.

Researchers believe the room was used for storage during a larger renovation when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The team uncovered 15 amphorae, two jugs, and two lamps in the space, along with building materials and a pile of empty oyster shells that were likely slated to be ground and added to plaster.

Pompeiians typically reserved blue for the most sacred of spaces, and neither the color nor the accompanying frescoes appear in a discovery nearby. As noted by The History Blog, archaeologists also excavated the servants’ quarters of the villa of Civita Giuliana, a stark contrast to the sacrarium. The room contained a bed, work tools, a basket, rope, and wooden planks, the shapes of which were preserved by volcanic matter, and researchers were able to recreate their forms in plaster. They explain:

As the ash solidified, forming a very solid layer known as “cinerite,” organic material such as human bodies, animals, or wooden objects decayed, leaving a void in the ground. These voids can be filled with plaster during excavation, to regain the original shape from the “negative” impression. A technique that led to extraordinary results in the villa of Civita Giuliana, from the casts of two victims and a horse to those of the modest beds in the servile quarter.

Archaeologists recently shared two videos from the sites, and you can find more tours and views of the ancient city from the Pompeii team on YouTube.

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“This is a time when a woman’s right to choose, and to have a voice in decision-making on every level, has already been compromised with threats of even further subjugation,” says artist Tim Okamura, whose striking portraits (previously) emphasize the profound strength and resilience of women.

Often gazing directly at the viewer, Okamura’s subjects confront history while standing squarely in the present and looking toward the future. In his ongoing Women Warriors series, individuals don stunning, traditional garments and wield swords, fans, or scythes. His solo exhibition Onna-Bugeisha: Warriors of Light at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center celebrates those who fight for social justice and for a better society.

Okamura became fascinated by the history of onna-bugeisha, also known as onna-musha, when he learned the story of Tomoe Gozen, a legendary female samurai from Japan’s late Heian period (794-1185 C.E.).  She is famous for having led 300 women samurai into battle against an enemy army 2,000 strong and was one of only five to survive.

“Northern Emissaries”

“I think the fact that the female samurai fought alongside men and had the same responsibilities and expectations resonated with me deeply,” Okamura says, “especially because as a person of Japanese descent, I was aware of a historically male-dominated, sometimes misogynist society, which I always found difficult to reconcile as someone who identifies as a feminist.”

Many of Okamura’s portraits depict influential contemporary women, such as Nigerian-American writer and speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones. Myriad other subjects, who often wear flowers in their hair, tap into a universal sense of uplifting others and striving for representation, equality, and empowerment. “I believe the role of the artist is to open up avenues to alternate, constructive pathways and to establish new visions through elevated narratives,” he adds.

Okamura’s work is currently on view in a solo exhibition titled Support System at Blumka Contemporary in New York City, and Onna-Bugeisha: Warriors of Light continues through February 18, 2025, in Pittsburgh. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

“Luvvie Ajayi”

“Ebony Obsidian the Unbreakable”

“Yaya the Demon Slayer”

“KNOW YOUR RIGHTS”

“Fire Walk With Me”

“Encouraging Words (Omoiyari)”

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“Absurdity is what makes me want to paint,” says Bruno Pontiroli. The Lyon-based artist is known for his wild contortions that twist the fierce and ferocious into the playfully bizarre. In “Les grandes gueules,” for example, a male lion yawns in enormous proportions, and a gazelle gracefully stands in tree pose for “L’aplomb,” no quivering muscles in sight.

Pontiroli’s latest paintings exaggerate the animals’ strange characteristics and yoga-esque inversions, which he takes to greater extremes than his previous works because “it just felt right at the time…I like to tell jokes in images, to show something illogical, which will lead the person who looks at my work to ask questions about the meaning of things,” he shares.

Shop limited-edition prints on the artist’s website, and follow news about his upcoming solo show this fall at Corey Helford Gallery on Instagram.

“Le mal de mer #1” (2022), 162 x 130 centimeters

“L’aplomb” (2023), 70 x 80 centimeters

“Pattes molles” (2022), 70 x 80 centimeters

“Elle est gonflée” (2023), 50 x 40 centimeters

“L’emjambée sauvage” (2022), 89 x 116 centimeters

“Le grand panard” (2023), 81 x 116 centimeters

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A list of today’s most influential architects wouldn’t be complete without Shigeru Ban, whose exceptional projects range from religious centers and corporate campuses to museums and disaster-relief shelters around the globe. The designer’s oeuvre is unmistakably modern while drawing on timeless Japanese framing traditions. His innovative use of timber and paper results in technologically advanced forms, elaborate yet elegant latticework, harmonious curves, and a perceptive use of light.

Next month, TASCHEN is set to release Shigeru Ban. Complete Works 1985–Today, a monograph that traces the designer’s most influential works throughout the past four decades. In the publisher’s “XXL” format, experience Ban’s sweeping Japan Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, a colorful, translucent public restroom in Tokyo that turns opaque when in use, and a vaulted cathedral ceiling made of cardboard in New Zealand, among myriad other projects.

Shigeru Ban is written by by Philip Jodidio, who has authored more than 150 books about architecture the world over. A series of 200 limited-edition copies come with a three-dimensional, laser-cut wooden cover and include a signed print of a sketch by Ban. Preorder on TASCHEN’s website.

Haesley Hamlet (2020), Gyeonggi, South Korea. Photo by texture on texture

Japan Pavilion (2000), Expo 2000, Hanover, Germany. Photo by Hiroyuki Hirai

Nomadic Museum, Pier 54, New York, United States (2005); Santa Monica, California, United States (2006); Tokyo, Japan (2007). Photo by Michael Moran

Simose (2023), Otake, Hiroshima, Japan. Photo © TASCHEN

Centre Pompidou-Metz (2010), Metz, France. Photo by Didier Boy de la Tour

Cardboard Cathedral (2013), Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo by Steven Goodenough

Kur Park Nagayu (2019), Oita, Japan. Photo by Hiroyuki Hirai

Swatch/Omega Campus (2019), Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Photo courtesy of Swatch

La Seine Musicale (2017), Île Seguin, Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Photo by Didier Boy de la Tour

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For Valerie Lueth of Tugboat Printshop, the final piece is only one stage of the painstaking yet satisfying process of making woodblock prints. The works emerge from meticulous planning and carving of numerous blocks, which the Pittsburgh-based artist layers on top of one another to achieve a variety of colors, patterns, and striking contrasts.

One recent print “Reflecting Narcissus,” depicts five daffodils reflected in a pool of water. The composition references the Greek mythological character, Narcissus, whose beauty and youth were admired by everyone who looked upon him, even though he didn’t love anyone. That is, until he saw his own reflection in a pool and fell deeply for his image, pining away until he died and was transformed into a flower named for him.

Lueth (previously) is known for creating detailed prints that call on the beauty of nature and folklore, and she revels in the process behind each work, which you can explore more in-depth on her website. She was recently featured in issue 25 of the printmaking magazine Pressing Matters and has two prints currently available for pre-order, including “Ladder Tree,” shown below. Follow Instagram for additional updates.

“Reflecting Narcissus” woodblock in progress

Pulling “Reflecting Narcissus” print

Left: One color block for “Reflecting Narcissus.” Right: The first layer of the print

“Ladder Tree” in progress

Left: “Raindrops.” Right: The woodblock in progress for “Raindrops”

“Ladder Tree” block

Detail of “Ladder Tree” block

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“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes,” author Joanna Maciejewska recently wrote post on X (formerly Twitter) that quickly went viral.

Generative AI has developed as a type of deep-learning technology in which new content, like text or imagery, can be created based on the data it has collected. Over the past few years, it has grown in popularity with visual applications like DALL-E 3 or Midjourney, which create images based on text prompts. Many popular photo-editing apps, like Adobe Photoshop, now include an AI feature. Yet a fundamental question at the core of generative AI revolves around where the data for this content comes from.

While the unprecedented technology presents a wide range of uses and implementations, it’s not without its downsides, which often revolve around data usage, copyright, and regulation. When artists began noticing their original art had been co-opted by generative models, a clarion call was issued to stop their work from being scraped to build the databases generative programs use. Class-action lawsuits have further drawn attention to individuals’ copyrights and how information is collected, reused, and remixed.

A few months ago, a new social media and portfolio app called Cara emerged with a twofold goal of creating a space for artists to share their original work and closely monitoring for AI-generation, which is not allowed. Cara also incorporates a tool called Glaze, or The Glaze Project, developed by the SAND Lab at the University of Chicago “to protect human artists by disrupting style mimicry in the training of generative AI models.” Not only can artists share their work in an AI-free environment, but the platform actively works to prevent imagery from being replicated as closely.

Over the weekend, Cara jumped from a few thousand users to more than 300,000 when Instagram users started sharing links to their new profiles, launching the platform into the Top 5 in Apple’s U.S. App Store. It hasn’t been without some growing pains—the team had to upgrade the servers seven times to keep up with demand, and the team is determining how to sustainably handle the growth. Formatted like a fusion of Instagram and Twitter, the interface is familiar and efficient, quickly becoming a hub for artists working in both digital and analog character development, animation, illustration, and more.

Created by photographer Jingna Zhang and a small team of engineers and contributors, Cara aims to stay at the forefront of technological developments, advocating for artists’ rights while building an effective networking tool. “The future of creative industries requires nuanced understanding and support to help artists and companies connect and work together,” the team says. “We want to bridge the gap and build a platform that we would enjoy using as creatives ourselves.”

Head to Cara to download the app and explore its growing range of portfolios. You can give Colossal a follow, too.

Detail of artwork by Tobias Kwan

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Fun municipal fact: Did you know the color of a fire hydrant often correlates with its capacity? Light blue has the lowest potential flow, while the familiar red hue is at the other end of the spectrum, unleashing a torrent once opened. But as with other public infrastructure like bus shelters and telephone booths, artists have been known to leave their marks on hydrants.

The Hydrant Directory catalogs dozens of unconventional color palettes found on the plugs, to use hydrant industry jargon. Started by Day Lane in May 2023, the archive indexes the coordinates and postal code of each entry, along with the height and date added. Most are located in Brooklyn, with a few additions from cities like Seattle and Syracuse, and users can sort the hydrants by color, size, location, and more.

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What’s the smell of terracotta? Of mauve? Artist John K. Raustein invites these questions about his architectural sculptures and installations covered in monochromatic textiles. Using a singular color emphasizes the diverse textures and physical qualities of his works and asks viewers to consider how such hues would unconventionally engage the senses. “I often draw on memories from my own childhood, seeking to evoke sensations, colors, sounds, smells, and places to visualize a bodily sense of existential uneasiness,” he shares.

From his studio in Oslo, Raustein builds large-scale constructions that create immersive, abstract environments. He blends rigid frames with soft, pliable cotton, the latter of which cloaks the skeletal components and appears as bulging sacks, weavings, and strips dangling from upper poles. The idea is to “challenge traditional notions of space and structure,” he says. “Existential dread remains a significant theme in my work, reflecting contemporary societal issues like climate change and social inequality. My installations create spaces for contemplation and connection.”

“Facilitated truths (the new world)” (2022), Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art. Photo by Kunstdok /Tor S Ulstein/ Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art

Raustein is also interested in longstanding textiles traditions, including ties to invisible labor, gender roles, queer culture, and environmental impact. He sources materials from local and sustainable producers and gravitates toward fabric with a history.

For example, silver cloth appears in a forthcoming exhibition at Stavanger Museum because of its link to healing and magic, particularly during Medieval times. The exhibition, titled Mitt Stavanger, honors the 900th birthday of the artist’s hometown and looks back at its difficult moments, particularly when the bubonic plague decimated the city. He adds:

I have created a room where the walls are covered with textiles embroidered with symbols from the Primstav, (a wooden Norwegian runic calendar) and represent Syftesok (St. Swithun’s wake, 2 July), a day significant to Stavanger’s patron saint, St. Swithun. The room also features display cases filled with textile sculptures in silver, inspired by lucky charms and talismans. These ‘textile amulets’ carry the sheen and aesthetics of silver, embodying a belief in magic and protection against disease, death, and evil forces.

Mitt Stavanger opens on June 20. Raustein is currently working on a monograph to be released in the fall, and you can follow news about both on Instagram.

“When everything we know becomes strange (tomorrow everything repeated itself again) / primrose” (2023). Phot by Øystein Thorvaldsen

“Facilitated truths (the new world)” (2022), installation view at Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art. Photo by Kunstdok/Tor S Ulstein/ Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art

“When everything we know becomes strange (controversial decisions)” (2023), installation view at Sølvberget Gallery, Stavanger. Photo by Øystein Thorvaldsen

“Facilitated truths (the new world)” (2022), Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art. Photo by Kunstdok /Tor S Ulstein/ Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art

“When everything we know becomes strange (reactivated outlines) terracotta/candy” (2023). Photo by Øystein Thorvaldsen

“When everything we know becomes strange (controversial decisions),” (2023), installation view at Sølvberget Gallery, Stavanger

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Architectural Installations by John K. Raustein Harbor Bulging Sacks and Woven Textiles as Sites for Contemplation appeared first on Colossal.