Visions on Paper

“The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper and re-imagines the world”, said Malcolm Gladwell, an English-Canadian journalist, best-selling author and speaker. Nothing could fit better Calvin Nicholls, himself a Canadian too, who has dedicated his activity to the crafting of mind-blowing paper sculptures.

Bigger than Life

A long life (in fact, he lived until he was 104), a huge talent, a lively man, Oscar Niemeyer, the renown modernist Brazilian architect, left remarkable buildings throughout the world with the unmistakable signature of his genius. He was responsible for the construction of Brasilia in a record time (1956-1960), the present capital of Brazil. This astonishing city, which was born out of the dream of another visionary as was President Café Filho, was to be inaugurated by Jucelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, in 1960.

Cinderella Time...

... is but a fleeting one, as we all know from the fairy tale of our childhood. However, it is a time of magic, of beauty, of sheer joy, suspended and disconnected from real time. It is the time when all wishes are granted, although with a deadline to which everything and everyone must submit. It is, therefore, ephemeral and that makes it even more fascinating.

Let there be Beauty…

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so goes the saying. And, indeed, very often what looks trivial or even unattractive to some may contain in itself the very seeds of Beauty. It takes the sensitive eye of an artist to be able to create Art from materials as common and uninteresting as industrial nails, toothpicks, corks, eggshells, coffee beans or even paint brushes.

Evanescent Beauty

Picture yourself walking on your daily routines and stumbling on a huge hole on the ground which only yesterday wasn’t just there. You falter, doubt your senses and feel a vague sensation of dizziness while you freeze your steps for fear of falling into it. At a second and more attentive observation, however, you realize to your bewilderment that what lies on the pavement right under your eyes is but a 3D drawing that looks so realistic you could swear, at first sight, that it was, in fact, a hole.

Blowing in the Wind

Imagine freshly washed linen hanging on endless lines, neatly arranged and put on to dry.  Finnish artist Kaarina Kaikkonen uses second-hand clothing, and mostly hundreds of discarded men’s shirts and jackets, to create huge installations which have been raising contradictory opinions and political controversy, which immediately reminds us of the open air laundries of Mumbai, for instance.

Metamorphoses of Reconciliation

Doing research on Art – as in any other field of knowledge – sometimes offers you amazing surprises. That was precisely the case when, quite by accident, we came across a solitary project developed by an Italian artist, Sergio Pacori, quite unknown beyond the limits of his Gorizia hometown in Northeastern Italy.

Born in Gargaro, Italy (or Grgar, once a part of Western Slovenia, municipality of Nova Gorica, or Nuova Gorizia), in 1933, Sergio Pacori has been fascinated by the art of forging ever since his early years.  His first works, however, were made of wood logs found on the beach and chosen for their imaginative appeal.

Once upon a time…

…and long before quartz mechanism was invented, there were watches which made the wonder of all kids for their intricate winding devices made of different sorts of tiny metal pieces and wheels working with precision on a never-ending spinning movement, whirling in an endless tic-tac that triggered their imagination and set the windmills of their minds dreaming of fairy tales. They exerted a fascination upon all and, for many, it was – in fact – the first and most cherished “grown-up” possession they all wanted to have.

The Art of Peace

Peace begins with a smile, said Mother Teresa of Calcutta. And, indeed, a smile can be our first reaction when we set eyes on the art objects created by Sonia Rentsch in her “Harm Less” series (2013). In fact, she composes guns, grenades, bullets and other weapons by resorting exclusively to organic products, such as flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, thereby completely neutralising the lethal power associated to the objects she ironically mimics.

Sonia Rentsch is a Melbourne-based Still Life Artist, who graduated from Industrial Design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. After successful professional experiences, she has ventured into working alone, following her belief that “there is beauty to be found in everything”, to quote her.

From Rags to Riches

Ghana or Nigeria. Western Africa. A region of the world where everyday life is made of poverty, hunger, starvation, struggle for survival; where people find a use for everything they can get hold of; where people cherish the rags they wear as treasures they would never discard.

Weaving Webs of Wonder

 Consider transparency, translucency. Consider something delicate, subtle, vaporous, ethereal. Consider gauze, lace, tulle. No, we are not thinking of ballerinas’ tutus, wedding dresses, ball-gowns. We are introducing you to the wonder that is the very essence out of which Benjamin Shine’s most recent artworks are made.

“Magic Mirror in my Hand…”

Human-shaped, life-sized mirrored sculptures by Rob Mulholland strategically placed within urban, rural or natural surroundings, camouflaged by its very essence or becoming intriguingly conspicuous, trigger the most unexpected reactions from viewers and passers-by.