Art au Naturel

1,700 people participated American artist Spencer Tunick’s adaptation of Richard Wagner’s “der ring des nibelungen”, or The Ring. The work, a live sculptural performance, was created for the commencement of Munich’s 2012 opera season. Naked volunteers were painted red or gold and continuously directed to move or be stationary to execute his vision. Tunick has been creating live, nude works since 1992, challenging the belief that nudity must always be sexual along with changing the way the public views and interacts with art in a public space. Pictures are below along with a video (skip to :21)!

The Ring was organized and photographed by Max-Joseph Platz and commissioned by the Bavarian State Opera. Pictures via here and here. You can view more of Tunick’s installations on his website.

Fleeting Florals

For his “Vessels and Blooms” series, Jack Long experimented with dyes, thickeners, and pigments to imitate the colors and forms of flowers, leaves and vases. Although familiar with fluid suspension due to previous work, it was not an easy process, as Long says: “This series was a culmination of months of planning and testing. Hundreds of captures are made in testing and then many more during the actual final capture stage. A very few stand out as being the best.” And no, he did not use Photoshop!

Pictures via here and here. You can view more of Long’s photography on his website and his Flickr.

Starring: Sammy

Infamous New York pup Sammy shows off one of our patent leather collars. Too cute!

Shop our other collars here, with multiple colors and designs perfect for every pet’s personality!

You can also follow Sammy on Twitter and Facebook.

Meaningful Maps

Nikki Rosato is the artist behind these complex portraits, handmade by cutting and connecting pieces of paper maps. While the works do speak for themselves, Rosato beautifully elaborates on her inspiration: “Our physical bodies are beautiful structures full of detail, and they hold the stories that haunt and mold our lives. The lines on a road map are beautifully similar to the lines that cover the surface of the human body. In my work involving maps, as I remove the landmasses from the silhouetted individuals I am further removing the figure’s identity, and what remains is a delicate skin-like structure. Through this process, specific individuals become ambiguous and hauntingly ghost-like, similar to the memories they represent. The figures in the Connections series find themselves bound by the roads that both separate them as well as lead them to one another. People are often separated by distance, and these connected lines represent the roads that are either explored to bring these figures together or left untraveled, further symbolizing not only their physical distance but also psychological and emotional space.” 

Pictures via Rosato’s website. Bonus: the portraits are available for purchase here!

Sentimental Sugar

For her latest clever creation, Brooklyn-based Julia Chiang used Ring Pops to write messages on a wall. As the gallery lights heat the art, the Ring Pops melt, streaking the walls with color and enhancing the installation.

Pictures via here, here, and here. Click here to see more of Chiang’s work.

Melted Mirrors

Rikako Nagashim, art director of Hakuhodo advertising agency, and acrylic designer Hideto Hyoudou created these mirrors, aptly titled Mizukagami (water) mirrors. In a surreal twist on interior design, the mirrors appear to be melting or dripping off of walls, tables, and floors. Hakuhodo’s mission statement provides insight into the creative minds of the artists, stating that “the times we live in call for innovation…the pursuit of innovation allows us to break through the experience of the everyday…to move beyond the achievements of yesterday…to inspire greatness tomorrow.”

Pictures via. You can also view Hyoudou’s other work here.

Intrepid Ink

Italian artist Alberto Seveso created these breathtaking, surreal images by mixing ink underwater and taking high-speed photographs. His passion for graphic design developed from the realization that he “can use the computer to make art and not only to play!” You can see a detailed close-up in the video below.

Pictures via Seveso’s website.

Glorious Geodes

For the past 5 months, graphic designer Paige Smith has been creating 3D paper sculptures and placing them in holes or run-down areas around Los Angeles. Smith enjoys “the fact that many people will not notice these, but some astute people will” and loves creating “art in custom spaces, less unexpected but equally beautiful.” You can happen upon her geodes “during your adventures or casual interaction with the environment” or seek them out through the map she provides. These tiny sculptures are truly “unexpected treasures”; a bright and fun return to nature in the midst of an urban world. Pictures as well as a video made for her installation at The Standard in Hollywood are below.

Pictures via Smith’s website. You can also follow her on Twitter here.

Tom Fruin’s Kaleidoscopic Watertower in Brooklyn

Tom Fruin has unveiled his newest kaleidoscopic structural installation “Watertower”, a sparkling new addition to the Brooklyn skyline.
The Brooklyn artist has built a 25 by 10 foot tall water tank with nearly 1,000 colorful salvaged plexiglass. The transparent water tower sculpture adorns the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. During the day, the hundreds of rainbow panes of the water tower mosaic catch natural sunlight, glowing from different angles depending on the time. By night, the glittering sculpture is illuminated by an ardunio-controlled light show.

“Watertower” is visible to any person with a clear view of the Dumbo, Brooklyn, the illuminated, colored glass work will be on show from June 7th, 2012, remaining on exhibition until the following June.

Street-Art with a Dose of Sarcasm

Mobstr, a British street artist, is known for his witty, short and to-the-point tags that often cause the viewer to stop and think. Like other graffiti artists such as Banksy, he is very passionate about the debate over the difference between advertising and street art. “We’ll happily put a six metre wide billboard up on the side of a shop or house convincing you the latest innovative toothbrush will enrich your life yet when someone paints a picture on some brick we suddenly become offended. What is the difference between putting your image on the street via the means of a billboard or taking it into your own hands and spraying it on a wall? The billboard is legal and the spray paint image is not. Why? One is endorsed by money and the other by a creative spirit. I know which one wins out for me and ultimately which one creates the image I would rather walk around my city and look at.” On his motivation behind his art, and his particular style of graffiti, he states, “Our visual surroundings are very important to us. They dictate our mood, well being, and satisfaction with where we live. The people who decide how we visually use our space have got it wrong…I want something quirky and different. Something which makes you smile, which makes you question, which makes you think…. even if it is “why the fuck is that there?”

Pictures/quotes via Mobstr’s website, here, and here.