Autumn Leaves Crackle and Writhe Like a Flame in Short Film by Animator William Crook

   09 Jun 00:00:13  |  ThisIsColossal

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Targets Mask Women and Girls in Powerful Thread Portraits by Artist Nneka Jones

   09 Jun 00:00:13  |  ThisIsColossal

A recent University of Tampa graduate, activist artist Nneka Jones masterfully blends embroidery thread to stitch stunning portraits of young girls, women, and the occasional celebrity. Sometimes donning a fringed shirt that cascades from the canvas, the subjects wear somber faces and stare forward through the gaps of a bullseye or scope, symbols that serve a larger purpose.
By obscuring and literally marking the faces with targets, the Trinidadian artist focuses on “the social and political issues affecting Caribbean society.” Jones visualizes the ways young girls of color, in particular, frequently experience the destructive effects of human trafficking and sexual abuse. More

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   07 Jun 00:00:18  |  ThisIsColossal

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A Bold Black Lives Matter Statement Transforms a Street Leading to the White House in Washington D.C.

   06 Jun 00:00:08  |  ThisIsColossal

Artist Simone Leigh has painted a massive tribute to Black Lives Matter on the street leading to the White House in Washington, D.C. Completed in permanent street paint with the assistance of numerous volunteers, activists, and DC city employees, the message features bold, yellow letters that span more than a block of 16th Street and marks a historic moment in the United States after weeks of protests.
Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned the banner-style piece, which was started at 3 a.m. More

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Remarkable Portraits by Artist Amy Sherald Render Subjects in Grayscale Against Vibrant Backdrops

   06 Jun 00:00:08  |  ThisIsColossal

Amy Sherald grew up in Columbus, Georgia, which shaped her conceptions of identity and fundamentally influenced her artistic practice. “Acknowledging the performative aspects of race and Southernness, I committed myself to exploring the interiority of Black Americans,” the artist told Smithsonian Magazine in December 2019. “I wanted to create unseen narratives.”
Now living and working in Baltimore, Sherald paints distinctive portraits set against bold, vibrant backdrops. She renders each subject, who stares directly at the viewer, in her signature grayscale. More

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Ceramic Artist Lalese Stamps Creates 100 Wildly Varying Mug Handles in 100 Days

   05 Jun 00:00:06  |  ThisIsColossal

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Globes and Astronaut Helmets Form Heads of Figurative Sculptures by Artist Yinka Shonibare CBE

   05 Jun 00:00:06  |  ThisIsColossal

Through life-sized sculptures, artist Yinka Shonibare CBE considers the grasp of colonialism and its lasting effects on modern conceptions of identity. Each faceless figure is in the midst of an action, presented shooting a mass of cherry blossoms from a rifle, lumbering forward with a hefty mesh sack, or balancing a towering stack of cakes. Evocatively posed, the figures’ heads are replaced with globes and astronaut helmets, which simultaneously gestures toward movement in the form of travel and exploration while obscuring individual identities. More

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Prominent Figures of the Harlem Renaissance Featured on New USPS Stamps

   04 Jun 00:00:12  |  ThisIsColossal

For those who aren’t keen on emblazoning their rent checks or letters with an American flag, the United States Postal Service recently released a stamp collection dedicated to one of the most influential periods in the nation’s history. The new set features pastel renderings of four prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance, a profound artistic and intellectual movement that spanned the 1920s. This year marks a century since the period began and became a turning point for Black culture. More

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Children?s Imaginations Materialize as Cartoon Chaos in Paintings by Artist Kayla Mahaffey

   04 Jun 00:00:12  |  ThisIsColossal

Chicago-based artist Kayla Mahaffey captures the vivid reveries occupying young minds. She juxtaposes realistically rendered figures with chaotic scenes of two-dimensional cartoon characters as they emerge from amorphous clouds and pastel commotions. Each central figure wears a distinct expression that’s reflected through the fictional world.
Many of Mahaffey’s pieces portraying children’s imaginations shown here are part of the series Off to the Races, which serves as a hopeful narration of change, she said in a statement. More

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