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Photography

Beautiful Polaroids of Books and Photos in Unusual Settings

By Tom Hawking on

A photograph of a burning forest leaning against a tree; a book opened to an image of marching Kalahari bushmen set in a field of daisies; a listing sailing ship set in the corner of a room. Seattle photographer Serrah Russell’s Geographics series is a collections of photographs of photographs, their meaning changed by their context and backdrop. Russell’s bio explains that her work revolves around the “juxtaposition of seemingly disparate imagery, [which] allows shrouded parallels to emerge within her pairings.” The choice of image and backdrop certainly seem significant, if inscrutable, and they get you thinking hard about what’s being portrayed and why. We spotted her work via Booooooom; you can see more of it at her website. … Read More

Photography

Disturbing Photos of US Landmarks Ruined by Rising Sea Levels

By Chloe Pantazi on

To look upon artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm‘s global warming-conscious renderings of renowned sites across the US submerged in water (which we discovered on PSFK) is a shock to the system indeed. Lamm’s images of what our nation’s landmarks might look like in 500 years, when sea levels are predicted to rise by 25 feet, hit close to home with a very clear message about the dangers of climate change. Take a look through our gallery below to see before-and-after shots of how New York, Boston, Miami, and DC might end up if we — and our government — aren’t careful. … Read More

Photography

The Ethics of Disaster Photography in the Age of Social Media

By Tom Hawking on

Like everyone else in America, we were appalled and saddened by the bombings in Boston yesterday. We’re an entertainment publication, and we don’t presume to provide any sort of coverage of yesterday’s tragic events. But from a purely photography-related point of view, we have followed the debate about publishing graphic images of the event, and pondered what it means for photojournalism and for the the role of the mainstream media in the 21st century, when the ubiquity of camera phones, social media, and always-on Internet connections means that images — often graphic and disturbing ones — spread with terrifying speed. … Read More

Art

Mikko Kuorinki Elevates the “Quote of the Day” to High Art

By Julia Pugachevsky on

Did you ever think you’d see the Mitch Hedberg quote “My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them” displayed in a museum? The late comedian’s joke made its fine-art debut in Wall Piece with 200 Letters, a project that found artist Mikko Kuorinki posting short phrases by a variety of writers on the wall of Finland’s Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, switching out her quotes every week for ten months. Click through to see which pieces you recognize, and visit Kuorinki’s website for more of her work. … Read More

Photography

Mind-Bending Photos of Nude Bodies Contorted Into New Shapes [NSFW]

By Alison Herman on

French photographer William Farges claims to be more interested in reflecting “the relationship between body and mind” than “cultivating particular fantasies,” but that doesn’t make his Chimeras series any less visually intriguing. The artist splices together two nude photos of the same individual, creating a novel and not-quite-human form from a mosaic of extended legs, arched backs, and draped arms. Farges describes the result as “the beginning of the spectator’s imagination,” inviting the viewer to see what they want in the “Chimeras” he creates from components of the human body. Like the creature that gives the series its name, the photographs are more than the sum of their parts: even though we can identify each body part, the end product is creepy, beautiful, and fascinating at the same time. Click through for a look at Farges’ work. … Read More

Art

Amazing ‘SkyArt’ Drawings That Fill the Gaps Between Urban Rooftops

By Alison Herman on

Where most people look at an urban skyline and see a postcard, illustrator Thomas Lamadieu sees a challenge. The French artist’s SkyArt series uses the blank spaces between rooftops as a canvas for detailed sketches of people, patterns, animals, and anything else that fits into the unique space between structures. The series ingeniously melds the harsh and inorganic lines of a cityscape with the curvy, playful contents of Lamadieu’s own work, resulting in a fusion that works within rather than against its physical boundaries. Click through for a survey of the full SkyArt series; you’ll never look at a rooftop the same. … Read More

Photography

Stages of Decay: Gorgeous Photographs of Destroyed Theaters

By Emily Temple on

In Julia Solis’s newest book, Stages of Decay, the renowned photographer of ruined buildings and underground spaces collects gorgeous, unsettling photographs of over 100 stages in the US and Europe. Taken over several years and including everything from the stages of community centers to once-grand movie palaces, these photographs are haunting and lovely — an ode to what once was, but also an ode to what is. … Read More

Photography

Charming Portraits of People with Their Favorite Things

By Alison Nastasi on

Photographer Michael Warren, who Design You Trust introduced us to, photographed his subjects with their favorite things. Somebodies depicts the strange and lovely things we cling to, because of their personal meaning. For some, that meant an old doll and a tube of cherry chapstick. Other people were photographed with their pets and a bag of used Kleenex that belonged to their late spouse. See more of Warren’s charming photos in our gallery, and visit the artist’s website to read the stories behind them. … Read More

Art

Nostalgic Nickelodeon Art Celebrates the ’90s

By Alison Nastasi on

Oh 1990′s Nickelodeon, how we miss you so. The network’s golden age produced some of the most original, free-spirited fun on television that had young audiences swimming in green slime. Pie-faced shenanigans, witty cartoons, and colorful characters entertained a generation. Gallery iam8bit is celebrating Nickelodeon’s classic era with their upcoming exhibit, It’s the shizNICK. Over 60 artists are paying tribute to the channel that ruled your youth with paintings, prints, sculptures, plush, and installations that recall the best of Nick: You Can’t Do That on Television, SpongeBob, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Double Dare, and more. If you’re in Los Angeles on April 19, check out a cool photo playset, animated GIF theater, and other Nicktastic installations at iam8bit. Enjoy a preview of the exhibit in our gallery.

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Art

Charming Fairy Tale Paintings on the Palm of a Hand

By Emily Temple on

Want to catch a little beauty in the palm of your hand? Moscow-based artist and poet Svetlana Kolosova has figured out an adorable way to do just that with her fairy tale-based paintings, each one composed on her own left hand. The paintings, which we spotted over at Wave Avenue, reference classic works by Hans Christian Andersen and even William Shakespeare, and are remarkable in their level of detail — particularly considering they only last for a few hours before being washed away. See a few of our favorites after the jump.

… Read More