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10 Artists Who Destroyed Their Own Work

By Alison Nastasi on

Remember that life-size dollhouse that Canadian artist Heather Benning created that we fell in love with? Well, it was recently burned to the ground — by the artist. We feature a photo of the abandoned barn turned candy-colored dream home in flames after the jump. Historically, there are many reasons why artists have destroyed their own work. For some, it’s a way to keep a tight leash on their public image and bury the embarrassing early creations they’d like to forget about. Others incorporate the remains into new pieces, and several see the act of destruction as the work itself. Here’s a brief survey of artists who ruined their own creations and wreaked havoc on the art world. … Read More

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Art

A Brief Survey of Naughty Public Art

By Alison Nastasi on

Artist Paul McCarthy is at it again. We spotted his newest inflatable sculpture, a massive pile of feces, on Booooooom. You can see it after the jump, along with other public artworks that display a naughty, irreverent, and pervy side. It’s fascinating to observe the public’s reactions to subjects normally kept hush-hush in polite company. These installations, performances, and sculptures have nothing to hide, though. See how potty humor, private sex acts, and other naughty themes have entered the public sphere, framed by the fine art world. … Read More

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Art

Bizarre 3D Installations Made from Found Objects

By Emily Temple on

French artist Bernard Pras creates enormous installations made from found objects, building incredibly dynamic and complex three-dimensional artworks. The pieces, which we first spotted over at My Modern Met, are often odes to famous artists or figures from pop culture, and, perhaps as a nod to their wide cultural subject matter, incorporate everything from food to toys to rolls of toilet paper to the actual architecture of the installation space. Indeed, the works often inhabit enormous spaces, their subjects only coming into view when you stand in the right place. Talk about art you can get lost in. Click through to see some of our favorites of Pras’ enormous collection, and then be sure to head over to his website to check out even more of his work. … Read More

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Art

Abandoned Spaces Reclaimed by Art

By Alison Nastasi on

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of repurposed spaces around here. From bookstores, to libraries, and more, we’re fascinated and enamored with the creative and ingenious ways people have transformed abandoned buildings. We felt compelled to continue our journey through dilapidated houses and deserted structures by exploring the works of artists who have reclaimed crumbling architecture for the sake of social messages, to inspire collective wonder, and to simply give new life to the neglected, decaying spaces. These artists went big and took over entire buildings. Visit abandoned spaces reclaimed by art past the break, and feel free to share your favorites below. … Read More

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Art

10 Playful Public Works of Art

By Alison Nastasi on

If you prefer to actively engage with art without a “do not touch” sign plastered on the wall next to it, interactive, public artworks can make you feel like a kid in a candyland. We spotted a playful installation on Colossal that transforms a swing set into a whimsical musical instrument when people take it for a ride. We featured it past the break, along with other playful public works of art that inspire viewers to channel the fun-filled days of their youth. Each installation requires spirited and carefree participation to bring it to life. See what we mean in our gallery of playful public artworks, below. … Read More

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Art

Amazing Shredded Book Installations by Jukhee Kwon

By Emily Temple on

Here at Flavorpill, we’re confirmed fans of book art in all of its forms — particularly the bombastic and unexpected, which is why we’re so in love with these book sculptures by Jukhee Kwon, which we recently spotted over at My Modern Met. The Korean-born, London-based artist creates installations that look like waterfalls (or trees, or spiderwebs) made of language, as the shredded pages pour out from their covers into whatever space they’re in. Forgive us for saying so, but we totally want to go splash around in and lean our heads back under these book sculptures. Click through to see some amazing shots of Kwon’s work, and then head on over to her website for even more. … Read More

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Art

The Weirdest Interactive Installations and Performances

By Alison Nastasi on

Interactive installation art and audience-immersive exhibits and entertainment have been around for quite a while, but as our culture and its propensity for extremes continues to evolve, these artworks and performances have followed suit. Viewers really want to be part of the show, and the constant shift in power between artist and spectator-turned-participant is an exciting and unpredictable draw for people.

We spotted a current installation at the National Art Museum of Ukraine on Gawker recently, and felt inspired to round up a few other interactive and immersive works that required a steep commitment from audiences. They range from the radical to the absolutely bizarre. We feature them all after the jump — from a real-life sleeping beauty, to an artist that asked people to shoot him. Feel free to drop your favorite interactive performance/installation craziness in the comments section. … Read More

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Art

Yasuaki Onishi’s Gorgeous Casting of Invisible Mountains

By Emily Temple on

In his new installation at the Rice University Art Gallery, which we first spotted over at Artlog, Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi continues his Reverse of Volume series with a gorgeous cloud-like confection suspended in the gallery space. Like the other works in the series, this site-specific installation was crafted by a process Onishi calls “casting the invisible”: he drapes clear plastic sheets over cardboard boxes and drips black glue from the ceiling to hold them in place, ultimately removing the cardboard to achieve the floating mountainous form. Click through to check out some amazing photos of Onishi’s work, and then, if you’re intrigued as to the process, head to his Vimeo page to watch a video about the artwork. The installation will be on view until June 24th at the Rice University Art Gallery. … Read More

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Art

Wordy and Beautiful Shadow Art by Fred Eerdekens

By Emily Temple on

We all look at a piece of art and hear its hidden messages, but it’s rare that a work will whisper to you as directly as these shadow art creations by Fred Eerdekens. His sculptures and installations, in some cases very beautiful on their own, create art from the shadows, leaving messages on the wall in either negative or positive space, incorporating everything — the light, the shadow, the physical space, the wall behind it — into the artwork’s expression. Eerdekens’s work, which we first spotted over at DesignBoom, leaves us peering, wondering how he possibly figured out how to do that, before we sit back and enjoy it.  If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris right now, a selection of Eerdekens’s work will be on display at the Magda Danysz Gallery beginning March 17. Otherwise, click through to see some of our favorites, and then be sure to check out Eerdekens’s website for even more. … Read More

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Art

Cause and Effect: A Gallery Filled with Bouncing Tennis Balls

By Emily Temple on

In Spanish multi-media artist Ana Soler’s most recent installation, Causa-Efecto (Cause and Effect), which we spotted over at CollabCubed, she transformed the Mustang Art Gallery in Alicante into a ballboy’s worst nightmare — or best daydream, depending on his work ethic. Soler filled the gallery with over 2000 tennis balls, arranged so as to create the illusion that they were bouncing all over the place, each trajectory spanning rooms or stairwells or just bopping around in circles. Click through to see some photos from the exhibit — it just might put a little bounce in your step. … Read More

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