Saturday, January 16, 2021

Juho Könkkölä, Artist

This Elaborately Armored Samurai Was Folded From A Single Sheet of Paper



Juho Könkkölä spent upwards of 50 hours scoring and folding just one sheet of Wenzhou rice paper to create this painstakingly detailed samurai complete with plated armor, traditional helmet, and sword. Beginning with a 95 x 95-centimeter page, the 23-year-old Finnish artist used a combination of wet and dry origami techniques to shape the 28-centimeter-tall warrior of his own design. “There are several hundreds of steps to fold it from the square and there are probably thousands of individual folds,” he said in a statement, noting that crafting the geometric patterns for the armor was the most difficult. “The asymmetry in the design allowed me to include (a) sword on only one arm while being able to make the character look symmetric.”

Go to link below to watch video.



Artist Website


 

Kimberly Chapman, Artist




Artist Statement: The sculptures speak to my interest in exploring the lurid side of human nature and what’s left behind after bad things happen. How did medieval women survive being bridled like wild animals?








​Artist Statement: These porcelain head sculptures with manual clear glaze allude to the rising trend of mass shootings in American schools. According to several sources, 2018 marked the deadliest school-shooting year in history. With many parts of the US having about 180 school days per year, it means on average a shooting takes place once every eight school days. Campaigns for tighter gun control and even weapons for teachers and school staff have done little to curtail the episodes.  Sadly, while some mass shootings made worldwide headlines, the majority passed with little attention. The costumed figures illustrate the children’s vulnerability and uncertainty at school and underscore their complete innocence. 



Asylum Series


Artist Website

You can also view work on Art Axis




 

Friday, January 1, 2021

Tara Donovan, Artist, American, b. 1969


Styrofoam Cups




Plastic Cups




Paper Plates



Index Cards







Haze
Clear Plastic Straws
Installed at Rice Gallery
Link below to see more images and read about the artwork. 










 

Ancient World Board Games


Ludus Latrunculorum board found in Roman Britain 
(English Heritage / The Trustees of the Corbridge Excavation Fund)



This roughly 4,500-year-old board features shell plaque squares encircled by strips of lapis lazuli and decorated with intricate floral and geometric designs. 
(© Trustees of the British Museum)




This ancient Egyptian Senet board is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
(Public domain)




This Senet board dates to between roughly 1390 and 1353 B.C. 
(Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund / Brooklyn Museum)


Source is Smithsonian Magazine. 
Click on link below to learn about these games 
and see more.