Category: surreal

Lori Nix

November 28th, 2010

I featured an amazing Lori Nix photograph in my last Desktop Goodies post, but she really deserves her own entry here.

Her images are rich and lush, filled with life and decay…often post-apocalyptic.

From the artist bio:

I am often asked questions about the inspiration for my work as well as my working process. As a ‘non-traditional’ photographer (I construct my subject matter rather than go find it) people find it hard to grasp what exactly it is that I do. And the fact that it is all done in front of the camera, with no digital manipulation, adds its own set of challenges. Building materials, lighting, issues of scale and space all become significant when you are recreating the world on a table top.

I cannot believe that most of her photos are hand crafted scenes and dioramas.

You can read a lengthy interview about her materials and process here, and see more incredible work on her website.
The Girl With the Prefabricated Heart

November 15th, 2010

Over the weekend I got to see a rare Hans Richter film: Dreams That Money Can Buy.

The story involves a man who realizes he can see into the minds of others, and opens a business selling custom made dreams to troubled clients. Each customer encounter is followed by a surreal dream sequence.

My absolute favorite was The Girl With the Prefabricated Heart. I couldn’t find the entire clip without a remade score, but you can get an idea from this. If you enjoy strange dolls, and clever satire of consumerism and manufactured beauty, this is NOT to be missed:

Here is an abridged version with the original soundtrack. Click to hear its scratchy, vintage glory:
Misc. Summer Show Art

September 26th, 2010

Before I file these away, here’s a random sampling of pieces from various summer art shows that I happened to like. They’ve been hanging out on my desktop, waiting for a nice cozy home on the external hard drive.

Chris Buzelli

Colin Johnson

Femke Heimstra

Jason Limon

Kris Kuksi

Lou Beach

Martin Hsu

Naoto Hattori

Ojimbo

Kukula

Teresa James
In Surrealism, No One Can Hear You Scream

September 8th, 2010

Just wanted to share this wonderful little piece from PARA ABNORMAL.

Magritte meets Alien…perfect.

PARA ABNORMAL previously featured here as part of my Halloween countdown.
Zdzislaw Beksinski

July 26th, 2010

Zdzislaw Beksinski is an old favorite of mine and I was just browsing a folder I kept of his surreal, nightmarish paintings.

This introverted artist had no formal training, and managed to paint apocalyptic scenes that rival today’s digital video game art.

Unlike some of the surrealist art I post, I have NO desire to live in his imagination or fictional worlds.

I’ve always been touched by this painting in an uneasy way…

I can relate to some aspects of this man’s personality (particularly his desire to avoid the spotlight in person):

Although Beksiński’s art was often grim, he himself was known to be a pleasant person who took enjoyment from conversation and had a keen sense of humor. He was exceptionally modest and somewhat shy, avoiding public events such as the openings of his own exhibitions.

See many more on this site.
Tony Tasset

July 20th, 2010

Sculpture time! Tony Tasset’s been making news lately for his giant eyeball sculpture in Chicago.

But that’s only one of his fantastic pieces. Some other favorites of mine:

Blob Monster…

This reminds me of the Seldec Ossuary.

The most defeated Paul Bunyon I’ve ever seen.

See more at the Kavi Gupta Gallery
Veronichka

July 9th, 2010

I would say these are the images of my dreams, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I wish my dreams looked like Veronichka’s work.

There is most certainly a recurring theme that appeals to me: small objects or characters in expansive spaces, often accompanied by images associated with floating and flight.

I love her use of empty space…

See more here.
BeinArt at Copro Gallery

June 5th, 2010

A favorite art collective and a favorite gallery…boy do i wish I were in LA to see this exhibit. Metamorphosis is now showing at the Copro Gallery.

What a collection of dark, delicious surreality! Catch it in person if you can…

See many more from the exhibit here.
Mark Ryden: Pink Lincoln Time Lapse Video

May 24th, 2010

Since people seemed to love Mark Ryden’s time lapse video of Incarnation, here is a time lapse/tribute to Pink Lincoln, which I recently saw at the Gay 90’s Old Tyme Art Show.
Fantastic Planet (La Planete Sauvage)

May 7th, 2010

The other day I watched Fantastic Planet (La Planete Sauvage), and I highly recommend it. This 1973 French animation is like the surreal alien lovechild of Dr. Suess and Salvador Dali.

A band of humans — known as Oms — are kept as domesticated pets by an alien race of blue humanoid giants called Traags in director Rene La Loux’s animated sci-fi classic, said to be based on the Soviet occupation of the Czech Republic. The story centers on an Om named Terr, who escapes his subjugation with a Traag learning device and eventually uses it to educate other Oms and incite them to revolt.

It was incredibly interesting to watch a depiction of human beings treated the way we treat our tiny pets (I wish people would be more careful handling little animals!).

I tried to find some good screencaps, but none of these do justice to the fantastical creations in this film.

If you like strange, wonderful things (and old school animation with visual pencil cross hatching!)…see this movie.