Art

In an Emoji History of Art, ND Stevenson Playfully Recreates Iconic Paintings

More than 100 years after it was first exhibited, art historians still debate whether Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain,” submitted to the 1917 Armory Show in New York, was a wry joke or sly commentary on modern art—or both. That’s because the sculpture, a urinal the artist signed “R. Mutt,” was just a standard piece of plumbing. But Duchamp is also known to have coined the term “readymade,” in which he displayed objects like bicycle wheels or snow shovels as artworks unto themselves, posing the fundamental question that still thrills theorists: “But is it art?”

If Duchamp were around today to know what an emoji was, he’d probably love comic artist ND Stevenson’s take on “Fountain,” composed of a slew of what we might consider 21st-century digital readymades. A few years ago, the artist figured out that he could add countless icons to the standard Instagram stories template, resizing and rearranging them to create original compositions.

Starting with a basic background image, Stevenson adds numerous elements, like a fork standing in for a pitchfork in Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” or an upside-down red exclamation point in place of a necktie in René Magritte’s “The Son of Man.” For Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” a bowl and a cloud provide the basis of the subject’s famous blue-and-white head wrap; a toilet stands in for Duchamp’s urinal; and numerous flowers, evil eyes, books, cheese, and urns make up the patterns of Klimt’s embracing figures in “The Kiss.”

It’s worth diving into Stevenson’s post for more emoji recreations.

 

Art Social Issues

Used Envelopes Hold Thriving Potted Plants in Fidencio Fifield-Perez’s ‘Dacaments’

Fidencio Fifield-Perez’s Dacaments series began as a response to the bureaucracy of the U.S. immigration system. The Oaxaca-born artist immigrated with his family as a child, making him eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). To qualify and retain his status, he needed to collect official documents, the envelopes from which became the substrate for his paintings.

When the Trump administration terminated the policy in 2017, people like Fifield-Perez were thrown into limbo before the Supreme Court reinstated it in 2020. His hyperrealistic renderings of potted plants reflect this precarious position as symbols of domesticity and thriving life rest atop discarded mailers that have fulfilled their purposes. “Painted envelopes are configured into intimate portraits of the only home I have made for myself, moved across the country, and mourned for with the imminent threat of DACA’s repeal,” the artist says, adding:

The plant paintings are physical and metaphorical maps of personal and official correspondence. The rubber plant abandoned outside The University of Iowa’s art studios painted on the mailer envelope of my graduate degree; the split-leaf monstera gifted to my husband and me for our wedding ceremony; the jade plant given to me by the only other dacamented professor I’ve met.

Ongoing since 2016, Dacaments will conclude this year when Fifield-Perez’s DACA status ends.

As part of a McKnight Fellowship, the artist is working toward a show at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, where he lives. Find more of his paintings and collages on his website and Instagram.

 

Art

Petrit Halilaj’s Scratchy Doodles Grapple with Childhood Innocence on The Met Rooftop

When visiting his hometown of Runik, Kosovo, back in 2010, Petrit Halilaj realized that his elementary school was being demolished. He went to the site—which had miraculously survived the Yugoslav wars that spurred his family to flee to an Albanian refugee camp in 1998—and found a pile of desks, many with doodles and notes scratched into their surfaces.

These etchings have now found their way to New York, where they’re perched atop The Met’s rooftop garden for Abetare, which translates to primer, as in the early education books used for learning basic literacy. Enlarged to proportions that would crush any singular tabletop, the rough drawings are presented as scratchy bronze sculptures depicting a flower, house, and spider á la Louise Bourgeois.

For the exhibition, Halilaj (previously) paired his initial findings with other scribbles recovered from desks throughout Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, Balkan countries impacted by Serbian hostilities following Yugoslavia’s dissolution. “For me, returning to the region and visiting numerous schools was prompted by a desire to construct my own intimate map, in contrast to historical maps that reflect dominant narratives,” he shares. “We do not exist in isolation. We are shaped by each other’s identities, both positively and negatively.”

 

On view through October 27, Abetare features smaller works among the freestanding sculptures, including an arrow with Runik written in the center. Halilaj fastened that smaller piece to a concrete wall and pointed it toward the village as a way to tether the distant locations.

While playful and evocative of adolescent impulse, the works are a reminder of how war and conflict warp innocence. The project is also particularly timely as the city contends with helping tens of thousands of school-age migrants and the world witnesses mass atrocities in Palestine and Ukraine. Magnifying childhood transgressions, Abetare highlights what the artist refers to as small “acts of freedom” that defy ideology and systemic oppression.

Find more from Halilaj on Instagram.

 

Opportunities

May 2024 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

Every month, Colossal shares a selection of opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies. If you’d like to list an opportunity here, please get in touch at [email protected]. You can also join our monthly Opportunities Newsletter.

 

$3,500 Artist Grants | The Hopper PrizeFeatured
The Hopper Prize is accepting entries for Spring 2024 artist grants. The program offers two awards of $3,500 and four of $1,000. Submissions will be juried by Lauren Rosati, Associate Curator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City and Maya Brooks, Assistant Curator, North Carolina Museum of Art. Thirty artists will be selected for a shortlist. This is an international open call, and all visual media is eligible.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PST on May 14, 2024.

ARTS Southeast’s ON::View Artist Residency ProgramFeatured
Applications are now open for the On::View Artist Residency Program in Savannah, Georgia. The residency supports artists from across the globe, working in all media, for periods of one to three months from August to October. Selected artists gain access to a high-visibility studio space to complete a new project, continue an in-progress endeavor, or to conduct research exploring conceptual, material, performative, and social practices.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on May 28, 2024. 

 

Open Calls

ArteAlta (International)
This annual competition organized by Alina Art Foundation, Inarttendu, and the Council of the Region Valle d’Aosta invites artists to submit work across painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, textiles, paper, and video related to the theme of Fear. Three prizes with cash, an exhibition opportunity, and a residency will be awarded.
Deadline: May 1, 2024.

2024 International Photography Competition (International)
In its 13th year, the International Photography Competition is hosting an open call. Hosted by the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, the contest will award one winner $1,000, and several photographers will be featured in an exhibition.
Deadline: May 5, 2024.

Tito’s Prize (Austin)
Open to any medium and artists at any stage of their career, this prize grants one winner $15,000 and a solo exhibition at Big Medium Gallery.
Deadline: May 6, 2024.

DCASE Visual Arts Exhibition Program (Illinois and Indiana)
Artists, curators, and arts organizations are invited to propose exhibitions for the Chicago Cultural Center galleries in 2025 and 2026. Budgets range from $10,000 to $80,000.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. on May 13, 2024.

1708 Gallery’s InLight 2024 Call for Proposals (International)
Artists are invited to propose projects that engage with Pine Camp’s history and the site’s current activities and uses. Proposals should address rest and healing, isolation and exile, preservation and reclamation, or fresh air and nature as forms of respite and remedy. Artists receive a $1,000 honorarium.
Deadline: May 22, 2024.

Art in Odd Places 2024: Care (International)
The iconic public visual and performance art festival in Manhattan will take place October 18 to 20, 2024, under the theme of Care. Artists, performers, agitators, and caretakers are eligible to submit projects that invite the public to stop, to rest, to consider, and, above all, to care.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on May 26, 2024.

Orbitals (International)
Open to applicants from or living in the Arab world, this program takes four curators, artists, and arts researchers to Indonesia to for an eight-day trip to learn about a different artistic context in the Global South and share this knowledge with their communities. Flights, travel insurance, accommodation, per diems, and visa reimbursements will be provided.
Deadline: June 15, 2024.

The 15th Epson International Pano Awards (International)
This award is dedicated to the art and craft of panoramic photography and has a prize pool of $50,000. Entry fees are $20 to $22 per image.
Deadline: The early bird is midnight UTC-11 on June 24, 2024, and the final is midnight UTC-11 on July 15, 2024.

Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue: An International Wheatpaste Show (International)
Tattooed Mom and Doomed Future are teaming up on a wheatpaste exhibition opening June 14 in Philadelphia. First-time and established artists are invited to submit works.
Deadline: June 1, 2024.

2024 Booooooom Art & Photo Book Award (International)
Artists, photographers, and illustrators are invited to submit cohesive bodies of work they’d like to see turned into a book. Six projects will be selected for publishing at no cost.
Deadline: June 7, 2024.

2025 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Visual Arts and Curatorial Work (International)
Open to artists and curators born outside the U.S. to non-American parents, the Vilcek Prize will grant six $50,000 awards to immigrants under 38.
Deadline: June 10, 2024.

Fiberart International 2025 Call for Entry (International)
Contemporary Craft and Brew House Art have teamed up for the 25th Fiberart International, which invites fiber artists to submit their work for a group exhibition in Pittsburgh. One winner will receive a $5,000 award, and there is a $45 entry fee.
Deadline: June 30, 2024.

NSMA International Painting Competition (International)
Open to professionals and students, this competition focuses on contemporary realism in painting, and all subject matter is welcome. One winner will receive $25,000, and finalists will be exhibited at the New Salem Museum and Academy of Fine Art.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on January 15, 2025.

 

Grants

ReadyLaunch Grant (International)
Geared toward empowering female and non-binary designers, the ReadyLaunch Grant supports myriad projects, including newsletters, zines, YouTube channels, and podcasts. Four grantees will receive $2,000, one-year access to a Female Design Council membership, enrollment in the Female Design Council Mentor Match Program, and assistance in securing media coverage. Funds can be used for team payments, space rentals, production costs, project resources, or participation in training programs.
Deadline: 23:59 p.m. CET on May 8, 2024.

The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant (U.S.)
Emerging and established art writers are eligible for grants ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in three categories—articles, books, and short-form writing. Funding supports projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on May 15, 2024.

CIRC Artist Grant (International)
Three $1,000 unrestricted grants will be awarded to artists at any stage of their career working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, sculpture, fiber, wood, glass, ceramics, and digital art.
Deadline: May 15, 2024.

Thrive Grants (Oklahoma)
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition will award $5,000 and $10,000 grants to several artist-led, collaborative projects culminating in a public-facing program. A total of $60,000 is available.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. CT on June 1, 2024.

2024 Robert Giard Grant for Emerging LGBTQ+ Photographers (International)
Queer|Art’s first international grant provides $10,000 to one winner and $1,250 to finalists to support the creation of projects addressing issues of sexuality, gender, or LGBTQ+ identity.
Deadline: June 30, 2024.

2024 Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists (International)
In its fifth year, this grant supports visual artists who are self-identified Black trans women and awards $10,000 to one winner and $1,250 to finalists.
Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant (International)
The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program provides one-time interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs resulted from an unforeseen catastrophic incident and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Awardees typically receive $5,000, up to $15,000.
Deadline: Rolling.

Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund (Ukraine)
Adobe’s Creative Residency Community Fund commissions visual artists to create company projects on a rolling basis. Awardees will receive between $500 and $5,000.
Deadline: Rolling.

Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (International)
The foundation welcomes applications from actively exhibiting visual artists who are painters, sculptors, and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. Grants are intended for one year and range up to $50,000. The individual circumstances of the artist determine the size of the grant, and professional exhibition history will be considered.
Deadline: Rolling.

 

Residencies, Fellowships, & More

Lillstreet Art Center Artist in Residence (International)
Lillstreet offers year-long residencies in ceramics and metalsmithing and nine-month residencies in drawing, painting, printmaking, book arts, and textiles. Artists have 24-hour access to facilities, free classes, paid teaching opportunities, participation in a group exhibition, and a monthly stipend. There is a $20 application fee.
Deadline: May 1, 2024.

Fireline Fellowship (U.S.)
For two and a half years, artists, writers, and thought leaders will explore issues related to wildfire at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Fellows will meet in person and online and develop public programming. They also receive $5,000, four weeks of residency time at the Andrews, and more.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PT May 3, 2024.

Tournesol Award (Bay Area)
This year-long residency offers one emerging Bay Area painter a $10,000 stipend, a private studio, and a culminating exhibition or project. The goal is to support the artist in establishing and maintaining a career in the region.
Deadline: May 3, 2024.

Singapore Art Museum Residencies (International)
Applications are open for three SAM’s artist, community and education, and curator and researcher residencies. Each program is fully funded, and residents receive a $1,000 SGD monthly stipend, housing, airfare, and studio space.
Deadline: 23:59 GMT +8 on May 31, 2024.

Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence (International)
One early-career visual artist, writer, dancer, or musician addressing plants, gardens, or landscapes will be awarded this fellowship. It includes a $10,000 grant and a two- to five-week stay at Oak Spring Garden Foundation.
Deadline: May 31, 2024.

The Farm Margaret River Residency (International)
This residency tasks artists with creating a site-specific artwork informed by the environment. Spanning eight weeks, the program offers studios, accommodation, support for travel, and a $7,500 grant.
Deadline: 5 p.m. AWST on June 2, 2024.

1708 Pilot Artist Residency Program (International)
This residency provides visual artists free one- to three-month stays in Richmond, Virginia. Chosen applicants receive a private live/work space, a $1,000 monthly stipend, basic equipment, and professional development opportunities.
Deadline: June 2, 2024.

Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture Residency (International)
Artists, scholars, scientists, and researchers are invited to apply for two- to four-week residencies under the theme of care and stewardship. Residents receive shared housing and studio space. Travel reimbursements are also available.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PST on June 30, 2024.

The Hodder Fellowship (International)
Open across disciplines, this fellowship provides $90,000 to artists who spend ten months at Princeton University. No formal teaching is required.
Deadline: Mid-September 2024.

Science

The James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Details of the Horsehead Nebula in Unprecedented Resolution

Focused on the part of the sky where you can spot the constellation Orion (“The Hunter”) on clear nights, the James Webb Space Telescope’s latest dispatch blinks in astonishing images from an area known as the Orion B molecular cloud.

At 1,300 light-years away—more than 7.8 quadrillion miles from Earth—the cloud is the closest star-forming region to our solar system. And rising from the turbulent field of gas and dust is Barnard 33, commonly known as the Horsehead Nebula. The gradually collapsing, interstellar cloud is more than 5.8 billion miles tall, composed of material illuminated by a hot star nearby. Over millions of years, the gas clouds surrounding the formation have dissipated, but the pillar remaining today is composed of thick clumps that are harder to erode, providing scientists with a perfect subject for study.

Webb zoomed in on the top crest of the nebula to capture the region’s complexity with never-before-seen spatial resolution. Using imagery from the telescope’s MIRI and NIRCam instruments, an international team of astronomers has revealed small-scale structures along the illuminated edge of the Horsehead for the first time.

In addition to photographs, the team has released a mesmerizing gyroscopic video, taking us on a journey through the light-years in just under two minutes and providing a sense of the enormous scale and distance Webb documents. Explore more of Webb’s missions on NASA’s website.

 

Photography

Suzanne Saroff’s Playful Bubblegum Photos Capture Delicate Forms on the Brink of Bursting

“You know how when you smell a fragrance that brings you to a specific time—like if you wore a certain scent for a year in college or if your grandmother always smelled like Channel No. 5—each time you smell that fragrance it brings you right back,” says Suzanne Saroff. “The process of chewing the gum for this series did that in a jarring way.”

Saroff is referring to a new body of work highlighting tiny bubblegum sculptures on the brink of deflating or popping. Conjuring memories of childhood competitions and absent-minded chomping, the photos zoom in on chewed wads of pink, blue, and green that appear almost corporeal, their pudgy folds and pockets evoking the beauty and repulsion of the human body.

The series started instinctively when Saroff spotted a pack of gum in her studio. Having previously photographed ephemeral subject matter like flowers, fish, and milk bubbles, the stretchy material was a welcome direction even though it popped within seconds of blowing. She made several trips to the nearest bodega for different flavors and colors and eventually, assembled dozens of combinations. “With the milk bubbles, I was interested in capturing something a bit mischievous and visceral that pops within seconds. The bubble gum is a continuation of that,” she adds.

Find information about available prints and more of Saroff’s work, including a recent short film about transformation, on her site and Instagram