Tokujin Yoshioka’s ‘Rainbow Church’ – The liberation of light
‘Rainbow Church’
Rainbow church is aptly named and refers to an eight-meter-high installation that creates a rainbow as light is refracted within its space. The installation is a wall of crystal prism that throws off rainbows to anyone within the installation space. The 500 crystal prisms that make up the installation allow light passing through them to be refracted, creating rainbow hues in the areas around the installation and the adjacent walls resulting in an effect seen with stained glass only in this case there is no stained glass. One can interpret Rainbow Church in a number of ways. One interpretation draws upon the relationship between man and nature and hence creates a scene where form is given to it as his creation such as in the case of light into rainbows.
Francesco Jodice’s subtle look at how we customise living spaces
Francesco Jodice – What We Want, Hong Kong, T47, 2006
Ever been to a place and felt that it is not quite satisfactory in terms of how it looks? Well, Francesco Jodice is recreating spaces into what they should be if we had control of them. For a long time, people’s lives were influenced by the buildings that existed but the trend is taking a turn. Not even urban planners, engineers or architects can dictate life upon humanity anymore, this is the message that is being communicated by the ‘What We Want’ series. The project is centered around photography and modification of imagery.
Pumpkins & Tulips – Yayoi Kusama’s most outstanding public sculptures
Yayoi Kusama – Pumpkin, 1994, Benesse Art Site, Naoshima, Japan
About Yayoi Kusama
Celebrating her 90th birthday in 2019, Yayoi Kusama is a leading Japanese artist and legend as far as art is concerned. While she deliberately makes unique pieces that can withstand the wear and tear of the outdoors, she is renowned for reproducing her art in monumental scale when need be. Her career spans over 6 decades and during this time her works have managed to enter the collection of museums such as the New York MoMA, LACMA, Tate Modern and others.
This was intended to be Warhol’s retirement from painting
Andy Warhol blowing up Silver Clouds, Los Angeles, 1966
Why is Andy Warhol important?
Andy Warhol is no stranger to critical acclaim; his various works introduced thousands of audiences to contemporary art which helped to put American artists on the map, and it waged a war against abstract expressionism. Warhol effectively managed, time and time again, to shatter distinctions in art and he helped to reshape the aesthetic criteria that many people used to categorize art. In true fashion, Warhol inspired an artistic revolution of epic proportions that was felt not just in America, but in other parts of the world as well.
Joan Miró’s colorful artworks: Designed to be walked over
Joan Miró – Wall of the Barcelona Airport (detail), 1970, earthenware, 10x50m, Terminal B, El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain
Introduction
If you have ever been to Barcelona, you must have walked over one of Joan Miro’s mosaics. The artist began to publicly display his work in 1976 when he chose the center of Barcelona’s Rambla to permanently incorporate his work into a pavement. This was in fulfillment of a pledge he had made in 1968 to create four pieces of art which he would donate to the city of Barcelona where he was born. The use of different colors in the mosaic brings out the vibrancy that is his style of art. All the artwork that is associated with Joan Miró speaks the language of simplicity; generous use of color and simple shapes. More than four decades after his first outdoor work of art, the works of Joan Miró located in various parts of the world are enjoying facelifts of massive proportions.
Bridging cultures with influential sculptures & furniture – Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi – Red Cube Sculpture, 1968, 140 Broadway Between Cedar and Liberty Streets, Financial District in Lower Manhattan, New York, USA
About Isamu Noguchi
A walk through Japan reveals the close correlation between nature and aesthetics. Amid the natural setup are works of art that remind everyone about the history, beliefs and affiliations of the Japanese people. The modern art concept of creating spectacular pieces to create an art park is becoming rather common owing to the pioneering work of artists like Isamu Noguchi. Having been an artist for 60 years, he has helped shape the aesthetic and cultural appearance of Japan and the US through the creation of sculpture parks. Even in death, Noguchi is still recognized for his artwork on furniture, gardens, ceramics and architecture. Although considered subtle and bold during his time, his work is now the standard for modern and expressionist art.
Nabana no Sato: 8 million LED lights illuminate Japanese town
Winter Illumination at Nabana no Sato, Kuwana, Japan
Japan & light festivals
Japan seems to be way ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to experimenting with lights. It is a culture throughout the country to have impressive light festivals over winter. Other than showcasing the creativity of new talent every year, such festivals give life to the boring weather of winter. It is no wonder that most people love to extend these displays well into spring.
Most visited arts non-profit online. Established in 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. Projects in 101 countries.
