「WANDER WONDER」

Various artists and designers come together to recreate the iconic British Phone Box. On the celebration of the country’s Diamond Jubilee, a campaign was made to design new ways and wonders from this famous object created by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. All across the streets of London, one can find various replicas of the phone box, transformed into a newfound object by the creative minds and hands of these artists. And one of the prominent results is the Box Lounge, a seat created from that familiar red box, produced by Benjamin Shine.

The Box Lounger is leather bound and intricately studded sofa, all in a feisty and fiery red color. It’s like a phone box tumbled down, where one can take a breather while seating upon its glorious couch, which pays a tribute to the local British design. The functional piece of furniture replaces the old communicating cubicle which once has been very much used across the country. Its creator, Benjamin Shine has graduated from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design with a fashion degree. He also took a course in Central St. Martins in London, and in 2003, he started his own creative studio. Shine is known for his diverse portfolio and multidisciplinary approach in design.

The BT Artbox project includes other artists such as Sir Peter Blake, Giles Deacon and Zaha Hadid. See more of the Box Lounge, as well as the other projects here at http://www.btartboxes.com/.

Original Article

Graphic design trained Joo Heng Tan creates amazing art pieces from an extraordinary material—his creations are drafted from mounds and mounts of sand, with each little piece forming the detail of the gallant structure. What started as his hobby in 1997 became his professional identity to which he was able to join the prestige festivals of sand sculpting. This soon developed into a full blown career, and his laborious love for his art soon returned him with great success.

Earning the international title of Master Sand Sculptor, he is a sandman by his own right. Many of his awards include the 2007 German World Championship, the 2006 North America Sand Sculpting Championship and the European Championship in Denmark. Tan travels all over the world to join many competitions as well as honing his already remarkable skills when it comes to sand sculpting.

Joo Heng Tan hails from Singapore and first started out his career in Graphic Design. His love for this new kind of art soon bloomed as he participated in small local events which highlight sand sculpting.  He has worked all across the globe with his statement pieces and placed sand sculpting into a new level of art form. Visit his site at http://www.sandworkz.com/.

Original Article

Thai artist Rook Floro invites us to delve in the ideas of human metamorphosis and the many tension between the desire for change and the appreciation of one’s true self. Taking this idea up to a core, he creates the series of artwork including Shell, a vast conception of hiding within a certain mask that will hide all our imperfections in order to cater to the flow of life, as imposed by the society, family and friends. The Shell narrates a dark story behind this human animosity that brings out a natural pretense to which everyone must succumb to.

The road to perfection is what veils the true core of a human spirit, and Floro investigates that idea deeply with his shadow-colored works. In his artist statement, he includes the lines:

I cast my shadow
Unveiled the repressed desires
My own personal perfection

Search for the triangle
Change is near
Weary of the same expectations

I molt and a shell remains
Losing a fragment of my true self I cherish
Paradox of my existence

Hailing from Bangkok, Floro now lives in Birmingham, UK and is now practicing with various ideas of human transformation and tension between accepting one’s character and the intention to change. He graduated with a double degree in Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and finished his masters of Fine Art in the same school. See more of his work at http://www.behance.net/rookie.

Original Article

If you’re thinking these are regular pen and ink scribbles—you are wrong. These pieces are actually large artworks brought to life by artist David Oliveira, with the use of his wire sculpting skills. Drawing as if they were illustrated out of thin air, these sculptures actually stand and sit on their own, being manifested out of lines of wires which protrudes like a true sketch. The hazy lines and the various thicknesses brings out a one of a kind view with these wire art.

Looking like they are floating in the middle of the room, Oliveira’s work is stunningly detailed. These could remind one of a tepid sketch created in a rash motion, when an artist is driven with inspiration with skewed lines and various emotions. These wires are actually founded by an invisible filament structure that makes them look as if they hover in the midair. The many twists, turns and contortions of the wires recreate an illusion of a drawing.

Born in Lisbon in 1980, Oliveira finished a degree in Sculpture as well as a postgraduate degree in Artistic Anatomy in Lisbon’s Fine Arts. He has won many prizes in sculpture, including the 2009 Young Artists of Aveiro, Premium Revelation D. Fernando in 2010 and the Lisbon Young Artists in 2011. Follow his blog at http://www.davidmigueloliveira.blogspot.pt/.

Original Article

South Korean born artist Min Kim recreates a playful, mystical world with her paper collage creations. The stunning array of colors and illusions played by the various concoctions of paper and forms produces a wonderful panorama that touches various feelings and emotions. Her works combine poetic narrative as well as the display of adult morals. This charm has been both founded within America and her native land—the use of manhwa, which is the comic illustration art of Korea, has been greatly evident with her art.

Min Kim usually expresses her pieces through various natural elements, blending together with the real and the fantasy. The flora and fauna merges with the earth and the sky, consistently forming themes of illusion and the truth, tuning into surrealism in every sense. The strength of Asian artwork is thoroughly expressed along with the classical and vintage artwork which enhances her works even more.

A crafter in every sense, she has translated her art into detailed folding, cutting and putting together various amounts of paper to form her little world. Her creations are always vibrant, colorful and lively, with some exuding melancholic feats in spite of the vivid background. See more of her work here at http://www.torchgallery.com/min-kim/night-that-brings-the-single-way.html.

Original Article