One of the most renowned living artists to come out of Japan, Yayoi Kusama needs no introduction. Her work, often coming in the form of sculptures and installations, is instantly recognizable, mostly thanks to the brightly-coloured polka dots that are often featured. Art has had a therapeutic, healing effect on Kusama. She has been open […]
When we think of clowns, it is not odd to expect a humorous, witty, and playful manner to emerge. Clowns, for centuries, have brought joy to people, lifted spirits, and entertained many; however, behind a clown is a person – a person who might not always feel as playful as the role they play. Checkers, […]
In this startling oil painting entitled Anguish by August Friedrich Schenck, we see an ewe standing protectively over the corpse of her child, defending it from a murder of crows who have come to feast on it. This piece speaks for itself; the grief is palpable, and the despair of the mother is visceral as […]
Art has long been captivated by themes of death, suffering, and the tortured soul, often blurring the line between tragedy and beauty. Few works embody this romanticization as poignantly as Chatterton (1856), an oil painting by Henry Wallis. Wallis immortalizes the final moments of 17-year-old Thomas Chatterton, the ill-fated poet who took his own life. […]
I recently came across something called trypophobia which is the fear or aversion to images of uneven clusters of holes or bumps. At first, I didn’t even know it had a name. But once I saw pictures of hand infested holes and honeycombs up close, I felt it immediately: a strange discomfort, almost disgust, as […]
The following sculpture is created by multidisciplinary artist Charlotte Sigurdon and is a part of their “life and damage” art collection. With the use of Raku clay, we see the sculpture of a head with what appears to be different shapes of scarring around its head. The expression of the face appears emotionless, thus attention […]
“Megoosa,” an acrylic painting by Robin Krasinkiewicz, is a contemporary spin on the classic figure of Medusa from Greek Mythology. Robin has always loved mythology and has recently taken an interest in art pieces inspired by a play on words. At the time of Megoosa’s creation, she had been exploring Lovecraftian horror, specifically Cthulhu, whose […]
Image from Rape of Prosepina The Rape of Proserpina, crafted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, an Italian artist in the early 1600s, tells the tale of the abduction of a young girl named Proserpina. In Roman mythology, the story begins with the god Pluto, ruler of the underworld, consumed by a burning desire for a companion. […]
In Woman in the Lap of Death (1920/1921), Käthe Kollwitz gives form to a truth many trauma survivors know too well: when life shatters, even the comfort of surrender can feel like a temptation. In this haunting lithograph, a weary woman collapses into the lap of a skeletal figure, death itself, not in terror, but […]
Jan Matejko’s 1862 painting Stańczyk offers an exploration of what it means to have high functioning depression. In solitary the figure of a jester. Traditionally it symbolise a person of high spirits, charming, or witty. Jesters are expected to entertain, to lighten the mood. However, Matejko unsettles this expectation by portraying Stańczyk in a moment […]