Furniture-maker-turned-sculptor James McNabb (previously) just opened a new exhibition of work titled Metros at Robert Fontaine Gallery in Miami. McNabb continues his exploration of architectural shapes using an improvised form of woodworking frequently described as “sketching with a bandsaw.” Without regard to the design or stability a true architect might utilize, he instead works with more abstract shapes cut from repurposed and exotic woods which in turn become component pieces for larger sculptures resembling wheels or tables. McNabb shares via email:
I compare hyperrealistic painting to fine woodworking. Both are slow, tedious, detail oriented process that require great care and consideration through every stage of making. In contrast, I compare my style of rapid bandsaw mark making to the fast paced nature of spray can art. It’s my attempt at “urban woodworking”.
Metros will be on view through October 28, 2014 and you can see more of McNabb’s recent work right here.
For the past few months Portuguese artist Bordalo II (previously) has been stalking the streets of Lisbon looking for heaps of trash. Using mounds of discarded plastic sheeting, old tires, shingles, and tangles of electrical cable, he carefully repositions everything before spray painting it to resemble animals and insects. You can see more from the ongoing series on Facebook.
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For a photographer living in a major city filled with iconic architecture, museums, and myriad tourist destinations, the struggle to capture an authentic image is great. This was the exact situation photographer Michael Wolf found himself in after moving to Paris from Hong Kong in 2008. Surrounded in a city filled with sights that could easily be interpreted as cliché, Wolf pointed his camera away from the recognizable landmarks and instead focused on the dense rooftops surrounding the city. Packed with stout chimneys, tv antennas, graffiti, and numerous geometric forms, these wide-angle shots present a strange abstracted view of a usually recognizable place.
Wolf’s “Paris Abstract” series is currently on view at Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco through September 6, 2014. (via Juxtapoz)