Pebbles.

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These are depictions of the war in Syria – but they have been delicately composed with stones. They are the work of 52-year-old Syria-based artist and sculptor Nizar Ali Badr, who publishes pictures of his creations on Facebook.

[…]

When the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, Nizar saw tragedies unfolding – homes destroyed, families displaced, children killed. He began to re-create the things he saw in stone.

“I didn’t have a camera to record any of my work,” he said, in a phone interview from Latakia, Syria. “As soon as I finished, I looked at it for some time and then destroyed it to make a new one.”

His stone art became a way to express his emotions and the worries that kept him awake at night, and to share those feelings with the world.

[…]

In the past, Nizar glued the stones on to cards, but now glue is too expensive. Nearly as soon as he has created a piece of art he dismantles it and begins piecing together a new image.

“I take photos of the artwork. This is the only way to preserve them and make sure people will see them,” he said.

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Nizar has created more than 25,000 scenes from daily life in Syria since 2011, he said. He doesn’t sell any of his pieces; he never intended to make a living out of it.

“I am a human before anything else. The conflict has caused me a lot of pain and I sometimes can’t sleep at night,” he said.

“My only consolation is the work I do and therefore I don’t see it as a source of revenue. It is pure passion for stone art. I want to communicate human emotions that people everywhere in the world share, such as love, hope, and sadness.”

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“When I saw all these families being forced to leave their homes, I felt pain. Why should anyone be forced to leave their home?”

Through his art, he tries to showcase the sacrifices people make and the risks they take to escape war and persecution, he said.

Many of his images depict families and children. He attempts to convey the suffering of the most vulnerable and the burden of being on the move.

Nizar Ali Badr’s works are searing in their poignancy, go and have a look at them all. Share them. Remind everyone you know that war is not desirable. It’s a reminder we Americans need right now.

See and read more here.

Elene Usdin.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

© Elene Usdin — Les photographies et illustrations ne sont pas libres de droits.

Oh, go explore the world of Elene Usdin, a world of wonders and evocative stories! A grand place to get lost and wander. Elene Usdin.

Archiatric.

This is truly stunning work, deeply affecting, and cuts right to the core. Click over to see much more, and in detail!

Italian illustrator Federico Babina has turned his attention from movies stars and fairy tale characters to the deep emotions felt by those experiencing mental illness. In his new series Archiatric, Babina’s architectural illustrations demonstrate a deep understanding and empathy for sufferers of psychological disorders.

Through 16 drawings, Babina gives visual representation to some of the mental illnesses that affect millions daily. “I don’t want to put a romantic aura around the discomfort and suffering of mental illness,” Babina explains, “but rather to make a reflection on the prejudices and negative stigmas with which the pathologies of the mind are often observed.”

With simple lines and a clear message, the artist quietly and elegantly explores different disorders. Each, placed in a solitary house that could symbolize our mental environments, is delivered with dignity and understanding.

To accompany the work, Babina created a short video with music by composer Elisabet Raspall. As the melody moves, so does each image, animating into its chosen illness. The result is a touching, and sobering, look at mental illness.

Federico Babina: Website | Instagram | Society6

Via My Modern Met.

Swirls.

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Partners Stephen Stum and Jason Hallman, collectively known as Stallman, marry their individual talent and vision to create mesmerizing three dimensional sculptures out of canvas and paint. Their newest collection of work, titled Canvas on the Edge, aims to highlight the nature of the materials by giving the impression of movement through the use of elevated structures. Different angles reveal varying perspectives that play with a range of color spectrums reflecting off the ridged canvas.

The Pacific Northwest-based duo create each sculpture in tandem, merging as one to produce something unique. Where one acts as the left side of the brain, the other becomes the right, attempting to dissolve boundaries and form a piece that is completely balanced. The two draw inspiration from the natural world, mimicking biological gradients and cellular patterns within each work.

Each multi-faceted sculpture permeates a hypnotic sense of calm, as the pair successfully modify the traditional medium of paint and canvas by adding a new, creative edge.

You can read more, and see much more of this beautiful and intensive work here.

Oh. So. Cool.

I want one!

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Made for Ikea’s Space10, this is the Growroom, specifically made for cities, it can grow a communities worth of food and herbs. I’m not urban, but I still want one. The best news? Space10 and architects Sine Lindholm and Mads-Ulrik Husum have open sourced this, so anyone can make one.

You can see the specs at two places: one, two.

Confronting the Lasting Legacy of Colonialism.

Installation view, PARADISE COVE 1.0, 2015.

Installation view, PARADISE COVE 1.0, 2015.

At its best, Hawai’i’s art community reflects a multi-ethnic heritage as well as a critical desire to confront the legacy of colonialism that plays out in the present day against the people, land, and natural resources of the islands. For many long-time Hawai’i artists, there is an acceptance of a place where the market is not a priority. This is important work, hard work, work that must be done in the face of personal and economic sacrifice and the growing lack of institutional support, despite near-constant development and a booming tourist economy.

At its worst, Hawai’i’s art community is dated and alienating: full of the racist undertones and an underlying bitterness stemming from a lack of opportunities. Artists here can be unapologetically territorial. “Watufaka!” Given the whitewashed colonial injustices committed against Hawai’ians and throughout the Pacific, does it really come as a surprise? Meanwhile, artists trying to make a living face tremendous pressure to conform to touristic expectations and often end up sacrificing their vision to produce uninspired tropical seascapes or “designed by committee” public commissions for the state. Neither promotes meaningful engagement. Some artists go for broke and move to “the mainland,” never to be seen or heard from again. Some move home to surf or start a career, when they are jaded and tired, in their 40s. The rest just stop.

The whole essay, part of 50 States of Art, is at The Creators Project, and excellent reading. There’s more to see, too!