The Art Stories Colossal Readers Loved Most in 2022

Art

December 2, 2022

Colossal

As we edge closer to the end of 2022, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest hits on Colossal throughout the year. We’ve published hundreds of articles spotlighting extraordinary work by artists around the globe who test boundaries, activate discussion, and inspire innovation.

We collected 10 of the most-read articles on the site this year, ranging from street art and embroidery to soldered teacups and mirrors with hidden images. And if you want even more of 2022’s art highlights, dive into the Colossal archive.

Image © Banksy

New Banksy Works Emerge Among the Destruction in Ukraine

Banksy’s signature stencils have been spotted among the rubble of bombed buildings and barricades in Borodyanka and Gorenka, both in the Bucha Region, while others are just outside the capital city of Kyiv.

Image © Ruth Miller

Tender Embroidered Portraits by Ruth Miller Are Tinged with Expressive Colors

Beginning with a line drawing in pencil, U.S.-based artist Ruth Miller renders hand-embroidered portraits based on photos into wool tapestries and thread drawings.

Image © Ememem

Vibrant Tiled Mosaics by Ememem Repair Gouged Pavement and Fractured Sidewalks

Lyon native Ememem, aka “the pavement surgeon,” examines the streets of European cities and checks for splintered pavement and sidewalks fractured in pieces.

Image © Nick Cave

A Colossal Interview: Artist Nick Cave Unpacks Silence and Compassion Ahead of His First Retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago

A portmanteau of forevermore and for others, Forothermore is a prescient title for the first retrospective of artist Nick Cave, whose practice spanning sculpture, installation, performance, and various mediums consistently confronts racism, homophobia, and other bigotries through the alluring, affecting power of art.

Image © Glen Taylor

Spikes, Rusted Wire, and Scissors Bind Shattered Porcelain in Sculptures by Glen Taylor

A visual metaphor for imperfection and the possibilities of repair, the porcelain sculptures created by Ohio-based artist Glen Taylor are steeped in contrast.

Image © Mariki Kusumoto

Clusters of Diaphanous Textile Sculptures by Mariko Kusumoto Evoke the Ocean Floor

Japanese artist and designer Mariko Kusumoto shapes gossamer coral and sea creatures from soft fibers like polyester, nylon, and cotton.

Image © Estelle Chrétien

Anthropomorphic Interventions in the Landscape by Estelle Chrétien Playfully Examine Rural Life

For artist Estelle Chrétien, the expansive lawns, fields, and wooded ravines around her home in Nancy, France, and other parts of Europe become sites of mischievous mixed-media interventions.

Image courtesy of Cincinnati Art Museum

Cincinnati Art Museum Discovers That a Rare 16th Century Mirror Reveals a Hidden Image When Illuminated

While plumbing the archives at the Cincinnati Art Museum, curator Hou-mei Sung uncovered what appeared to be an ordinary patinaed mirror printed with the name of Amitābha Buddha. After closer inspection, though, the object revealed a surprise.

1,400 Pages of Rembrandt’s Hand Drawings Fill a Wearable Book Bracelet

Lined with gilt edges and secured with a gold clasp, a bracelet by the Amsterdam-based duo of Lyske Gais and Lia Duinker packs a vast art historical collection within the span of a wrist.

Complex Networks of Metallic Branches Shape Animal Sculptures by Kang Dong Hyun

What eventually becomes a stately stag or majestically posed lion in Kang Dong Hyun’s Forest of Coexistence starts with countless metallic branches that splay in every direction.

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