Nanna Hänninen

Nanna Hänninen (born 1973) had her first solo exhibition in 2012 at Galleria AMA in Helinski which included her series 'Plants/Objects//Paint'. Her works have her own distinct style of smearing or dolloping paint onto a single image, giving a completely different dimension to the photograph. The decision to use black and white photography gives her no limits as to what colors she implement. Hänninen accentuates an element in the photograph on which she wants to emphasise. What is great about her works is that she knows when to stop, she keeps it perfectly simple and lets that contrast with the destruction of the photograph on which she paints on. 

See more of these beautiful works below!

KwangHo Shin

It was really difficult for me on how to approach this post because Korean artist KwangHo Shin has produced so many works that I didn't know which ones to pick! So here I five you a variety from two series, one of which focuses on the use of charcoal and paint. But then looking through his portfolio he has a massive amount of drawings beautiful done in charcoal so I couldn't leave it out. You'll definitely be seeing another post of him in the near future. 

As far as my art taste goes, I think by now if you have been tracking my blog that you'll see theres a constant characteristics of distortion, chaos, organic and fragmented. KwangHo has exactly fit into my taste. The roughness of the use of charcoal is stunning and gives the portrait personality. In addition, the  use of thick painted mess perfectly fits into the facial space coinciding with the direction of lines in the face. Meaning that KwangHo knows exactly what he's doing and how to execute it. Making mess is harder than it looks. And when it's done correctly it gives a beautiful effect of chaos and distortion. 

View more of his beautiful works below!

Thomas Hammer

Thomas Hammer uses abstract geometry and organic fluid shapes to create works that focuses on precision and chaos. Living and working in New York, Hammer has been producing pieces that are filled with movement and fluidity alongside straight edged lines that really contrast against each other. He also explores many mediums using this concept. In this particular series, he uses both digital and traditional mediums. Concentrating on Hammer's pieces that don't encompass the whole canvas, I enjoy his cleverly thought-out composition, making the two different styles and mediums connect with one another by using a specific color or direction of line. 

View more of his works below!

Alma Haser

Alma Haser comes from a very artistic and creative rounded family. In 2010, Haser completed her undergraduate degree of Photography at Nottingham Trent University. She is now living in London and has been receiving a lot of recognition for her interesting portrait photographs. This specific series, Cosmic Surgery, has won third place peoples choice award at the Foto8 Summer Show in 2012. 

Haser changes the elements of a traditional portrait, making the subject unidentifiable by placing an origami piece right on the face. The origami gives off a cosmic feel from the star shapes and kalaidoscopic (not a word but it seems fitting) patterns of repeated eyes and lips. She has the models sit in the traditional portrait pose of the body facing away from the camera and the face turned the other way at three-quaters - but then adds another element which changes the original idea of a portrait. Haser has now turned the portrait into her own work. 

Please support Alma Haser by checking her out at other places on the internet. 

Website // Facebook \\ Twitter

More photographs after the jump!

Rik Garrett

Tests for Symbosis series               2011              analogue print and oil pastel    

Rik Garrett is an American artist who's focus is to explore the "ideas of love, relationships, magic, Alchemy and mutually beneficial partnerships in nature."

Symbosis is a series from 2011 that has been getting a lot of attention. His works are interesting and really showcases the concept of a sexual relationships. He manipulates the images with skin-toned acrylic paint (painted directly on the print), binding the two figures to look as though they have become one person. Although what I really love is Garrett's rough and textured brush strokes giving a more raw aesthetic look to the works. He overlaps paint over their faces and binds them together only allowing very little space in-between them. The figures are unidentifiable and hiding within each other only revealing some limbs. 

Garret has other series as well, exploring the themes of Alchemy and magic. They are available to look at on his website! Be sure to check him out on his Facebook, tumblr and personal blog. 

More lovely photographs after the jump!

Letha Wilson

Ghost of a Tree  2011/12
digital print on vinyl, drywall, wood, wood column
10' x 8' x 14'

Check out these photographic sculptures by American artist Letha Wilson!

 Born in Honolulu, raised in Colorado and living in New York, Letha Wilson has been producing mixed media works; playing with the physicality of photography and combining the element of 3D. They come across as abstract and interesting. Wilson cleverly places her 3D feature of the work which forces the focal point into view. She ranges from site-specific installations to photographs hanging on a wall. She either folds, cuts, adds to her photographs which heightens the character of a simple 2D photograph to something else. And definitely makes landscape photography less boring to look at! 

"My artwork uses images and materials from the natural landscape as a starting point for interpretation and confrontation. My work creates relationships between architecture and nature, and the gallery space and the American wilderness. In the photo-based sculptures the ability for a photograph to transport the viewer is both called upon, and questioned; sculptural intervention attempts to compensate for the photograph’s failure to encompass the physical site it represents. Landscape photography as a genre is approached with equal parts reverence and skepticism. In another body of work, site-specific installations juxtapose re-claimed wood and drywall material in innovative ways that respond to both interior and outdoors environments, and comment on the glut of material discarded in the contemporary art exhibition cycle." via.

Be sure to check out her website portfolio  for more of her works and updates on her next shows if they will be near you!

More after the jump!

Sebaastian Bremer

Holy Face      2013     Unique hand painted chromogenic print with mixed media      111.13 x 111.76 cm

Sebaatian Bremer, born in Amsterdam has been painting over photographs since the 90s. 

Taking a closer look at Bremer's work, I was overwhelmed by the intricacy of the dotted contouring lines over blurry images. The photographs range from simple family photos, erotic poses, texture images and blurry portraits. His works are in many collections all over the world (V&A, MoMA and the Berger Collection...just to name a few) and has exhibited in countless shows ranging from major cities like New York and London. He debut solo exhibition was held at the Gallery Reisel in Holland, 1994. 

Within the repetition of dots and lines there are faint indications of figures in some of the pieces. Others just simply feature contour lines, tracing the edges of the background images of the photographs. Bremer's understanding of the use of line create a whole other dimension of depth, making the viewer fall into the photographs trying to find the end of each leading line. The blurriness of the images has similar qualities to watercolor, adding to the flowing nature in his lines. 

Be sure to visit his website to see more of his fantastic works! I've linked you to his facebook page and twitter as well if you like to be updated straight from him.

More after the jump!