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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
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Anouk Griffioen’s Monumental Charcoal Drawings

Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Anouk Griffioen creates haunting, mural-scale charcoal drawings that offer glimpses into lush, overgrown places where humanity and nature seamlessly connect. The human subjects of her work are merely guides for viewers to immerse themselves in the sublime landscapes. It's as if Griffioen is inviting her viewers to imagine themselves as her often faceless characters. There is a fashion-conscious aspect to her work as well: the svelte, model-like bodies strike casual yet glamorous poses, wearing smartly tailored outfits that camouflage with their surroundings.

Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Anouk Griffioen creates haunting, mural-scale charcoal drawings that offer glimpses into lush, overgrown places where humanity and nature seamlessly connect. The human subjects of her work are merely guides for viewers to immerse themselves in the sublime landscapes. It’s as if Griffioen is inviting her viewers to imagine themselves as her often faceless characters. There is a fashion-conscious aspect to her work as well: the svelte, model-like bodies strike casual yet glamorous poses, wearing smartly tailored outfits that camouflage with their surroundings.

It’s a busy season for Griffioen, who will be showing in the group show “Hunting” at Flatland Gallery in Amsterdam October 25 through December 18. You can also catch her in “Chinese Whispers,” on view at Karin Janssen Project Space in London November 6 through 23. Griffioen is currently working on a solo show for Stedelijk Museum Zwolle that will debut in 2016. Take a look at some shots from her studio below.

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Christo Dagorov’s Multi-Layered Drawings Overlap Surreal Imagery

Self-taught artist Christo Dagorov creates multi-layered drawings in which scenes appear to melt into one another. In his "Skylines" series, translucent urban landscapes manifest in spirit-like ways over placid beach scenes. The interplay between nature and urbanity asks viewers to image a place's current state and what could have been. Dagorov's use of acute gradients gives his work a nearly sculptural level of depth. His series of monochromatic drawings titled "Lips" also melds various images, this time constructing surreal, hellish visions in the shape of human mouths.

Sarah A. Smith Pushes the Possibilities of Gold Leaf with Drawings and Installations

Sarah A. Smith has a particular set of drawings that merit notice for their expressive qualities. Her subject is the natural world. The compositions are dynamic and fluid, coiled in mid-strike. If you didn’t know they were drawings, you might think they were dioramas. Subject matter includes eagles and wolves, trees and shrubs. Sometimes there’s a drawing of an eagle, sometimes there’s one of a wolf. Sometimes the two are locked in combat though, as in Eagle Vs. Wolf, you can only see the wolf responding to the eagle overhead. The work is dynamic. The shapes are sharp and angular. They look like lightning bolts. If you could rub the head of the eagle or the wolf, you’d feel its coarse texture. Likewise with the bark of the trees: rub it and you’d get splinters. The scenes offer voyeuristic views of the natural world in its rawest element. It’s a perilous, zero sum world. Its narrow color palette suggests bleakness.

Johan Barrios’ Drawings Match the Ethereal Quality of His Paintings

Currently living in Colombia, John Barrios (previously covered here) portrays a surreal world rich with color and detail in his oil paintings. He strips down this world in his haunting black and white mixed media drawings. Barrios' drawings, a combination of Graph Gear 500 mechanical pencil and watercolor, look similar to the under layers of his painted works. Their soft shading and light values reflect on his fascination with the subtleties of light. See more after the jump.

Sergio Barrale’s Giant Drawings Engross at Every Angle

On the section marked “Giant Drawing” on Sergio Barrale’s website, a factoid provides a sense of the hardship that goes into each portrait: “500-700 pencils died in the process of making these works.” Look into any corner of Sergio’s “faces,” and you’ll believe him.
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