Toshihiko Mitsuya’s aluminum foil and metal creations range from the mythical to the natural. More recent work reflects nature’s flora and fauna, creating entire gardens and forest habitats in staggering, delicate detail. When paired alongside actual plantlife, the effect is both maintained and amplified.
One gallery has commented on the roots of the artist’s efforts: “The motifs of each work is based on the mixture of various countries’ cultures in this highly-networked information society.” Galerie Tore Suessbier says, about the artist. “Mitsuya’s practice is an investigation into material potentials of aluminium foil. Having collaborated with architects testing its durability in various forms of construction, Mitsuya created a life-size equestrian statue made of aluminium foil.”
The artist also creates flat works, which are “composed of reflections from boards of scratched stainless steel, which can be said to stand between a sculpture and a painting.” Mitsuya is a graduate of Seian University of Art and Design and is a recipient of the Okamoto Taro Award.
The fantastic wire creations of Walter Oltmann seem both alien and familiar. The artist often calls upon the natural world and images from human history to explore themes of hybridism and mutation while referencing the rich traditions of South African craft-making. Born in 1960, Oltmann spent his childhood living in remote parts of the KwaZulu-Natal region, where he was first exposed to local handicrafts such as weaving and basket-making. Using wire as his preferred medium, the artist has become an expert on wire working and devotes himself to studying the influence of cultural traditions on contemporary South African art.
Sculptor Cristina Córdova’s absorbing and intimate figures inhabit a new show in Hodges Taylor in Charlotte. "CRISTINA CÓRDOVA: cuerpo exquisito" offers works with personal notes for the artist, whether in the pieces modeled after her daughters or the nods to her Puerto Rican heritage. She was last featured on our site 
Debra Baxter