Kyle Cobban has said that the sensibility of his surreal drawings are rooted in his career as an instructor, observing students exploring their own stories. Recent work, in particular, seems to be examining the relationship between his subjects and the concept of “home.” His drawings on Priority Mail envelopes further underscore this concept.
“Cobban creates surreal images that evoke both the strength and vulnerability essential for inner metamorphosis,” Line Dot says. “Prioritizing line and tonal qualities, his realistically-rendered characters are contrasted with the emptiness of their white backgrounds. The juxtaposition of these static environments with more rhythmic features results in a subdued sense of movement within the works. These lovely graphite drawings on paper are exquisitely rendered, full of nuance and depth.”
See more of Cobban’s work on his site.
Russian artist Dimitry Vorsin creates beguiling surrealist worlds populated with mystifying and erotic characters. Drawing influence from Salvador Dali, his figures are often elongated and with decapitated limbs. For example, one arm of a woman in a running pose morphs into what appears as a rat’s tail. The other is shown in a puppet-like construction, controlled by small nymphs wearing tall spiraling headwraps that match the woman’s own grandiose headware. The sexually fraught image suggests the power of the psyche to serve as a symbolic whip.