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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.

Topics

Anouk Griffioen, Charcoal, drawing

ballpoint pen, drawing, Mario Maplé

October 27, 2018

In Mario Maplé’s ballpoint pen drawings, the artist moves between conventional beauty and the grotesque. The works are deceptively complex in their elegance, the soft lines of the subject the result of tedious work in ink pen. The artist will also occasionally mix in watercolors to emphasize his distortions.

Julie Speed’s Startling Works Made of Paintings, Etchings and Collage

Collage, drawing, Julie Speed, Mixed Media, painting

September 9, 2016

Julie Speed is an American artist known for her meticulous and startling contemporary works. Her paintings, etchings and collages present bizarre imagery that is rife with absurdity, violence and anxiety, and have been described as both disturbing and beautiful. Though constantly labeled a "Neo Surrealist", Speed describes herself as a "Pararealist", offering a glimpse into a world that exists parallel to our own reality.

Stefan Zsaitsits’s Manic Drawings of Children’s Tales Gone Awry

drawing, graphite, Stefan Zsaitsits

July 18, 2014

Austrian-born Stefan Zsaitsits creates intricately-detailed and deranged works with a sense of humor. Take for instance “Puppet,” an uncommon portrait of fairytale icon Pinocchio — half of his sweet face is scratched off with harsh dark lines. His wooden arm seems worn and his one bulging eye shows a mix of fear and sadness. Other anonymous figures seem to come from sort of equally distorted children’s tale. If you line up Zsaitsits’s quirky characters in a row — a little boy with a still-feathered chicken in mouth, a Magritte-like figure with no face except glasses and a floating ear — they look like clues to a larger narrative where it seems things went comically wrong. The artist’s paintings look more somber and eerie in contrast with many severed body parts and depressing scenes. No matter the medium, the artist creates intriguing scenes that entice the viewer even while threatening to turn them away with unsettling details.

Haunting Depictions of Decay by Lauren Marx

drawing, Lauren Marx, painting

December 12, 2014

Emerging artist Lauren Marx explores the intricate process of decay with her surreal and often grotesque drawings and paintings. Animals become enmeshed in each other's flesh as tendons and sinew rip apart, exposing their innards. While the subject matter often triggers an initial reaction of repulsion, Marx's ornate line work and graceful compositions are pleasing to the eye. Take a look at some of her latest work below.

Anouk Griffioen’s Monumental Charcoal Drawings

Mario Maplé’s Pen Drawings Explore Beauty, Discomfort

Julie Speed’s Startling Works Made of Paintings, Etchings and Collage

Stefan Zsaitsits’s Manic Drawings of Children’s Tales Gone Awry

Haunting Depictions of Decay by Lauren Marx

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