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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
Matt Crabe, self-proclaimed as "Heaven's Favorite Man," is an artist whose wild illustrations come across as vibrant nightmares. Crabe presents his work in strange zines, paper figures, prints, apparel and other outlets.
Thomas Kuntz is a sculptor, painter, designer, mechanic, animator, and model-maker. Each of those skills plays a role in creating the artist's automata, or self-operating machines that follow a predetermined set of actions. It's an art that has ancient roots, but Kuntz's creations have a sense of timeless theatrics with contemporary flourishes.
Guillermo del Toro is known as one of the most imaginative filmmakers working today. As the director of some of this generation's most inventive horror and monster genre films, from Hellboy (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Pacific Rim (2013), and Crimson Peak (2015), it should come as no surprise that del Toro loves monsters- and he has a creepy art collection to match. His treasured collection has been a work in progress since he was a child in Guadalajara, Mexico, and given its significant impact on del Toro's work and process, is now being brought to the public, courtesy of LACMA.
Alien meets House of Wax in Matthew J. Levin's melted, mutilated statuettes. The spine-chilling creatures have glistening skin stretching over elongated bones and folding over protruding ribs. Many objects appear organically self-actualized; as if the creatures emerged alone out of a solid substance. Though their appearances may be repulsive, Levin's method of positioning his small-scaled creatures in dance-like movements imbues them with a sort of grace and unearthly beauty.
In Greek mythology, "the Kindly Ones", also known as Furies, are female deities or goddesses of vengeance from the underworld. They were tasked with pursuing people who have done evil and justifying their horrific crimes, making them equal sides of good and bad. Furies are the inspiration behind "The Kindly Ones" by artists David Stoupakis and Menton3, which opened over the weekend at Last Rites Gallery. Both artists are recognized for their haunting oil paintings that combine visuals of beauty with dark themes. See more after the jump.