Issue 43 of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, with Kukula’s pop surreal masterpiece “The Attachment” on the cover is on sale now! Contact one of our Stockists or Shop Online, but don’t miss this special Issue. Take a peek at what’s inside below.
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Issue 43
Inside this Issue, we delve into the work of Riikka Sormunen, whose sensual creations emerge from a blend of influences, from her fashion-oriented past to the works of other artists who have left a lasting impression on her. Riikka’s art is a testament to her visual hunger, a constant need to create and explore the world through her unique lens.
We also discover the incredible vision of Lo Chan Peng, the Grand Prize Winner of the 2023 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize! Those who know his work will be familiar with his stunning realistic portraiture, and the soulful deconstruction that he utilises to emphasise the emotions in his
pieces.
I think that’s what makes the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize great. I can feel the founders’ passion for art in their words and actions, and they put it into practice. This is truly remarkable, and I have great respect for it.
Lo Chan Peng
Issue 43, cover artist Nataly Abramovitch, better known as Kukula, is keeping the traditions of the Rococo period alive all while giving it a fresh, feminist, sex positive spin that would make any stuffy old man blush. Kukula takes the period best known for its dramatic, decorative art and architecture, and icons like Marie Antoinette and François Boucher and spices it up with a generous spoonful of pop surrealism.
I try to highlight individuality that is not dependent on male approval or focused on the “male gaze”. If my characters ever appeared in the real world they’d obviously be beyond the pale of social norms. Reading my work as sexual seems to me a superficial misunderstanding that comes from a viewer’s expectation that the figure’s world is the same as the viewer’s world, that it works according to the same rules and codes.
Kukula
We also take a close look into the dark, ethereal realms of Brooke Shaden. Whose photographs have a lingering effect. They seem as unforgettable as they are unique, each photograph belonging to its own world while simultaneously preserving the bond between Brooke’s other works. In a way, the artist poses the question of identity through grief, pain, fear or sadness and the mask of being and appearing.
My work is largely focused on removing the stigma around grief. I am obsessive about researching symbolism and figuring out ways to not only speak to something I feel deeply, but to ensure that feeling touches others. I don’t create for myself alone, and never have. I’ve always been interested in enacting change through my work, especially i encouraging deep personal exploration and self-expression in others.
Brooke Shaden
In this Issues’ Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory editorial we highlight the work of many exceptional artists and photographers including: Brittany Markert, Barrett Biggers, Nicomi Nix Turner, Ryan Pola, Marco Santos, Eugene Varzic, Gina Matarazzo, Yulia Pustishkina, Theodora Capat, Jill Feenstra, Kayla Mahaffey, Robert Steven Connett, Allison Reimold, Liba Waring Stambollin, Lexi Laine, Yoann Penard, Ciane Xavier, Ingrid Baars, Sasha Krautman, Pausha Foley, Rob Domenech, Noah Adam Norrid.
Get inspired as we learn what Vicki Fox, Director of Quirky Fox Gallery, would like to add to her personal collection, in this Issue’s Curator’s Wishlist.
We are also showcase the Winners of the 2023 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize!
- Grand Prize Winner of the 2023 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize – Lo Chan Peng
- Winner of the RAYMAR Traditional Art Award – Markus Åkesson
- Winner of the INPRNT Photography Award – Petite Doll
- Winner of the Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award – Forest Rogers
- Winner of the iCanvas Digital Art Award – Garis Edelweiss
- Winner of the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Founders’ Emerging Artist Award – Sarah Lee
Next we take a look at contemporary collage artist, Sarah Jarrett, a modern-day alchemist of the arts, and similarly to the medieval alchemists who were dedicated to their craft, Sarah’s art is her life.
One of the most intriguing parts of Sarah’s work is how it blurs so many boundaries. Her work thrives on the art of transformation and “breathing new life into an existing idea”. She explores humanity’s relationship with nature, tackling the theme of light and darkness, while also incorporating old and new art practices, and vintage and modern styles.
Excerpt from Sarah Jarrett’s Essay by Samantha Dexter
We also take a deep dive into the work of Ed Binkley, whose technique goes beyond capturing the subject exactly as the eyes can see; he crafts a sense of personality through gestures, the play of lines, the quirk of a smile or crease at the corner of an eye. But unlike traditional portraiture, Ed’s subjects are not standing in front of him or drawn from a photo; his muses come straight from his imagination.
Metaphors of crossroads are apt when encountering the beautiful art of Hirabayashi Takahiro and searching for their inspiration and meanings. East intersects West. Ancient intersects now. Spirituality intersects science and dreams intersect reality. Flora meets fauna and humanity re-encounters the nature from where and from which it originated.
I want to depict a world that allows us to glimpse the essence of a world that transcends human knowledge and time, stirring the imagination of those who view it.
Hirabayashi Takahiro
The sculptures of Emil Melmoth are part of a macabre parallel universe full of symbolism where they exist as mute beings in need of salvation. The religiosity of the creatures is based on pain and fear. After taking on their corporeal form in our plane, the clay creations lie dormant in their creator’s home, soaking up the energy around them, including that of their creator.
As well, in this Issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Lesley Thiel takes us on a journey. Her viewpoint is reminiscent of that of a few eco-feminists who emphasise the need to understand male domination as an overarching structure impacting negatively on the environment. There is this idea that women are, in a way, connected to nature by the subaltern position they and nature are relegated to.
I paint pure young women as the Maiden, and a representation of a relationship with nature that isn’t transactional. It just is. There is no push to exploit or defile, but a simple recognition that we are part of this great and miraculous ecosystem, and we need to cherish and protect it, and have faith in our ability to use our talents and powers for the good of all life.
Lesley Thiel
Gabriel Moreno captivates us with full page reproductions of his expressive figurative and portrait drawings, inside this Issue’s inspiring Lookbook Editorial.
In the Quick Q & A editorial, we ask Dolce Paganne, Mary Perkins, Brad Gunn, Marc Le Rest, and Raul Guerrato answer the same questions:
- How do you approach the challenge of creating a cohesive body of work?
- How do you balance the commercial aspects of being an artist with the creative part?
- Do you compare your work to your peers? How does this affect you/your practice?
- What are your goals and aspirations as an artist, and what do you hope to achieve with your work?
Inside Issue 43, Juliet Schreckinger takes us through the creation process of one of her incredible drawings, from ideation to completion in Path To Creation.
In this issue’s Letter from the Editor, our Editor-in-Chief, Danijela Krha Purssey reflects on this year’s Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and the exciting new Emerging Artists Award, which she and Richard Purssey, her husband and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s Co-Founder, have personally sponsored.
As the year draws to a close and the festive season is upon us, I hope we can all be afforded some peace, time to spend with loved ones, and moments of creativity and escapism. Thank you dear reader for purchasing Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, and thus helping to encourage, grow and promote our community of 1 Million + creatives. It is through your readership that we are able to continue to fulfill our mission to champion artists from all corners of the globe.
Danijela Krha Purssey
We also highlight more of the artisan fashion designers that have caught the eye of our Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief, in this Issue’s Some of our Favourite Things editorial.
And last but not least, enjoy a collection from Our Community, featuring some of the amazing hash tagged #beautifulbizarre artworks from our social media of over 1 million followers!
All this inside Issue 43 // December 2023, which showcases some of the best and most inspiring emerging and mid-career artists of our time.
Visit our online store and enjoy Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Issue 43.
