Issue 48 of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, with artist Megan Ellen MacDonald’s naughty kitty painting, “Bite The Hand”, 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 48
Inside this Issue, we discover the captivating work of Victor Wang, the 1st prize winner of the RAYMAR Traditional Art Award in the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, who creates paintings that aren’t just canvases; they’re portals. Each stroke, each layer of colour, whispers stories of a life lived on the edge of revolution, a childhood spent amidst the vibrant chaos of a rapidly modernising China.
We also delve into Kazuki Takamatsu’s majestic cyber nymphs that emerge like whispers from the void. They have secrets to share, fears, doubts and anxieties of the heart, unidentifiable pangs of pain in a world that, every passing day, feels like it’s fading further into the distance.
I want to depict the cries for help in the depths of the heart often found on social media. To let more people know that I speak for them, and that their problems are beautiful things, and I hope that I can depict them in a positive way and bring some peace of mind to them.
Kazuki Takamatsu
Ruminate over the sublime work of Issue 48 cover artist Megan Ellen MacDonald who explores the complex nature of femininity through a kitschy, hyper-feminine lens. Through a unique painting style that utilises both traditional and digital mediums, Megan reclaims the still-life, a genre that once restricted female artists, is now stripped of its patriarchal gaze offering a fresh perspective on themes of power, objectification and cuteness.
My work is bright, kitschy, and unapologetically “girly” – all the things I rejected in my girlhood because at some point I realised a certain brand of femininity was being pushed on me, but in a way that stripped me of my power.
Megan Ellen MacDonald
A vision beyond floral daydreams, Clare Celeste Börsch is an artist and environmentalist known for her dynamic paper collage work that utilises thousands of hand-cut images of flowers, fauna and fungi to create vibrant installations that are not only impressive works of artistry but also highlight many of the issues humanity currently faces on a global scale.
Art isn’t just a reflection of the world – it’s a tool to reimagine it. In this era of profound ecological and social challenges, I believe art has the power to reignite our connection to nature, fostering the reverence and action needed to drive transformative change.
Clare Celeste Börsch
Time to get inspired as we learn what David Ethridge, Curator & Co-Owner of Abend Gallery in Denver CO. USA shares what he would like to add to his personal collection this Issue’s Curator’s Wishlist.
Sabrina Bockler’s art feels like stepping into a decadent, crumbling dream – a world where opulent table settings spill over with life, where cheetahs, monkeys, and Borzoi dogs stalk spaces heavy with symbolism, and where nature’s chaotic beauty collides with the human desire to control.
Tino Rodriguez’s art is a kaleidoscope of dreamscapes where myth, mysticism, and personal history entwine. His paintings are visual scriptures born from ancient legacy but contemporary in style and thematically linked to renewal and hope; they can be described as blankets of radiance, thrown over our shoulders enveloping us in a deepness as dark and mysterious as the night sky with a thousand glittering planets to be found and explored.
Our society has been successful in creating roles for both women and men but gender roles are not a natural occurrence; they are an artificial construct.
Tino Rodriguez
Often dominated by elegantly clad women posing for an invisible camera in the tradition of turn-of-the-century photography, Zoé Byland’s paintings invite the viewer into captivating, surrealist time capsules meticulously executed in monochrome. “I certainly have a tendency to subvert norms”.
Time travel through the creative lens of Mel Plum’s Au Contraire Photography – where elegant models captured in theatrical poses occupy these dramatic compositions and carefully-staged scenes. You would be forgiven for thinking this was all a platform for the haute couture.
I can’t help wishing I were one of those ‘happy painters.’ Instead, I’m a cranky, sleepless worrier, fretting over every detail until the last second. I obsess over the art on my easel day and night, constantly battling the fear of failure. Even though things usually work out in the end, the process feels like walking a razor’s edge. This ongoing cycle of anxiety and self-doubt does take a toll, and I’m actively working on managing it.
Chris Buzelli
If you’ve passed by a newsstand or follow any major media outlets online, chances are you’re familiar with the work of prolific illustrator Chris Buzelli. His passion for illustration still comes alive in the face of each new creative challenge. Like a climber who has faced a hundred mountains, Chris has built his creative muscles with years of intense preparation, practice, and hard work.
If you’re ready for more, go deeper inside Issue 48 where Vincent Giarrano’s deft brushstrokes capture quiet moments of beauty found amidst the hustle and bustle of big city life. He paints alluring scenes taking place on rugged streets and inside homes and hotel rooms. The main stars are his figures – young women who at times engage the viewer with a direct gaze, but more often seem withdrawn, distracted, absorbed in private thoughts.
In this issues’ Path To Creation, Calvin Laituri gracefully joins past and present, using traditional, and more unusual, techniques. We learn more about the “hows and whys“ that, together, build up into the final piece. A single moment or memory becomes the seed of an idea, ruminated and nurtured until the concept becomes something tangible through the artist’s hands.
Each piece of artwork I start seems to be its own unique series of challenges to solve. The order in which I take those on, depends on the subject matter of that work, and often the nature of how overcoming one obstacle informs a solution to the next.
Calvin Laituri
Camilla d’Errico mesmerizes us with full page reproductions of her evocative pop surreal paintings inside this Issue’s inspiring Lookbook editorial.
In the Quick Q & A editorial, we ask Bennett Slater, Shannon Taylor, Poi & Keely, Helena Artbook, Emily Counts, and Rocio Villanueva to answer the same questions:
- What piece of advice do you have to unlearn to get to the next step in your art career?
- If the child version of you could see you now, what do you think they would say/think?
- How do you approach the challenge of staying motivated and inspired in your art practice?
- How do you differentiate yourself and your work from other artists in your field?
In this Issues’ Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory editorial we highlight the work of many exceptional artists and photographers including: Julia Ulrich, Karen Turner, Liz Gridley, Alexis Marga, Désirée Sydow, Emily Dewsnap, Lesley Thiel, Crystal James, Brian Hoang, Helena Artbook, Emmi Mustonen, Hera Mysterium, Karen Remsen, Saskia Huitema, Gabrielle Tito, Gina Matarazzo, Swapnil Nevgi, Joanne Brooker, Jana Vodesil-Baruffi, Sandra Yagi, Dawn Smith, Aidonas, Farzad Golpayegani, Laura Barth, Sana Yoshida, Jasmina Kirsch,Tom Christophersen, Annie Stegg Gerard, Cyndy Salisbury, Nicolas Bruno, Alex Garant, Jacek Szleszyński, and Hiroshi Hayakawa.
In this issue’s Letter from the Editor, Danijela Krha Purssey reflects on the 2025 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, our very special Jury announcement, as well as the exciting curated group exhibitions this year. Dreamland Awaits, our second exhibition with Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, USA in April, and our fifth exhibition with Haven Gallery, in Northport, NY, USA in October – Reverie, where the winners of this year’s Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize will also exhibit.
She also reminds us that Beautiful Bizarre Magazine and our online community will always be a haven for you to freely express yourself through your artwork – a place of kindness, inclusivity and connection. In these troubling times art can be our light.
Additionally, in Issue 48, we 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 beautiful collection from Our Community, featuring some of the amazing hashtagged #beautifulbizarre and tagged @beautifulbizarremagazine artworks from our social media of over 1.9 million followers!
All this inside Issue 48 // March 2025, 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 48.
