Inside 53 of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, with artist Kayla Mahaffey’s incredible painting Rekindle 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.
Inside Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Issue 53
There is a quiet gravity to the paintings of South Korean artist Woo-Jae Jeong. At first glance, they appear restrained – composed, deliberate, almost hushed. Yet the longer one lingers, the more the subject matter seems to breathe. Subtle emotions emerge in the silent landscapes, in the solitude of a figure, in the soothingly contented relationship between human and animal. The touching scenes in Woo-Jae’s exquisite paintings unfold slowly, asking for contemplation rather than acceleration.
“I’ve long felt that companion animals are presences that quietly absorb human loss and make it bearable.”-Woo-Jae Jeong
British textile artist Daisy May Collingridge works in sculpture, photography, and film to create unique artworks that explore the fleshy nature of the human body as she enhances and exaggerates bodily proportions through dynamic shape language. Her relationship with the human body is unique as she celebrates our biology through lenses of both creativity and science. In her sculptural universe there is no shame or judgement as we encounter the many beings who call this strange and squishy place home.
“There can be a sense of discomfort experienced when the boundaries are blurred, in particular the boundary at the edge of the self, inside and outside, body and non-body. Things like bodily fluids or visceral textures can provoke this reaction because they remind us of our physical fragility. My work sits in that space: it is soft, fleshy, bodily.” -Daisy May Collingridge
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything,” the beloved quote from Plato goes. Kayla Mahaffey often turns to music and poetry when a painting leans toward metaphor or symbolism. Her paintings dazzle at first glance, but they reward a second (and third) look. Miss Piggy and Goofy are cheeky invitations to explore inner whispers of pain and power, a nostalgic gateway to emotions and experiences withering in the shadows. Come for the colours, stay for the stories that nourish the spirit and heart.
“I want my work to move along almost like a coming-of-age story. It starts very pastel, cartoony, some may even say childish, then it transforms to a more vibrant landscape where it’s about evolution and seeing new things and being determined, and with this era, it gets a little darker.” – Kayla Mahaffey
The painter as an artisan, or the painter as an artist? For a large part of the history of painting the vast majority of painters would have fallen into the former category, creating commissioned portraits or landscapes and the like for the commercial market, while the title artist was reserved for those with the patronage of the nobility or the wealthy. Indeed many of the painters that we now consider to be fine artists or Old Masters would not have been considered as such in their lifetimes. The label was bestowed upon them by later generations. The classification of all painters, with the exception of house or building painters, as ‘artists’ is in fact a relatively recent phenomenon. For Japanese painter, and master of the Baroque style of portraiture, Hiroshi Furuyoshi, the title ‘commercial painter’ is one he bears with pride,
“I embrace the term commercial painter, aligning myself with the painters of old whom I admire, who successfully combined artistic quality with market appeal.” – Hiroshi Furuyoshi
Ready for more? This is art that puckers you up like a sherbet twizzler: a little sweet and a little sour. Domina paints the same girl over and over again, and she has been painting her for as long as she can remember. Not the same in likeness, exactly, but in essence – the same posture, the same shy inward turn of the feet, the same wide-eyed gaze that meets you directly without softening or retreating. “My sketch books from age five are filled with pigeon-toed, wide-eyed, defiant girls,” she says. “My skill level improves, but it’s the same character telling her ever evolving story.”
Samantha Joy Groff paints women as if they belong first to the body and only second to the world, as if something older, wilder, and less easily named moves through them, shaping their gestures before thought has time to intervene. Her paintings do not unfold so much as they accumulate, thick with atmosphere, each surface holding a quiet pressure, as though something is always on the verge of surfacing but never quite does.
Time to get inspired as we learn what Kacy Grainger, owner of Grainger Gallery, would like to add to her personal art collection in this Issue’s Curator’s Wishlist.
Nieves González
El Li r io Blanco (The White Lily), 2026
Oil on linen, 81 cm x 60 cm
In the paintings of Latvian artist Anita Arbidāne, time seems to slow. Figures emerge from soft fields of light and shadow with a quiet intensity that invites prolonged looking. Working within the tradition of magical realism, Anita’s compositions often carry an atmosphere of calm and contemplation. Her paintings frequently centre on the female figure, whose graceful forms provide a rich terrain for exploring gesture, surface, and presence. Yet the body is never treated as a purely descriptive subject. Instead, it becomes a vessel through which Anita investigates the relationship between physical appearance and inner life.
Andrew Hopgood’s paintings can be interpreted through the lens of climate change. Our real-world sensibilities remind us that Andrew’s glaciers are slowly melting. We know that our collective human actions are impacting our environment and causing climate change. The magnificent creatures in Andrew’s paintings are all under threat from unseen human forces that they would not comprehend. When pandas pop up in the middle of the ocean, there can be no denying that their habitat has been altered. The imagery is non-literal but metaphors never are, and the message is blunt. The elephant in the room is that we are the culprits. The irony is that we inhabit this planet too and we’re also doing it to ourselves. We are part of the symbiotic relationship but as a species we’re not living up to our side of the bargain.
For those interested in visiting the isle of Quarantine, we must first cast our minds back to the beginning and meet the founder of this unusual art program, Carles Gomila. His body of work basks within a kaleidoscopic realm that does not stray all that far from ideas of purgatory. Surrealism, mythology, pulp art, and a lifelong love of cats swirl together into an unsettling symphony of oil. Demons disguise themselves with silky smooth skin and angelic faces that speak in both purity and lust. Sphinxes prowl into rooms with deadly silence, ready to converse in riddles that make you question everything you are, and everything you know.
A Mystical Yeti Friend. A Sassy Fancyboi. A Swamp Sinker. Travis Lampe has populated his world with a seriously animated cast, wobbly-bodied and retro-hued spaghetti people standing at the crossroads of old-school cartoon-making and contemporary cynicism. Travis’ art has never been overtly political but the current state of affairs subtly and steadily creeps onto the canvas. “I have a low, low tolerance for injustice and cheating and there’s just so much of that going on right now. I hate politics, don’t like thinking about it, but the constant barrage of blatant and obvious wrongdoing affects my art”. There are tell-tale signs – animals punching animals, trees punching men, men punching clouds. It all stems from frustration and a feeling of helplessness.”
Handiedan hypnotizes us with full page reproductions of sultry and symbolic digital and hand cut collages inside this Issue’s Lookbook Editorial.
As collector Marc Altieri works at his desk, one can’t help but wonder what the many characters peering out from the canvases and mural surrounding him would whisper into his ear if they could. Their vibrant hues, interplays of light and dark, and maximalist drama beg one to sit down in his office chair and dream. In those visions, one might wander through surrealist landscapes, ponder complex emotions, or even dance with death, but despite the melancholic elements featured in many of the works, ultimately, their tone is welcoming.
In this issues’ Collector’s Profile, we discover that for Marc Altieri these pieces aren’t just beautiful fantasies, they’re windows into the deepest inner workings of their creators. His passion for collecting is deeply rooted in human connection.
“I am deeply interested in the personal expression of the artist. I want to know what they were going through at the time they created the piece, what motivated them to create it and what they are saying with it. I almost always ask the artist for this. It comes down to shared experience and a personal connection with the artist.” – Marc Altieri
In the Quick Q & A editorials we ask Dory Whynot [2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, Honourable Mention], Niam Mawornkanong, Autumn Skye, Lihao Lu, Caroline Gaudreault and Selene Mauri Cochrane to answer the same four questions:
- Has the rise of AI-generated art changed your perception of your own practice or originality?
- What emotion do you find yourself returning to in your work, and why?
- How do you preserve curiosity in a world that rewards consistency?
- What’s the most misunderstood part of being a professional artist?
In this Issues’ Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory editorial we highlight the work of many exceptional artists and photographers including: Kasia Davies, Emily Dewsnap, Jennifer Allnutt, Liz Gridley, Manu De Mey, Jasmina Kirsch, Xinxin, Sara Lee, Emmi Mustonen, Rizlane, Karin Hauck, Kristen Eisenbraun, Gregory Malphurs, Anna Wypych, Farzad Golpayegani, Yoann Penard, Jill Feenstra, Rossella Paolini, Larysa Bernhardt, Renée Tay, Carolin Leary Prinn, and Robyn Lees-West.
In this issue’s Lust Haves editorial, we are thrilled to share with you some of the most beautiful and bizarre treasures from around the world, thoughtfully curated by our team to adorn your body and home.
Inside Issue 53: Sabina Savage,The Oblist, Meilin Ceramics, Millie Amber, Elird Jewellery, Ofa Official, Stoni-Au, Carlotta Saracco, Chapel Factory, Wretched Flowers, Wagner’s Rose Nursery, Sawkille Company, Bonnie Hislop, Kelsey Floyd Pottery.
In our Letter from the Editor, Danijela Krha Purssey welcomes you to the pages of our 53rd Issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, and asks us all to look at our internal flame – our creativity, identity, and profound growth that rekindles when we make intentional choices to hold what has been lost.
“Have you made the intentional choice to rekindle a part of your psyche that has been lost because of trauma, the relentless labour of daily life, or simply the exhaustion of adulting? This process isn’t always clean, it comes with mess and consequence. Yet, the decision to bring a piece of yourself back – a dormant creativity, a forgotten passion, or even a risky path – fully aware of what it might ignite, is an act of incredible bravery. Do you tend to play it safe, or take the risks that lead to real change?” – Danijela Krha Purssey
In this issue, Danijela looks back on our first exhibition of 2026, Return to Beauty, at Outré Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, and looks ahead to our seventh exhibition with Modern Eden Gallery, in San Francisco USA in November – Glimmer, where the winners of this year’s Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize will also exhibit.
And last but never least, enjoy an amazing and always beautiful collection from Our Community, including: @coco_woah, @carlrandallartist, @auniakahn, @kismethubble, @kluuris, @marie_saalfrank, @pupillae_art_dolls, @valenkas.illustration
All this inside Issue 53 // June 2026, 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 53.
