Colossal’s Favorite Art Books of 2024
As we get ready to say goodbye to 2024, we’re celebrating some of our favorite books shared on Colossal throughout the year. We published dozens of articles about spectacular new monographs, photography, architecture, painting, science, history, and more. Peruse our…
The Vision of Mbali Dhlamini: Decolonisation Through Digital Art
Mbali Dhlamini is a South African multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the nuanced rhythms of decolonisation and cultural reclamation. As a visual researcher, her artistic practice combines tactile, visual, and discursive methods to create a transformative lens through which contemporary…
Luminous Skies Star in the 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Contest
“This year, as we reach the solar maximum of the current solar cycle, the Northern and Southern Lights have been more active than ever, illuminating skies in unexpected places where they’ve rarely—if ever—been photographed,” say the organizers of the 2024…
Tamary Kudita “Unchosen Histories” Through Fine Art Photography
Tamary Kudita is a Zimbabwean fine art photographer whose work masterfully intertwines themes of cultural duality, African identity, and the legacies of colonialism. Born in Zimbabwe but tracing her ancestry to the historical Orange Free State—a Dutch colonial region in…
My Brain Took an Extended Vacation: Ben Zank Playfully Twists the Banal
When words can’t quite sum up a feeling, Ben Zank (previously) leans into a bizarre visual language. The New York-based photographer creates strange situations in which subjects find themselves subsumed by topiaries and shrubs or buttoned up with structural supports….
Pule Magopa: Bridging Ancestral Heritage and Contemporary Discourse Through Digital Art
Pule Magopa, a contemporary South African digital artist, has emerged as a distinctive voice in the art world by intertwining themes of displacement, nostalgia, and ancestry. His work is a profound exploration of the complexities surrounding African ancestral practices, challenging…
Arlette Bashizi: Documenting Congo’s Realities Through the Lens of a Compassionate Photographer
Arlette Bashizi, born in 1999 in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is a talented documentary photographer and photojournalist who focuses on the social issues affecting her community, particularly in Goma, where she is currently based. Since 2018, Bashizi has…
Gary Wagner’s Photos Illuminate Rugged Icelandic Fjords and Shorelines
Working exclusively in black-and-white, Gary Wagner’s striking photos pare dramatic landscapes down to their essential shapes, lines, and tones. Based in Northern California, he captures shorelines, forests, and mountains using digital cameras. In his series Iceland Forces of Nature, Wagner…
Kathryn Cooper’s Layered Photos Capture the Complexities of Starling Murmurations
Flocks of starlings share risk as hundreds—even thousands—of eyes are on the lookout for predators. “Remarkably, the group achieves this without any leadership structure, the simple interactions between individuals creating outcomes greater than the sum of their parts,” says scientist…
Stacey Gillian Abe: Exploring Identity, Spirituality, and Cultural Mysticism through Art
Stacey Gillian Abe, a Ugandan contemporary artist, captures the multifaceted experience of being a Black woman through an autobiographical lens. Born in Kampala in 1990 and holding a BA in Art and Industrial Design from Kyambogo University, Abe has crafted…