April's Best: Our Most-Read Articles of 04/19

Our most eye-opening articles of the month. [View this email in your browser]( From forest photo shoots to would-be retail products, we published over five dozen articles covering the best in art, design, and visual culture in April. In this special edition newsletter, our editors have rounded up the most popular articles from this past month. 5. Bizarre Details Enliven Seemingly Simple Moments in Photographs by Ben Zank Ben Zank captures emotions of confusion, restriction, and ennui and in his ongoing series of [banal-meets-bizarre photographs](. Each image features a single subject in a seemingly mundane location, yet the individual at hand is engaged with or affected by their surroundings in highly unusual ways. 4. Send-Ups of Pop Culture and Capitalism Hidden in Retail Stores by Obvious Plant The next time you’re in a grocery store, pharmacy, or toy department and spot a subtly unusual item, it might an Obvious Plant. Jeff Wysaski, the [man behind the meme]( has been creating and depositing strange flyers, placards, and packaged products in conventional retail outlets for several years. 3. Eye-Opening Entries From the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest Each week, National Geographic’s 2019 Travel Photo Contest has been unveiling a selection of entries received the previous week. Images include a split-shot capture of an[adolescent humpback whale]( a candid moment of a mother loon feeding her chicks, and squiggles of headlamp-sporting skiers careening down the French Alps. 2. Rainwater Collecting Installation by John Grade Dazzles Like an Outdoor Chandelier Situated in a clearing within an Italian forest, John Grade’s latest installation, Reservoir, appears like a chandelier glistening among the pine trees. Reservoir is made up of [five thousand clear droplets]( each of which is delicately attached to translucent nets, supported by tree trunks. 1. Black Bodies Painted and Photographed Like the Cosmos by Mikael Owunna Mikael Chukwuma Owunna, a queer Nigerian-Swedish artist raised in Pittsburgh, spent two and a half years photographing Black men and women for a series titled Infinite Essence. Hand-painted using fluorescent paints and photographed in complete darkness, Owunna’s subjects are illuminated by a flash outfitted with a UV filter, which turns their nude bodies into [glowing celestial figures](. Book of the Month: Somnyama Ngonyama South African photographer and activist Zanele Muholi creates striking self-portraits for their series Somnyama Ngonyama, which means “Hail the Dark Lioness” in Zulu. The extensive series of portraits has recently been [compiled into a monograph by Aperture]( which contains a conversation with London-based curator Renée Mussai, in addition to more than twenty contributions from writers, curators, and poets. Find it on [Aperture]( and [Amazon](. Object of the Month: Confused Cats and Bewildered Bears by Lindsey Thomas Charmingly bewildered animals are the subject of choice for UK artist Lindsey Thomas. The London-based artist carefully felts wool to shape [pudgy animals with plaintive expressions]( that belie their cartoony cuteness and party-ready accessories. Select creations are available in Thomas's [online store](. The Colossal Shop Pick of the Month: DIY Bug Stamp Kits German illustrator Barbara Dziadosz created over two dozen clever stamp designs that can be combined to form the torsos, legs, antennae, and wings of your [favorite bugs]( or imagined. Find the DIY Bug Stamp Kit in [The Colossal Shop]( Copyright © 2019 Colossal, all rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list]( [Mailchimp Email Marketing](