Are nude selfies art now? And fascinating microbial artwork

A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!

When nudefies turn art

A new anthology of poems, stories and memoirs entitled Sending Nudes takes a long hard look at the timeless habit of sharing images of the naked human form. Editor Julianne Ingles feels you could argue that the selfie, including a naked one, is the artwork of our time. According to her, there is thought and reflection that goes into their composition in the age of smartphones, and it is no longer just about snapping any old photo — people taking time to do the, hair and make-up. BBC explores the idea.

Under the micro lens

A growing tribe of researchers around the world is using microorganisms to create stunning pictures. The practice, known as agar art, involves scientists culturing microbes on the jelly-like growth medium. Agar powder is mixed with sterilized water and nutrients in a petri dish to create a transparent, semi-solid substance. Scientists incorporate microorganisms, like fungi and bacteria, to the mixture and watch them develop in the gel under the lens. Despite its growing popularity over the past five years, microbial art isn\’t a recent fad. Alexander Fleming, who discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin on an agar plate in 1928, created images using live organisms. Smithsonian Magazine peeks through the microscope.

The beauty of childhood

Brazilian visual artist and doting dad Lucas de Ouro has recreated a bunch of famous paintings with his beautiful newborn daughter Letícia (now an 18-month-old), as a lark. He was inspired by three iconic historical art works: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, and Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr Eloesser by Frida Kahlo. From the little baby’s costumes to backgrounds, each re-imagined image is full of details to match the original painting. My Modern Met checks it out!

Re-imagined for the pandemic?

In his ongoing series, Hidden Portraits, artist Volker Hermes selects classical paintings that he reinterprets with elaborate accessories derived from elements in the original works  — and these in turn obscure the subject’s faces. His effort actually began nearly a decade before masks even became a party of our daily lives. His paintings’ lavish face coverings are fashioned out of flowers, lace, and ornate baubles. Colossal takes a glimpse.

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