In the Malabar region of Kerala, India, an ancient Hindu ritual known as Theyyam exists in a continuum of ceremonial customs that date back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The practice carries on today through elaborate costumes and dances during which a performer wears sacred garments and invites a deity to enter their body as a way to seek blessings. Theyyam season, which typically runs from October to May, sees hundreds of performances around the region, with many concentrated in November and December.

“Theyyam is a reminder that the divine exists within and around us,” says artist Navneet Jayakumar, whose lens-based practice centers around explorations of ethnography and the surreal. “In an age of disconnection, its wisdom has the power to ground us and heal a fragmented world.”

Now based in London, Jayakumar grew up in Malabar, and Theyyam was a memorable part of his childhood. For the first time in 12 years, he returned to Kerala during the ceremonial season and was struck by its intensity and time-honored connection to the region’s cultural heritage. “Witnessing the ritual reignited my curiosity about the broader spiritual and historical context of my culture, the role Theyyam once played in it, and the ways in which colonial narratives had distorted my perception of both,” he says in a statement.

Jayakumar’s series Beyond the Colonial Gaze documents the ancient custom through an ethnographic lens, aiming to highlight an event that’s little understood outside of the region, primarily due to its oral traditions, which make it challenging to research. “With a lack of traceable records exacerbated further by centuries of colonial intervention, I discovered there was very little information available about the ritual’s broader spiritual context,” he says.

Through the innately visual medium of photography, Jayakumar set out to record Theyyam to counteract its lack of recognition—especially as an Indigenous tradition that was seen by European colonizers as “uncivilized” or “primitive.” His energetic, glowing images portray meticulously designed costumes and face-painted performers.

Exhibited in different parts of Europe, Jayakumar’s images represent what he describes as “a symbolic victory of a culture that was destroyed and shunned as barbaric but lives on through me and many, many people back home.” Find more on Jayakumar’s website and Instagram.

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Delicate geometries and organic forms combine in the elegant works of Natalie Ciccoricco. Often working with found materials, the California-based artist threads multicolored string through handmade paper. In her ongoing Nesting series, fiber envelops small twigs that gently interrupt the otherwise meticulous shapes—redolent of the way that trees themselves have the ability to grow around fences and other obstacles in their way.

Ciccoricco has also recently been working on a series called Wrapped, a poignant exploration of loss and grief. Small panels collaged with colorful imagery are then wrapped tightly with bands of thin yarn.

The collection emerged as a deeply personal response to the sudden loss of her son, literally encompassing emotions and experiences that art makes it possible to describe. “These are not somber artworks, but rather an expression of radical acceptance and a surrender to both love and grief,” she says in a statement.

The artist has long been interested in the wide variety of ways that paper and fiber interact, from collaging found photographs with yarn details to hand-making paper in bespoke shapes. The sticks used in her latest Nesting works were foraged around her hometown of Budel, The Netherlands, where she spent the summer.

“Between my own personal grief and the state of the world, I feel my art practice has become an important anchor in my life,” Ciccoricco shares. Her practice—and by extension, her pieces—channel a sense of calm, order, and harmony. “It’s both a tether to something beautiful and familiar, as well as a quiet resistance against all the fear, hate, and violence we are witnessing right now.”

Lately, Ciccoricco has been focusing primarily on commissions, including pieces from the Nesting series at a Big Sur, California, hotel called Alila Ventana. Find more on Ciccoricco’s website and Instagram.

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A quick glimpse of Jacques Monneraud’s vessels give the impression of lighthearted craft time, with cardboard tubes and layered cutouts affixed with pieces of clear tape. Perhaps they’re maquettes for larger pieces or simply playful experiments with an inexpensive material. But look closer, and you’ll discover there’s a lot more to these vessels than they first let on. Namely, they’re actually ceramic.

Monneraud’s ongoing CARTON series explores the relationship between material and perception. He blends three types of clay, then uses a potter’s wheel to throw the core shapes. When the form has dried to a leather-hard consistency, he trims where needed and refines the contours and edges, creating minute details that give the illusion of cut paper.

Achieving the corrugated detail is one of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive processes, which Monneraud accomplishes by pressing a handmade wooden tool into the clay to create a series of triangular impressions. When all of the pieces come together, it appears as though a few pieces of cardboard were patched together with adhesive. In fact, each container is totally water-tight, and they certainly won’t wrinkle or warp!

The artist recently conceived of a series of groupings in an ode to the subtle and playful oil paintings of Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964). The Italian artist is known for his muted still lifes of ceramics in which perspective, light, and shadow create nuanced compositions. He paid particular attention to the relationship between volume and line, often organizing items so that their tops all aligned or various elements appear to merge into other vessels’ details.

In Monneraud’s current exhibition Life, still., on view in Brussels, Morandi’s compositions provide a jumping-off point for the trompe-l’œil ceramics. Pitchers, vases, jars, and other shapes mimic those Morandi rendered in oil, revisiting the painter’s approach to “cosiddetta realtà,” or “so-called reality.” He was interested in “the notion that meaning lies not in the subject itself, but in the way it is observed,” says a statement for Monneraud’s show.

Life, still. is open on Saturdays through November at 38 Quai du Commerce in Brussels. Find more on Monneraud’s Instagram.

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Flowers, stars, leaves, eyes, and countless patterns transform into billowing garments in Irene Saputra’s vibrant embroideries. The South Jakarta-based artist, who also goes by Nengiren, repeats the playful motif of nona kecil, which means “little woman” in Indonesian.

Saputra’s fashion-forward character might be described as a clotheshorse who dons numerous bold outfits, some of which seem to have personalities of their own. Saputra has often referred to these styles as OOTD’s, or outfits of the day, borrowing from a hashtag historically used by fashion influencers on social media.

The faceless figure’s cropped bob and black boots are the only commonality, as always-symmetrical wide-leg trousers or dresses vary widely. Through color, scale, and repetition, Saputra’s hand-stitched characters also coordinate and complement one another. Some, like the Arak Arakan Sepi series—meaning “quiet procession” in Indonesian—are more abstract and bulbous, while others, like “Terlalu Sibuk Bergaya,” depict more realistic outfits.

Saputra draws on a background in graphic design and illustration, which she applies to her fiber compositions. Through the lens of women’s fashion and personal expression, she channels optimism and her own journey of motherhood. Find more on Instagram.

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Ceramics and textiles share several traditions. Both media have long occupied the realm of craft, are often functional, and tend to be tied to narrative and storytelling, whether sharing in family lore or communicating something about their owner.

For Shae Bishop, combining the two offers a way to tether the enduring and universal with the intimate and personal. The Richmond-based artist has spent more than a decade creating innumerable ceramic tiles that he stitches together into bandanas, suits, and other garments. “By merging the materials and fitting them to my body, I was seeking to merge the personal with the historical, to locate myself and my individual narrative within the larger story of human culture,” he tells Colossal.

Bishop’s garments have evolved in complexity and embellishment during the last 14 years, as he gravitates toward art historical narratives and the self-mythologizing associated with cowboy culture. Pieces like “Waistcoat of Earthly Delights” reference Hieronymus Bosch’s famous triptych and its alternative realities. Long interested in the human-nature relationship, Bishop draws on Bosch’s biblical retelling as a way to “reimagine our fraught interactions with strange and misunderstood creatures like giant salamanders and venomous snakes,” as he adorns a vest with a pair of white serpents and vivid flowers.

A peek at Bishop’s Instagram reveals a deep reverence for snakes—there are several images of the artist with the reptiles draped around his neck and arms— and an interest in reinventing the fear and animosity associated with the creatures, which he hopes to present instead as “a hero, an icon, and an ecological ambassador.”

This intention emerges, in part, through more performative works like the turquoise, fringe-lined “Rhinestone Rattlesnakeboy Suit.” Bishop often wears the elaborate getup while stationed inside a booth and handling a snake, a performance evoking entertainment ventures like Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and the Roy Rogers Show.

The artist also frequently photographs himself out in the wild, whether knee-deep in a swampy landscape or perched atop a horse. These immersive images add another layer to the performative aspect of the project and reinforce the world-building and storytelling capacity that fashion has.

Of course, cowboy and Western culture are deeply entwined with American identity and masculinity, and Bishop reflects on these influences as he creates floral chaps and fringed hats. He adds:

I like the tension between utility and conservatism on one hand and idiosyncratic flamboyance on the other hand. The colorful floral outfits of country music history and the high heels and ornate leatherwork of cowboy boots are such unique expressions of culture. And I look at darker elements like toxic masculinity and a gleeful love of fossil fuels. I also put myself into this work. I try to be self-critical and interrogate my own love-hate relationship with these cowboy tropes, while still keeping a sense of humor.

“Rhinestone Rattlesnakeboy Suit” is on view through next September at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in an exhibition devoted to state fairs. This winter, Bishop will show pieces at Belger Arts in Kansas City and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and he’s currently working on a collection of ceramic diving helmets, along with leather shoes. Find more on his website.

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In the famous first stanza of the 17th-century poem “Auguries of Innocence,” William Blake writes:

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

Perhaps Blake didn’t intend us to literally hold infinity in our hands, but he may have been aware that there was, in a manner of speaking, a way to don the entire known universe.

Combining the elegance of gold jewelry with the meticulous craftsmanship of intricate timepieces, a unique style of ring emerged from a fashion for the cosmos during the 16th and 17th centuries. Known as armillary rings, these deceptively simple gold creations can be worn on the finger like any other band, but when removed, they open up into a sphere made of several interconnecting circular bands operated by delicate hinges.

Examples of armillary rings in the British Museum and the Swedish National Museums of History have been traced to Germany, made during the Late Renaissance as the study of astronomy reached new heights. In 1543, Copernicus essentially launched the scientific revolution when he claimed that the Earth rotates around the Sun, not the other way around.

A few years later, Italian polymath Galileo Galilei, known as a pioneer of observational astronomy, built a telescope powerful enough to, for the first time, observe the stars of the Milky Way, see Jupiter’s four largest satellites, and make out Saturn’s rings, among other discoveries.

The historic gold rings are based on ancient astronomical instruments called armillary spheres, which emerged from the long-disproven theory that everything in the cosmos revolved around Earth. The designs, which were used since at least the 2nd century, place our planet at the center. A group of rings rotates on an axis, providing reference points for locating other celestial bodies. Separate bands correlate to the equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the revolution of the Sun—a ring which also represents the constellations of the Zodiac.

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When it comes to knitting complex motifs, a pattern is a needleworker’s best friend. But what if you want to customize one yourself? What about text? Fortunately, Zurich-based designer Rüdiger Schlömer wondered the same thing, resulting in a series of typefaces for knitting. Under the project umbrella of Typeknitting, his new font is called Knit Hello, which works by typing the digital letters into a word processing program like you would with any other font. As you go, a knitting pattern develops at the same time, making it easy to create a beginner-friendly design that you can endlessly customize.

Download free trial fonts on the Typeknitting website, or purchase a style that meets the kind of knitting you do, whether on a machine or by hand. And say “hey” to two patterns for full fan scarves, available via Ravelry, on the Knit Hello website.

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In the miniature world of Michael Davydov, tiny houses, moons, trees, and barns balance precariously in clusters and stacks. Observing the architecture and flora around his home in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia, he taught himself how to draw and eventually began assembling small sculptures.

The hobby quickly morphed into a passion for creating miniature realms in which diminutive structures jumble, float, and balance on one another, sometimes complemented by moss and slender coniferous trees. Inspired by the vernacular of northern climes, his houses resemble the small, stilted structures one might encounter in coastal villages in Greenland, for example, or the traditional timber dwellings of Russian farmsteads.

Davydov often encases his scenes in glass, using domes or vials that lend the impression of delicate specimens being collected and preserved. Like folkloric fairy houses nestled in the woods, one can almost imagine wandering through a mossy forest and stumbling upon one of these tiny, enigmatic settlements.

Explore more on the artist’s website.

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Harnessing the power of empathy, Bisa Butler presents a tender, evocative suite of new works in her current exhibition, Hold Me Close at Jeffrey Deitch. The artist is known for her chromatic, multi-patterned quilted artworks exploring Black history, identity, and craft traditions. Her elaborate pieces combine materials like printed cotton, silk, sequins, beads, and velvet to create both large-scale tapestries and intimate vignettes.

The work in Hold Me Close centers around the need for mutual respect, love, and togetherness in a society that has become increasingly factious. “This body of work is a visual response to how I am feeling as an African American woman living in 2025,” Butler says in a statement for the show. Deeply moved by our current era of division and violence, in which hard-won civil rights are being challenged and overturned, she taps in the past to shed light on our current moment.

Hold Me Close draws on imagery from trailblazing Black photographers like Gordon Parks, Jean Depara, and Gerald Cyrus, who captured street scenes depicting Black figures going about their daily lives and enjoying one another’s company. Parks, for example, was a staunch civil rights advocate who documented racial segregation and oppression of Black people to boldly illustrate the societal disparities in the 1940s and 1950s.

In his two-decade role at Life magazine, Parks captured some of his most significant work, ranging from celebrity portraits to the iconic March on Washington in 1963. Along with numerous other photographers—and acclaimed artists like Faith Ringgold and Kerry James Marshall—that Butler turns to for reference imagery, Parks’ images elucidate the evolving diversity of American culture and experience.

Butler renders her figures in brilliant, mixed-media textures and vivid patterns that draw attention to expressions and interactions. The artist describes her recent work as a “visual diary,” which she turns to for solace. “Protections and programs for non-white Americans, women, queer people, poor people, and people with disabilities are under attack, and it has left me feeling destabilized,” she says.

In the face of uncertainty, the artist summons affection and care. “Les Amoureux du Kinshasa,” after a photo titled “Amoureux Au Nightclub” by Jean Depara, celebrates young love by depicting a couple on a night out. More works like “Be Mine” and “My Cherie Amour” capture tender portraits of people who lean close together.

Butler’s compositions also explore familial endearment and the innocence and ease of children at play together. In “The Guardian,” a father warms his daughter inside of his large coat, and in “Down, down baby,” two young girls have an impromptu tea party in a puddle.

Most of Butler’s new works start with a base of jet black cotton or black velvet, onto which she layers colors and textures. “Using a dark base pushed me to incorporate more fabrics with shimmer and reflective qualities,” she says. Three-dimensional textures like beads and rhinestones create the illusion of depth, encouraging us to look beyond the immediate surface. This poetically parallels how, in order to identify and connect with others in our daily lives, we must do the same. Butler says, “This collection is my visual declaration that we need love over hate.”

Hold Me Close continues at Jeffrey Deitch’s Los Angeles location through November 1. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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Through the study of time-honored craft techniques, Taiwanese artist Cheng-Tsung Feng envisions contemporary installations that connect us not only to the past but also to nature and our present surroundings.

Working across sculpture, installation, craft, and design, the artist draws on what he describes as “ancient and gradually forgotten oriental culture,” translating traditional motifs and methods into new works that nod to the continuum of East Asian art and ingenuity. One might even position his practice within the realm of storytelling, tapping into collective cultural memories and overlapping histories.

In his installation “Sailing Castle” in Tainan, Feng evokes the sails of wooden ships as a visual metaphor for the urban landscape, “where clusters of buildings resemble vessels gathered in harbor,” he says. Symbolizing movement, discovery, and societal progress and expansion, he creates a dialogue between architecture and advancement, along with memory and the present moment.

The beams and sails are inspired by a number of actual buildings in Tainan like the Confucius Temple, Fort Zeelandia—built by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century—and Chihkan Tower, another Dutch outpost also known as Fort Provintia.

Called Formosa in the mid-1600s, Taiwan was under colonial rule by the Dutch, whose trade interests centered predominantly around Chinese silks imported to Europe, where they were prized for their luxury and highly sought after. Situated at the Anping Shipyard historical site, amid the canals of the West Central District, Feng wraps the area’s maritime heritage and four-centuries-long legacy of shipping into “Sailing Castle.”

“The overlapping sails evoke both the gathering of ships along the waterfront and the simultaneous anticipation of departure and the arrival of returning voyagers,” he says.

Using primarily wood and canvas, Feng’s pavilion is a cross between artistic intervention and functional meeting space, complete with small surfaces jutting out of the posts on which visitors can sit. Cruising, as it were, through a green park and illuminated at night, “Sailing Castle” sparks a sense of awe at the same time as it encourages us to slow down for a moment or two of contemplation and rest.

Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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