If you’re a lover of art, you’re probably constantly on the lookout for new, modern, innovative and exciting painters, sculpturists, streets artists and more to get your creative juices flowing. But in a world full of creativity, it’s hard to narrow down the good, the bad and the ugly – because there are just so many to get through! Luckily, we’ve done all of the hard work for you and compiled a list of the 5 modern artists you should really know the name of.
Takura Kuwata
If you love Japanese style pottery with a twist, bright colors and elegant artworks, you’ll love Takura Kuwata. This artist describes his artwork as ‘dysfunctional’ yet joyful and pushes the boundaries of ceramics to create an intriguing, unique exploration of clay and molding. Kuwata starts off his process by finding large, oversized rocks which he then smothers in the Shino-yu glaze, before placing it in the kiln. Because of the intense glaze and layers, it cracks under the heat and produces highlighted jagged edges, as well as a shimmering coat. And it’s pretty incredible.
Susuma Matsuura
Susuma Matsuura has recently gained critical acclaim for his unique and inspiring artwork and paintings. From an early age, Matsuura has always been interested in human desire and the human mind – which he believes to be both beautiful and pure, yet intimidating and complex. Through his paintings, he aims to explore the complex workings of human desire, drive, and the workings of the inner mind. Matsuura produces his artwork on silk-screen and often experiments with optical illusion and multi-faceted faces – where his portraits delve into the lives of not one person, but a multitude of people merged together. As well as offering paintings of people, Matsuura also likes to paint interesting buildings, flowers, and streets to examine the work that goes behind construction and development.
Alejandra Hernandez
If you’re a lover of colorful abstract art, then you’ll love Alejandra Hernandez. Her fantastical paintings are an incredible mix of color, playfulness, and mystery – with each painting being completely different from the last. As they are so extraordinary, each of Alejandra Hernandez’s paintings asks questions. Where did this come from? What does it mean? Who/what does it represent? Who are the subjects? However, the answers are all open to interpretation. Although Hernandez focuses mainly on objects, people, and symbols, she wants her audience to create their own conclusions, for each painting is its own being.
Daniel Jacoby
Daniel Jacoby is the kind of modern artist who has so many strings to his bow he could grow his own tree. The artist focuses on abstract narrations that cover all forms. He is not a painter. He is not a videographer. He is not a sculptor. He is not a performance artist. He is not a writer. He is not a designer. He is all of them rolled into one. Daniel creates eclectic mixes of artistry which follow the themes of science, literature, stories, and more that show the development of life, as well as the uncertainty of life.
Dan Attoe
Dan Attoe work is unlike any other work we’ve seen over the past few centuries and reminds us of the likes of Salvador Dali, and Edward Munich as all of his work mixes together art and psychology. His surreal paintings feature incredible backdrops, of mountains, forests, beaches and waterfalls that all come complete with their own little figurine people with their own phrases, sayings, and narratives. His attempt, in his work, is to portray the hidden and different perspectives we all have on being a child and youth. Make sure you check it out for yourself.
Art is such a complex, ever-changing beast that it is almost impossible to define what is ‘good’ art and what is ‘bad’ art. What is true, however, is that art evolves with time and fashions change, as with everything. These artists are the best of these modern times; who know, some of them may be remembered in the future as fondly as Picasso, Rembrandt and Da Vinci.
