Beaded Sound Waves Installation by Christine Sun Kim

Christine Sun Kim, a multidisciplinary artist known for her radical engagement with sound, language, and the politics of listening, has long challenged conventional notions of auditory experience. As a Deaf artist, Kim has forged a groundbreaking path by exploring how sound can be perceived and represented visually, conceptually, and physically. Among her most nuanced and …

The Beaded Light Sculptures of Timothy Horn

Timothy Horn, an Australian-born artist based in the United States, is widely celebrated for his sumptuous and boundary-defying sculptural works that blend historical references with fantastical reinterpretation. Among his most mesmerizing creations are his beaded light sculptures, a body of work that combines the ornate craftsmanship of historical design traditions with the luminous, crystalline quality …

Iranian Ghalamkar Beadwork by Farah Ossouli

Farah Ossouli, a trailblazing Iranian artist renowned for her contemporary reinterpretations of Persian miniature painting, has extended her formidable visual vocabulary into the realm of beadwork, producing a singular body of work that fuses traditional textile motifs with a layered, tactile sensibility. In her series of Iranian ghalamkar beadworks, Ossouli marries the intricate precision of …

The Mosaic Bulls of South African Beader Hannelie Coetzee

Hannelie Coetzee, an acclaimed South African visual artist known for her deep engagement with environmental and social themes, has garnered international attention for her unconventional use of mosaic and beadwork in large-scale public artworks. Among her most compelling and symbolically rich series are her Mosaic Bulls, towering sculptures that combine traditional South African beadwork techniques …

Māori Pounamu and Bead Fusion by Rangi Kipa

Rangi Kipa, a leading figure in contemporary Māori art, has consistently pushed the boundaries of traditional material culture, blending ancestral forms with experimental mediums to forge a visual language that is both rooted and radical. Among his many innovations, one of the most captivating is his fusion of pounamu—New Zealand’s revered greenstone—and beadwork, a marriage …

Sicilian Coral and Bead Baroque by Angela Cammarata

Angela Cammarata, a native of Trapani on the western coast of Sicily, is internationally acclaimed for her revival and radical reimagining of Sicilian coral bead artistry. Known for her opulent, emotionally charged sculptures and wearable creations, Cammarata fuses deep historical reverence with theatrical visual language, channeling the grandeur of the Sicilian Baroque into beaded and …

The Beaded Graffiti of Artist Sputniko!

Sputniko!, the dynamic Japanese-British artist and technologist known for her provocative explorations of gender, identity, and speculative futures, has increasingly turned to traditional craft methods in recent years to express her ideas with renewed emotional and material depth. Among her most unexpected and compelling ventures is a series of works that can be described as …

Ghanaian Krobo Glass Beads Reimagined by Kofi Setordji

Kofi Setordji, one of Ghana’s most respected contemporary artists, is widely recognized for his bold and often politically charged sculptures, installations, and mixed-media works. Though he is known internationally for large-scale works such as Genocide, a haunting multimedia installation inspired by the Rwandan genocide, Setordji has also turned a deeply thoughtful eye to the cultural …

Tribal Elegance Maasai Beader Anna Ntiro

Anna Ntiro stands as one of the most esteemed and influential bead artists of the Maasai community, a cultural beacon whose work embodies the grace, heritage, and evolving aesthetics of one of East Africa’s most visually iconic societies. Born and raised in a pastoral community in the Arusha region of northern Tanzania, Ntiro has devoted …

The Bead Quilting Innovations of Virginia Blakelock

Virginia Blakelock is widely recognized as a pioneering force in contemporary beadwork, particularly for her groundbreaking techniques in bead quilting, a hybrid art form that merges the structural beauty of traditional quilting with the intricate luminosity of bead embroidery. Her innovations have profoundly influenced the evolution of bead artistry in North America, bringing a new …