A series of illustrated books created over the past few months, including journals, sketchbooks, planners and a coloring book featuring 21 original surreal creature illustrations.

Talissa Mehringer © 2020-21

Illustrated Books

Gary’s abandoned buildings have become part of the urban landscape as monuments to a golden era of the once booming industrialization of the Midwest. The series of photographs of the Public Schools Memorial Auditorium, U.S. Post Office, City United Methodist Church and its Seaman Hall, share a glimpse into their desolate halls and vivid history.

The images which formed the basis for the book were taken in 2010 and year by year, another brick erodes, a fire takes its toll and another architectural detail fades to dust. The pages in this book hold time still, if just for a moment longer.

"Abandoned Gary, Indiana: City of the Century" is available here:
https://amzn.to/3pWnxCl

Read more about the full project here:
https://talissamehringer.com/abandoned-gary-indiana/

Talissa Mehringer © 2020

Abandoned Gary, Indiana: City of the Century Book

The Bohemian city of Kutna Hora boasts a multitude of historically significant gems- some recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and is located just outside of Prague, Czech Republic. The images in this book are the result of a curious investigation into the city’s medieval and gothic charm, and a meticulous print-making process which has captured the romanticism of its ancient corners. Through the combination of sepia-toned mono-prints and hand-transferred black and white photographs, Kutna Hora’s gargoyles, skulls, and history are brought to life.

THE BOOK:

The pages in this book feature handmade photographic prints created on painted and distressed canvas. Acrylic mono-prints provide the base for individually transferred photographs depicting scenes around Kutna Hora including St. Barbara’s Cathedral, the historical town center, the Jesuit College surroundings, and the Sedlec Ossuary. All images were taken in 2011 © Talissa Mehringer.

THE SPECIAL EDITION BOX SET:

Each box has been meticulously crafted by hand and features a hand-sculpted ossuary inspired cover. The included print was created using the same technique of the works featured in the book and no two are exactly alike. Only a very limited edition of ten boxes and prints have been made.

“Kutna Hora: Argentum et Ossa” has been a project nearly a year in the making. I started out in February of 2020 reviewing images I had taken on a road trip to Kutna Hora with my best friend and her partner in 2011. Inspired by the medieval and gothic architecture of the streets, and the ornately arranged bones of the Sedlec Ossuary, I wanted the images I created to capture the timelessness and antiquity of these places. As a result, I decided to combine distressed black and white photographs on top of painterly mono-prints. The nature of the process means that each print is one-of-a-kind.

The box set is available via my website here:
https://talissamehringer.com/product/kutna-hora-special-edition-box-set/

The book is available internationally via Amazon here:
 https://amzn.to/329NeWy


Kutna Hora: Argentum et Ossa Special Edition Box Set

All murals by TM
Zombie Apocalypse painting- collaboration between TM + Ease


Street Art...

DEGENERATE CHROMATISM: urban art installation

What started out as an urbex photography mission to document the vivid colors and ambiance of a graffiti covered edifice in Berlin, later grew into the installation project entitled ‘Degenerate Chromatism’. The photographs captured the brightly painted walls of an office building right on the edge of the Spree which will undoubtedly succumb to redevelopment…

Fuck Off Media Spree

The installation was created for the street art exhibition ‘Silence is a Lie’ which featured over 100 international artists in 2012, and sought to reinterpret the space and provide a new environment to be experienced and emotionally processed as had the original decaying rooms of the abandoned building. Through the combination of mixed media sculpture and paste-ups, a giant neon rat monster and its grotesque surrounding was born.

The initial goal of the project was to create an installation inspired by the abandoned building and then to incorporate the elements back into it. Unfortunately, the building was completely closed down and could no longer be easily accessed to transport the larger than life urban rat-monster inconspicuously…

An article about ‘Silence is a Lie’ and a photo of the organizers in front of  ‘Degenerate Chromatism’ was published in Tip Berlin in July, 2012.

——————

Talissa Mehringer © 2012


Degenerate Chromatism

'Excerpts of Entropy' A Multimedia collaboration by Talissa Mehringer and Laekun Foto featured a variety of work ranging from photographic images to drawings and video all geared towards creating a cohesive experience around the feeling of entropy. A 9' creature sculpture served as the embodiment of this decay at the focal point of the space.

Excerpts of Entropy :: Multimedia Installation

For the month of October 2011, at Echo Arts gallery, the living spectator was invited to accompany the dead on the journey into the afterlife. This all-encompassing installation, featuring the work of Talissa Mehringer and Laekun Foto, was loosely based on the traditions of Samhain, or All Hallow's Eve, during which the veil between life and death is at its thinnest.

With life-size soul drones, a series of large creature sculptures, vignettes and environments from beyond, soundscapes- as well as photo, video, paintings, and a variety of other two and three dimensional artwork, Talissa M. and Laekun Foto presented a surreal opportunity to cross over and explore.
The characters created were inspired by mythological creatures and deities from different cultures, giving spectators and understanding of the cross-cultural similarities and timeless reinterpretations of concepts such as death, chaos, balance, and beauty.

'Transfigurations' sought to create an experience which transcended the idea of art-on-th-wall shows, by creating an environment in which viewers were physically involved and became part of the narrative.

'Transfigurations' © Talissa Mehringer + Laekun Foto 2011

http://vimeo.com/35032104



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