Where We Find New Art Today: Five Contemporary Artists

Feature image: Mulgil Kim, 찬란한 발견, 2023 via the artist's website

Art appears across every corner of the digital world, yet true discovery still feels rare. Countless images move through our feeds each day, but only a few create a moment of pause. This reality shapes how we encounter contemporary artists, and it highlights the value of platforms that encourage slower, more intentional looking. Substack Notes has emerged as one of these spaces. People share images because they feel drawn to them, and the platform's pace supports thoughtful engagement rather than quick consumption.

These five artists provide an illuminating picture of contemporary practice in both painting and sculpture. Their work is not just about the visual, but it's a journey into emotional depth and imaginative storytelling. They reflect new ways of seeing, new approaches to material, and a growing interest in emotional depth and imaginative storytelling. They also reveal how digital platforms can support genuine artistic discovery when the environment invites curiosity and patience.

Mulgil Kim is a South Korean painter who creates landscapes that feel both intimate and expansive. She builds each scene from countless thin strokes of green, which turn grass, trees, and houses into flowing fields of texture. Her background includes extensive travel across varied environments, and this experience informs her attention to atmosphere and the emotional qualities of nature. Kim paints landscapes as living entities that hold memory and feeling.

Several of her paintings show figures who rest or wander through dreamlike settings. A rooftop becomes a place to lie down and listen to the world around it. A white horse waits at the edge of a forest while a swan glides across a still lake. A curtain of grass opens to reveal the warm colors of autumn. These scenes convey a sense of calm, inviting the viewer to pause. Kim creates landscapes that exist between observation and imagination, and her work reflects a contemporary interest in meditative environments and the inner life of nature.

Helen Appel was born in Germany and studied in Karlsruhe before continuing her practice in London and New York. She focuses on simple objects and everyday scenes, such as loose threads, plastic sheets, spilled flour, and kitchen sinks. Appel paints these subjects with clarity and care, and this attention transforms them into studies of light, texture, and perception. Her practice offers a quiet form of realism that values close looking and emotional presence.

Her sink paintings reveal this approach in its most focused form. The surfaces of metal and water blend into a single reflective field. Soap bubbles collect along the rim in small clusters. Utensils rest beneath cloudy water and become part of the composition. These scenes capture a familiar moment in daily life, yet they feel elevated through Appel’s technique. She imbues domestic reality with a sense of beauty, highlighting the subtle rhythms that shape ordinary experiences. Her work demonstrates how contemporary art frequently draws its power from subjects that feel immediate and personal.

Inga Makarova is a Ukrainian-born painter who trained in traditional painting and graphic design. She brings these two disciplines together in her work. Her compositions feature bold color fields and strong silhouettes, and her subjects often convey a clear emotional presence. Animals serve as central figures in her painting, acting as symbols for grace, movement, and introspection.

Her series of red dog paintings is a vivid example of her vision. The Afghan Hounds appear in deep red tones that glow against pale backgrounds. Their bodies shift between stillness and motion, and their faces add gravity to the bright fields of color. These works feel playful, elegant, and mysterious. Makarova uses color as a tool for emotion, and her paintings reflect a contemporary interest in vivid figuration and graphic clarity. Her approach reveals how color can serve as both subject and structure within a composition.

Leny Guetta is an emerging figurative painter who blends classical technique with surreal invention. She trained in traditional drawing and painting, and this foundation supports her experiments with elongated forms and heightened gesture. Her figures stretch upward with long necks, narrow shoulders, and expressive hands. This creates a sculptural presence that guides the viewer through each scene, allowing them to navigate the narrative with ease.

Guetta often places her figures in open landscapes or theatrical spaces. A hybrid figure merges with the body of a cat in a composition that feels regal and uncanny. A woman holds a sleeping figure with tenderness and tension. Another figure steps through an arch, holding a delicate rose with quiet intention. These images feel like fragments from a larger story that exists beyond the frame. Guetta uses posture, light, and atmosphere to convey emotion. Her work reflects a contemporary interest in surreal narrative and the expressive potential of the human form.

Rebecca Manson is an American sculptor who works with porcelain and handmade ceramic elements. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she developed a practice centered on repetition, accumulation, and transformation. Manson forms hundreds or thousands of small ceramic pieces by hand. These elements come together to create surfaces that mimic natural structures such as wings, petals, or organic textures.

Her winglike sculptures reveal the depth of her material understanding. Each piece appears light and delicate, yet the ceramic construction gives it strength and permanence. The surfaces shimmer with color that shifts from deep tones to bright highlights. The works feel alive, and they create a sense of motion through still form. Manson’s practice reflects a contemporary appreciation for craft and the expressive possibilities of clay. Her sculptures serve as a reminder that beauty can emerge from patience and meticulous process.

These five artists entered the digital landscape through quiet posts and thoughtful sharing. Their work reveals the richness and diversity of contemporary practice, showing how meaningful discoveries can emerge from slower forms of engagement. Platforms that encourage reflection enable artists to connect with their audiences with clarity. They also support a deeper relationship between the viewer and the work.

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