Category Archives: Uncategorized

A review of a new biography on Dennis Cooper, an important figure in 20th-century LGBTQ literature, looks at what differentiates him from his peers. Writing for the Boston Review, David H. Hobbs explains: Which is also to say that Cooper’s … Continue reading →

In 2011 I was invited by Demetrio Paparoni, my former editor at the Italian art journal tema celeste, to write a catalogue essay about Francesco Polenghi, an artist whom I had never met (Francesco Polenghi, Skira, 2011). Polenghi lived in … Continue reading →

According to the checklist for Martin Puryear at Matthew Marks (November 12, 2020 – January 30, 2021) there are six sculptures in the exhibition. However, “A Column for Sally Hemings” (2019) — which was in Puryear’s solo exhibition at the … Continue reading →

LONDON — Edvard Munch and Tracey Emin — what a gloom-struck pair! We see them together, in two photographs hung side by side on the wall, as we enter the exhibition at the Royal Academy.  They look uncannily of a … Continue reading →

It is one thing to create an alternative world, which is what many science fiction writers do. It is another to write from inside an alternative world, which is what Eric Baus achieves in his fifth book, How I Became … Continue reading →

In a 24-minute single take, a stylish blond named Martha (Vanessa Kirby) delivers a baby. She grunts, squats, sweats, curses, rendering this most womanly of labors intensely unfeminine. The handheld camera swerves to and fro, roving voyeuristically throughout the hall … Continue reading →

Playboi Carti has lost himself in sound. The Atlanta rapper’s Whole Lotta Red, released on Christmas as a surprise present to fans, defies rap’s usual rules as meaning dissolves, trap’s sonic hallmarks are pastiched, impulsive segues continually disrupt the flow, … Continue reading →

Due to overwhelming demand, we bring you a fresh batch of viral bundled-up Bernie memes, which took the internet by storm after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s inaugurations.   It’s now clear that the senator from Vermont emerged as the … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of Paradigm Gallery, shared with permission Through nine ceramic bowls, Yurim Gough untangles the complex narratives surrounding performance, appearance, and gender fluidity. Her identity-centric pieces—which are infused with layers of pencil renderings, thread, and other materials that … Continue reading →

In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” fetched $450.3 million at a Christie’s auction, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold. This week, a 500-year-old copy of the work, likely painted by a student of Leonardo, was discovered in the relative obscurity … Continue reading →

My assessment of BTS is unabashedly biased. I’m what you call “pandemic ARMY,” becoming a fan shortly after the first lockdown, among over a 100 million fans who watched their October “Map of the Soul: ON:E” online concerts. Hell, I … Continue reading →

Launched in 2011, Silk Road was a dark web marketplace where unlawful goods and services, including illegal drugs and (allegedly) the services of professional hitmen, were bought and sold regularly by the site’s users. According to the FBI, It was … Continue reading →

The Sundance Film Festival is around the corner, and while this year it’ll be mostly digital — with a limited number of festivalgoers actually in Park City, Utah — the fact that it’s happening at all is cause for optimism. … Continue reading →

 Spread across a thick field of leeks in the Netherlands is Daan Roosegaarde’s new installation that illuminates the practice of modern farming, highlighting the fields that feed us and their plights. In “Grow,” the Dutch artist and designer, who’s … Continue reading →

As we watched the outgoing president’s cult of rabid followers storm the capital, we spectators could at least feel secure in the knowledge that, although we might have witnessed the ugly truth about what America really is—that sort of populism … Continue reading →

Week in Review is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world. Subscribe to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter. Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet to ever perform at a US presidential inauguration, moved audiences across the … Continue reading →

Two record-setting sales on January 14 are the latest indication of the strength of the international market for comic books and comic art. At Artcurial in Paris, a rejected 1936 Tintin cover illustration by Belgian cartoonist Hergé sold for €3.2 million … Continue reading →

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy invited Robert Frost to read at his inauguration, and since then, only three other presidents have included poets in their ceremonies. President Joe Biden picked Amanda Gorman, 22, for Wednesday’s program, making her the … Continue reading →

Last year, researchers released records from nearly two years of analysis of Johannes Vermeer’s most-recognized artwork, “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” While their findings didn’t include the subject’s highly sought-after identity, they did reveal that the gray backdrop is actually … Continue reading →

In early December 2020, a New York Times op-ed alleged that pornography streaming giant Pornhub, one of the most visited sites on the internet, was hosting videos of child pornography, revenge porn, and sexual assault. Visa and Mastercard subsequently pulled … Continue reading →

After 20 years practicing neurosurgery in America, Márta (Natasa Stork) returns to her native Budapest to rendezvous with János (Viktor Bodó), whom she fell in love with during a conference. But when he misses their appointed reunion, she tracks him … Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS, MO — Terry Adkins was an artist who improvised. Whether in sculpture, performance, video, or printmaking, he rooted his projects in history, and then imbued them with a sense of experimentation. “I am engaged in an ongoing quest … Continue reading →

All images © Isabelle Simler, shared with permission French illustrator and author Isabelle Simler deftly renders the liminal time surrounding dusk through a poetic exploration of Earth’s rarest color. The Blue Hour winds through the natural world on a journey … Continue reading →

About a year after Sheffield Doc/Fest paid tribute to her films, veteran documentarian Lynne Sachs is now being similarly honored by the Museum of the Moving Image. The program Lynne Sachs: Between Thought and Expression collects 30 years of shorts … Continue reading →

A most fitting goodbye to the nation’s 45th president is taking place in his very own native New York. Urban artist Adrian Wilson, known for his clever interventions in public spaces, has struck again: today he reworked a sign for Thompson Street … Continue reading →

It’s now official: Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. On this historic day, Twitter is buzzing with memes and jokes about moments in the inauguration ceremony in Washington, DC, with special attention paid to Senator Bernie … Continue reading →

 “At that time it wasn’t easy for me to be in the public with my camera because the country was very sensitive to reporters like me,” photojournalist Hazir Reka tells a group of muralists. “Being in the public with … Continue reading →

Hours before the end of his single-term presidency, Donald Trump unleashed a blitz of presidential pardons to 143 people. Among them is New York art dealer Hillel “Helly” Nahmad, a Trump Tower resident who was sentenced to prison in 2014 … Continue reading →

Inauguration of James Buchanan, President of the United States, at the east front of the U. S. Capitol, March 4, 1857 (photo via Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Montgomery Meigs Papers) The first known photograph of a United States presidential inauguration was … Continue reading →

How might religion and spirituality leave a mark on a city? The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been supporting three different projects that document the impact of faith-based communities in Los Angeles: Mapping Indigenous LA, Mapping Jewish LA, … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of Paradigm Gallery André Schulze scours dusty thrift store bins and private advertisements for vintage paintings and photographs created in the first half of the 20th Century. The German artist restores the found artworks and then dramatically … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES — Do AIs dream of revolution? Don Edler’s Devil You Know — now screening online at Hunter Shaw Fine Art — suggests they can, although not in the way you might expect. Part video essay and performance art, … Continue reading →

“Season of silence.” All images © Thanh Nhàn Nguyễn, shared with permission Populated with low clouds, oversized peonies, and birds covered in fish scales, Thanh Nhàn Nguyễn‘s dreamscapes merge fantasy and tradition in a celebration of Vietnamese culture. In his … Continue reading →

The Kamoinge Workshop, a collective of influential African American photographers formed during the Civil Rights Movement, was born out of a hope of creating a support system for producing, displaying, and archiving photographs in the face of rejection from nearly … Continue reading →

Chicago will distribute about $2.5 million in grants to local artists and art organizations, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced. The city launched a new Artist Response Program on Monday, January 11, which will provide … Continue reading →

In 2018, Berlin-based US artist Brad Downey commissioned Slovenian artisan Ales “Maxi” Zupevc to create a sculpture of the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump. It was the first time Zupevc had ever been asked to do something … Continue reading →

A Trump executive order that includes erecting a statue for Hannah Arendt, the political thinker who dedicated her scholarship to understanding the roots of totalitarianism, struck many as a new height of irony. The executive order, signed on January 18, … Continue reading →

The three neon pink seesaws that slotted through the U.S.-Mexico border were just named the 2020 Beazley Design of the Year. Conceived by Oakland-based artists Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello (previously), the playful, subversive project was installed in July … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES — As Los Angeles’s international cultural profile has risen over the past decade, galleries from more established art capitals have opened outposts here. Next month, however, will be the first time that a contemporary gallery from Africa will … Continue reading →

Nikki Giovanni has never been one to pull any punches. When the celebrated poet is asked how early racism develops in children, she dryly responds, “Yesterday.” Referencing the intellectual might of Black people, and Black women specifically, she reminds us, … Continue reading →

The MFA in Visual Arts at Purchase College, SUNY, is a small, selective interdisciplinary program that fosters the artistic, intellectual, and professional growth of students through independent studio work and rigorous academic studies. State-of-the-art facilities include photography, video and digital … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of Paradigm Gallery Simultaneously adorable and bizarre, Debra Broz’s porcelain creatures breathe new life into antique knick-knacks. The Los Angeles-based artist (previously) carefully gathers discarded figurines that she separates and reassembles into humorous and unusual sculptures: an … Continue reading →

Nicole Eisenman and Keith Boadwee, currently on view at the Flag Art Foundation, is a testament to the three-decade long friendship between these two queer artists. Having established an impressive career that includes winning the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2015, … Continue reading →

“Atmospheric wave wall” (2021), 30 x 60 feet. All images courtesy of CNL Projects, shared with permission Last week, artist Olafur Eliasson (previously) unveiled a massive, wave-like artwork that mimics the rippled surfaces of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES — You know that split-second lag when translating between two languages (however you define them), when meaning starts to slide into a string of unintelligible symbols? That’s the space that Christine Sun Kim’s artworks occupy. Her drawings use … Continue reading →

Recent damage to the Taq Kasra, a 1,500-year-old architectural masterpiece in Iraq, has renewed urgent calls for government officials and cultural heritage organizations to protect the Persian monument. Located approximately 25 miles south of Baghdad, the Taq Kasra was built … Continue reading →

The cover of The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Archway Editions, 2020 (photo by Zhaleh Afshar for Hyperallergic) Ishmael Reed’s play, The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda is a corrective to the revisionist missteps of the Broadway musical, Hamilton. À la A … Continue reading →

It’s been public knowledge for decades that the FBI waged all-out war on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, with particular intensity directed at Martin Luther King Jr. Yet it’s not until now that a major film has opened … Continue reading →

This essay is excerpted from Andy Warhol: Love, Sex, and Desire. Drawings 1950–1962 published by TASCHEN. Andy Warhol. Love, Sex, and Desire. Drawings 1950–1962 by Michael Dayton Hermann, Drew Zeiba, Blake Gopnik (published by TASCHEN) One day, somewhere maybe around … Continue reading →

When Donald Trump made his first official visit to the United Kingdom in July of 2018, he was greeted by mass protests and a giant balloon of his diaper-clad doppelganger hovering over Parliament Square in Westminster. Now, as Trump is … Continue reading →

All images © Juho Könkkölä, shared with permission Juho Könkkölä spent upwards of 50 hours scoring and folding just one sheet of Wenzhou rice paper to create this painstakingly detailed samurai complete with plated armor, traditional helmet, and sword. Beginning … Continue reading →

Everyone should read historian Timothy Snyder’s important essay “The American Abyss: A historian of fascism and political atrocity on Trump, the mob and what comes next.” He writes: Post-truth is pre-fascism, and Trump has been our post-truth president. When we give … Continue reading →

In 1970 Paul Celan published a single line in the Paris journal L’Ephémère: “La poésie ne s’impose plus, elle s’expose” — Poetry no longer imposes itself, it exposes itself. Exposure resonates throughout Celan’s work: the isolated self, scarified by the … Continue reading →

Herbert Gentry was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1919 and died in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2003, at the age of 84. In 2001, he moved permanently to Sweden because America lacked an adequate health care program. Otherwise, he would have … Continue reading →

In a world where an artist is either a professional or an outsider, it is useful to consider these words by Rudy Burckhardt:  I am enough of an amateur existentialist and Buddhist to believe that we actually just mess around … Continue reading →

On January 14, 2017, six days before the inauguration of the current president, Hyperallergic Weekend launched a weekly image-and-text series, Drawing in a Time of Fear & Lies, with a work by William Powhida called “Various Dismal Futures.” Based on … Continue reading →

Over the past few years, Rachel Eulena Williams has honed a distinctive style of brightly colored, multi-dimensional abstract paintings. The artist reconfigures canvases that she removes from conventional supports, and collages a myriad of diverse materials onto them. While always … Continue reading →

How did a mob of angry Trump supporters come so close to harming members of Congress on January 6, 2021? Capitol police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), two government agencies adept at suppressing dissent, have been conspicuously lenient … Continue reading →

Are Trump staffers taking artwork from the White House illegally on their way out? A stuffed bird, a framed photograph of the outbound US head of state meeting with the Chinese president, and a bust of Abraham Lincoln were some … Continue reading →

The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, received a gift of 98 works of kinetic art from the collection of the David Bermant Foundation in Santa Barbara, California. The substantial donation, which had been in the works for several … Continue reading →

“Tabby Tyrant” (2021), mixed-media assemblage, 31 x 31 x 9 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Joshua Liner Gallery, shared with permission A bejeweled tabby presides over Kris Kuksi’s sprawling new landscape teeming with retro figures, ornate baubles, … Continue reading →

 If you’ve walked the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the last few decades, you’ve probably spotted the wide-eyed monsters and mischievous dragons of David Zinn (previously). Since 1987, the artist has been drawing chalk-and-charcoal creatures in site-specific works … Continue reading →

We shook the table with “Change the Museum” and “Oscars so White”, so why not “Cancel Art Galleries”? Why are horror stories of racism, sexism, and abuse in art galleries open secrets that remain unaddressed? The dominant agents of the … Continue reading →

“Eternity” (2019-2020), natural beeswax, wood, glass, Cor-ten steel, 230 x 100 x 100 centimeters. All images © Tomáš Libertíny, shared with permission Tomáš Libertíny prefers to collaborate when recreating iconic busts and sculptures, although his chosen partners don’t join him … Continue reading →

PARIS — Antibodies, the Palais de Tokyo’s timely exhibition, presents a cacophonous mix of recent work addressing the oppositions that define our new normal: distance/proximity, physical/virtual, open/closed. More appropriately titled, “Anti-bodies,” the works displayed test the limits of our fleshy … Continue reading →

Week in Review is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world. Subscribe to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, the Smithsonian, … Continue reading →

Naomi Beckwith (Photo by Nathan Keay for MCA Chicago, courtesy the Guggenheim Museum) The Guggenheim Museum in New York announced today, January 14, that it has named Naomi Beckwith as its deputy director and chief curator. In the role, Beckwith … Continue reading →

By Andrew Hem What brings you hope? That’s the central question behind a new group exhibition presented by Port City Creative Guild. Couriers of Hope boasts more than 120 original pieces from more than 90 artists—the list includes Rosanne Kang … Continue reading →

Country music icon Dolly Parton may one day be immortalized with a statue at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. Democratic Rep. John Mark Windle introduced a bill on Tuesday, January 12, calling to erect a statue “to recognize [Parton] for all … Continue reading →

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of California, Davis is pleased to invite applications for the inaugural Teaching Artists-in-Residence in The California Studio. We are looking for artists in all disciplines, traditional and non-traditional, who are … Continue reading →

All images © Nicole McLaughlin, shared with permission “As a product of an American father and a Mexican mother, I am influenced by the conflicting expectations I have received as a woman within my two cultures,” says artist Nicole McLaughlin. … Continue reading →

Pop culture loves cycling through endless reiterations of classic characters like Sherlock Holmes, but one recent update of an old literary figure stands out from the rest. The French TV series Lupin is a contemporary spin on Arsène Lupin, Maurice … Continue reading →

Preface This article was originally commissioned by EastEast. After receiving my first draft, the editors said that mentions of queer artists, and their activism related to their sexual identity needed modification due to the publication’s funding by the embassy of … Continue reading →

Pixar recently marked the 25th anniversary of the release of its beloved film (and franchise), Toy Story.  A renowned all-ages romp that remains close to the hearts of millions worldwide, Toy Story was also the first  fully computer animated feature … Continue reading →

Deep within Leang Tedongnge, a cave tucked away on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, archaeologists discovered this mulberry-hued painting of a warty pig and two hand silhouettes potentially belonging to the artist, which is now believed to be the oldest … Continue reading →

It’s possible to slip beyond the confines of your living quarters, without even turning a doorknob or cracking a window. Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett, public radio veterans and founders of the World According to Sound, a podcast that spotlights … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of People’s Pottery Project, shared with permission People’s Pottery Project (PPP) has a simple mission: “to empower formerly incarcerated women, trans, and nonbinary individuals and their communities through the arts.” The value of the Los Angeles-based nonprofit, … Continue reading →

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented blows to the cultural sector, forcing closures, canceling events, and leaving institutions scrambling to adjust to the new online landscape. According to a survey by the American Alliance of Museums from November 2020, almost 30% … Continue reading →

When the Vessel opened in March of 2019, it was seen by many as an aesthetically challenged symbol of corrupt opulence and suspicious financing. But now, for the third time in less than a year, a person has died by … Continue reading →

All images © Justkids, shared with permission A drab water tower in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, is overrun with a 70-foot-tall garden of technicolor flowers and vines thanks to artists Darren and Emmelene Mate, aka DabsMyla. The Australian wife and husband … Continue reading →

Long before the coronavirus started making its way around the planet, Zarah Hussain had been thinking about breath. Focused on the intersection of science and spirituality, Hussain melds ancient traditions of meditation and breathwork with contemporary technology. The resulting work … Continue reading →

A quirky Tik Tok account dedicated to rating sinks and faucets in public bathrooms across New York City posted a scathing takedown of the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) new washrooms. Sink Reviews delivers amusing, detailed reviews of sinks in … Continue reading →

New year, new energy, right? Regardless of how many resolutions you’ve managed to stick to (or have perhaps wisely given yourself a break on), finding more ways to immerse yourself in art is always a worthy goal. This month, we … Continue reading →

“Red Bandana on Green Suit” (2020), oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches. All images © Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe courtesy of Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, shared with permission Set against bold, impasto backdrops, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe’s portraits emphasize … Continue reading →

When we last saw Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, in 2017, she offered a glamorous vision of a museum job: surrounded by ancient weapons in her Louvre office, dressed in luxe cashmere and killer boots, stunningly beautiful. Unreal as this … Continue reading →

We’re back with our first monthly roundup of art exhibitions in 2021, and I’m particularly enthusiastic about this selection. There’s a mix of Los Angeles minimalism, an overlooked surrealist, exciting work from recent MFA grads, and poignant art made during … Continue reading →

What if you could roam the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, learn about the artwork, and even play some trivia games, all from the comfort of your phone screen? That day has come thanks to … Continue reading →

All images © Jeremy Snell, courtesy of Setanta Books, shared with permission Blanketing much of Ghana’s landscape is Lake Volta, an artificial reservoir with the largest surface area in the world. The enormous body of water spans from the southern … Continue reading →

It was clear from its premise that the Asia Society Triennial would be a difficult feat: a triennial about the most populous continent in the world and its diaspora amid a crowded field of hundreds of biennials and triennials — … Continue reading →

Sam Pollard is one of the most overlooked cinematic multihyphenates in the US. An editor, producer, director, and professor active for more than four decades, he’s played a huge role in chronicling Black US life through both his own work … Continue reading →

Call for ApplicationsThe Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art program at Maine College of Art (MECA) supports interdisciplinary studio practice, which encourages students to think across traditional academic boundaries, expand their art practice, and challenge their intellectual curiosity. An MFA … Continue reading →

Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León descend into the psychologically disturbing world of a child escaped from religious fanatics in their feature-length film The Wolf House. Layered with audio of unsettling voices and the quiet mutterings of a young girl, the grotesque … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES — In 2020, I can’t count the number of times that my social media feeds shared how iconic names, like Shakespeare and Shelley, created landmark works while in isolation. But this overlooks the mental weariness and overwhelming grief … Continue reading →

Do y’all remember the “Unite the Right 2” rally, held in Washington DC on August 12, on the anniversary of the deadly white supremacist march in Charlottesville? I didn’t think so. The violence and terror of the first Unite the … Continue reading →

All images © Jem Cresswell, shared with permission For years, Sydney-based photographer Jem Cresswell (previously) has been diving into the ocean to document the otherwise unseen lives of humpback whales, a humbling experience he recounts in the latest interview supported … Continue reading →

Bill Plympton sculpts mesmerizing animation out of caricature. Though he works with just basic drawing materials, he transcends those limitations by imbuing everything he makes with offbeat charm, evident in works such as his Oscar-winning 1987 short Your Face. The … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO — Diego Rivera once described his paintings as “true and complete pictures of the life of the toiling masses.” In the 1920s, the Mexican artist turned from the easel to the centuries-old fresco technique in part because murals … Continue reading →

As part of its post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, the United Kingdom has rejected new import licensing regulations imposed by the EU designed to safeguard cultural heritage from illegal trafficking, according to the Art Newspaper. The regulations were introduced by the … Continue reading →

Susan Allan Block (courtesy of the Ohio Arts Council) Ohio Arts Council board member Susan Allan Block resigned on Friday, January 8, following social media comments in which she referred to incoming vice president Kamala Harris as a “whore” and … Continue reading →

Bronx, New York City. All images © Lula Goce, shared with permission From New York City to Azerbaijan to Kristianstad, Sweden, artist Lula Goce transforms blank walls into ethereal artworks that illustrate childlike wonder and growth. Her murals merge photorealistic … Continue reading →