Category Archives: Uncategorized

All images couresty of Drillog Inventive design and age-old craft converge in a simple writing instrument produced by the CNC-machining factory Shion. As its name suggests, Drillog is a drillbit-shaped pen that holds the ink in its thin grooves that … Continue reading →

Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu made history in 2019 when her four bronze sculptures became the first ever to occupy the niches of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade. Stretching nearly seven feet, the seated quartet evokes images of heavily adorned … Continue reading →

Photo by Benning/Gladcova. All images © Suzan Drummen, shared with permission The latest installation by Dutch artist Suzan Drummen (previously) masks a stately salon in the Royal Palace Amsterdam with a gleaming carpet of crystals placed in psychedelic swirls. A … Continue reading →

There’s a sincerity to the work of M. Night Shyamalan that many viewers take for granted. His films wear their emotions and messages clearly on their sleeves. Old is no exception, opening with the characters making playful, obvious jokes about … Continue reading →

Skanda on a Peacock (first half of 10th century, Cambodia), via the Offices of the United States Attorneys. Around 1997, a 10th-century sandstone statue of the Hindu war deity Skanda astride an elaborately engraved peacock was stolen from the Prasat … Continue reading →

Some artists are urging Instagram users to change a new default setting on the app that limits “sensitive content,” potentially screening certain artworks and other images. The feature, launched this week, is meant to help users decide how much content … 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. Museums Protesters are demanding the resignation of Museum of Chinese in America director Nancy Yao Maasbach. The … Continue reading →

Auguste Rodin carefully constructed his own personal mythology, presenting an image of himself as a quintessential artistic genius. In 1900, he organized a retrospective of his own work, commissioning a specially designed pavilion and filling it with clusters of sculptures, … Continue reading →

We love creating myths around winners, to take them far away from reality and humanity, but Garrett Bradley’s Netflix series Naomi Osaka does just the opposite. At 23, the rising Haitian-Japanese-American tennis star has already won four grand slam titles, … Continue reading →

In 2019, in a cave in Germany, archaeologists discovered a bone carved with a distinct chevron pattern. This seemingly simple object made headlines several days ago, when scientists published a paper concluding that the 51,000-year-old deer hoof was made by … Continue reading →

The Getty Foundation has announced its latest round of grants for Curatorial Innovation in Prints and Drawings. Founded in 2018, the annual awards are part of the institution’s ongoing Paper Project initiative, which aims to help curators around the globe … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of the Elmhurst Art Museum, shared with permission Now open at the Elmhurst Art Museum is Par Excellence Redux, a miniature golf course featuring a widely varied collection of playable artworks. Curated by Colossal’s founder and editor-in-chief … Continue reading →

All images © Daniel Rueda and Anna Devís, shared with permission Valencia-based duo Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda (previously) add a playful twist to mundane settings and architectural backdrops. Whether flaring a skirt into a wide, cheesy grin, posing to prop … Continue reading →

“Self-portrait with Small Monkey” (1945), oil on masonite, 22 x 16⅜ inches, Mexico City, Xochimilco, Museo Dolores Olmedo, photo by akg-images An enormous new book from Taschen explores the life and work of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). Widely … Continue reading →

This is the final part of a three-part series about how the Holocaust has been depicted in cinema. You can read part one, about witness narratives, here, and part two, about the role of testimony, here. In Yael Reuveny’s 2013 … Continue reading →

CHICAGO — Yannis Tsarouchis, the gay Greek artist-provocateur, was well ahead of his time. His mid-20th century paintings explored homoeroticism when such themes were still highly taboo. Dancing in Real Life, a comprehensive survey at Wrightwood 659, shines a much … Continue reading →

Next weekend, almost 80 galleries will be participating in the inaugural Gallery Weekend Los Angeles, a five-day series of performances, talks, and exhibitions taking place throughout the city. Meant to celebrate the experience of seeing art in-person, the event is … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO — I Am Speaking, Are You Listening? is a powerful new show by Wangechi Mutu at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor and exceeds her 2019 takeover of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s façade, providing a model for how … Continue reading →

Something incredible happened a few months ago. After Oklahoma lawyer Brett Chapman (Pawnee) started tweeting about the tomahawk of Ponca Chief Standing Bear, which is currently in Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the revered … Continue reading →

I don’t like Vincent van Gogh. Not for me are fields of sunflowers, smudgy portraiture, and Parisian cafes. And yet, on a scorching Texas day, I found myself shuffling through Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, and — horrors! — … Continue reading →

“Today I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” purrs the Hungarian porn star Cicciolina in a video. “Some of the best porn of all time isn’t on Pornhub. It can only be found in a museum.” The … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of Krill Design Part sustainable design and part ode to Sicilian food culture, a new product by a Milan-based startup transforms inedible food waste into a functional homeware. Krill Design’s “Ohmie” is a compostable lamp made from … Continue reading →

All images © Kilian Schönberger, shared with permission In 2020 alone, a combination of droughts and a raging bark beetle infestation spurred by the climate crisis diminished Germany’s spruce tree population by record numbers. The European nation lost an estimated … Continue reading →

Philadelphia-based artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase explores the ways in which Black, queer bodies navigate everyday spaces. Incorporating aspects of their own biography with elements of fantasy, Chase’s highly charged paintings often include domestic materials such as bedsheets and clothing, revealing … Continue reading →

All images © Hiroki Takeda, shared with permission Japan-based artist Hiroki Takeda adds a dose of whimsy to his otherwise faithful portrayals of friendly felines. Largely rendered in shades of pink and purple with intermittent splashes of blues and greens, … Continue reading →

This is the second part of a three-part series about how the Holocaust has been depicted in cinema. You can read part one, about witness narratives, here. In his memoir The Patagonian Hare, Claude Lanzmann contrasts the endings of Schindler’s … Continue reading →

Art has always been a solace for me. One has only to spend time with a Frida Kahlo or a Rembrandt painting to be reminded that our suffering is universal and timeless. Communing with art has gotten me through breakups, … Continue reading →

In 1834, a group of politically powerful and patriotically inclined white men formed the Improved Order of Red Men. Modeled after their perceptions of Indigenous cultures, members of the fraternal organization, which included influential figures such as Warren G. Harding … Continue reading →

Those who happened to look up at the Tokyo sky last Friday may have been amused — or disturbed — by the sight of a giant human face hovering silently above them. The uncanny hot air ballon is the work … Continue reading →

At its Cannes premiere, the anthology film The Year of the Everlasting Storm was introduced by a producer as “inspired by Jafar Panahi’s films in artistic confinement.” The COVID-19 lockdown introduced a shocking level of domestic captivity for people across … Continue reading →

All images © Anastasia Trusova, shared with permission To capture the depth of an enchanting river alcove or bucolic landscape, Russian artist Anastasia Trusova works in what she calls “textured graphic impressionism,” a unique style that expresses emotion through detail … Continue reading →

A recent wave of anti-government protests in Cuba have spurred actions in solidarity around the world. In Washington, DC, demonstrators covered in red paint held up placards reading “Cuba’s blood is on your hands.” (photo courtesy of @Cuba.SOS) Amid food … Continue reading →

Talk about mood lighting! Monsby’s newly released Love In Light lamp is a great way to let someone know you’re switched on — or simply to set the stage for some solo time. In case I’m being too subtle here, … Continue reading →

Jeff Bezos, the world’s wealthiest man, launched into space today, July 20, onboard his Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship. With his departure from earth, an entire galaxy of internet memes satirizing his space voyage burst wide open. As hard … Continue reading →

a> When you enroll in the Jewelry Design & Marketing program at Pratt SCPS, you’ll learn the fundamentals of jewelry design, deepen your knowledge of the industry’s history, and uncover current trends. No matter your experience level, registration begins July … Continue reading →

“Eau de Loire” (2021), Gien, France. All images courtesy of Taquen, by Fabe Collage A 35-meter tower looming over Gien, France, is the site of a new mural by Taquen that celebrates the inherent life-giving properties of water. Set against … Continue reading →

Paintings belong on the wall, and sculptures belong on pedestals, right? Maybe not, according to Adam Milner, whose current exhibition Public Sculptures is premised on spontaneous encounters with art — not in a museum or gallery, but in the spaces … Continue reading →

Tensions between the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) and members of the New York Chinatown community reached a new height this weekend. In a press conference outside the museum yesterday, July 18, protesters called for the resignation of the … Continue reading →

All images © Matt Small, shared with permission At the heart of Matt Small’s practice is the idea that “there’s always potential within everything.” The British artist gravitates toward an overarching theme of disregard in both subject matter and material, … Continue reading →

In 1945, not long after Germany’s surrender, filmmaker George Stevens, best-known at that time for directing romantic comedies, entered Dachau. The images he and his crew captured of the concentration camp’s liberation would become some of the first the world … Continue reading →

Located on Bushwick’s Scott Avenue, the gallery Ramiken is a mere few blocks away from dance clubs and bars that come alive when the lights go down. Around midnight, music spills from these spaces and beckons with the promise of … Continue reading →

I held back tears as I stood before the painting, a colorful garden woven with patterns. I had longed to stand in front of a stranger’s art for 15 months, and it felt like a relief to witness the artist’s … Continue reading →

Across the second floor of the Shed, Open Call invites monumental remembrances of real and imagined communities molded by urban landscapes, diasporic identity, and grief. Equally playful and entrancing, a wide range of multimedia installations lights up an otherwise dim … Continue reading →

Experimental animation doesn’t get enough love, but it’s an incredibly exciting, historically rich part of cinema. The Criterion Channel currently has a great lineup of such films from around the world, nearly all of which are worth checking out if … Continue reading →

In recent years, there have been all kinds of anthropological breakthroughs radically shifting our ideas of ancient life and the capacities of our prehistory predecessors — from the discovery of the world’s oldest home in South Africa to new evidence … Continue reading →

Whether you are a beginner or professional artist, Pratt SCPS has a course for you. Explore a new medium, acquire new technical skills, meet peers, and expand your creative community. Fall registration is open now, visit pratt.edu to learn more. … Continue reading →

Lisbon. All images © Thiago Mazza, shared with permission In his brilliantly hued murals, Brazilian artist Thiago Mazza recreates the dense foliage and thick, fleshy petals he encounters in tropical forests and other verdant areas. Prickly thistles, striped leaves, and … Continue reading →

A painter who may be best known for her contribution to the Photorealism movement, Audrey Flack has been a working artist for roughly 70 years. Now at age 90, Flack reflects on the art world, from her days as part … Continue reading →

Have you ever spun the Astor Place cube located in the East Village of Manhattan? (It’s quite heavy so likely it took a couple of you working in tandem to do it.) If not, you should. The child in you … Continue reading →

Last October, I wrote about the need for artist residencies to be accessible to artists raising children. Since that essay’s publication, I have learned about a few more residencies that make significant efforts to accommodate artist-parents, such as the Wassaic … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES — When, in May 2020, Netflix finalized their deal to acquire Hollywood’s famed Egyptian Theatre, the news sent pangs of anxiety through a film community already reeling from the city-wide closure of cinemas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … Continue reading →

The English-born painter Andrew Forge (1923–2002) could have continued along the respectable path that he had established for himself by 1950, when he started teaching painting and drawing at the Slade School in London. From 1964–70, he was head of … Continue reading →

For her first show at PPOW since 2015, Madonnas and Hand Warmers, Ann Agee has produced a bounty of polychrome ceramics that vividly telegraph her wit and inventiveness. In the front gallery, on a room-size platform, are 66 Madonna sculptures, … Continue reading →

CHICAGO — A large wood-fired vase holding a spray of bright flowers greets you when you walk into How to Sell Hardware, Theaster Gates’s installation at Chicago’s Gray Warehouse. It’s a piece Gates made, and it’s a warmly welcoming gesture … Continue reading →

Gritty — in all its meanings — is the word that comes to mind when I think about the work of Gandy Brodie (1924–1975) and Peter Acheson (b. 1954), two artists of different generations about whom I have previously written. … Continue reading →

Writing for the New Yorker, Eren Orbey asks who owns the photograph of Mike Disfarmer, a photographer whose images of rural Arkansas are widely celebrated: In practice, though, photographs remain highly susceptible to copyright infringement—especially in the digital age, when … Continue reading →

A Poetics of the Press (all images courtesy Ugly Duckling Presse) Kyle Schlesinger’s A Poetics of the Press: Interviews with Poets, Printers, & Publishers offers a window into the fears and aspirations of many giants of the industry. As a … Continue reading →

Amid a union election at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, workers are charging the museum’s leadership with “obstructing the free and fair election process through anti-union activity.” The tally of the mail ballots, sent to workers … Continue reading →

(All infographics courtesy Adobe) Like the cavemen and the ancient Egyptians before us, contemporary humans are freaking obsessed with using little pictures to communicate. In honor of this year’s World Emoji Day — a holiday about which I can only … Continue reading →

Disabled communities were among the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sweeping changes to distanced work and schooling, as well as general vigilance about protecting those with compromised immune systems, made it clear how few accommodations we previously … Continue reading →

A new selection of emoji drafts released in celebration of World Emoji Day on July 17 (courtesy Emojipedia) A melting face, sensual biting lip, and gender-inclusive representations of pregnancy are some of the candidates for the upcoming emoji release, revealed … Continue reading →

 On a 34-day expedition around the Phoenix Islands Archipelago, marine scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute captured exceptionally rare footage of the elusive glass octopus. With a speckled, iridescent membrane, the aquatic animal is almost entirely transparent—only its optic … Continue reading →

Utagawa Hiroshige, “Yamashiro Province: The Togetsu Bridge in Mount Arashi (Yamashiro, Arashiyama Togetsukyo),” from the series Famous Places in the Sixty-Odd Provinces (Rokujuyoshu meisho zue), 1853 An exhibition opening this weekend at the Art Institute of Chicago plunges into the … Continue reading →

Mass. All images © Greg White, shared with permission In his series Base Quantities, London-based photographer Greg White elucidates the abstract and fundamental concepts of physics. His minimal, graphic images document all seven components (i.e. mass, electric current, temperature, length, … Continue reading →

Amidst a seismic shift in how we think and talk about equity in America, the art world is undergoing a transformation that questions what art is presented to the public and who gets to make these decisions. To help identify … Continue reading →

All images © Glen Taylor, shared with permission Ohio-based artist Glen Taylor (previously) mends porcelain dinnerware with brutal bits of metal and soldering that starkly contrast their smooth, delicate counterparts. Lengths of rusted barbed wire bind two halves of a … Continue reading →

The question that propels Emily Rapp Black’s Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg is simple and self-implicating: “Why do we (I) love Frida?” Throughout the book’s fourteen loosely-linked essays, Black lays claim to Kahlo for unique reason: like the painter … Continue reading →

LONDON — In 1971, Jean Dubuffet took over a disused factory in the suburbs of Paris and set his assistants to work on fabricating the hundreds of props that make up his colossal “living painting,” “Coucou Bazar.” Two years later, … Continue reading →

Whether I’m visiting the museum or the city jail, it’s the same routine: the bus ride downtown, the intimidating building, waiting on line, the guards opening my purse and smirking at tampons and candy wrappers, the random decision not to … Continue reading →

When chef Anthony Bourdain visited Brooklyn for the final episode of his travel and food series No Reservations, it was his guest star Michael K. Williams (a character actor best-known for playing Omar Little on The Wire) who got the … Continue reading →

As the title suggests, the documentary/fiction hybrid film The Work and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) examines labor and the passage of time. Set over the course of five seasons in a mountain village near Kyoto, it … Continue reading →

Hong Sang-soo’s The Woman Who Ran is relatable for anyone in their 30s; there’s wine, hardly any major drama, and lots of discussion around apartments and cats. In three vignettes, Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee) visits old friends. They indulge in small … Continue reading →

Nancy Holt at her butte in Utah 1977 (photo by Ardele Lister © Holt-Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA/New York) Over 50,000 documents connected to pioneering conceptual, moving image, and Land artist Nancy Holt were acquired by the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American … 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. Museum of Chinese in America Artists Colin Chin and Nicholas Liem requested the Museum of Chinese in … Continue reading →

 More than two decades ago, Noah Kalina started taking a daily self-portrait, a ritualistic practice that’s culminated in a few timelapses collating the images as part of his Everyday project. His most recent manifestation in that ongoing series melds … Continue reading →

CHIAOZZA, “Bouquet Sculpture No. 2” (2021), acrylic paint on paper pulp, 36 x 23 x 9 inches. All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission A group exhibition at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco offers a new perspective on … Continue reading →

After over a year of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) reopened today, July 14, with a celebratory debut of the exhibition Responses: Asian American Voices Resisting the Tides of Racism. But while … Continue reading →

Since his second feature Rushmore, which announced each new month of the story with velvet curtains around the image, Wes Anderson has demonstrated a mania for placing frames within frames. He sees chapter headings, signs, labels, even dialogue itself as … Continue reading →

Compressed Landscapes is a series of websites designed by Dutch artist Jan Robert Leegte currently on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The websites show the results of the calculations of an algorithm scripted by Leegte which scans … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES — In 1932 Paulina Peavy attended a séance at the home of spiritualist Ida L. Ewing in Santa Ana, California. There, she channeled Lacamo, an extraterrestrial spirit, or UFO in her words, who revealed to her the secrets … Continue reading →

Yesterday, July 13, the Italian government announced an imminent ban on cruise ships from Venice’s waterways, also declaring its lagoon a national monument. The decision is a win for local activists, who have long encouraged a ban on the large … Continue reading →

Theodore Roszak, “The Furies of Folly Cove” (1952), black and sepia ink and wash on paper, 38×60 in., Gift of the estate of Theodore Roszak, Minneapolis Institute of Art (all images courtesy the Minneapolis Institute of Art) The Minneapolis Institute … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO — Many things about Diego Rivera’s mural “The Marriage of the Artistic Expression of the North and of the South on the Continent” induce awe. There’s the sheer size of it: 10 panels, weighing more than 60,000 pounds. … Continue reading →

All images © Fanni Sandor, shared with permission Fanni Sandor (previously) melds her background in biology with a decades-long enthusiasm for miniatures by creating an adorable menagerie of minuscule wildlife. Based in Hungary, she sculpts 1:12 scale models of leaping … Continue reading →

Founded as the Germanic Museum at the turn of the 20th century, the Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum has reinvented itself spatially and conceptually on several occasions over its nearly 120-year history. In recent years the museum’s curatorial team has been … Continue reading →

All images courtesy of Coppertist.Wu Chameleons are known for their color-changing abilities, but this coiled lizard from Coppertist.Wu takes that gift for camouflage a step farther. Made from brass and manganese steel, the cleverly designed creature disguises its extraordinarily long … Continue reading →

“Secret Garden” (2021), at Museum Rijswijk. Photo by Marcus van Ee. All images © Ian Berry, shared with permission Whimsical tendrils of vines, foliage, wisteria, and chrysanthemums sprout from artist Ian Berry’s wild, overgrown garden plots. Densely assembled and often … Continue reading →

Listening to the mayor’s office and the army of real estate lobbyists behind its proposal to remake the zoning of Soho, Noho, and a piece of Chinatown to allow taller construction and big box retail stores, you might think that … Continue reading →

This month, beat the New York humidity with a trip to some of the summer’s most anticipated exhibitions (all of which are delightfully temperature controlled). From retrospectives devoted to Shahzia Sikander, Lynn Hershman Leeson, and Wardell Milan, to a tribute … Continue reading →

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced the recipients of its 2021 Art + Technology Lab grants, an annual series of prizes that extends monetary and in-kind support for artistic projects that push the boundaries of emerging … Continue reading →

“Apartment building. Veles, North Macedonia” (2020) by Jonas Bendiksen. “The murmurations swirled and tossed up in the sky, seemingly free of gravity and friction….” (all images courtesy Magnum Photos) The latest Magnum Square Print Sale debuts this week, offering an … Continue reading →

“The artist has the privilege of being in touch with his or her unconscious,” Louise Bourgeois once explained. The prolific artist passed away at age 98, working resolutely until her final breath, as many women artists only properly recognized late … Continue reading →

Though Pride 2021 has come to a close, celebrating LGBTQ+ history remains crucial, as do the community’s struggles for equal rights under the law and diverse cultural recognition. In support of these aims, the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS) announced plans … Continue reading →

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has awarded 92 New York-based artists a total of $616,000 in grants as part of its 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship. The 36-year-old fellowship program, supported by the New York State Council on the … Continue reading →

All images licensed Julie Hrudová Spending timing in any major city is likely to bring run-ins with urban wildlife like rodents and pigeons, but in Amsterdam, there’s one long-legged species stalking the streets in unusually large numbers. In her ongoing … Continue reading →

The offerings this month are truly eclectic. The muralist Judy Baca finally gets an in-depth retrospective, Sanford Biggers comes to the California African American Museum, LA artists pay tribute to Joseph Beuys, and Frank Gehry has a display of luminous … Continue reading →

Intersections is a group exhibition taking place at intersections.vitalspaces.org, where it highlights the numerous points of connection between the 97 contemporary works of art and 30 artists featured, all of whom currently live or work in Santa Fe, New Mexico. … Continue reading →

In the first two parts of his Miniature Landscape series, director and animator Clemens Wirth (previously) celebrates the vast, awe-inspiring terrain of the earth by adventuring through snowy caverns, across pebbled beaches, and to the green glow of the Northern … Continue reading →

All photos © Alexander Ladanivskyy, shared with permission Ukrainian photographer Alexander Ladanivskyy travels the world in search of spectacular images including idyllic scenes of Icelandic waterfalls, ancient mountain cities in Jordan, and the collision of history and modernity in Nepal. … Continue reading →