Art

It's been nearly 111 years since the RMS Titanic sank on that fateful night in the North Atlantic Ocean. Caught between horror and intrigue, opulence and anguish, the story of the ship has fascinated scholars, moviegoers and history buffs since. To coincide with the 25th Anniversary of the Academy Award-winning film Titanic in 1997, never-before-seen footage has been released documenting one of the first dives to the ship wreckage in 1986.Conducted by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in partnership with France’s Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea, the grainy 81-minute video peruses two miles below sea level documenting where the ruins of the Titanic will hauntingly rest until it slowly deteriorates with time.The video was shot just nine months after the ocean liner's...

"What is it like to experience a new place, somewhat nostalgic or maybe unfamiliar?" Art collector and curator Jack Siebert asks that of the viewer upon entering his second exhibition in Los Angeles. Immersed brings together 21 artists who meditate on the notion that much of what we internally experience is just as vital to the external forces that shape it. Greg ito, Alfie Caine, Madeleine Bialke and Nadia Ayari are some of the many figures who "take physical presence and recapture its structure with their own internal experience, through abstraction or depictions of landscape and personal settings," as Siebert explained in a statement. There is an iceberg effect to daily experience, where one truly cannot see what lies under the surface of another's thoughts and experiences. As such, thi...

While much of the art world descends upon Los Angeles this week for Frieze, local artist Cleon Peterson heads to Tokyo to present a new solo exhibition entitled Under the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. On view at the Takashi Murakami-run Kaikai Kiki Gallery, the show is Peterson's first Japanese solo show in seven years. The exhibition will showcase 27 new paintings that are created in a monochromatic palette featuring Peterson's humanoid figures. Emblematic of his past work, the LA-based artist comments on the violence, greed and corruption that has plagued society since the days of antiquity. "We've entered a new age of global crisis," wrote the artist. "Modern dread, hopelessness, and existential anxiety have become common and relegated to the subconscious. The individual walks the stree...

After delivering Martí Guerrero's Tim Comix Figure, eclectic Hong Kong select shop and vintage purveyor ASTERISK has reconnected with Yu Nagaba for a playful release. The collaboration is built on a friendship with the Japanese modern and contemporary artist which began in 2016 when Nagaba illustrated ASTERISK's logo that is still used today.Back in 2019, ASTERISK and Yu Nagaba came together to discuss the idea of materializing the 2D logo into a 3D object. Resulting in the birth of 星仔/Sing Jai, through rigorous collaboration and countless sketches the figure was brought to life by lauded art name HOW2WORK.The ASTERISK x Yu Nagaba 星仔/Sing Jai Figure 1st Edition crafted by HOW2WORK is constructed of vinyl and faithfully represents Nagaba's minimal yet emotive drawing style. 星仔/Sing Jai, Can...

Shortly after working alongside the London-based art and design store House of Voltaire to create a limited-edition range of cashmere blankets, KAWS is now preparing for a brand new Valentine's Day launch. The acclaimed Brooklyn artist has just announced a brand new batch of BFF "Time Off" figures that have been prepared in a trio of colorways.Viewed as one of the more popular silhouettes from KAWS, the BFF figure was first introduced in 2016. Its body type is inspired by the artist's ACCOMPLICE AND COMPANION figures as it bears the body type of the former and the gloves and shoes of the latter. And for this newest launch, it has been shaped to be lying down on its right hip, posted up without a worry in the world. It's designed in a relaxed position which directly correlates with its "TIM...

While the temperature dips below freezing in much of the U.S., Los Angeles remains sunny, as it generally is year round, and will see temperatures kick up a few notches as Frieze LA makes its triumphant return.Now housed at its new location on the southeast corner of the Santa Monica Airport, Frieze will boast over 120 galleries from 22 countries, including seasoned heavyweights and exciting newcomers, as well as an expanded Focus section. As part of its annual Frieze Projects portion, this year will feature a monumental sculpture by the late-Chris Burden and an immersive musical performance at the Santa Monica Pier. Additionally there will be two site-specific programs to fully embrace the expanded grounds — the first, Now Playing, is made in collaboration with Art Production Fund, featur...

Los Angeles is gearing up for a busy week with Frieze, Felix and the many events orbiting the fairs. Amongst the exhibitions to check out, Over the Influence is showcasing a new group show from artists Lauren Wy, Zes, Brittany Fanning and Jean Nagai.Nestled in the Arts District of DTLA, Excuse the Interruption explores how each artist uses different formal elements of interruption as a vehicle for abstraction. For Lauren Wy, this translates into the fusing of the femme, the animal and landscape as subject matter to cast viewers into a surreal necropolis, where their impulses are both aroused and denied. Somewhat similar in her approach to color and composition, Brittany Fanning juxtaposes symbols of calm with chaos – such as various depictions of alligators in a tranquil setting — which in...

Greg Ito is a Japanese-American artist who creates vibrant paintings that serve as portals into his memories and many interests. Born and raised in West Los Angeles, Ito remembers always being surrounded by artistic relatives and began to follow his own path by receiving his BFA at the now defunct San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI).Each of his compositions are created through a meticulous choice of symbols that are in part inspired by his Japanese heritage, his affinity to LA, and flatly laid in a rolodex of colors that the artist has archived since college. In particular, Ito often makes reference to his grandparents and great-grandparents' internment within the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona during World War II. While it was a turbulent experience for his family and the larg...