Art
Artists Rashid Johnson and Joel Mesler Created Promo Merch for Upcoming New York Mets Season
America's game is nearing the big dance, but America's pastime is swinging right around the corner. To usher in the coming season — and to hopefully entice pessimistic fans — the New York Mets have announced the list of 19 giveaways for the 2024 season, including two artist partnerships with Joel Mesler and Rashid Johnson. Both artists have had their hands in a number of recent collaborative projects, including a record cover Johnson created for a LACMA exhibition in 2022 and a capsule collection Mesler released with Hong Kong-based label izzue, a year prior. Starting on Saturday, May 25 against the San Francisco Giants, the Mesler-designed bucket hat will be available — presumably similar to the aforementioned izzue collaboration with added callouts to the Mets ball club. Several months l...
The Brooklyn Museum Turns 200 This Year
The Brooklyn Museum will celebrate its 200th anniversary later this year with a suite of events and programming. Launching in fall, the institution will reinterpret its storied collection, including the launch of a mobile “Museum on Wheels.”While the museum itself wasn't inaugurated until 1897, the building's inception dates further back to 1823, when it was founded as the Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library. Amongst the notable names included in its history, the acclaimed American poet and essayist Walt Whitman served as one of its librarians. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Brooklyn Museum (@brooklynmuseum)“This is a time of great momentum at the Brooklyn Museum!" noted several of the institution's directors in a statement. "Always a trailblazer, the Museum has a long history of tr...
Through the Lens: Ahmed Hassan’s Peculiar Portraiture
Where other portraits appear flat, the subjects of photographer Ahmed Hassan float off the surface like characters in a surrealist painting. A stalwart within the world of fashion editorials, the London-based photographer has created a timeless aesthetic that conflates maximalist compositions with intimate snapshots of friends and celebrities he renders to create luminous and sometimes ghostly images.His client list includes Valentino and Schiaparelli, ELLE UK and The Telegraph, as well as notable figures, such as Manchester United’s Mason Mount to British author Jay Shetty. "I loved the idea of creating a world beyond reality," Hassan tells Hypeart, adding that his "execution slowly grew closer towards that realm" after some trial and error.The ability to capture his subjects with such in...
Venice Biennale Announces 331 Artists for 2024 Edition
Art will return to the forefront at the forthcoming Venice Biennale in April. Going on its 60th edition, this year's event will be arguably be one of its most memorable to date for a number of reasons. On one end, there will be a spotlight on indigenous artists who will be representing major pavilions — from Jeffrey Gibson (US) and Glicéria Tupinambá (Brazil) to the recent announcement that Eddie Martinez will create work for the tiny nation of San Marino. Alternatively, concerns for censorship continue to mount for both the Biennale, as well as the wider art world, regarding artists and museums in support of Palestine who claim that they are being censored for showing support for Palestine amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. View this post on InstagramA post shared by La Bien...
Pieter Ceizer Puckers Up with ‘Bisou’ Porcelain Sculptures
Amsterdam-born, Paris-based artist Pieter Ceizer is off to the races in 2024. He's participating in a group exhibition at Galerie Bessaud in Paris's 15th arrondissement and, as part of that exhibition, has worked with the gallery to create his first porcelain sculpture, a departure from the wood used on his long-running Woody series. Dubbed Bisou, the new creation is a styled, sculptural take on a pair of puckered lips, just in time for Valentine's Day. Even the name ties into its theme: "bisou" is a French word that translates to "kiss" in English.Working out of a small Parisian ceramic atelier located close to Galerie Bessaud, Ceizer created soft pink and terra cotta red iterations of the sculpture. "Bisou" is debossed on each side in the artist and designer's signature mono-line style, ...
Eric Croes’ Totemic Characters Take Over Almine Rech
Belgian sculptor Eric Croes has unveiled a new solo exhibition at Almine Rech's flagship gallery in Paris. Entitled Comme un vieux tatouage (Like an old tattoo in French), the show consists of a series of new ceramic works that are inspired by Croes' daily travels and journal entries.Based in Brussels, Croes records all his observations in and around his studio, as well on journeys across the mainland and abroad. Scribbled within a pocket-sized notebook, he recreates these thoughts into larger totemic sculptures that have featured in collaborations, such as last year's partnership with Case Studyo, along with the vibrant characters now on display in Paris. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Eric Croes (@eric.croes)"When he crafts his powerful shapes, deep vases, golems or totems s...
Eric Mancha Discusses His Artistic Inspirations, Reveals New ‘Eastside Pepe’ Painting
"The way I make my paintings is based on my connection to people," says Eric Mancha. The Texas-born, LA-based artist is calling in from his studio to talk about Eastside Pepe, his latest artwork that draws inspiration from a serendipitous meeting Mancha had in LA's Boyle Heights neighborhood.Mancha views the subjects of his paintings as part of his extended community and uses his meetings with his subjects (chance encounters, more often than not) as an opportunity to communicate emotions through their likeness — always with their permission, of course. Besides their expressive use of form and color to spotlight their subjects, Mancha's works aim to make his community feel both seen and represented in spaces they usually do not. During his 2022 Que Somos show at the Beverly Hills gallery Gr...
Archaeologists Express Frustration Over Egypt’s Plan to Restore Pyramid of Menkaure With Granite
A major restoration project is underway to repair one of Egypt's famed pyramids, despite frustration from the archaeology community. The efforts are led by Mostafa Waziri, Egypt's secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, who is working with Japanese archaeologists to encase the Pyramid of Menkaure's outer shell with granite. Videos have already surfaced online with cranes lifting sand blocks from around the site.The initiative is being viewed by its organizers as "Egypt's gift to the world", said Waziri. In that, the nation has the ambitious plan to restore the original granite blocks that once covered the Pyramid of Menkaure's outer shell, which has been destroyed or severely deteriorated over the thousands of years since its construction in 2510 BC. Not everyone is as exc...
Sayre Gomez Reflects on LA’s Changing Landscape in ‘Heaven ‘N’ Earth’
Like all major cities, Los Angeles's expansive image is constantly in a state of flux. Picturesque sunsets, spindly palm trees and the mystique of celebrity are just several of the many images — albeit surface level images — that come up when thinking of LA and will surely always play a role in its global appeal. But the less celebrated corners: the small businesses, the multi-ethnic communities that represent a large majority of the 'City of Angels', is increasingly at risk of being pushed out due to an increased wealth disparity between classes and gentrification — from LA's Westside to East, down to the Southland.Chicago-born, LA-based artist Sayre Gomez has dedicated his latest solo show to preserving what he believes to be a faithful image of Southern California. On view at Xavier Huf...
Protestors Throw Soup at Mona Lisa Painting in the Louvre
In a peculiar turn of events at the Louvre Museum this past Sunday, two activists associated with the environmental group Riposte Alimentaire staged a soup-throwing protest against the iconic Mona Lisa. The unusual demonstration aimed to spotlight concerns about unsustainable food production in France, with the protesters hurling orange-colored soup at the protected painting.Fortunately, the glass casing surrounding the masterpiece thwarted any potential damage, leaving the enigmatic portrait unscathed. Prompt intervention by Louvre staff involved deploying black screens to shield onlooking visitors from the protesters. The museum temporarily evacuated the "Salle des Etats" room, home to the "Mona Lisa," as a precautionary measure. However, the affected area has since been reopened to the ...
Eddie Martinez to Represent San Marino at 2024 Venice Biennale
New York-based artist Eddie Martinez has been selected to represent the Republic of San Marino at the 2024 Venice Biennale this April. As one of the smallest recognized country's in the world, San Marino is located roughly 40 minutes inland from the city of Rimini on Italy's northeast coast — and home to less than 34,000 residents. Martinez is best known for his expressive paintings made of aggressive color fields and subtle bug-eyed characters, which he intuitively creates in an attempt to blur the lines of representation. Born in Connecticut and based in Brooklyn, he has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions around the world, including an ongoing group show currently at V1 Gallery in Copenhagen. Entitled Nomads, the forthcoming exhibition will be curated by Alison M. Gingeras, in...
Car Door From Banksy’s ‘Crazy Horse’ Mural Up for Auction
A car door, once part of a larger mural titled Crazy Horse by renowned British artist Banksy has recently surfaced for auction via Julien*s auction house. The work, executed through aerosol painting on a car door, emanates from the artist's 2013 installation in New York City's Lower East Side and represents a blend of street art and socio-political commentary -- a regular and signature theme for the artist.Crazy Horse was a central feature of Banksy's installation near Ludlow and Stanton streets. The art encompassed two vehicles, depicting a powerful scene: stampeding horses bearing down on a group of terrified people. This imagery was further intensified by an audio component – a phone number that, when dialed, played clips from a 2007 Apache airstrike in Baghdad. This particular airstrik...
