Art

Everyone has partook in a little shadow puppetry at one point in their lives, but for Taiwanese visual artist Jam Wu, the simple bodily gestures have become an artistic medium for his latest solo exhibition. On view at an underground space at Taiwan's TKG+ gallery, Shadow Puppeteer invites audiences into a mysterious moody room, where screens showcasing various performers guide visitors throughout a monochromatic environment.Inspired by Through the Walls (2021), the second puppeteer show by Wu consists of installations featuring both artificial and natural light. Within each, onlookers enter a hallucinatory state where the real performers depicted within the lofty screens are distilled into shadowy silhouettes whom ruminate on the core subconsciousness of the human body. From screen to scr...

In the art world, 2023 was a mix of captivating puzzles and bold action, making a lasting impact on culture. From the hunt for Banksy's identity to Palestinian activists denouncing Israeli airstrikes at New York's Guggenheim Museum, the year was packed with intrigue and urgency. Not to mention, in April, Lauren Halsey blended South Central LA stories with ancient architecture in a massive rooftop installation at The Met which featured a fusion of cultures soaring 22 feet high with 750 concrete tiles.These events showcase how art, activism, and culture are constantly intertwining and evolving, shaping the narrative of contemporary art worldwide. Dive into our roundup of the year's standout moments in the art scene below.Lauren Halsey Transformed the Rooftop of The MetBack in April, Lauren H...

2023 was unofficially the year of Picasso as museums and galleries around the world united to celebrate the 70th anniversary since the prolific artist's death. With just days until the new year, the festivities continue in a number of spaces, including Gagosian's 522 West 21st Street location in New York. A Foreigner Called Picasso presents a comprehensive look at the Spanish artist's oeuvre, from his early beginnings till his passing in 1973. Featuring myriad works loaned from separate institutions and private collections, the exhibition is anchored by the figure of the harlequin — Picasso's allegorical avatar that appears throughout each period within his career. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Gagosian (@gagosian)The title of the show refers to Annie Cohen-Solal’s award-winn...

American artist Paul Pfeiffer has been interrogating the act of image making for 25 years. Working across a wide range of creative disciplines, he commonly employs found and source material from pop culture to probe into the spectacle of sports and the myth of celebrity. On view at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles, Pfeiffer presents a thorough look into his nearly three decade career. As the first US retrospective on the artist, Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom unpacks society's obsession with spectacle and how our collective consciousness is constructed through image circulation. True to his deconstructionist aesthetic, Pfeiffer tinkers with audiences' perceptions by meticulously reframing scenes from years past. Three Figures in a Room (2015-18) showcases the highly...

It's been quite the year for the British Museum and not in the best way. The 270 year old institution, while having faced this criticism for some time now, experienced added pressure by Greek officials to return the Parthenon Marbles, amidst a number of similar repatriation efforts. In its defense, the museum claims that on top of "legal ownership" of the ancient reliefs, its reasons for withholding a return is due to a "moral responsibility to preserve and maintain all the collections in their care and to make them accessible to world audiences.” Ironically, the institution was caught in an internal scandal this year when longtime curator Peter Higgs was ousted for stealing over 1,500 artifacts from the museum's collection. Alas, Greece has a offered a simple trade solution. In an intervi...

Embarking on a journey through the realm of contemporary art, 2024 promises a spectacular lineup of exhibitions stateside offering diverse narratives, perspectives, and artistic legacies. From retrospectives honoring the pioneers to groundbreaking showcases redefining traditional mediums, these exhibitions serve as portals into the essence of cultural evolution. From Paul Pfeiffer's introspective unraveling of collective consciousness to Grace Wales Bonner's nuanced exploration of Black cultural heritage, each exhibition invites audiences on a transformative odyssey. Giants, curated by Kimberli Gant, spotlights the exceptional collection of music icons Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, celebrating Black diasporic culture. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Museum of Art beckons with a comprehensive po...

When seeing the sums that float around at auction, it can feel daunting to enter the world of art collecting. Especially considering blue chip lots and works from rising stars in the making. French artist Claire Tabouret is certainly in the latter camp and has been one to watch over the past decade as one of the premier figurative painters in the world. While her intimate portraiture and abstract landscapes fetch anywhere from $100,000 to over $800,000 USD, there's still ways to own unique works from the Los Angeles-based artist, including a new ceramic plate by Galerie Perrotin.Portrait with Curls and Portrait with Stripes feature two expressive depictions of young girls — a prominent theme that the artist extrapolates within her practice. Whether shown singular or in a group, Tabouret's ...

Most people have experienced a glitch at some point in their lives. Whether through a malfunction on their smartphone, an unusual lapse within a video game or the classic freeze-frame on a video call. But a new exhibition on view at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich spotlights how artist's have utilized the theme of interruption within their respective practices. Glitch: The Art of Interference draws attention to one of the youngest art forms, signaling a focus on the productive side of error. Going back to its roots, the German word “glitschen” (to slide, let slide) or Yiddish “gletshn” (to slip, slide away) was first coined in the 1950s as a response to describe programming errors in early computers. The exhibition includes sculpture, painting and mixed-media applications, including w...

Massive multimedia presentations seem to be a hallmark for JR. While perhaps best known for his large-scale photographic murals that have displayed across New York City and amidst the Pyramids of Giza, the French artist constantly shrugs off categorization by constantly reinventing his practice through collaborative projects, that have recently included Paris' Palais Garnier and a documentary recounting the life of Robert De Niro Sr. For his latest endeavor, the creative polymath created a colossal mural featuring 1,048 portraits of Miami residents and visitors, as part of his Chronicles series. Currently on view at Superblue, the artwork invites participants to take a portrait in one of three photo booths, which results in oversized prints of the sitter that displays on the exterior of th...

To cap off 2023, French authorities lifted a new golden phoenix atop Paris' Notre Dame to signal that the building's restoration is close to completion. However, not everyone is excited with how the nearly thousand year cathedral will be re-presented. Namely, there is a proposed plan to install new contemporary stained-glass windows, which has been met with heavy criticism. French publication La Tribune de l’Art created an online petition demanding that architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's original windows be kept at Notre Dame. While undamaged in the 2019 fire, French president Emmanuel Macron proposed a competition on December 8 calling contemporary artists to submit designs for six of seven windows in the cathedral's south aisle. Macron outlined that the original windows would be on view a...

For those too young to witness, hearing the name Ronaldo instantly conjures up the chiseled Portuguese winger who now (predictably) scores relentlessly in the Saudi league. But for older generations, Ronaldo Lima was the original phenom who catapulted both the Brazilian National Team and Nike within the world of football.A group of emerging artists are showing their love for O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon') though a new virtual exhibition to celebrate 30 years since R9 burst on the scene with Cruzeiro. Curated by A Store Like 94, the show includes a variety of one-off hand-painted artworks and giclée prints from the likes of Dan Draws, Jean Joao, 45 RPM, Iosone Kaba and many more. The premise of the show was centered around the founder's desire to bring 30 male and female modern artists who e...