Art

Cai Guo-Qiang, a globally acclaimed contemporary artist, recently presented his expansive solo exhibition titled "Ramble in the Cosmos – From Primeval Fireball Onward" at the National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT). The exhibition, jointly organized by NACT and Saint Laurent, showcases Cai's extraordinary body of work.Just before the exhibition's opening, Cai orchestrated a daytime fireworks spectacle named "When the Sky Blooms with Sakura." This commissioned event by Saint Laurent, in collaboration with the project's Executive Committee, took place above the very coast where Cai's explosive artwork, "The Horizon from the Pan-Pacific: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 14," astonished audiences three decades ago.The involvement of Saint Laurent in curating Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibition aligns with t...

James Jean doesn't typically collaborate with other artists. Haroshi, well-known for his recycled skate deck figures, was a notable exception. The two first got acquainted online as they spotted similar motifs within each other's work, namely, the exploration of traditional Japanese woodworking. The Taiwanese-American artist recently took to Instagram to announce a new collaborative print between the two, entitled Trespassers. Produced by Avant Arte, the artwork prominently features Jean's Woodcutter character in the center as it stands on a felled skate deck and one of Haroshi's GUZO characters in its arms. "It’s uncertain whether he stole or rescued a much coveted GUZO," mused Jean via Instagram, "but what is clear is that he is a trespasser, and he has an expression of defiance as he pu...

Through The Lens spotlights emerging and established photographers from around the world. The ongoing series is dedicated to offering unique insights in varying areas of photographic expertise including portrait, landscape, fine art, fashion, documentary and more.Aleksandr Babarikin, a 26-year-old software engineer originally from Belarus who now resides in New York, describes his photography as a blend of impressionism and abstract expression. His work encompasses a wide range of themes, combining elements of nostalgia with futuristic visions of dystopian cities. Babarikin believes that photography serves as a means of self-reflection, allowing him to express ideas, emotions, and experiences without conscious thought.Babarikin’s distorted images evoke a range of emotions and messages. Som...

Vincent Leroy's installations tether back and forth like thoughts racing in-and-out of the mind. Whether through digital works, such as his Anamorphosis piece on the beaches of Iceland or physical manifestations like the optical constellation he installed in Paris last year, the French artist typically works with gradations of light to explore the boundaries of perception.For his latest work, Leroy travelled to Joshua Tree, California — the fabled desert landscape, where light is abundant. Entitled Floating Lenses, the kinetic mobile continues the artist's exploration into Fresnel lenses, which feature a series of concentric grooves that are traditionally used for its light gathering abilities. Having showcased a similar work in his hometown of Paris, Leroy presents the latest iteration as...

Pace Gallery Hong Kong is showcasing a new solo exhibition by American artist, Joel Shapiro. Eponymously titled, the show presents a range of artwork from the past 30 years of the New York-based artist's career.Shapiro has always challenged the invisible line between figuration and abstraction. Viewing one of his geometric sculptures, many of which look like stick figures in three dimensions, is a new experience each time you walk around the piece and observe how it changes with the surrounding space. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pace Gallery (@pacegallery)Standout works include two wooden sculptures Shapiro created in the early '90s that are entwined to guide your eyes like signposts up the walls of the room. Also on view are newer, and somewhat heavier artwork, ...

JOOPITER has officially concluded its "Just Phriends" auction curated by Pharrell and Sarah Andelman. The preview was unveiled in the French capital during Paris Fashion Week, bringing friends and artists for a vibrant celebration of the collection. Guests who attended the opening day of the preview included Tyler, the Creator, Pusha T, Alexandre Arnault, Futura and more.The curation saw works from Takashi Murakami, Daniel Arsham and more highlight the "Just Phriends" sale. The auction concluded with $3.85 million USD in sales, with 42% of the lots selling above their high estimate. JOOPITER, which is a global digital-first auction house and content platform founded by the multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams, partnered with Sarah Andelman, colette founder and long-time friend of the artist. ...

It's believed that the pizza, or at least the one that we recognize today, was invented in the 19th century. But the true date of our beloved pies may have come far earlier, as archaeologists recently uncovered a depiction of a pizza in a Roman fresco in Pompeii. According to a report leading the excavation, however, most of the "characteristic ingredients" of a pizza are missing, "namely tomatoes and mozzarella." The quasi-pizza or foccaccia shown is also accompanied by wine, fruit, dough and various spices — all styled in a still life on a silver platter. Culturally speaking, Naples, despite a 2022 report by The Greek Times, is largely attributed as the birthplace of the flatbread pizza — making the latest Pompeii discovery an important historical connection. “Pompeii never ceases to ama...

Next month, Gagosian will showcase a unique new digital sculpture by Swiss visual artist Urs Fischer at its Beverly Hills outpost. Entitled Denominator, Fischer, who recently transformed the neighboring Marciano Art Foundation last year, tapped into the proliferation of images found across the history of television advertisements.The 12-foot cube displays fragmentary images and clips sourced from international television commercials as early as the 1950s to the present day. In particular, Fischer utilized the latest advancements in AI to deconstruct individual shots, which are subsequently grouped according to color and theme — resulting in mesmerizing telecasts that probe into the power broadcasting ads have in swaying human consciousness. "This collective human experiment—public relation...

Cleon Peterson's latest exhibition, Cruelty, takes a deep dive into the haunting reflections of societal malaise and violence found in modern times. Presented by Hong Kong-based gallery, Over The Influence, Cruelty aims to captivate audiences through dark visions of modern power dynamics that carry a universal resonance. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CLEON PETERSON (@cleonpeterson)A common theme found in Peterson's work is the desire to confront history rather than reshape it. Instead, he addresses aspects like the malaise of society and encourages viewers to face some of the ugliest aspects of past and present realities of human nature. In his latest exhibition, Peterson presents a world that evokes a dark atmospheric ambiance, which comes across with a different ...

There are a great many things that you shouldn't do on holiday. Locals usually hate when tourists are loud and obnoxious or stop every second to take a picture, blocking troves of people on their daily commute. While those are only minor blips, it goes without saying that you should never etch your name into a UNESCO World Heritage site, unless of course you enjoy jail time and hefty fines. Last week, a tourist was filmed defacing the Roman Colosseum by etching the words, “Ivan + Hayley ‘23” on a columned arch. A video originally posted to Reddit shows what appears to be Ivan and Hayley conducting the act, while a stranger yells out "asshole" to them. Ivan only smiled back.He may not be smiling much longer, as the punishment for the offense can be upwards of €20,000 EUR / $21,923 USD and p...

In anticipation of his upcoming solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF), Patrick Martinez has created a new mural for a basketball court in the city's Dogpatch neighborhood. The project was part of a restoration effort for the Alive & Free Good Tidings basketball court and commissioned by the ICA SF in collaboration with Bay Area Mural Project and the Warriors Community Foundation.The Los Angeles-based visual artist drew from his Pee-Chee painting series, which nods to the illustrations school kids draw in classic rule-bound notebooks, to create towering young adults — some dressed in graduation attire, while others are outstretched to score the winning basket. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Patrick Martinez (@patrick_martinez_studio)“I ...