Art

Amongst the many iconic shots that defined the original Star Wars series, the scene of Luke Skywalker firing the finishing shot to destroy the Death Star may go down as arguably the biggest. Case in point: a model X-wing fighter used to film that scene was just sold via Heritage Auctions for a whopping $3.1m USD — the largest sum for any Star Wars-related prop ever.The fighter was built by Greg Jein, the legendary Chinese-American model designer and visual effects artist who worked on a number of iconic scenes, including Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), and Mulan (2020), amongst many others. “The success of this auction was a profound testament to Greg Jein as both a visual-effects master and one of the great c...

CB Hoyo, Evgen Čopi Gorišek and Pascal Möhlmann have physically melded their distinct individual artistic visions in a striking collaborative venture for THE SKATEROOM. The trio put their six hands to work to curate the largest skateboard art deck in the history of THE SKATEROOM, among a vibrant range of skate deck triptychs, in which each artist applied his ethos to a third, to create an "unforgettable triple-threat visual experience.""FALLING" melds the wit of Hoyo, with Gorišek's smiling figurines and Möhlmann's Baroque heroines, inviting us to "explore the intricacies of the human experience, embrace the beauty of vulnerability, and celebrate the resilience that lies within us all," per a statement on THE SKATEROOM's website. View this post on InstagramA post shared by THE SKATERO...

This past weekend, Hypeart curated its first exhibition dedicated to the proud immigrant communities that constitute the City of Angels. Entitled Love Letters to LA, the group show was a heartfelt reflection of each artist's personal journeys, their unique approach to materials, as well as the storytelling and societal messages they seek to impart through their respective practices.Housed at SIZED STUDIO in East Hollywood, the expansive space played host to sculptures by Taylor Lee and Edmund Arevalo, paintings by Alfonso Gonzalez Jr., Jacob Rochester, Mike Reesé, and Daniela Garcia Hamilton, along with multi-media works by Patrick Martinez and Nikkolos Mohammed. View this post on InstagramA post shared by HypeArt (@hypeart)Standout pieces include Alfonso Gonzalez Jr.'s Figeroa Beauty (202...

Daniel Arsham is returning to his birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio, the place it all began. For his inaugural solo exhibition, Score and Sound, the contemporary artist is taking to The Sculpture Center to present his work. With already deep-rooted ties to the city with his prominent and first-ever role as the creative director for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Arsham returns home to draw upon Cleveland's rich sporting and musical traditions. The solo exhibit will feature 30 sculptures, including Arsham's iconic eroded cultural relics, sculptural works and more. The collection invites art fans to reflect upon the material and cultural histories of everyday objects including Walkmans, cameras, baseball gloves and basketball hoops. Known for his boundary-breaking collaborations that see him fuse his ...

The Van Gogh Museum has officially announced that it will stop issuing limited edition Pokémon cards, specifically the "Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card." Citing its reason for this "difficult decision," the Museum shared that it was due to the actions of "a small group of individuals" causing an "undesirable situation."This particular collaboration has been in the headlines since its frenzied opening in late September, which saw merchandise sell out almost instantaneously as fans and resellers alike stormed the shops. Earlier this month, The Pokémon Company apologized for the instant sellout, stating, "We apologize to all the fans eagerly awaiting our Pokémon Center x Van Gogh Museum release today. Due to overwhelming demand, all our products from this collection have sold out. We un...

It's commonplace to think that artists are a special bunch bestowed with magical powers, that the rest of us are without. But if you look at the work of their childhood, you quickly realize that we're all, in regards to technical ability, generally on the same playing field. We all at one point created the same lousy stick figure drawings, scribbled outside the lines and exaggerated forms that disregarded prescribed technique or artistic genres. "My kid could do that!", you hear shouted from a crowd of disgruntled parents looking at a work by Ellsworth Kelly. And you know what? Maybe they can. A new exhibition is coming to New York which spotlights the childhood artwork from contemporary figures, such as KAWS, Jen Stark, Daniel Arsham, LeRoy Neiman, KidSuper and many more. Aptly titled My ...

The Photographers Gallery in London is hosting the first UK retrospective on seminal Japanese photographer, Daido Moriyama. For over 60 years, Moriyama has documented the streets of his home country through a rapid and unfiltered lens, his go-to Ricoh GR series to be exact, resulting in grainy images that distill reality to gritty black-and-white images that question the very nature of photography in the process. Eponymously titled Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective, the show features over 200 images and installations from different periods across his career, including early work in magazines and book publishing, his interests in the American occupation and photorealism, as well as Moriyama's self-reflexive photographs from the 1980s and 1990s. Whereas some photographers fetishize the craft, ...

Clase Azul México, known for its luxurious spirits and hospitality, has unveiled the Clase Azul Tequila Día de Muertos Edición Limitada Aromas. This release is part of their annual Nuestros Recuerdos series, which debuted in 2021 and pays tribute to Día de Muertos. Aromas, limited to 3,500 decanters, honors the scents of this celebration, especially the sweet cempasúchil flower fragrance. It will be available from October 20 at Clase Azul Boutique La Terraza and Clase Azul Boutique Los Cabos Airport in San José del Cabo.The Nuestros Recuerdos series previously featured Clase Azul Tequila Día de Muertos Edición Limitada Sabores in 2021 and Clase Azul Tequila Día de Muertos Edición Limitada Colores in 2022, dedicated to the flavors and colors of Día de Muertos. This holiday reflects Mexico's...

For the Londoners itching to get a taste of Seoul, but don't want to make the 5,500-mile trek, there's a new exhibition that transports you to the Korean capital. On view in the Victorian tunnels at Borough Yards, Delight is split between 12 digital installations by South Korean artist, Gyoungtae Hong, in collaboration with director, Younsook Im. Part cultural preservation, part sensory overload, each installation explores a different aspect of Seoul's ever-changing landscape — from Neon Nostalgia, an overwhelming display of signs, complemented by pulsating music that blends the city's past and present; to Mind: Myth, an end-to-end LED screen centered around the story of an artificial construct that lies in an enchanted forest where visitors are encouraged to venture inside the space to fi...

It's no question that Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the most celebrated artists in not just American history, but world history – with her works and signature style continuing to pervade popular culture, museum exhibitions and more. Now, another impressive self-portrait piece from the artist is heading to auction, entitled Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two).The artwork was crafted in 1982 while Basquiat was living in Los Angeles, which was also a period of fruitful work for the artist. One of few self-portraits by Basquiat, the piece was made for his first West Coast exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in L.A. Appearing in shades of green, black, beige, blue and more, Self-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two) soars at eight feet tall and shines with the Basquiat's signature contemporary and neo-e...

Korean-American artist Taylor Lee has unveiled a new series of ceramic sculptures made in collaboration with Avant Arte. Having recently featured in Hypeart's Love Letters to LA charity exhibition, Lee has unveiled two new characters as part of her ongoing Strong Women series, as well as a new figure, dubbed Tubie — which as the name implies — depicts a woman laying in a water float. While perhaps best known for recreating some of her favorite Japanese pop cultural characters, think Gundam and Godzilla, Lee has created her own distinct vernacular, where she exaggerates the female form to dismantle social stereotypes, while jovially highlighting "female strength and resilience, showcasing the power of overcoming challenges," according to the artist. Her latest sculptures are finished throug...