Art

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, ...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

Copenhagen's V1 Gallery is hosting a new group exhibition that explores the ways in which artists live and react to the changing beat of their respective cities. Curated by participating artist Marcus Leslie Singleton, the show will primarily comprise of paintings and mixed-media artworks by Caroline Absher, Anthony Akinbola, Basie Allen, Cassandra Mayela Allen, Devin B Johnson, Dylan Rose Rheingold, Federico de Francesco, Hein Koh, Austin Lee, Eddie Martinez, Milo Matthieu and more. While city's are indelibly tied to a certain 'identity', the places we call home are always changing by the minute. The work on display seeks to capture these stories, from the artist's personal observations of the corner shops, the rise in living costs and the hum-and-drum of their daily commute to how they t...

Amidst the buzz of London's Piccadilly Circus, CIRCA has become a centerpiece attraction slowing locals and tourists in their tracks. The culture platform has consistently partnered with numerous established and rising figures, from Shirin Neshat to Olaolu Slawn, who are tasked with lighting up the roundabouts giant LED billboard with poignant artistic messages surrounding social and political events.Legendary artist, activist and Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei is the latest to join the list and he's taking on a force with the same letters as his first name. It was only a matter of time until Weiwei, known for his unapologetic stances on social affairs, to voice his thoughts surrounding artificial intelligence's divisive integration within the arts. Ongoing now until March 31, Weiwei is posin...

Changing the pace from his usual small print drops, Cleon Peterson has released a new triptych set called THE POSSESSED. Opting for one dominant color palette, as opposed to three different iterations, the Los Angeles-based artist displays a tussle for power between two factions of humanoid figures — each represented by a black or gold hue with white accents. Violence and the pursuit for power have been prevalent motifs throughout Peterson's oeuvre, themes that have persisted across the history of civilization, to which he constantly mines for references. Drawing parallels to antiquity, Peterson creates largely monotone paintings and sculptures that aesthetically hark to the reliefs of Ancient Egypt and Greece, inserting modern political figures such as Donald Trump in an attempt to issue ...

Move over Midjourney, there's a new sheriff in town. Well, kinda. His name is Pablo Delcan, a Catskills, New York-based artist who's been offering his own prompt-based service called Prompt Brush. These aren't highly rendered, intensely saturated compositions that are typically churned out through AI, mind you. But rather, more humorous hand-drawn interpretations that Declan creates within a minute for each of the submissions he receives.This all started as a joke, but Delcan now creates up to 50 prompt-based artworks a day, totaling 1,000 since launch. It's understandably a “huge undertaking”, he's noted in a past interview, but merits the project for the way it's allowed him to connect with his audience “in a way [he] hadn’t before”.Drawings have included simple reinterpretations of a di...