Art
Photographer “Drift” Arrested at His Exhibition Opening
SummaryIsaac “Drift” Wright arrested during his solo show at Robert Mann GalleryHe was charged with third-degree trespassing linked to previous climbsAn undercover officer at the event reportedly made the arrestIsaac Wright, known as “Drift,” was arrested at his own art show in Chelsea last Thursday night. Just two hours into the opening, NYPD officers entered the Robert Mann Gallery and took him into custody on charges of third-degree trespassing.Wright, a former Army paratrooper, gained notoriety for climbing skyscrapers and restricted sites to capture high-altitude photographs. His work, often shot from dangerous heights like the Queensboro Bridge or the Empire State Building, earned him both a social media following albeit multiple legal run-ins.According to Artnews, witnesses said an ...
Awol Erizku Explores Malcolm X’s Legacy at CAAM Solo Exhibition
SummaryAwol Erizku pays homage to Malcolm X through new and recent worksThemes include faith, identity and transformationOn view at CAAM through September 7, organized with SCAD Museum of ArtAwol Erizku’s new exhibition at the California African American Museum (CAAM) takes a personal look at the life and meaning of Malcolm X. Titled Awol Erizku: X, the show doesn’t try to explain Malcolm’s legacy in a straightforward way. Instead, it builds a layered portrait using film, photography, sculpture, music and historical materials.For Erizku, Malcolm X is not just a historical figure. He becomes a lens through which to explore bigger ideas like faith, identity, transformation and the ties between Africa and the United States. The artist brings his own visual language to the work, which he calls...
Takashi Murakami Heals With History in ‘Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow’
On a rainy mid-May morning, Takashi Murakami arrived at the Cleveland Museum of Art to inaugurate Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow, one of his biggest American exhibitions in 20 years. With more than 100 paintings and sculptures, the exhibition offers not only a more complete understanding of the famed Japanese artist today but also brings his converging timelines and aesthetics full circle.The exhibition was originally presented at Los Angeles’s The Broad in 2022, and since then it's been expanded with new works — most notably, a replica of the ancient Yumedono temple in the museum’s atrium.While the sounds of hammers and drills reverberated through the still-unopened exhibit, Murakami was calm and focused, seated in a quiet dining room in the back of the museum. As what some might call ...
Inside the Artist-Run ‘Secret Mall Apartment’
SummaryA new documentary, titled Secret Mall Apartment, chronicles the story of a Rhode Island art collective that made Providence Place mall their home.Directed by Jeremy Workman and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, the film recently debuted at SXSW and has started rollout in theaters across the U.S.Back in 2003, a group of Rhode Island artists transformed a forgotten corner of Providence Place mall into a secret 750-square-foot headquarters – now their story is hitting the big screen.The group is the focus of a new documentary, Secret Mall Apartment, which made its debut at SXSW last spring. Directed by Jeremy Workman and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, the film centers around artist Michael Townsend, the “ringleader” of the covert operation, and the seven other members of the informal art coll...
Fenix, Rotterdam’s Art Museum of Migration, Is Now Open
SummaryRotterdam opens the doors to Fenix, a new museum showcasing contemporary art about migration.The institution debuts with three exhibition which explore migration through painting, installation, sculpture and photography.Designed by MAD Architects, the museum transforms a restored 16,000-square-meter warehouse into a creative arena of international dialogue.The long-anticipated reveal of Fenix Museum is here, opening its doors to a powerful exploration of migration through the lens of contemporary art. Located in the city’s harbor-side Katendrecht district, the museum breathes new life into the historic, 16,000-square-meter warehouse.The design, helmed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the museum marks the first European cultural project by the Beijing-based studio. Standout architect...
Maurizio Cattelan Curates ‘The Endless Sunday’ at Centre Pompidou-Metz
The Centre Pompidou-Metz is celebrating its 15th anniversary with The Endless Sunday, a major exhibition curated by renowned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. For the first time, the museum will activate every part of its establishment, from the Grande Nef and Galerie 1 to the rooftops and hidden spaces with more than 400 works from the Centre Pompidou’s collection.Cattelan brings these works into dialogue with approximately 30 of his own, offering his signature satire plus a melancholic reflection on modern mythologies. Among them is Comedian, his infamous banana duct-taped to the wall, a piece that stirred global debate on the value and absurdity of contemporary art. In this context, it stands as both satire and symbol, reinforcing the exhibition’s deeper exploration of cultural rituals ...
Takashi Murakami Reworks Trauma and Tradition at Cleveland Museum of Art
SummaryStepping on the Tail of a Rainbow by Takashi Murakami is opening at the Cleveland Museum of Art and will be on view through September 7.Many of the works use shared historical trauma as a point of departure, reimagined through the artist's signature electric style.The show features several never-before-seen and new works including a "dream hall" in the museum's atrium.Takashi Murakami is touching down in Ohio to unveil Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow, his latest exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA). Expanding on its initial 2022 presentation at The Broad, the show casts the celebrated artist in a more edgy and acidic light, featuring never-before-seen installations and exclusive new works that take viewers beneath the surface of his candy-colored, Superflat world.The ex...
Modular Furniture Takes Center Stage in Josh Sperling’s Upcoming LA Exhibition
SummaryBig Picture marks Josh Sperling’s first West Coast solo exhibitionThe showcase will include both sculptural paintings and artistic furnitureHosted by Perrotin Los Angeles, the exhibition will run from May 31 to July 3, 2025Josh Sperling is set to unveil Big Picture, his first-ever solo showcase on the West Coast. Hosted by Perrotin Los Angeles, the showcase merges Sperling’s decade-long exploration of sculptural painting with his latest venture into functional design. Known for his mastery of form and color, the Ithaca-based artist introduces new dimensions to his work, where practicality and visual expression intertwine seamlessly. This exhibition marks a significant step in his creative journey, expanding beyond traditional canvases to embrace interactive, modular elements.A core ...
Against the Scroll: Yehwan Song and the Internet We Forgot
Written by Charlie Kane for HypeartThe early internet is back—or at least, how it looks. Pixelated fonts, chaotic cursors and glitchy graphics have become popular once again amid a wave of Y2K nostalgia. The lo-fi charm of late-’90s and early-2000s digital culture has become a visual language of its own: clunky on purpose, retro without the dial-up. But much of the revival stops at the surface. The nostalgia is easy. The critique is missing.Yehwan Song’s work doesn’t stop there.While others borrow the web’s early graphic language, Song returns to the instability of that era, when the internet felt messier, more personal and less predictable. A Korean designer, artist, and developer, she’s spent the past several years building experimental websites and installations that resist the polish o...
Meet the Winners of the First Art Basel Awards
SummaryArt Basel reveals the 36 medalists for its inaugural Art Basel Awards, co-presented by BOSS.Across nine categories, the winners include artists across all career stages, institutions, curators and behind-the-scenes allies.The winners will be honored at the marquee Swiss fair in June, and 12 finalists will be announced during Art Basel Miami.Art Basel has unveiled the 36 recipients of its first-ever Art Basel Awards, an ambitious new program spotlighting the visionaries shaping contemporary culture. Unlike conventional accolades focused on past achievements, these awards signal an ambitious commitment to cultural stewardship by celebrating artists and institutions that embody boundary-pushing and future-facing creativity.Among the cohort inaugural honorees are performance art pioneer...
Lionel Messi To Reveal Favorite Goal of His Career in AI Artwork
SummaryLionel Messi and Refik Anadol come together to create an AI-generated artwork based on Messi’s favorite career goal.The final artwork, co-signed by Messi and Anadol, will be auctioned at Christie’s New York on June 11.Funds from the sale will benefit the A Goal in Life initiative, which empowers youth education initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean.Lionel Messi is teaming up with Turkish artist Refik Anadol for a new AI-generated artwork based on his favorite goal. The final artwork, which will go under the hammer at Christie’s New York on June 11, is presented in two parts: an image of the goal itself, and Anadol’s AI-powered interpretation of the moment generated from millions of data points linked to the game.Over the course of his illustrious, two-decade-long career, th...
Pharrell Williams Launches JOOPITER Marketplace
SummaryPharrell Williams expands his auction platform with JOOPITER MarketplaceCapitalizing on the instant purchase feature, he partners with his A-list circle to release pre-owned collectiblesPharrell Williams' auction platform JOOPITER expands with its own marketplace in an attempt to adjust to the art market downturn with a new instant purchase feature of luxurious and pre-owned collectibles.In a new report from WWD, the publication confirms that Joopiter Marketplace is launching with items from some of Pharrell's closest A-list circle including collectors like himself, artist Tom Sachs, jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, entrepreneur and gallerist Easy Otabor and music executive Steven Victor. John Auerbach, chief executive officer of Joopiter told WWD in a statement, "Over the past three-and-...
