Art
London Graffiti Show Shut Down After Vandalism Controversy
A graffiti show at London’s Piccadilly Circus was abruptly shut down last Thursday for, well, graffiti.Long Dark Tunnel, which had been open for just three weeks, presented a "gallery takeover" by notable names in the scene, including 10Foot, Tox and Fume. Organized by Arts Arkade and London magazine Big Issue, the show followed a 10Foot guest-edited edition, which featured an interview between Banksy and Tox.The closure came after a “fuck the king” tag was found scrawled on the walls of the venue and nearby buildings, all owned by the Crown Estate – the monarch’s £15.5 billion property portfolio.“The criminal damage we’ve experienced is totally unacceptable and is not a matter we take lightly,” Arts Arkade wrote in an Instagram post, announcing the shutdown. While there’s no indication th...
Florida Gallery Charged for Selling Bootleg Warhols
Last week the FBI raided the Miami Fine Art Gallery in Florida for allegedly selling forged art including artworks they falsely authenticated as real paintings by the late Pop Art icon, Andy Warhol. The outpost is owned by the art dealer, Leslie Roberts, who has been charged in federal court for “conspiring to sell forged art,” as per Artnet. “The 62-year-old dealer used fraudulent invoices and authentication documents to sell the works, officials claim.”Accompanying Roberts in charges is a 37-year old man named Carlos Miguel Rodriguez Melendez who was hit with charges for wire fraud that linked to the forged artwork . Both individuals were arrested, but as of now, are free on bail with a slated April 21 arraignment. If they’re found guilty, the pair face up to 20 years in federal prison. ...
Amoako Boafo Brings a Slice of Accra to Gagosian London in ‘I Do Not Come to You by Chance’
Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo’s ascent to art stardom has been nothing short of stellar. In 2021, his work was launched into space, marking a major moment for the artist and African contemporary art at large. That same year, Kim Jones tapped him to create visuals for Dior’s Summer 2021 campaign, and later, he caught the attention of mega-dealer Larry Gagosian, who referred to him as the “future of portraiture.”Now the renowned painter is making his UK solo debut with I Do Not Come to You by Chance at Gagosian London – a celebration of his Accra roots and a tribute to the artistic community that gave way to his meteoric rise. Unfolding across three rooms, the exhibition introduces a new body of fingertip-painted works – celebrations of Black joy that “counter the flawed narrative of stereoty...
In ‘The Sprayed Dear,’ Katharina Grosse’s Dreamy Art Knows No Bounds
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart is getting a chromatic makeover with The Sprayed Dear, the latest solo exhibition by celebrated German artist Katharina Grosse. Based between Berlin and New Zealand, Grosse has spent over three decades redefining what painting can be, moving beyond the canvas to embrace entire landscapes, buildings and sculptural form.For Grosse, a painting has no end nor edge. Using her signature spray technique, she sweeps pigment across surfaces in immersive dreamlike waves whose borderless forms create a harmonic unity. “For me, two-dimensional painting doesn't exist,” the artist explained. “The canvas itself is a three-dimensional, haptic object and a painting can appear anywhere. On an egg, in the crook of your arm, in snow and ice or on the beach."Circling this philosophy are...
Andy Warhol’s ‘Big Electric Chair’ to Hit Christie’s Auction
Andy Warhol’s “Big Electric Chair” (1967-68) is set to headline Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale during New York's Marquee Week, with a pre-estimated cost of at least $30m USD, marking its first appearance at an auction.The painting first appeared at the artist’s 1968 presentation at Stockholm's Modern Museet, his first major retrospective outside of the U.S. Just one year later, it was acquired by Belgian collectors Roger Matthys and Hilda Colle, where it has remained for the last half-century.“Big Electric Chair” depicts a tightly-cropped version of a 1953 press photograph taken in the execution chamber of the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, an image that served as the basis of Warhol's renowned Death and Disaster series. Unlike other works where doors, pipes and additio...
Cj Hendry Pokes Fun at Jeff Koons with Balloon-Inspired Exhibition
This past Thursday, Cj Hendry invited guests to celebrate the opening of her latest exhibition, Keff Joons. Now open in NYC’s Dumbo neighborhood through April 20, the presentation is a playful nod to Jeff Koons’ iconic balloon sculptures, the show features 50 oversized, chaotic "balloon knot" installations that invite visitors to interact with while exploring themes of joy, nostalgia and impermanence.True to her immersive style, Hendry transforms the space into a whimsical playground, blending humor and scale. "Balloons are so simple, yet they carry this enormous emotional weight—joy, nostalgia, fragility. I love that they float so effortlessly, but at any moment, they can pop," said Hendry in a statement.Editions and merchandise are also on offer. All original works have already sold out,...
Lachlan Turczan Illuminates Milan Design Week with Curtains of Light
American artist Lachlan Turczan is currently presenting six interactive halo sculptures at Milan Design Week 2025, as a part of Google’s Making the Invisible Visible exhibition. Known for his explorations of light and water, Turczan deconstructs the idea of form, resulting in artworks that reimagines the intangible with a material iridescence.Housed in Garage 21, Lucida (I-VI) lights up the darkness with ethereal hues of white, blue and purple. As visitors pass through the luminous veil, their presence subtly bends its shape, appearing as curtains swaying in the wind, or quiet ripples of sunlit waters. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lachlan Turczan (@lachlanturczan)Turczan and his team use a combination of lidar, infrared and normal vision cameras to sculpt these ep...
Daniel Arsham Hits Quavo with Copyright Lawsuit
Artist Daniel Arsham has filed a lawsuit against Quavo for copyright infringement and violation of right to publicity, after the Migos star featured one of his Ferrari sculptures in the “Trappa Rappa” promo video without legal permission.On March 31, Arsham filed a complaint in Manhattan’s Southern District of New York, claiming that “infringing video features Quavo performing in front of the artwork" – Quartz Eroded 1961 Ferrari GT (2018), which is currently registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Alongside the teaser, Quavo posted still images that featured the sculpture on Instagram, and tagged Arsham’s account.Arsham and his legal team sent cease-and-desist letters to Quavo, Quality Control Music, and its parent company, HYBE America, in December 2024, when the content in question w...
‘TOILETPAPER’ and Fotografiska Join Forces for Upcoming Berlin Show
Frustrated by the rigidity of the art world, Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari set out to carve their own corner of culture – a home for a shared love of the absurd, edgy, surreal and provocative. And in 2010, TOILETPAPER was born.Now, the Italian art duo is heading to Germany to unveil a new exhibition at Fotografiska Berlin. Aptly-titled ToiletFotoPaperGrafiska, the show takes a bold step beyond the printed page and into immersive installations and high-saturated environments that revel in the cult publication’s knack for dark satire, pop culture and acidic social commentary.Visitors are invited to step into the “curated chaos” of TOILETPAPER, taking the form of swimming pools overflowing with fake bananas or a fun house maze of floor-to-ceiling prints. It’s less about decoding the...
Hideo Kojima and Nicolas Winding Refn Come Together in New Tokyo Show
Fondazione Prada is set to open a new exhibition by game auteur Hideo Kojima and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn. The latest collaboration from the long-time friends and creative allies, Satellites explores the “universal concept of connection” across language, territory and mediums.Housed at Prada Aoyama in Tokyo, the exhibition immerses visitors to a mid-century domestic space, characteristic of their shared cinematic flair. In the main space, six retrofuturistic televisions broadcasting the artists in meditative dialogue, circling topics of identity, technology death and what endures beyond.Meanwhile, a cassette player and a stack of tapes sit in a nearby dressing room. Overlaying cinematic scores with various translations of the artist’s conversations in different languages, each visito...
Hypeart Visits: Jon Rafman Constructs a New Canon for the Post-Truth Generation
You’ll find a bit of everything at a Jon Rafman opening – the usual art suspects, fashion heads, music lovers, film connoisseurs and, more recently, the crypto crowd. It’s a group that reflects his own desire to go beyond art world esotericism and break into the broader cultural bloodstream.Rafman is one of the most revered voices of Post-Internet art. Born in Montreal and raised by its indie scene, he's best known for exploring the grotesque, absurd and strangely beautiful corners of digital life. For his latest solo exhibition, Proof of Concept, now at Sprüth Magers in Los Angeles through May 3, the Canadian artist conjures an AI-assisted, hallucinatory hellscape, paying homage to the media cultures that shaped him.Anchoring the show is Main Stream Media Network (MSM), a fictional broadc...
Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘Bones’ Feature Gold-Plated Panels With Bullet Holes
Maurizio Cattelan’s "America" (2016), a fully functioning toilet cast in 18-karat gold, was stolen from England’s Blenheim Palace this past February. According to reports, the $6 million USD sculpture was broken up and allegedly sold off in parts to a London jeweler. In March, the thieves were found guilty. Cattelan has yet to comment publicly on the incident, but in what feels like a pointed response, he’s unveiled a new solo exhibition titled Bones.Now on view at Gagosian London, Bones features a series of 24K gold-plated panels riddled with bullet holes. The gallery describes the damaged surfaces as “metaphors for creation and destruction,” exploring the uneasy relationship between material wealth and the widespread availability of deadly weapons. Although not emphasized, the gallery hi...
