Art

It's not everyday that one stumbles on the ruins of an ancient civilization, especially those that have yet to be discovered. For Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD student from Tulane University, his curiosity to use laser mapping known as Lidar, led to him being able to trace an entire network of buildings that had for centuries been covered by jungle in Mexico's southeastern state of Campeche.Three sites in total were unearthed, together, equalling the size of Scotland's capital Edinburgh, and believed to have once been populated with over 50,000 people in 750 to 850 AD. Researchers have named the new ancient city Valeriana, after a local lagoon. The discovery refutes previous assumptions within scholarly circles that the Tropics were where “civilizations went to die”, according to Professor Marce...

As depopulation deepens around the world, a small village in Japan turns to puppets to stitch their community back together. Ichinono is only one of several “doll villages” in Japan where life-sized mannequins are used to combat feelings of loneliness, though the town's majority elderly population drives a need for a lacking youthful comfort.While these puppets bring stories of ghost towns and haunted dolls to mind, it opens a conversation about ways to tackle the country's declining birth rate after hitting a record low just last year. According to a report published by the World Economic Forum, 29.3% of Japan’s residents are over the age of 65, making it home to the world's oldest population. In the face of a national crisis of age, perhaps a group of mannequins seems less slightly scary...

For their latest installation, FriendsWithYou summons a cast of hairy creatures at the Cleveland Public Library. Dubbed “The BAND,” the piece features five autonomous robots that light up Brett Hall in a dance of yellow, green, blue, pink and purple.Visitors are invited to touch and play with “The BAND,” short for Biodigital Autonomous Neuro Dancers, as they perform a "ballet of joy." Together, the fuzzy figures sing a symphony of ethereal sounds composed by long-time collaborator Norman Bambi. While the robots’ programming prevents them from running into visitors or each other, their bodies emit gentle healing frequencies in hopes of facilitating a positive experience AI.Founded by Samuel Albert Borkson and Arturo Sandovall III, FriendsWithYou is known for their multi-scalar presentations...

The middle of the 20th century posed seismic shifts in the global order. The bloodiest war in human history had left Europe and much of Asia in ruins, and in the ashes arose a range of material and ideological tenants that have since shaped the world. In post-war Italy, a group of artists began to clash against the urbanization, industrialization and Western consumerism seeping its way into daily life, opting for Arte Povera, or "poor art" in Italian, which challenged traditional mediums and a world that was becoming increasingly controlled by commercial art and means. Paris' Bourse de Commerce is showcasing a new group exhibition that revisits Arte Povera through 13 of the main figures who pioneered the movement. The eponymously titled show will present a range of sculptures, paintings a...

Skarstedt has announced it will open a second gallery in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. Founded in 1994 by Swedish art dealer Per Skarstedt, the space has become a beacon for contemporary art within the city's Upper East Side, as well as opening global outposts in London and Paris since. The forthcoming gallery will allow Skarstedt to expand its programming, which in the past has included titans of 20th and 21st century art, from Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons to George Condo and KAWS. The latter figure will be the inaugural artist to open the Chelsea location at 547 West 25th Street, a 6,000 square feet outpost designed by architect Richard Gluckman. "Celebrating the old and the new, Skarstedt looks forward to deepening its commitment to the iconic artists that formed its very identity, whi...

There is an alchemical quality to an artists studio. Some are just like the images you'd see in a magazine editorial, filled with busy assistants, designer furniture and housed in a building created by an award-winning architect. Most, however, are just like the office or warehouse spaces you'd find in any city — assembled together with flat file cabinets, makeshift sofas on discarded palettes and IKEA standing desks. Regardless of the style and setting, the artist studio is the incubator in which the most otherworldly concepts, paintings and sculptures first take form. For those looking to get a peek into the daily routines of some of the most prolific artists, 11 such figures are opening their studio doors to the public for a fee of $1,000 USD, which will fully benefit the IFPDA Foundati...

At Assembly Bristol in the UK, the city’s newest waterfront spot, artist Alex Chinneck has introduced a series of sculptural street lamps that blend traditional charm with unexpected twists. Cast in steel, Chinneck’s creations reimagine Victorian-style lampposts with playful forms: two lamps twist into a dramatic bow, while another pair wraps closely together, an embrace the artist calls "First Kiss at Last Light." A single, upright lamp post completes the scene, contrasting the surreal with a touch of the familiar.Towering over four meters and set against the historic Floating Harbour, the installations combine classic designs with modern LED lighting, forming a bridge between old and new. Known for bringing a touch of fantasy to urban landscapes, Chinneck continue to turn everyday object...

Housed inside the Gothic chapel of MACBA’s Capella, Wu Tsang reimagines the story of Carmen with radiant motion. While she takes clear thematic cues from Georges Bizet’s original version, "La gran mentira de la muerte (The big lie of death)" both explores and interrogates the piece’s deep-seated themes, bringing together the ritual performance of death with cinema’s own haunting traditions.The opera, composed in 1875, famously centers on the tragic fate of its heroine, though unlike Bizet’s telling, the Tsang’s video and multichannel sound installation grounds itself in an elusive escape. The film hints at feelings of possibility in the face of death, capturing flecks of life through choreography inspired by flamenco and bullfighting traditions. With a visceral sense of hope, the artist se...

Martin Margiela has unveiled a new piece of artwork in the heart of Schuttershofstraat, Antwerp. After leaving the world of fashion, the acclaimed designer has turned his focus to the art sphere and has officially made his debut as an artist in 2020.Titled “Blinds,” the new work is Margiela’s first outdoor sculpture, taking on a monolithic and circular structure with a reflective finish. Conceptualized as part of Middleheim Museum's Kunst in de Stad (Art in the City) project, the installation draws reference to window blinds, but with an added layer of mystery that befits Margiela’s enigmatic tendencies.According to Middleheim Museum, “The reflective artwork also nods to the shop windows lining the street. Passersby see what’s on display, and also a glimpse of themselves,” thus examining t...

Korean artist Kukwon Woo operates at the intersection of fantasy and reality. The depictions found in his oil paintings often conflate intergenerational subject matter, from religion to art history, that he uses as a foundation to bridge a dialogue with contemporary iconography, resulting in a satirical clash of ideas. The Seoul-based artist will soon release a new limited edition print that juxtaposes biblical tales with the world of Star Wars. Produced in collaboration with Avant Arte, Valley of the Shadow of Death makes reference to Psalm 23, a biblical prayer for courage and resilience in the face of hardship, showcasing a hilltop scene in the aesthetic of a Japanese Ukiyo-e print with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader shown as little figures perched against one another on a bridge, as a ...

The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is currently showcasing a retrospective exhibition on pioneering Japanese artist Yoko Ono. Presented in collaboration with London's Tate Modern, YOKO ONO. MUSIC OF THE MIND charts Ono's trailblazing artwork, music and activism from the 1950s to the present. Located at the museum's K20 location, the show includes over 200 works: from films and installations, to musical scores and photography, chronicling Ono's participatory works, such as those that stem from the Fluxus movement, and the impact it still rings on generations of artists today. Fluxus was founded by Lithuanian-American artist George Maciunas in the 1960s and merits experimental works that question the boundaries of what art can be. Ono fearlessly championed this burgeoning form of expressi...

Aya Takano, one of the first few Superflat artists under Takashi Murakami’s  Kaikai Kiki Co. group, is set to return with a new solo exhibition. Entitled LONGER THAN THE MYTH OF THE GALAXY alternative future, the exhibition will mark Takano’s first solo showcase in a decade.The first half of the exhibition’s title derived from a phrase featured in Emma Yukifune’s book, Breakfast for Lovers on Earth, which Takano was commissioned for the cover illustration. Meanwhile, the latter half of the show’s name denotes the central theme for all the featured works.Displaying at the heart of the gallery space will be a body of new oil paintings, which will be presented in a circular formation. In addition, a specially designed and crafted diorama model will also be incorporated into the space, invitin...