Art

Objects speak, according to Danish visual artist Nina Beier. Regardless of its social or intended status, to Beier, a fake designer bag is both real in the physical sense and a representation of another, similar to a readymade sculpture. Trained initially in photography, it's through this lens that Beier observes the various objects, whether extravagant or mundane, that inundate the world. On view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki, Beier presents Parts, a new solo exhibition exploring the stories embedded in (literally) every thing — be it a ceramic work of art, a Land Rover or a plastic container. Showcasing new and existing works, Beier explores the hidden biographies of everyday items, such as in China (2015): a series of purposefully broken fine china ceramic vessel...

The Hole’s summer show, 'Tone Poem,' in Los Angeles, features works within a tight tonal range. This exhibition explores the evocative potential of limited palettes, showcasing monochromes and reduced palette paintings across a greyscale gallery.'Tone Poem' serves as a crash course in color theory. Aiste Stancikaite’s pieces glow with added white tints, Paul Riedmüeller’s works mix hues with pure gray, and Charline Tyberghein’s paintings darken hues with black shades. For many artists, tone, tint, and shade are second nature, shaping their expressive, minimalist styles.Abstract artists like Daniel Byrd weave three colors together, while Matt Phillips and Russell Tyler make bold statements with restrained palettes. Playful tones emerge in Peter Mohall’s color theory mockery and Felipe Pant...

As the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics kick off, there's more than athletic prowess on display in Paris. At the Palais de Tokyo, athletes reveal another side of their talents in the Olympian Artists Programme exhibition, running through August 11. Among them is French fencing champion Enzo Lefort, showcasing his stylized portraits of fellow Olympians and Paralympians.Lefort, a three-time Olympic fencer from French Guiana with gold and silver medals from Tokyo and Rio, turned to photography in 2017. His series, Olympic Faces: One French Team, captures the diverse athletes united in their pursuit of gold for France. This latest series builds on his 2020 photo book, "Behind the Mask," created during the pandemic's Olympic postponement. Lefort’s lens focuses on the rich cultural and geographic dive...

For nearly 20 years, NANZUKA has served as a premier destination for contemporary art in Tokyo. Founded by Shinji Nanzuka, the gallery has nestled several locations across the Japanese capital, showcasing prominent and emerging artists, including Hajime Sorayama and Keiichi Tanaami, as well as joining forces with Aisho Miura Arts in 2013 to form AISHONANZUKA gallery in Hong Kong.NANZUKA has now added a new curatorial platform to its programming aptly titled PUBLC. The initiative will feature two-to-three artworks per year, enlisting the gallery's growing list of international artists to form new dialogues in the buzzy city streets. For the inaugural entry, French artist Jean Jullien has unveiled a new installation entitled The Tank. On view in front of the new Shibuya AXSH building, the ar...

Copenhagen's Kunsthal Charlottenborg is showcasing a comprehensive survey into the work of Danish conceptual artist Simon Dybbroe Møller. Bypassing categorization, Møller explores existential questions through metaphoric installations, films, photographs and teachings, probing into the physicality and materiality of things, along with the ubiquitousness of representation.The title of the show, Thick & Thin, relates to the ups-and-downs experienced throughout life and the musings between sculpture (thick) and a photograph (thin). At the entrance of the gallery lies Bags and Boulders, which consists of unassuming school backpacks on the floor, each filled with a boulder within its central compartment. The bags are slightly ripped to reveal a sliver of the rocky object within, giving a se...

As Paris readies up for a packed schedule of 2024 Olympics games, which start today, the city is not just buzzing with the anticipation of athletic feats. It is also alive with the rich interplay of art, history, and culture. This summer, Paris offers a gang of exhibitions that delve into the profound connections between sport and art.From the storied halls of the Louvre to the cutting-edge displays at Gagosian, each exhibition presents a distinct narrative, inviting viewers on a journey through time, creativity, and the raw human spirit. Check out our list below and add them to your Paris 2024 Olympics calendar.Musée Marmottan Monet: 'En Jeu! Artists and Sport'Through September 1Step into the Musée Marmottan Monet for 'En Jeu! Artists and Sport.' This isn’t just an art exhibit; it’s a tim...

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are officially underway and American artist Hank Willis Thomas is releasing a special limited-edition print for the occasion. Produced in collaboration with Avant Arte, The only bond worth anything between human beings is their humanness. depicts legendary American track and field star Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, despite the racial discrimination set out by the Third Reich during both the tournament and in the years to follow.Based on an original work Thomas is exhibiting in Paris, Owens is depicted racing towards the finish line in a black halftone effect, clad in a red and doily patterned white uniform amidst a collaged blue background — together representing the American flag. At the time, Owens shattered the re...

Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami has teased a new Superstar collaboration with adidas Originals. The upcoming release coincides with a new retrospective exhibition entitled Keiichi Tanami: Memory Adventures at the National Museum of New Art, which will launch in Tokyo next month, as well as an ongoing solo exhibition at NANZUKA's 3110NZ by LDH kitchen location.The SUPERSTAR TANAAMI is as surreal as one of the artist's maximalist paintings: constructed with leather tassels in various shapes and colors, as beady sun-rimmed eyes adorn the tongue of each shoe. Details surrounding the release are still under wraps, however, collectors and sneakerheads will covet the special care shown to the shoe's drawstring bag, box and full-grain leather construction throughout. Tanaami's NANZUKA show, Nancy'...

“I put all my effort into breaking the shackles of childhood memories by being an independent-minded rebel,” Ai Weiwei boldly expressed in a new book authored by curator Gesine Borcherdt. The book named “Dream on Baby” gathers childhood memories of 33 artists, revealing how early experiences shaped their creativity.Inspired by her 2020 exhibition 'Dream Baby Dream' at Haus Mödrath in Germany, Borcherdt sought to preserve these unique stories. Ai Weiwei’s account of exile near the Gurbantünggüt Desert highlights how deprivation fueled his quest for "an absolutely free space to think." Vaginal Davis remembers a bookstore's meticulous packaging influencing her art practice.Moreover, Liu Ye recalls his boyhood during the Cultural Revolution, while Lynn Hershman Leeson speaks of daily visits t...

Federal authorities have recovered a $1.3 million USD Pablo Picasso drawing connected to the 1MDB scandal, a massive corruption case involving Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, former general counsel for 1MDB, agreed to surrender the Picasso and a Swiss bank account tied to embezzled funds, totaling around $1.8 million USD, according to the U.S. Justice Department.Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB fraud, remains a fugitive. From 2009 to 2015, over $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by officials and associates, including Low and Loo. These funds were funneled through international money laundering and bribery schemes as per a report by Artnet.The recovered Picasso, 'Trois femmes nues et buste d’homme' (1969), was bought by Loo for $1.3 million USD ...

Josef Albers' color studies take center stage in a new solo exhibition at David Zwirner. The online show emphasizes the German-American artist and educator's print portfolio, Formulation: Articulation, which is mapped across 127 screenprints printed on 66 sheets of folded wove paper, which explore a number of pivotal periods within Albers' career — from his early days at the Bauhaus and the woodcuts he'd tinker with at Black Mountain College to the Variant/Adobe and Homage to the Square artworks that he's arguably most remembered for today. Albers, who passed away in 1976, age 88, was constantly experimenting well into old age. Printmaking became a quick and efficient way for him "to explore new methods....," wrote Brenda Danilowitz, art historian and chief curator at the Josef and Anni Al...

French artist Claire Tabouret ventures back home to the South of France in a new solo exhibition at Château La Coste. Produced in collaboration with Manufacture de Sèvres, L’Éloquence des Larmes (The Eloquence of Tears) provides a new terrain for Tabouret, who is globally recognized for her gestural portrait paintings depicting tales of the sea, youth and self, as she continues to experiment with ceramic vessels that are centered around the theme of womanhood.Having just given birth to her second child, Tabouret conceived the concept of her new show whilst pregnant. "The women Claire Tabouret represents mourn the loss of a child," wrote Château La Coste, which also doubles as a vineyard and restaurant. "For this series, Claire Tabouret summoned the weeping, mother figure in the history of ...