Stereotypes about modern Germany have long centered on the allure of the Autobahn and its license for limitless speed. In the exhibition “Wohin?” (Where to?), Young-jun Tak disseminates and rearranges this trope in order to dismantle the popular constructs of German national identity. [ read …
In 1946, Lucio Fontana (1899–1968) declared that conventional forms of representation had been exhausted. The following year, the artist founded Spatialism, a movement that dispensed with the traditional emphasis on illusion and illustration and instead condensed light, time, and space into a minimal gesture—in Fontana’s …
It is difficult to think of a more iconic collaboration between artists and department stores than the one that went on for decades at Bonwit Teller, which commissioned emerging and established artists to design their window displays. The standpoints and approaches were as varied as the artists involved. In 1936, for example, Salvador Dalí was appointed to design two window displays representing “Night” and “Day”. The latter was based on the Narcissus myth, displaying various reflecting surfaces, mirrors, held by arms protruding from the walls, and the water in a bathtub for instance. Dalí’s proposition shocked Bonwit Teller’s clients, who requested Dalí’s design be changed or cancelled. Ultimately, the manager quickly amended the display without warning the artist. An unholy scene followed as an enraged Dalí fell down while trying to reposition the bathtub, only to smash the shop’s window with it. His subsequent arrest didn’t last long at least. Leading Dalí to observe: “These are some of the privileges that an artist with temperament seems to enjoy.”
The spiral has been used as a symbol since the beginning of recorded culture. In Celtic mythologies, for instance, spirals denote elevation to higher levels of consciousness. Popular iconographies based on Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian mythology, on the other hand, combine the spiral with a straight …
In their essay ‘The Guild of the Brave Poor Things’(2017), artists Park McArthur and Constantina Zavitsanos ponderwhether true privacy is still a viable reality. This is an especially pertinent question for McArthur, whose own impaired mobility requires her to maintain proximity to others to carry …
Sara Sadik’s fictional narratives portray the Maghrebi youth (whom she refers to as beurness) in Marseille, the city to which she belongs. Rooted in a local perspective, her scripts, films, and performances tackle wider issues, such as the politics of identities and behaviours that lack media representation. Through her computer-generated images and gamified references to pop culture items including Capri Sun, Dragon Ball, and Kalenji clothing, Sadik builds her imaginary scenarios, evading the colonialism(s) that have usurped physical and virtual territories. Through her tactical use of new technologies and social media, Sadik aims to create spaces for fairer representations.
Artists and authors offer their views on the ethical and aesthetic significance of metal in contemporary culture. Starting with a journey through the Basque Country (Spain) and its metallurgical tradition, the publication addresses some collective imaginaries of the industrial, technological, and social transition from the …
Welsh artist Angharad Williams’s eclectic practice encompasses diverse forms—from painting to sculpture, as well as video, installations, and performances. These expressions are informed by questions around authority, speech, and class. Due to the constraints of the pandemic, Williams’s work has become more static and materially …
At first sight, Austin Lee’s paintings and sculptures might feel
provocatively childish, even histrionic—but upon digging beneath
the surface, further layers are revealed. From his deliberately basic
compositions and palettes to his hybrid processes, Lee’s works
analyze the power of image creation, as well as contemporary
forms of painting.
‘Pick a card’ is the initial instruction visitors receive prior to entering Camilla Steinum’s immersive exhibition, ‘Symptom, Sympathy’, at Westfälischer Kunstverein. Further directions and notes are included in a booklet that serves as a manual for the show. Yet, before picking a card from the …