When packing for a trip to the beach, it is still customary, regardless of age, to bring along your bucket and spade. Sand, after all, is a fascinating material. Why else should we still be so captivated by the idea of laying in it for hours while soaking up the sun’s rays? It is a natural exfoliant—is there any greater feeling than the sensation of micro-granules trickling through your fingers?—and, to one Spanish artist, the perfect substance for creating stunning works of art.
As many of us continue to grapple with emotions as a result of the senseless death of George Floyd, who was murdered by former police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, protests across the country—and around the world—continue to clog roadways with calls to end racism and police brutality. Standing in solidarity with these marchers, local artists from every corner of the globe are also taking their grief and anger to the streets—but in a different way.
They say that great art captures the spirit of the present and preserves it so that it may be appreciated in the future. But what happens when you combine the awe-inspiring work of a 19th-century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter with a turbulent 21st-century world reeling from the effects of a global pandemic? The result may look something like this.
As sanctions continue to lessen and physical distancing rules are easing across the globe, many people are eager to get back to some semblance of routine. The fact remains that a post-COVID-19 world will not look the same no matter how quickly we return. And in no aspect of social life is that harsh reality felt greater than in the hospitality industry. However, one “restaurant” in Sweden is taking a unique approach to dining—an approach that may well become the new normal.
In this new age of social distancing and contact-free interaction, music and performance are engaged in a delicate dance—literally and figuratively. One Amsterdam-based filmmaker has managed to capture the essence of solitude, and he’s chronicled it in his latest short film.
Russian architecture is a sight to behold, no matter the context. However, if you happen to find yourself along the banks of the Volga River in the proud republic of Tatarstan, you’ll be sure to notice an imposing and colorful building, festooned with balustrades and steeples, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. And that’s as it should be. Because, quite simply, there is no building in the world like the Universal Temple.
The history of art features countless examples of painters, sculptors, and technicians, chronicling the minutiae of devastating periods in time, oftentimes using ebullient and joyful colors and materials to distract and entertain audiences. One guerrilla mosaic artist continues this tradition, and he brings his signature artistic style to the bumpy streets of Chicago.
In the last few months, countless people have lost their jobs, their livelihoods, their loved ones. The overall personal toll of the coronavirus is still too early to measure. Fortunately, one element of this global pandemic in which we are seeing a positive increase is the number of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) available—especially in hotspots like New York City. This is partially due to the sheer stick-to-itiveness of, among other sources, creative minds, small businesses, and dedicated humans. And one such collaboration in particular.
Off the beaten path in a dusty town 25 miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lies a roadside attraction that is as enchanting and wondrous as it is perplexing. Tinkertown Museum is a one-of-a-kind destination for all things whimsical—and its mythic appeal to locals and far-flung travelers for over 40 years might be what keeps it going.
Around the beginning of the last century—in 1906, to be exact—the 4’11” Ota Benga was featured in an infamous human exhibit at the Bronx Zoo’s Monkey House. Ota Benga, a Mbuti (Congolese pygmy) man from what was then known as the Congo Free State, stayed at the zoo for just a few months until the public outcry over his treatment at the zoo resulted in another home for him. However, Benga’s short life was marked with tragedy.
