issue 009: on femininity, contemplation & whimsy

24 interviews, reviews, and retrospectives from across the art world last week—featuring quotes from the artists and curators themselves.

Hello artsies,

After last week’s summer show roundup, we’re back with a curation of interviews, book reviews, and retrospectives from across the art world. This issue keeps the spotlight on the work—with snippets of the artists’ and curators’ own words woven in to give you a peek into the why and how behind it all.

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Contemplation & Perception

“…there is this idea of the dome as a metaphor of heaven. This meditative movement is like a repeated mantra that goes through me.”

“I don’t come with a fixed idea of what identity is. I come with questions. I’m interested in the complexity of diasporic experience—not to simplify it, but to show its layers. These artists are all saying something different. My job is to create a space where those voices can resonate.”

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Femininity & Identity

“I’m continually drawn to the slipperiness of a work, that resistance to being pinned down.”

“Clouds intrigue me because they make visible the invisible forces of the natural world.”

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Masters, Revisited

“I can stretch out my old hand—with its age spots—and hold my young unblemished hand.”

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6 Standout Photo Series

“Hopefully through exposing how interconnected everything is, we can be more mindful about how we live.”

“My process is quite organic…I try to read their energy and move with it. Some lead, some wait. In the end, I want the image to feel honest. Ideally, they feel like self-portraits, with me simply acting as a tool or conduit to help make that visible.”

“It’s everything at once – overwhelming love, but also the sense of being ignored or left behind. I grew up in a place where beauty and hardship constantly coexist.”

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Whimsy & Eccentricity

“You don’t really know the colors and you don’t know how much is going to melt. This is like therapy, just let it go.”

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Some Parting Art News

Outside of these features, it wasn’t a super busy art news week—but these were the headlines that caught my eye:

• Tim Blum announced that he’s sunsetting his LA gallery, citing burnout

• Artist Khaled Sabsabi was reinstated as Australia’s representative for the Venice Biennale after being abruptly removed over political concerns

• The Vatican Museums unveiled the newly restored Hall of Constantine—along with a major Raphael discovery

• A new world record for Canaletto was set when Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day (c. 1732) sold for £31.9m

Thanks for joining me for another week!

‘til next time,

tld-art