This issue's art reads explore works from Klimt, Thiebaud, Turner Prize winner Nnena Kalu, Ragnar Kjartansson, and many more!
Dec 16, 2025
Hi artsies,
With the hectic holiday season upon us, we’re jumping right into the top art reads of the week, grouped by vibe, accompanied by some candid commentary.
Looking, being looked at
A really refreshingly astute and thoughtful write-up on Chetrit’s “brisk, textural, self-possessed, arresting” photography from novelist Lillian Fishman. Art writing at its finest.
His works cleverly make the viewer feel like both voyeur and the one being watched. They feel both familiar and unknowable.
Because they’re deliciously textural, nostalgically wistful, and more complex than they initially appear.
The work of eight photographers will sit side by side for the first time to “question how the Palestinian people are a product of the land that they nurture, steward, and have to fight for daily.”
Reality, captured and recreated
Must read if you love Thek and Hujar as I do: their unpublished letters and photos are featured in a new book I can’t wait to get my hands on.
Ragnar Kjartansson’s new video “Sunday Without Love” recreates a sentimental postcard as a live-action scene. I love his use of music in his art.
A referential, philosophy-rich body of work.
I saw some more cynical takes on the artist who passed this month, but I like to believe that his snaps were about honoring his subjects, not degrading them.
“In her two- and three-dimensional works, Young In Hong channels the possibilities of sound into colour, texture and form.”
Beautiful use of indigo as a way to reclaim history and identity.
Carnival, an exhibition of recent work by Chicago-based artist Vesna Jovanovic, explores the fun inside our bodies.
Constanze Han’s portrait series También Somos Mujeres (We Are Also Women) is more than just art. It’s storytelling at its best.
“Csoke’s work reveals that decoration carries profound meaning, as it has often been the area in which queer people are able to present themselves most authentically.”
Known names, new context
An in-depth look at the renowned sculptor, from his early life and midcareer work to his longstanding success and notoriety.
Must must must listen from one of my favorite living artists. Tuymans talks about his influencers and the experiences that shaped his life and work.
Apparently, this series was inspired by Matisse’s The Red Studio!
I have to say… I do find Censori intriguing. Watch the performance and read what it’s all about: “Revolution starts where behaviour is first learned…”
I will tell you: it’s the single clearest “Klimt equation” on one canvas: a universal subject (two lovers) rendered in his instantly recognizable style that sits between fine art and decoration. Plus some historical significance.
