tld-art 004: art rediscovered, reinterpreted, reinvented, and recognized
Your weekly art world roundup from May 26 to June 1.
Jun 02, 2025
Hello artsies,
Although summer’s still a few weeks off, last week felt unmistakably transitional—both seasonally and in art journalism. Aside from a few show and museum openings (who’s coming with me to Japan’s art islands!?), there wasn’t a ton of newsy news. Instead, my feed was filled with rediscovered works, timely reinterpretations, reimagined formats, and some well-earned recognition.
Here are my top 21 (plus a few bonuses tucked into the captions) art reads from last week. And this week, instead of summarizing each section as a whole, I’m sharing a quick note, recap, or quote for each.
Enjoy!
Art rediscoveries
Coppola’s dreamy new photo book goes behind the scenes of her first feature film and has me thinking it may be time for a rewatch.
A new show spotlights 50 Australian trailblazing women artists, some familiar, others, like Justine Kong Sing, “ being salvaged from obscurity.”
These recent rediscoveries call out deliberate omissions, long-buried truths, and how institutions are reframing Black figures in art history.
Art reinterpretations
I love this concept: reinterpreting the likes of Delacroix, Rembrandt, and Chardin to trace the “lineage between generations of artists.”
In Shahn’s first notable survey in the US since ‘76, his Great Depression depictions give a potent echo of America today.
This quote from the artist sums it up for me: “Constantly torn by the desire to escape and the protective need to stay at home, I envied the privilege of the snail who can move around with his house...”
I respect JR’s goal to make his large-scale murals participatory, culturally relevant, and deeply rooted in their placement.
Although I’m not sure this article answers the question posed, it does give a good history and timeline of “the most famous antiwar statement in art history.”
Art reinvented
An incredible (and overwhelming) reimagining of what a museum can be.
I hadn’t previously included articles remembering Koyo Kouoh, who was set to curate the international exhibition at the 2026 Biennale, and by all accounts was eloquent, joyful, and welcoming. This piece sums up her bold vision for reimagining the biennale.
The Eaton fire didn’t just burn buildings—it threatened to erase Altadena’s vibrant art community. This exhibition aims to preserve its soul, past and present.
Still undecided on this—but it’s certainly on-brand for his productivity-over-authenticity practice.
Not the timeliest piece, but it’s interesting to recontextualize “movements” as techniques that span time.
Recognized
Filipina artist Pacita Abad is a must-know. This piece delves into her life and legacy, but I highly recommend exploring more of her work.
I only became aware of Barbara Chase-Riboud last year when her Parisian eight-museum show (the first multi-museum exhibition of a single artist to be presented in Paris during their lifetime) opened, and it floored me.
Happy Pride!
Rashid Johnson’s current retrospective gets a welcome unpacking of his influences and references. So many layers. (Yes, that’s an attempt at a Guggenheim pun.)
“Thek’s work defines for me what the best art can do to people. It’s restless and above all it was his life: a constant insatiable curiosity to live life in a creative fashion that he defined the parameters of. He created his own universe.”
One last read
As art critic Ben Davis admits in this piece, “There’s no one correct way to enjoy an art show…” but reading this somehow gave me permission to be my methodical self.
Thanks for joining me for another week of tld-art! For more reads, check out all my saves on Are.na.
‘til next week,
tld-art
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