Eliana Willis

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    A Cube Made From $11.7 Million Worth of Gold Is Sitting in Central Park—and Has Its Own Security Detail

    This morning, joggers in New York’s Central Park may have come across a curious, rather illustrious sight. A cube composed of 186 kilograms of pure 24-karat gold, conceived by the German artist Niclas Castello who has billed it as a conceptual “socle du monde” (base of the world) sculpture for our time, was wheeled out to the Naumburg Bandshell this morning at around 5 a.m. 
    Although the work is not for sale, according to the artist’s team, based on the current price of gold at $1,788 per ounce, its material worth is around $11.7 million. Flanked by a heavy security detail, the 410-pound work is set to be displayed in the park until the day’s end.
    In a message sent this morning to Artnet News, Castello called the work “a conceptual work of art in all its facets.” He said the idea was to “create something that is beyond our world—that is intangible.” 
    And so, as with all things in 2022, an accompanying cryptocurrency is being launched alongside the physical artwork. The Castello Coin, traded as $CAST, is available for purchase online at an initial price of €0.39 ($0.44) each, with an accompanying NFT auction scheduled for 21 February. 

    The Castello Cube being cast in a foundry in Switzerland.
    “The cube can be seen as a sort of communiqué between an emerging 21st-century cultural ecosystem based on crypto and the ancient world where gold reigned supreme,” says the Viennese gallerist Lisa Kandlhofer, who was in New York for the artwork’s launch.
    According to Castello’s team, golden cube was cast at a foundry in Aarau, Switzerland, requiring a special handmade kiln in order to withstand both the sheer size and volume of gold, as well as the extreme temperatures needed to melt it, reaching up to 1100 degrees Celsius. The cube measures over a foot and a half on all sides and has a wall thickness of about a quarter inch. 
    Later tonight, the sculpture will make its way to a private dinner on Wall Street, where numerous celebrities are said to be attending. 
    Niclas Castello with his piece The Castello Cube in Central Park, New York. Photo by Sandra Mika.
    Born in 1978 in East Germany, Castello currently lives between New York and Switzerland, and is known largely for his sculptures and paintings partly inspired by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Castello’s previous works lean heavily on imagery from pop and consumer culture. 
    His cube can, in some respects, be compared to Damien Hirst’s infamous diamond encrusted skull, a memento mori that is also a commentary on art’s endless entanglement in money and capital, or Piero Manzoni’s tongue-in-cheek provocation Artist’s Shit (1961), a tin can containing the artist’s feces which he sold for its weight in gold. 
    But after its one-day exhibition, where will The Castello CUBE go next? The artist’s team has so far remained tight-lipped about that. One thing is certain, however: Central Park just got a lot more bling. 
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    The Venice Biennale’s Main Exhibition Will Challenge the Idea of ‘Men as the Center of the Universe’—See the Full Artist List Here

    Women and gender nonconforming artists will take center stage at this year’s Venice Biennale exhibition, which is set to challenge the dominating role of men in society and consider relationships between humans, technology, and different life forms on earth.
    “The Milk of Dreams,” the international art exhibition curated by Italian-born, New York-based curator Cecilia Alemani, will feature 213 artists from 58 countries, including 26 Italian artists, in what will be the most nationally diverse line-up of any edition of the show. Many featured artists come from countries or regions that were normally not represented at the Venice Biennale, Alemani told press during an online conference on Wednesday, February 2.
    The exhibition will also address a post-pandemic future through a dialog between historic and contemporary artworks. The show is set to include scores of fresh positions spanning more than 150 years: a total of 180 artists, dead and alive, are taking part for the first time, and there will be 80 newly commissioned productions.
    Nan Goldin, Barbara Kruger, and Lousie Lawler, are included among the 213 artists list, alongside rising stars Jamian Juliano-Villani, Tau Lewis, and Christina Quarles. Historic artists, including entertainer and activist Josephine Baker and 19th century painter Georgiana Houghton are also included.
    “The presence of a large number of female and gender non-confirming artists challenge the figure of men as the center of the universe,” the curator told the press.
    Alexandra Pirici Aggregate (2017–2019). Photo: Andrei Dinu. Courtesy the Artist. © Alexandra Pirici
    Since she was appointed to spearhead the prestigious exhibition in January 2020, Alemani has been working on the preparation of the show remotely from her New York office. The content of the hotly anticipated exhibition is a result of many long and candid online conversations she had with artists over the past two years, after the exhibition was postponed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    “The research and learning stage had to be done remotely… but I met hundreds and hundreds of artists by Zoom. Not being able to be in their studios is sad. Not being able to see their works in person meant my senses couldn’t be activated,” Alemani said. On the other hand, she said the experience brought “strange feelings of intimacy” and “confessional” discussions.
    These conversations were distilled into three major themes that are “intertwined” through out the show, which will be staged at the Arsenale and Giardini: “The representation of bodies and their metamorphosis,” “The relationship between individuals and technologies,” and “The connection between bodies and earth.” In each of the main sections, artworks will echo the mysterious depictions of mutant creatures featured in Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington’s book, The Milk of Dreams, which inspired the title of this year’s exhibition.
    Ithell Colquhoun, The Pine Family, 1940. Photo © The Israel Museum Jerusalem. The Vera and Arturo Schwarz Collection of Dada and Surrealist Art in the Israel Museum. © SIAE
    Alemani added the “transhistorical” exhibition will additionally have five “time capsules,” which each revolve around different themes: Historic and previously unseen artworks, loaned from major institutions and collections, will be installed here in parallel with the contemporary works on view in the show.
    “What emerges is a historical narrative that is not built around systems of direct inheritance or conflict, but around forms of symbiosis, solidarity, and sisterhood,” she said in a statement.
    This year’s Venice Biennale will also feature 80 national pavilions, including five countries participating for the first time: Cameroon, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, and Uganda. Kazakshstan, Kirghizistan, and Uzbekistan will also each stage their own pavilion for the first time.
    See the full list of artists below: 
    1. Noor Abuarafeh b. 1986, Jerusalem. Lives in Jerusalem and Maastricht, the Netherlands2. Carla Accardi b. 1924, Trapani, Italy–2014, Rome, Italy3. Igshaan Adams b. 1982, Cape Town. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa4. Eileen Agar b. 1899, Buenos Aires, Argentina–1991, London, U.K.5. Monira Al Qadiri b. 1983, Dakar, Senegal. Lives in Berlin, Germany6. Sophia Al-Maria b. 1983, Tacoma, U.S. Lives in London, U.K. Pavilion of Applied Arts7. Ozlem Altın b. 1977, Goch, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany8. Marina Apollonio b. 1940, Trieste, Italy. Lives in Padua, Italy9. Gertrud Arndt b. 1903, Ratibor (Racibórz), German Empire (present-day Poland)–2000, Darmstadt, Germany10. Ruth Asawa b. 1926, Norwalk, U.S.–2013, San Francisco, U.S.11. Shuvinai Ashoona b. 1961, Kinngait. Lives in Kinngait, Nunavut12. Belkis Ayón b. 1967–1999, Havana, Cuba13. Firelei Báez b. 1981, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Lives in New York City, U.S.14. Felipe Baeza b. 1987, Guanajuato, Mexico. Lives in New York City, U.S.15. Josephine Baker b. 1906, Saint Louis, U.S.–1975, Paris, France16. Djuna Barnes b. 1892–1982, New York City, U.S.17. Mária Bartuszová b. 1936, Prague, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic)–1996, Košice, Slovakia18. Benedetta b. 1897, Rome, Italy–1977, Venice, Italy19. Mirella Bentivoglio b. 1922, Klagenfurt, Austria–2017, Rome, Italy (In collaboration with Annalisa) Alloatti 1926–2000, Turin, Italy20. Merikokeb Berhanu b. 1977, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Lives in Silver Spring, U.S.21. Tomaso Binga b. 1931, Salerno, Italy. Lives in Rome, Italy22. Cosima von Bonin b. 1962, Mombasa, Kenya. Lives in Cologne, Germany23. Louise Bonnet b. 1970, Geneva, Switzerland. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.24. Marianne Brandt b. 1893, Chemnitz, Germany–1983, Kirchberg, Germany25. Kerstin Brätsch b. 1979, Hamburg, Germany. Lives in New York City, U.S. and Berlin, Germany26. Dora Budor b. 1984, Zagreb, Croatia. Lives in New York City, U.S.27. Eglė Budvytytė b. 1981, Kaunas, Lithuania. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the NetherlandsIn collaboration with Marija Olšauskaitè and Julija Steponaitytė b. 1989, Vilnius. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and New York City, U.S. b. 1992, Vilnius. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands28. Liv Bugge b. 1974, Oslo. Lives in Oslo, Norway29. Simnikiwe Buhlungu b. 1995, Johannesburg. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa and Amsterdam, the Netherlands Biennale College Arte30. Miriam Cahn b. 1949, Basel, Switzerland. Lives in Stampa, Switzerland31. Claude Cahun b. 1894, Nantes, France–1954, Saint Helier, Jersey, U.K.32. Elaine Cameron-Weir b. 1985, Red Deer, Canada. Lives in New York City, U.S.33. Milly Canavero 1920–2010, Genoa, Italy34. Leonora Carrington b. 1917, Clayton-le-Woods, U.K.–2011, Mexico City, Mexico35. Regina Cassolo Bracchi 1894, Mede, Italy–1974, Milan, Italy b. 1981, Kaunas, Lithuania. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands36. Ambra Castagnetti b. 1993, Genoa, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy Biennale College Arte37. Giulia Cenci b. 1988, Cortona. Lives in Cortona, Italy and Amsterdam, the Netherlands38. Giannina Censi b. 1913, Milan, Italy–1995, Voghera, Italy39. Gabriel Chaile b. 1985, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lisbon, Portugal40. Ali Cherri b. 1976, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Paris, France41. Anna Coleman Ladd b. 1878, Bryn Mawr, U.S.–1939, Santa Barbara, U.S.42. Ithell Colquhoun b. 1906, Shillong, India–1988, Lamorna, U.K.43. Myrlande Constant b. 1968, Port-au-Prince. Lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti44. June Crespo b. 1982, Pamplona, Spain. Lives in Bilbao, Spain45. Dadamaino 1930–2004, Milan, Italy46. Noah Davis b. 1983, Seattle, U.S.–2015, Ojai, U.S.47. Lenora de Barros b. 1953, São Paulo. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil48. Valentine de Saint-Point b. 1875, Lyon, France–1953, Cairo, Egypt49. Lise Deharme b. 1898, Paris, France–1980, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France50. Sonia Delaunay b. 1885, Odessa, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine)–1979, Paris, France51. Agnes Denes b. 1931, Budapest, Hungary. Lives in New York City, U.S.52. Maya Deren b. 1917, Kyiv, Ukraine–1961, New York City, U.S.53. Lucia Di Luciano b. 1933, Syracuse, Italy. Lives in Formello, Italy54. Ibrahim El-Salahi b. 1930, Omdurman, Sudan. Lives in Oxford, U.K.55. Sara Enrico b. 1979, Biella, Italy. Lives in Turin, Italy56. Chiara Enzo b. 1989, Venice. Lives in Venice, Italy57. Andro Eradze b. 1993, Tbilisi. Lives in Tbilisi, Georgia Biennale College Arte58. Jaider Esbell b. 1979, Normandia, Brazil–2021, São Sebastião, Brazil59. Jana Euler b. 1982, Friedberg, Germany. Lives in Frankfurt, Germany and Brussels, Belgium60. Minnie Evans b. 1892, Long Creek, U.S.–1987, Wilmington, U.S.61. Alexandra Exter b. 1882, Białystok, Russian Empire (present-day Poland)–1949, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France62. Jadé Fadojutimi b. 1993, London. Lives in London, U.K.63. Jes Fan b. 1990, Scarborough, Canada. Lives in New York City, U.S. and Hong Kong64. Safia Farhat b. 1924–2004, Radès, Tunisia65. Simone Fattal b. 1942, Damascus, Syria. Lives in Paris and Erquy, France66. Célestin Faustin b. 1948, Lafond, Haiti–1981, Pétion-Ville, Haiti67. Leonor Fini b. 1907, Buenos Aires, Argentina–1996, Paris, France68. Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven b. 1874, Swinemünde (Świnoujście), German Empire (present-day Poland)–1927, Paris, France69. Katharina Fritsch b. 1956, Essen, Germany. Lives in Wuppertal and Düsseldorf, Germany70. Ilse Garnier b. 1927, Kaiserslautern, Germany–2020, Saisseval, France71. Aage Gaup b. 1943, Børselv, Sápmi/Northern Norway–2021, Karasjok, Sápmi/Northern Norway72. Linda Gazzera b. 1890, Rome, Italy–1942, São Paulo, Brazil73. Ficre Ghebreyesus b. 1962, Asmara, Eritrea–2012, New Haven, U.S.74. Elisa Giardina Papa b. 1979, Medicina, Italy. Lives in New York City, U.S. and Palermo, Italy75. Roberto Gil de Montes b. 1950, Guadalajara, Mexico. Lives in La Peñita de Jaltemba, Mexico76. Nan Goldin b. 1953, Washington, D.C., U.S.. Lives in New York City, U.S.77. Jane Graverol b. 1905, Ixelles, Belgium–1984, Fontainebleau, France78. Laura Grisi b. 1939, Rhodes, Greece–2017, Rome, Italy79. Karla Grosch b. 1904, Weimar, Germany–1933, Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel)80. Robert Grosvenor b. 1937, New York City, U.S.. Lives in East Patchogue, U.S.81. Aneta Grzeszykowska b. 1974, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw, Poland82. Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe b. 1971, Sheroana, Venezuela. Lives in Mahekototeri and Caracas, Venezuela83. Florence Henri b. 1893, New York City, U.S.–1982, Compiègne, France84. Lynn Hershman Leeson b. 1941, Cleveland, U.S. Lives in San Francisco, U.S.85. Charline von Heyl b. 1960, Mainz, Germany. Lives in New York City and Marfa, U.S.86. Hannah Höch b. 1889, Gotha, Germany–1978, Berlin, Germany87. Jessie Homer French b. 1940, New York City, U.S. Lives in Mountain Center, U.S.88. Rebecca Horn b. 1944, Michelstadt, Germany. Lives in Odenwald, Germany89. Georgiana Houghton b. 1814, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain–1884, London, U.K.90. Sheree Hovsepian b. 1974, Isfahan, Iran. Lives in New York City, U.S.91. Tishan Hsu b. 1951, Boston, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.92. Marguerite Humeau b. 1986, Cholet, France. Lives in London, U.K.93. Jacqueline Humphries b. 1960, New Orleans, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.94. Kudzanai-Violet Hwami b. 1993, Gutu, Zimbabwe. Lives in London, U.K. Biennale College Arte95. Tatsuo Ikeda b. 1928, Saga, Japan–2020, Tokyo, Japan96. Saodat Ismailova b. 1981, Tashkent. Lives in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Paris, France97. Aletta Jacobs b. 1854, Sappemeer, the Netherlands–1929, Baarn, the Netherlands98. Geumhyung Jeong b. 1980, Seoul. Lives in Seoul, South Korea99. Charlotte Johannesson b. 1943, Malmö, Sweden. Lives in Skanör, Sweden100. Loïs Mailou Jones b. 1905, Boston, U.S.–1998, Washington, D.C., U.S.101. Jamian Juliano-Villani b. 1987, Newark, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.102. Birgit Jürgenssen 1949–2003, Vienna, Austria103. Ida Kar b. 1908, Tambov, Russia–1974, London, U.K.104. Allison Katz b. 1980, Montreal, Canada. Lives in London, U.K.105. Bronwyn Katz b. 1993, Kimberley, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa106. Kapwani Kiwanga b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada. Lives in Paris, France107. Kiki Kogelnik b. 1935, Graz, Austria–1997, Vienna, Austria108. Barbara Kruger b. 1945, Newark, U.S. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.109. Tetsumi Kudo b. 1935, Osaka, Japan–1990, Tokyo, Japan110. Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill b. 1979, Comox, Canada. Lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil- Waututh peoples111. Louise Lawler b. 1947, Bronxville, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.112. Carolyn Lazard b. 1987, Upland, U.S. Lives in New York City and Philadelphia, U.S.113. Mire Lee b. 1988, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands114. Simone Leigh b. 1967, Chicago, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.115. Hannah Levy b. 1991, New York City. Lives in New York City, U.S.116. Tau Lewis b. 1993, Toronto, Canada. Lives in New York City, U.S.117. Shuang Li b. 1990, Wuyi Mountains, China. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland118. Liliane Lijn b. 1939, New York City, U.S. Lives in London, U.K.119. Candice Lin b. 1979, Concord, U.S. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.120. Mina Loy b. 1882, London, U.K.–1966, Aspen, U.S.121. Antoinette Lubaki b. 1895, Bukama, Congo Free State (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo)–?122. LuYang b. 1984, Shanghai. Lives in Shanghai, China123. Zhenya Machneva b. 1988, Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg), Russia. Lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia124. Baya Mahieddine b. 1931, Fort de l’Eau (present-day Bordj El Kiffan), Algeria–1998, Blida, Algeria125. Maruja Mallo b. 1902, Viveiro, Spain–1995, Madrid, Spain126. Joyce Mansour b.1928, Bowden, U.K.–1986, Paris, France127. Britta Marakatt-Labba b. 1951, Idivuoma, Sápmi/Northern Sweden. Lives in Övre Soppero, Sápmi/Northern Sweden128. Diego Marcon b. 1985, Busto Arsizio, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy129. Sidsel Meineche Hansen b. 1981, Ry, Denmark. Lives in London, U.K.130. Maria Sibylla Merian b. 1647, Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany)–1717, Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (present-day the Netherlands)131. Vera Molnár b. 1924, Budapest, Hungary. Lives in Paris, France132. Delcy Morelos b. 1967, Tierralta, Colombia. Lives in Bogotá, Colombia133. Sister Gertrude Morgan b. 1900, LaFayette, U.S.–1980, New Orleans, U.S.134. Sandra Mujinga b. 1989, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lives in Oslo, Norway, and Berlin, Germany.135. Mrinalini Mukherjee b. 1949, Bombay (present-day Mumbai), India–2015, New Delhi, India.136. Nadja b. 1902, Saint-André-lez-Lille, France–1941, Bailleul, France137. Louise Nevelson b. 1899, Pereiaslav, Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine)–1988, New York City, U.S.138. Amy Nimr b. 1898, Cairo, Egypt–1974, Paris, France139. Magdalene Odundo b. 1950, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in Farnham, U.K.140. Precious Okoyomon b. 1993, London, U.K. Lives in New York City, U.S.141. Meret Oppenheim b. 1913, Berlin, Germany–1985, Basel, Switzerland142. Ovartaci b. 1894, Ebeltoft, Denmark–1985, Risskov, Denmark143. Virginia Overton b. 1971, Nashville, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.144. Akosua Adoma Owusu b. 1984, Alexandria, U.S. Lives in New York City and Cambridge, U.S.145. Prabhakar Pachpute b. 1986, Sasti, India. Lives in Pune, India146. Eusapia Palladino b. 1854, Minervino Murge, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (present-day Italy)–1918, Naples, Italy147. Violeta Parra b. 1917, San Fabián de Alico, Chile–1967, Santiago, Chile148. Rosana Paulino b. 1967, São Paulo. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil149. Valentine Penrose b. 1898, Mont-de-Marsan, France–1978, Chiddingly, U.K.150. Elle Pérez b. 1989, New York City. Lives in New York City, U.S.151. Sondra Perry b. 1986, Perth Amboy, U.S. Lives in Newark, U.S.152. Solange Pessoa b. 1961, Ferros, Brazil. Lives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil153. Thao Nguyen Phan b. 1987, Ho Chi Minh City. Lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam154. Julia Phillips b. 1985, Hamburg, Germany. Lives in Chicago, U.S. and Berlin, Germany155. Joanna Piotrowska b. 1985, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw, Poland and London, U.K.156. Alexandra Pirici b. 1982, Bucharest. Lives in Bucharest, Romania157. Anu Põder b. 1947, Kanepi, Estonia–2013, Tallinn, Estonia158. Gisèle Prassinos b. 1920, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey)–2015, Paris, France159. Christina Quarles b. 1985, Chicago, U.S. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.160. Rachilde b. 1860, Cros, France–1953, Paris, France161. Janis Rafa b. 1984, Athens. Lives in Athens, Greece and Amsterdam, the Netherlands162. Alice Rahon b. 1904, Chenecey-Buillon, France–1987, Mexico City, Mexico163. Carol Rama 1918–2015, Turin, Italy164. Paula Rego b. 1935, Lisbon, Portugal. Lives in London, U.K.165. Edith Rimmington b. 1902, Leicester, U.K.–1986, Bexhill-on-Sea, U.K.166. Enif Robert b. 1886, Prato, Italy–1974, Bologna, Italy167. Luiz Roque b. 1979, Cachoeira do Sul, Brazil. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil168. Rosa Rosà b. 1884, Vienna, Austria–1978, Rome, Italy169. Niki de Saint Phalle b. 1930, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France–2002, La Jolla, U.S.170. Giovanna Sandri 1923–2002, Rome, Italy171. Pinaree Sanpitak b. 1961, Bangkok. Lives in Bangkok, Thailand172. Aki Sasamoto b. 1980, Kanagawa, Japan. Lives in New York City, U.S.173. Augusta Savage b. 1892, Green Cove Springs, U.S.–1962, New York City, U.S.174. Lavinia Schulz and Walter Holdt b. 1896, Lübben (Spreewald), Germany–1924, Hamburg, Germany 1899–1924, Hamburg, Germany175. Lillian Schwartz b. 1927, Cincinnati, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.176. Amy Sillman b. 1955, Detroit, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.177. Elias Sime b. 1968, Addis Ababa. Lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia178. Marianna Simnett b. 1986, London, U.K. Lives in Berlin, Germany179. Hélène Smith b. 1861, Martigny, Switzerland–1929, Geneva, Switzerland180. Sable Elyse Smith b. 1986, Los Angeles, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.181. Teresa Solar b. 1985, Madrid. Lives in Madrid, Spain182. Mary Ellen Solt b. 1920, Gilmore City, U.S.–2007, Santa Clarita, U.S.183. P. Staff b. 1987, Bognor Regis, U.K. Lives in London, U.K. and Los Angeles, U.S.184. Sophie Taeuber-Arp b. 1889, Davos, Switzerland–1943, Zürich, Switzerland185. Toshiko Takaezu b. 1922, Pepeekeo, U.S.–2011, Honolulu, U.S.186. Emma Talbot b. 1969, Stourbridge, U.K. Lives in London, U.K.187. Dorothea Tanning b. 1910, Galesburg, U.S.–2012, New York City, U.S.188. Bridget Tichenor b. 1917, Paris, France–1990, Mexico City, Mexico189. Tecla Tofano b. 1927, Naples, Italy–1995, Caracas, Venezuela190. Josefa Tolrà b. 1880–1959, Cabrils, Spain191. Tourmaline b. 1983, Boston, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.192. Toyen b. 1902, Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Czech Republic)–1980, Paris, France193. Rosemarie Trockel b. 1952, Schwerte, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany194. Wu Tsang b. 1982, Worcester, U.S. Lives in Zürich, Switzerland195. Kaari Upson b. 1970, San Bernardino, U.S.–2021, New York City, U.S.196. Andra Ursuta b. 1979, Salonta, Romania. Lives in New York City, U.S.197. Grazia Varisco b. 1937, Milan. Lives in Milan, Italy198. Remedios Varo b. 1908, Anglès, Spain–1963, Mexico City, Mexico199. Sandra Vásquez de la Horra b. 1967, Viña del Mar, Chile. Lives in Berlin, Germany200. Marie Vassilieff b. 1884, Smolensk, Russia–1957, Nogent-sur-Marne, France201. Cecilia Vicuña b. 1948, Santiago, Chile. Lives in New York City, U.S.202. Nanda Vigo 1936–2020, Milan, Italy203. Marianne Vitale b. 1973, East Rockaway, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.204. Raphaela Vogel b. 1988, Nuremberg, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany205. Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller b. 1877, Philadelphia, U.S.–1968, Framingham, U.S.206. Laura Wheeler Waring b. 1887, Hartford, U.S.–1948, Philadelphia, U.S.207. Ulla Wiggen b. 1942, Stockholm. Lives in Stockholm, Sweden208. Mary Wigman b. 1886, Hanover, Germany–1973, Berlin, Germany209. Müge Yilmaz b. 1985, Istanbul, Turkey. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands210. Frantz Zéphirin b. 1968, Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti211. Zheng Bo b. 1974, Beijing, China. Lives on Lantau Island, Hong Kong212. Unica Zürn b. 1916, Berlin, Germany–1970, Paris, France213. Portia Zvavahera b. 1985, Harare. Lives in Harare, Zimbabwe
    The Venice Biennale’s 59th International Art Exhibition, “The Milk of Dreams,” will be on view at the Giardini della Biennale, C. Giazzo, 30122 Venice, April 23–November 27, 2022.
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    in Street Art

    “Liber Libellula” by Jair Martinez in Turin, Italy

    Street artist Jair Martinez recently worked on a new project entitled “Liber Libellula”in Settimo Torinese, Turin, Italy. The mural is part of the Insieme Si Può Fare Project, which involves young people and fights educational poverty.Nature and the sky are the canvas for this illustrated story in which big trees, as far as the eye can see, create a stage where nature takes the leading role and inspires us. A body of water reflects the space via light and dark colours that tell the story of our paths all the way until ideas make an appearance, Muses, flashes of light: our passions.Symbolic elements fluctuate before the Muses: the violin evokes music, the dance shoe makes us think of theatre and dance, a home – the place where our passions are born and grow. All of these are a clear call to the House of Music, the Song in itself.The ‘Liber Libellula’ graffiti tells a story of freedom, change, grace, balance, transformation, hope – all embodied by the totem insect: the dragonfly. A heraldic emblem of joy and happiness, of love, of hope and of transformation. It is born in the water, but it flies away finishing its own life up in the air. For the Japanese, the dragonfly is a recurrent symbol; for the ancient native Americans dragonflies represented the soul of their dead; for the Mayas they represented Ixchel, the nocturnal deity related to medicine, the lunar rainbow lady of creativity and rebirth.Check out below for more photos of the project. More

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    in Exhibitions

    After a False Start in 2019, Kazakhstan Has Announced Plans for Its First-Ever Venice Biennale Pavilion

    Kazakhstan is taking a second try at launching a pavilion during the Venice Biennale in April.
    The plans were announced at an in-person press conference on Tuesday at the A. Kasteyev Museum of Arts in the city of Almaty, which has also been the site of bloody protests in recent weeks.
    The pavilion’s new organizers are taking an optimistic tone in spite of ongoing social unrest. They have chosen art collective ORTA to represent the Central Asian country with a project inspired by the Almaty artist and polymath Sergey Kalmykov.
    The 2019 pavilion was called off just two months before the opening of the 57th edition of the biennale in spring 2019. The cancelation—announced by officials over Facebook—caught the exhibition’s two hired organizers, curator Nadim Julien Samman and Roza Abenova, the former head of contemporary art at the National Museum, by surprise. (Samman was informed that he would not be paid for his work in the comments section.)
    Meruyert Kaliyeva, the commissioner of this year’s Kazakhstan pavilion, told Artnet News that 2022 marks a “fresh start” for the country. “It’s hard to compare to previous years as it’s a completely different commissioning body for 2022, and our team had no involvement in the 2019 pavilion,” she said.
    One of the biggest changes is that, this year, the commissioner will not accept funding from the government. Instead, the pavilion will receive support from the Saby Charitable Foundation, the Nurlan Smagulov Foundation, the clothing distributor G&G, and the Marusya Assaubayeva Foundation. The pavilion will maintain official support from Kazakhstan’s Culture Minister Dauren Abayev.
    News of the new pavilion comes after a month of deadly protests, the largest uprising in the country’s 30-year history. In early January, what began as a peaceful demonstration against government corruption amid rising oil prices devolved into violence and reports of abuses by security forces; the Russian military was called in for “peacekeeping.”
    The country’s Venice pick, the art collective ORTA, was founded in 2015 by director Rustem Begenov and actor Alexandra Morozova. They will consider the work of surrealist avant-garde artist and inventor Sergey Kalmykov who, despite dying in obscurity, was hugely influential to contemporary artists in and around Kazakhstan .
    In a statement about the show, curators noted that Kalmykov’s oeuvre fits well with the theme of this year’s Biennale group exhibition, which is entitled “The Milk of Dreams” after a book by Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington.
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    in Street Art

    “People In The Place The Love” NFT Collection by FWENCLUB & Yusuke Hanai

    FWENCLUB & Yusuke Hanai NFT Collaboration project debuts on Discord, Breaking Discord’s record as the fastest growing community in Asia Joined by 50+ Celebs including KAWS, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, Gains over 100,000 members in less than 36 hours FWENCLUB’s first-ever NFT collection is an instant sensation!Art & creative brand AllRightsReserved’s latest digital and physical collectables platform, FWENCLUB, launches Yusuke Hanai’s first NFT collection, “People In The Place The Love” and his solo exhibition organized by AllRightsReserved and Powerlong Museum in Shanghai at the same time, turning a new page in bring collectors collectables that are both virtual and tangible.  Only months ago, FWENCLUB brought about the first Netflix licensed “Squid Game” toy and the first NFT item by Olympic skateboarding gold medalist Yuto Horigome to critical acclaim. Member number skyrockets after announcement, becoming the fastest growing Discord community in AsiaFWENCLUB Discord’s debut is met by crazed following!  FWENCLUB Discord has grown by a record-breaking 50,000 members in just 12 hours, topping the record in Asia. Membership on the FWENCLUB Discord is growing by the second and has reached over 100,000 people as of now (as the release time).After announcing the “People In The Place They Love” NFT collection at 9PM on Saturday (22 January) , over 50 top tier celebrities, fashion and art collectors have joined the Discord opened by FWENCLUB, including (in no particular order) KAWs, Jay Chou, Taeyang, JJ Lin, Wilson Chen Bolin, FUTURA, Verbal, Kozue Akimoto, Joan Cornellà, Shinsuke Takizawa, Hirofumi Kiyonaga, Poggy, Reo Sano, Keiji Kuroki, Vanness Wu, Show Lo, Dr. Woo, Lauren Tsai, Josh Luber, Edison Chen, KYNE, Bobby Hundreds, Kevin Ma, TK, Kevin Poon, Yuri Terase. Apart from congratulating the launch of FWENCLUB’s new project, they also show their supports for Yusuke Hanai! Fans were also flabbergasted by KAWS’ debut presence on Discord, many could not believe they were interacting with the real KAWS. As the number of celebrities rolled in, more users flooded to FWENCLUB Discord.Yusuke Hanai’s first NFT project Recreating the good old days in metaverseHanai’s works are highly sought-after on the market. His first NFT work “Wake Up Before It’s Too Late,” comprised of wood cabins, paintings, and NFT animation, sold for USD$130K in a 2021 auction on DDT Store.“Everybody is different, but that’s what makes all of us ‘Ordinary People’!” says so Hanai about this NFT collaboration. He thinks NFT is the right medium to express his creative ideas, therefore deciding to create 1,000 limited-edition NFTs. This is the first out of three phases, containing 1,000 unique avatars with 75+ hand drawn attributes and 20 legendary artworks.“People In The Place They Love” is inspired by a now defunct bar where the artist used to work and the good times he had there. He always wanted to re-emerge it in the metaverse.Get in on the FWENCLUB whitelist nowFor a chance to get on the whitelist and purchase the 1,000 limited NFTs, members of the FWENCLUB Discord have to follow a few steps, which includes inviting 20 friends to join the FWENCLUB Discord and actively participating in the discussion. The first drop will come in February 2022. There will be a pre-sale and public raffle, please see the official website for more details.FWENCLUB says that you’re not simply buying an avatar or a rare piece of art. You’re also gaining membership access to the exclusive Yusuke Hanai collectors’ community with ever-growing benefits and offers. Holders will enjoy community bonuses, such as an early chance to purchase limited-edition works, waitlisting for future NFTs and exclusive experiences in the metaverse.Yusuke Hanai《People In The Place They Love》NFT whitelist details:Yusuke Hanai is also having an exhibition, titled “FACING THE CURRENT”, at Powerlong Museum, Shanghai launched yesterday (23 January). It will run until 22 February, 2022. Curated by AllRightsReserved & Powerlong Museum About Yusuke Hanai Yusuke Hanai’s work has been exhibited globally, including in California, London, New York, Paris, Taipei and Tokyo. Hanai has attracted an eclectic audience due to his unique blend of Japanese-infused illustrations that depict various countercultures. Inspired by friends in his local surfing community, Hanai’s drawings focus on the lives of ordinary people. He has also collaborated with fashion brands such as Vans, Fender, Gregory, and BEAMSAbout FWENCLUBFWENCLUB is a digital and physical collectibles creation platform, an extension of the creative brand AllRightsReserved.FWENCLUB possesses intellectual property rights and talent to inject new life to a digital or physical art piece, transforming it into new formats – turning collectible figurines to NFTs, and vice versa. With an understanding of the impact of art, and how it can bring people together, FWENCLUB collaborates with artists and brands to capture previously unthinkable opportunities.From physical, to now digital collectibles, FWENCLUB creates art that can traverse between both worlds, and shape a new digital culture.About AllRightsReservedEstablished in 2003, AllRightsReserved (ARR) reaches out to wherever creativity occurs.Over the years, ARR has designed and organized numerous bespoke branding and marketing solutions for leading international labels. Projects throughout Asia have regularly commissioned the studio in their respective cities.ARR is a long term partner of world renowned artist KAWS. From KAWS:PASSING THROUGH that date back to 2010, “KAWS:HOLIDAY” is the most recent ongoing project since 2018, after its first stop in Seoul, passing through Taipei, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bristol, Singapore, Changbai Mountain and even outer-space, generating huge excitement and crowds of art lovers.Without a doubt the most memorable exhibition for the local Hong Kong community, as well as that of greater Asia, was Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s installation of a colossal yellow rubber duckie—as if in an oversized bath tub—in the city’s famed Victoria Harbour. Following the massive excitement of “Rubber Duck Project – HK Tour”, ARR also curated and made possible three permanent outdoor sculptures in Chengdu, Shenzhen and Changsha, the fast-growing cities in the Greater China area.Met with record attendance numbers and overwhelming acclaim, the project marked yet another victorious instance in which ARR managed to completely overhaul previously established notions and ideas of familiar sites and spaces to reinvent novel presentations and achieve remarkable results.Scroll down below for more photos of the project. More

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    in Street Art

    “The Vault” Collection by Vans x Javier Calleja

    “For me, drawing on paper is the best! With drawings, you can go to the end of the world and back on the same day,” Javier Calleja poetically underlines the importance of this rudimentary technique to his creative process. Globally recognised for his character-based paintings, sculptures, and figures, Malaga-based artist always goes back to the very essence of his artistic practice and his collaboration with VANS is one of such efforts.Throughout his career, Calleja has been regularly experimenting with techniques, materials, and scales, continuously curious about finding fresh ways to implement his visions into new surroundings. With an ongoing interest in urban fashion as well as driven about making his art more approachable and seen, his VANS capsule was an intuitive continuation of his exploration. For this project, he designed patterns for some of his personal favourite sneakers and footwear fusing the brand’s iconic designs with his iconic visuals.Using the OG collection as the blank canvas, the artists applied his big-eyed characters and textual elements, facilitating the new sphere for them to exist in and communicate with the world. “For me, the audience is as important as the art and I feel like the painting without people, is nothing,” Calleja concludes, revealing the necessity for such projects for him and hiswork.The Vault by Vans x Javier Calleja collection will be available beginning February 5, 2022, at select Vault by Vans retailers. For more information, and where to purchase, please visit The Drop List, a calendar of Vans’ most exclusive product drops.Check out below for more photos of the collaboration. More

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    in Street Art

    “Santa Teresa” by Martin Ron in La Pampa, Argentina

    Argentine artist Martin Ron just worked on a new mural in Colonia Santa Teresa, La Pampa, Argentina. Evoking the community’s tradition and origins, the work “Santa Teresa” was painted to celebrate the 100th year of the town.In the mural, the hands are the protagonists – symbol of rural work and tribute to “LOS BOLSEROS” that have a lot to do with the foundation and identity of Santa Teresa community.Always looking for new ideas that defeat traditional art, Martin explores with new colors, combined styles and new concepts that make his art unique, leaving marks that can directly say who the author is.Born in the province of Buenos Aires, the walls of the streets of Tres de Febrero were the starting point for thinking and developing his art. And then, different neighborhoods of the city of Buenos Aires, other provinces of Argentina, and countries such as England, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, Qatar, Russia, Belgium, among others, have also seen his art.Martin Ron is constantly improving his style, he surprises passers-by with immense works of art on the wall of a building that transports him to a world of fantasy. Martín paints elements of real life and his paintings highlight aspects of the life around him, changing the dirty and gray landscapes into better places.Take a look below for more photos of the mural. More

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    in Exhibitions

    In Pictures: See Work From the Late Art Star Matthew Wong’s First Museum Show, Dedicated to His Mesmerizing Blue Paintings

    Matthew Wong was a voracious painter. After trying his hand at photography, poetry, and even Chinese scroll painting, the young artist began working with oil paint in 2013. Entirely self-taught, he created more than 1,000 works before his death in 2019, at the age of 35.
    At the time of Wong’s death, he was building a formidable profile in the art world, but had never been the subject of a museum exhibition. That changes with “Blue View” at the Art Gallery of Ontario in the artist’s native Canada. The show (on through April 18, 2022) presents 40 of the roughly 60 works in Wong’s “Blue Series,” which the artist worked on from 2017 until his death.
    The images are a symphony of indigo, turquoise, azure, and inky-black blues, all depicting quiet scenes that the artist said were gleaned from a trip he took with his mother to Sicily. There are long winding roads and intimate glimpses into darkened rooms. The compositions bring to mind Erik Satie’s Trois Gymnopédies—melancholy but also serene.
    Like the variations of Satie’s minimalist piano pieces, Wong’s pictures are variations on a theme. The artist once said they are meant to “activate nostalgia, both personal and collective.” The presence of lone individuals, almost always without identifying features and rendered in blurred outline, underscores this effect.
    In an essay for the show’s catalogue, former Guggenheim curator Nancy Spector describes Wong’s work as “Fauvist at heart with an overlay of pointillist patterning.”
    His paintings, she writes, “are remarkable for the brilliance of their palettes.” Even when defined by their blueness, they manage to incorporate every shade and are punctuated at times with lilac, silvery white, vermillion, and peach.
    Although Wong’s work has drawn comparisons to artists as varied as Edouard Vuillard and Yayoi Kusama, he was able to build a mood in paint that was entirely his own.
    See more images from “Matthew Wong: Blue View,” below. “Matthew Wong: Blue View” is on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario through April 18, 2022. 
    Matthew Wong, Meanwhile… (2018).© 2019 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York. Image courtesy of Karma, New York.
    Matthew Wong, A Dream (2019).© 2019 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York. Image courtesy of Karma, New York.
    Matthew Wong, Autumn Nocturne (2018).© 2019 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York. Image courtesy of Karma, New York.
    Matthew Wong, Blue Night (2018). © 2019 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York. Image courtesy of Karma, New York.
    Matthew Wong, Untitled (2018). © 2019 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York. Image courtesy of Karma, New York.
    Matthew Wong, Starry Night (2019). © 2019 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York. Image courtesy of Karma, New York.
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