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    ‘We AmeRícans’ Celebrates Puerto Rican Community, Pride, and Cultural Hybridity

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    Ruben Natal-San Miguel, “Home Ruins, Bathroom, Old San Jan, Puerto Rico” (2017), color serigraph/photo silkscreen on canvas, 24 x 36 inches. All images courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery, shared with permission

    ‘We AmeRícans’ Celebrates Puerto Rican Community, Pride, and Cultural Hybridity

    October 7, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    At the end of September, the NFL’s announcement that Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny would be headlining the Super Bowl LX halftime show generated an uproar. He’s one of the most-streamed musical artists in the world, and while many fans rejoiced, the news made waves with conservatives, who take issue with the fact that he predominantly performs in Spanish and has been critical of the current administration. Bad Bunny has since clapped back in an appearance on Saturday Night Live, illuminating the culture war within the polarized U.S. political climate.

    It seems fitting, with Puerto Rican Heritage Month just around the corner, that a group exhibition honoring the island commonwealth and its diasporic community opens soon at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York City. We AmeRícans, curated by Ruben Natal-San Miguel, brings together the work of 10 artists whose practices reflect “the history, resilience, and cultural contributions of the Puerto Rican community in New York City and beyond,” the gallery says.

    Danielle de Jesus, acrylic on U.S. currency

    Through photography, painting, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, and mixed-media compositions, the exhibition highlights Puerto Rican community and identity. The title is drawn from a poem by Tato Laviera titled “AmeRícan,” penned in 1985, a rhythmic and joyous celebration cultural hybridity.

    We AmeRícans highlights an intergenerational group of artists, from the acclaimed and established practices of the likes of Carlos Rolón, Carlos Betancourt, and Danielle de Jesus to the fresh perspectives of young and emerging artists like Felix Plaza, Erica Morales, and Elsa María Meléndez.

    Natal-San Miguel’s vibrant photographs, for example, draw from his series Puerto Rico: Paradise Ruined, Its Aftermath, in which he documents houses and businesses heavily damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Following the storm, thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes. “Between 114,000 and 213,000 Puerto Ricans are estimated to have relocated annually to the U.S. mainland since the hurricane,” the artist says in a statement.

    A range of mediums lend themselves to cross-cultural experience. De Jesus meticulously renders a house facade with a Puerto Rican flag onto two U.S. one-dollar bills. Meléndez turns to textiles, on which she embroiders portraits and creates sculptural elements from an array of patterned fabrics. And Betancourt uses a range of found objects to create assemblages, sculptures, and large-scale print installations.

    Carlos Betancourt, “Times of Illuminations” (2017-18), mixed media including collected tree toppers, electrical wiring, remote “magic” wand, paint, color pencils, etc, mounted on plywood, 101 x 101 inches

    “This exhibition is a celebration and an act of preservation, documenting the creativity, strength, and ongoing impact of Puerto Rican artists across generations,” Natal-San Miguel says. “Through their work, we see not just personal narratives, but the collective story of migration, labor, resilience, and cultural pride.”

    We AmeRícans opens in Harlem on November 5 and continues through January 3. See more on Claire Oliver Gallery’s website. You might also enjoy artist Adrián Viajero Román’s portraits that reflect on Puerto Rican diasporic experience.

    Elsa María Meléndez, “La Isla de las Nostalgias / The Island of Nostalgias” (2020-24), embroidery on canvas with discarded stuffed stockings and wire, site-specific installation, 156 x 170 inches

    Ruben Natal-San Miguel, “Home Ruins, La Perla, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico” (2017), color serigraph/photo silkscreen on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

    Beatriz Williams, “Madurando,” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 inches

    Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, (2021), gown created in collaboration with costume designer Kristina Tollefson. Image of Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz during a dress rehearsal for the performance “Exodus Pilgrimage” (2019), in Orlando. Photo by Dominic DiPaolo

    Felix Plaza, “Flora – Rojo y verde” (1999-2020), gum bichromate and silkscreen, individually hand-cut Rives BFK and other papers, 30 x 22.5 inches

    Carlos Betancourt, “The Future Eternal (Process as Ritual)” (2018), pigmented inkjet on fine art paper, 36 x 36 inches

    Dave Ortiz, “Barnito Providencia” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

    Erica Morales, “You’re Gonna Lose The House” (2024), spray paint, fabric collage and pencil on paper, 30 x 22 inches

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      Twelve Trailblazing Women Artists Transform Interior Spaces in ‘Dream Rooms’

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      Aleksandra Kasuba, “Spectral Passage” (1975), reconstruction of Haus der Kunst München, 2023. Adapted reconstruction for the spaces of M+, 2025. Photo by Dan Leung, © Estate of Aleksandra Kasuba. All images courtesy of M+, Hong Kong, shared with permission

      Twelve Trailblazing Women Artists Transform Interior Spaces in ‘Dream Rooms’

      October 6, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      With its roots in the conceptual and immersive experiments of the Dadaists and Surrealists in the early 20th century, installation art emerged as its own genre in the late 1950s. The approach gained momentum during the next couple of decades, usually revolving around site-specific responses to interior spaces. Taking many forms, installations sometimes incorporate light, sound, projections, performances, and participatory or immersive elements.

      “While many of these works were made by women, histories of art havetended to focus on male artists,” says a statement from M+ in Hong Kong, which is currently presenting Dream Rooms: Environments by Women Artists 1950s-Now. The show “addresses this imbalance by foregrounding the visionary contributions of women artists.”

      Pinaree Sanpitak, “The House Is Crumbling” (2017/2025), © Pinaree Sanpitak

      Dream Rooms features 12 room-scale installations created by artists located across four continents. Originating at Haus der Kunst München in 2023 with the title Inside Other Spaces, the exhibition then traveled to M+, where the artworks have been reconstructed.

      Some pieces date back several decades, like Yamazaki Tsuruko’s “Red (shape of mosquito net)” from 1956 and Aleksandra Kasuba’s “Spectral Passage” from 1975. “The exhibition explores forms and ideas that speak to their time, while also encouraging visitors to explore, laugh, wonder, or embrace feelings of unease,” the museum says.

      Three new works have been commissioned from three Asian artists specifically for this exhibition. These include Pinaree Sanpitak’s “The House Is Crumbling,” which was first conceived in 2017 and is reimagined for Dream Rooms. Chiharu Shiota’s “Infinite Memory” features a cascade of the artist’s signature red string, and Kimsooja’s atmospheric “To Breathe” is composed of translucent film on window that diffracts the light into prismatic patterns around the museum.

      Dream Rooms continues through January 18, 2026. Find more on the museum’s website. You might also enjoy exploring more site-specific work by women artists featured in Groundswell: The Women of Land Art.

      Yamazaki Tsuruko, “Red (shape of mosquito net)” (1956), © Estate of Tsuruko Yamazaki. Photo by Agostino Osio–Alto Piano, courtesy of Haus der Kunst München

      Kimsooja, “To Breathe” (2022), © Kimsooja, courtesy of Studio Kimsooja

      Aleksandra Kasuba, “Spectral Passage” (1975), © Estate of Aleksandra Kasuba. Photo by Constantin Mirbach, courtesy of Haus der Kunst München

      Chiharu Shiota, “Internal Line” (2024). Image © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn and Chiharu Shiota, courtesy of the artist

      Judy Chicago, “Feather Room” (1966), © Chicago Woodman LLC, Judy Chicago. Photo by Lok Cheng

      Pinaree Sanpitak, “The House Is Crumbling” (2017/2025), © Pinaree Sanpitak

      Marta Minujín, “¡Revuélquese y viva!” (1964), © Marta Minujín

      Lea Lublin, “Penetración / Expulsión (del Fluvio Subtunal)” (1970)

      Marta Minujín, “¡Revuélquese y viva!”
      (1964), © Marta Minujín.
      Photo by Lok Cheng, courtesy of M+, Hong Kong

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    • 150 Shares63 Views

      in Art

      Lakota and Western Art History Converge in Dyani White Hawk’s Vibrant Works

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      “Wopila | Lineage II” (2023), acrylic, glass beads, synthetic sinew, and thread on aluminum panel, 96 x 120 inches. Gochman Family Collection. Photo by Rik Sferra. All images courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates, New York, and Bockley Gallery, Minneapolis, shared with permission

      Lakota and Western Art History Converge in Dyani White Hawk’s Vibrant Works

      October 1, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Throughout history, those who wield the most power or resources are typically the ones whose stories are represented in textbooks, passed down through generations, and etched into our collective consciousness. Without intentional effort, it can be difficult to hear more than a single narrative.

      In art history, the reality is much the same. The canon has always privileged white male artists, from titans of the Renaissance like Michelangelo to bad-boy American Modernists like Jackson Pollock. The foundations of 19th-century American landscape painting, for example, are inextricable from the belief in Manifest Destiny, as the American government violently expanded westward. And Western painting and sculpture have historically reigned supreme in the market-driven hallows of galleries and auction houses. But what of the incredible breadth of—namely Indigenous—art forms that have long been overlooked?

      “Visiting” (2024), acrylic, glass beads, thread, and synthetic sinew on aluminum panel with a quartz base, 120 x 15.5 x 15.5 inches (base 5 x 24 x 24 inches). Collection of the Denver Art Museum. Photo by Rik Sferra

      For Sičáŋǧu Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk, the construction of American art history lies at the core of her multidisciplinary practice. “She lays bare the exclusionary hierarchies that have long governed cultural legitimacy, authority, value, and visibility,” says a joint statement from Alexander Gray Associates and Bockley Gallery. “In this light, White Hawk reframes Indigenous art and Western abstraction as inseparable practices—linked by a shared history that dominant narratives have labored to separate and obscure.”

      Pablo Picasso is credited with the saying, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Seminal paintings like “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and others created in the early 1900s would not exist if it were not for his fascination with African masks. White Hawk draws a similar parallel between the 20th-century Color Field and Minimalism movements to highlight the influence of Native American art forms in the evolution of these styles. She prompts viewers to consider how these notions shape our aesthetic perceptions and judgment while also considering the role of cultural memory and community.

      White Hawk’s work spans painting, sculpture, photography, performance, and installations. Alongside oil and acrylic paint, she incorporates materials commonly used in Lakota art forms, like beads, porcupine quills, and buckskin.

      “I strive to create honest, inclusive works that draw from the breadth of my life experiences,” White Hawk says in a statement, merging influences from Native and non-Native, urban, academic, and cultural education systems. She continues: “This allows me to start from center, deepening my own understanding of the intricacies of self and culture, correlations between personal and national history, and Indigenous and mainstream art histories.”

      “Nourish” (2024), ceramic tile installation of handmade tiles by Mercury Mosaics, 174 x 369 1/2 inches. Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Whitney Acquisition Fund 2024.13

      Mirroring the meditative labor and incredible attention to detail required to create traditional Lakota artworks—from elaborately beaded garments to abstract buckskin paintings—White Hawk creates energetic installations that are bold and confrontational. Vibrant geometric patterns are direct and visceral in a way that “unsettles the categories of Eurocentric art history,” the galleries say.

      White Hawk notes that her mixed-media canvases honor “the importance of the contributions of Lakota women and Indigenous artists to our national artistic history…as well as the ways in which Indigenous artists helped shape the evolution of the practices of Western artists who were inspired by their work.”

      “Nourish,” an installation that spans nearly 31 feet wide and 14.5 feet tall, comprises thousands of handmade ceramic tiles that visually reference Lakota beadwork and quillwork. Permanently installed at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the piece enters into a dialogue with the history of American Modernism through painters such as Marsden Hartley and Pollock, who are credited as trailblazers of American abstraction and yet were indelibly influenced by Native American art.

      Detail of “Visiting.” Collection of the Denver Art Museum. Photo by Rik Sferra

      “At its core, White Hawk’s practice is sustained by ancestral respect and guided by value systems that center relationality and care for all life,” the galleries say. “By addressing inequities affecting Native communities, she creates opportunities for cross-cultural connection and prompts a critical examination of how artistic and national histories have been constructed. Her work invites viewers to evaluate current societal value systems and their capacity to support equitable futures.”

      Minneapolis-based Bockley Gallery, which has represented White Hawk for more than a decade, has recently announced co-representation of the artist with New York City-based Alexander Gray Associates, where she’ll present a solo exhibition in fall 2026. If you’re in Minneapolis, Love Language opens on October 18 at the Walker Art Center and continues through February 15. The show then travels to Remai Modern in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where it will be on view from April 25 to September 27, 2026. See more on White Hawk’s website.

      Installation view of ‘Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet as It’s Kept (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 6 to September 5, 2022). “Wopila | Lineage” (2022), acrylic, glass beads, and synthetic sinew on aluminum panel, 96 9/16 x 168 3/8 inches. Photo by Ron Amstutz

      “Carry IV” (2024), buckskin, synthetic sinew and thread, glass beads, brass sequins, copper vessel, copper ladle, and acrylic paint, 123 x 12 x 10 inches. Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Photo by Rik Sferra

      Detail of “Carry IV.” Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Photo by Rik Sferra

      Installation view of “I Am Your Relative” (2020) in ‘Sharing the Same Breath,’ John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI, 2023. Courtesy of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center

      Detail of “Visiting.” Collection of the Denver Art Museum. Photo by Rik Sferra

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    • 125 Shares112 Views

      in Art

      Vernacular Architecture and Mossy Trees Fill Michael Davydov’s Tiny Worlds

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      All images courtesy of Michael Davydov, shared with permission

      Vernacular Architecture and Mossy Trees Fill Michael Davydov’s Tiny Worlds

      September 24, 2025

      ArtCraft

      Kate Mothes

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      In the miniature world of Michael Davydov, tiny houses, moons, trees, and barns balance precariously in clusters and stacks. Observing the architecture and flora around his home in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia, he taught himself how to draw and eventually began assembling small sculptures.

      The hobby quickly morphed into a passion for creating miniature realms in which diminutive structures jumble, float, and balance on one another, sometimes complemented by moss and slender coniferous trees. Inspired by the vernacular of northern climes, his houses resemble the small, stilted structures one might encounter in coastal villages in Greenland, for example, or the traditional timber dwellings of Russian farmsteads.

      Davydov often encases his scenes in glass, using domes or vials that lend the impression of delicate specimens being collected and preserved. Like folkloric fairy houses nestled in the woods, one can almost imagine wandering through a mossy forest and stumbling upon one of these tiny, enigmatic settlements.

      Explore more on the artist’s website.

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    • 138 Shares139 Views

      in Art

      Tenderness and Empathy Prevail in Bisa Butler’s Nostalgic and Vibrant Quilts

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      “Hold Me Close (My Starship)” (2025), after
      Steve Edson, Untitled (1974), cotton, silk, lace, sequins, netting, vinyl, faux fur, and velvet, quilted and appliquéd, 90.5 x 54 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Jeffrey Deitch, shared with permission

      Tenderness and Empathy Prevail in Bisa Butler’s Nostalgic and Vibrant Quilts

      September 23, 2025

      ArtCraft

      Kate Mothes

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      Harnessing the power of empathy, Bisa Butler presents a tender, evocative suite of new works in her current exhibition, Hold Me Close at Jeffrey Deitch. The artist is known for her chromatic, multi-patterned quilted artworks exploring Black history, identity, and craft traditions. Her elaborate pieces combine materials like printed cotton, silk, sequins, beads, and velvet to create both large-scale tapestries and intimate vignettes.

      The work in Hold Me Close centers around the need for mutual respect, love, and togetherness in a society that has become increasingly factious. “This body of work is a visual response to how I am feeling as an African American woman living in 2025,” Butler says in a statement for the show. Deeply moved by our current era of division and violence, in which hard-won civil rights are being challenged and overturned, she taps in the past to shed light on our current moment.

      “Down, down baby” (2024), after Gorden Parks, “Girls Playing in Water” (1956), cotton, silk, vinyl, velvet, lace netting, and polyester, quilted and appliquéd, 107 x 105 inches

      Hold Me Close draws on imagery from trailblazing Black photographers like Gordon Parks, Jean Depara, and Gerald Cyrus, who captured street scenes depicting Black figures going about their daily lives and enjoying one another’s company. Parks, for example, was a staunch civil rights advocate who documented racial segregation and oppression of Black people to boldly illustrate the societal disparities in the 1940s and 1950s.

      In his two-decade role at Life magazine, Parks captured some of his most significant work, ranging from celebrity portraits to the iconic March on Washington in 1963. Along with numerous other photographers—and acclaimed artists like Faith Ringgold and Kerry James Marshall—that Butler turns to for reference imagery, Parks’ images elucidate the evolving diversity of American culture and experience.

      Butler renders her figures in brilliant, mixed-media textures and vivid patterns that draw attention to expressions and interactions. The artist describes her recent work as a “visual diary,” which she turns to for solace. “Protections and programs for non-white Americans, women, queer people, poor people, and people with disabilities are under attack, and it has left me feeling destabilized,” she says.

      In the face of uncertainty, the artist summons affection and care. “Les Amoureux du Kinshasa,” after a photo titled “Amoureux Au Nightclub” by Jean Depara, celebrates young love by depicting a couple on a night out. More works like “Be Mine” and “My Cherie Amour” capture tender portraits of people who lean close together.

      “Les Amoureux du Kinshasa” (2025), after Jean Depara, “Amoureux Au Nightclub” (1951-1975), cotton, silk, lace, sequins, netting, vinyl, glass rhinestones, plastic beads, and velvet, quilted and appliquéd, 95 x 59 inches

      Butler’s compositions also explore familial endearment and the innocence and ease of children at play together. In “The Guardian,” a father warms his daughter inside of his large coat, and in “Down, down baby,” two young girls have an impromptu tea party in a puddle.

      Most of Butler’s new works start with a base of jet black cotton or black velvet, onto which she layers colors and textures. “Using a dark base pushed me to incorporate more fabrics with shimmer and reflective qualities,” she says. Three-dimensional textures like beads and rhinestones create the illusion of depth, encouraging us to look beyond the immediate surface. This poetically parallels how, in order to identify and connect with others in our daily lives, we must do the same. Butler says, “This collection is my visual declaration that we need love over hate.”

      Hold Me Close continues at Jeffrey Deitch’s Los Angeles location through November 1. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      Detail of “Down, down baby”

      “My Cherie Amour” (2025), cotton, silk, lace, sequins, netting, vinyl, glass rhinestones and plastic beads, and velvet, quilted and appliquéd, 44 x 31. 5 inches

      “The Guardian” (2024), after Earlie Hudnall Jr., “The Guardian” (1990), cotton, silk, wool, velvet, faux fur, sequins, rhinestones, and vinyl, quilted and appliquéd, 94 x 60 inches

      “Be Mine” (2025), cotton, silk, lace, sequins, netting, vinyl, glass rhinestones and plastic beads, velvet, and faux fur, quilted and appliquéd, 45 x 45 inches

      “Coco With Morning Glories” (2024), after Dana Lixenberg, “Coco” (1993), cotton, silk, lace, netting, tulle, sequins, glitter, beads, glass gems, metal beads, silk and polyester woven fabric, and velvet, quilted and appliquéd, 84 x 55 inches

      “Strawberry Letter #23” (2025), after Gordon Parks, “Man With Straw Hat, Washington D.C,” (1942), cotton, silk, lace, sequins, netting, vinyl, glass rhinestones, plastic beads, and velvet, quilted and appliquéd, 46 x 34 inches

      Detail of “Strawberry Letter #23”

      “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” (2025), after Gerald Cyrus, “Barbara and Alencar, Itaparica, Brazil” (2002), cotton, silk, lace, sequins, netting, vinyl, and velvet, quilted and appliquéd, 89 x 53 inches

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    • 100 Shares129 Views

      in Art

      Maria Nepomuceno’s Mixed-Media Sculptures Writhe with Ancient Symbolism

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      “Untitled” (2025), ceramics, strings, necklace beads, and wood, 39 3/8 x 34 5/8 x 11 3/4 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Malloy Jenkins, New York, shared with permission

      Maria Nepomuceno’s Mixed-Media Sculptures Writhe with Ancient Symbolism

      August 22, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Through millennia of artistic expression and within the natural world, the ubiquitous spiral continues to mesmerize. In ancient traditions, the form often represents cycles. The triskele, for example, consists of three interlocking spirals thought to symbolize death, life, and rebirth or the triad of mind, body, and spirit. Spirals also emerge naturally in seashells and plants, sometimes linked to the concept of the golden mean, also known as the “divine ratio.”

      For Maria Nepomuceno, the spiral’s occurrence in nature—along with its spiritual significance relating to time and energy in perpetual flow—underpins a vibrant multimedia practice. Her forthcoming exhibition, Cunhó, which opens next month at Sikkema Malloy Jenkins, emphasizes abundance. Iconographic references to female anatomy, jars, ceramic vessels, baskets, and seashells—the latter of which are emblematic of fertility and wealth—emphasize flourishing interactions and growth.

      “Abraçaço” (2025), strings, necklace beads, straw, ceramics, resin, and wood, 59 x 50 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches

      A made-up word, Cunhó takes its title from a nickname Nepomuceno’s mother gave to her. Employing traditional Brazilian craftsmanship, the artist creates undulating forms that hang on the wall or nestle into the juncture where perpendicular surfaces meet. Her sculptures are simultaneously soft and firm, meandering and structured. From a distance, they can be alternately read like magnified, amorphous, biological cells or what the gallery describes as vast “macrocosmic landscapes.”

      Whorling beaded and woven forms envelop pearlescent bottle gourds or evoke tropical flowers with prominent stamens. In “Abraçaço,” for example, which in Portuguese means “hug” or “embrace,” a faceless female figure with a serpentine tongue encircles a large white shell and other amorphous shapes with long, slender arms. Other pieces, like “Mar Amor,” evoke an ouroboros, an ancient symbol usually consisting of a snake or dragon eating its own tail, which represents self-creation, interconnection, and eternal cycles.

      Incorporating ceramics, wood, beads, straw, string, and other found materials, Nepomuceno merges the organic and inorganic in shapeshifting pieces that represent a continuous cycle of reproduction, nourishment, plenitude, and care.

      Cunhó runs from September 2 to October 11 in New York City. Explore more by the artist on Instagram.

      Detail of “Abraçaço”

      “Mar Amor” (2025), strings, necklace beads, resin, and wood, 42 1/2 x 41 3/8 x 9 7/8 inches

      “Planta desejo” (2025), wood, straw, necklace beads, resin, string, and ceramic, 74 3/4 x 68 7/8 x 65 inches

      Detail of “Planta desejo”

      “Lingua Espiral” (2025), string, beads, wood, glass, fabric, paint, and ceramics, 59 x 65 x 13 3/4 inches

      “Untitled” (2025), necklace beads, straw, ceramic, and resin, 35 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches

      “Untitled” (2025), strings, necklace beads, wood, paper, and resin, 51 1/8 x 35 3/8 x 11 3/4 inches

      “Untitled” (2025), braided straw, necklace beads, ceramics, and resin, 55 1/8 x 45 1/4 x 23 5/8 inches

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    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Steve Keister Conjures Mythological Creatures from Clay, Wood, and Cardboard

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      “Moondog” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 16.5 x 11.5 x 28.5 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Derek Eller Gallery, shared with permission

      Steve Keister Conjures Mythological Creatures from Clay, Wood, and Cardboard

      August 19, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      From glazed ceramic, coated cardboard, wood, and acrylic paint, Steve Keister summons mythical beings and enigmatic animal-human hybrids. The artist’s current exhibition, Split Level at Derek Eller Gallery, is a survey of work made during the past eight years, glimpsing the artist’s ongoing exploration of Pre-Columbian art and architecture.

      Keister’s mixed-media sculptures initially emerged from experiments with salvaged styrofoam and cardboard packing cartons, which evoked the bold, blocky forms of Mesoamerican architecture like Aztec stone carvings and Mayan step pyramids.

      “Leaf-Nose Bat” (2025), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 23 x 33 x 6.5 inches

      Through ongoing series like Bio Meso, Batz, and Masked Figures, Keister merges painting, sculpture, and craft techniques into three-dimensional portrayals of what the gallery describes as “bespoke deities that pay homage to Pre-Columbian myth.” Some creatures, like “Xoloitzcuintle,” represent real animals—in this case, a species of hairless dog.

      Hybrid creatures like “Standing Bat II” and “Coyote Man” tap into oral histories and belief systems that span North America. Bats are historically emblematic of the boundary between life and death. And Coyote, a potent character in the folklore of numerous Indigenous North American peoples, is variously a magician, creator, glutton, and trickster.

      Keister’s compositions range from wall reliefs to freestanding, monument-like sculptures to sprawling floor pieces. “At the core of his ethos is a profound interest in human and animal consciousness,” the gallery says. “Keister extrapolates his subjects from Central American mythology to develop a complex ecosystem of mystical fauna.”

      Split Level continues through August 22 in New York City. Explore more on the artist’s website.

      “Coyote Man” (2025), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, cement, 66 x 16.5 x 17.5 inches

      “Xoloitzcuintle” (2025), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood with found object, 25 x 20 x 33 inches

      “Red Tabby” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 11 x 14 x 3.5 inches

      “Cosmic Crocodile” (2017), coated cardboard, glazed ceramic, cement and acrylic on wood, 5 x 32 x 55 inches

      “Contrapposto” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 30 x 24 x 4 inches

      “Standing Bat II” (2022), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, cement, 65 x 48 x 12 inches

      “Mictlantecuhtli” (2017), coated cardboard and acrylic on masonite on wood, 37.25 x 41 x 6.25 inches

      “Lateral Bat” (2024), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood, 40.25 x 24 x 4.25 inches

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    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      In Miniature Models, Thomas Doyle Envisions an Unsettling Future of Technological Takeover

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      “Clickthrough rate” (2024), mixed media, 24 x 15 x 15 centimeters. All images courtesy of Thomas Doyle, shared with permission

      In Miniature Models, Thomas Doyle Envisions an Unsettling Future of Technological Takeover

      July 29, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      If we were to travel 500 years into the future, what would the monuments decorating public parks and town squares commemorate? Thomas Doyle takes us on an unnerving journey to imagine the culture we might encounter should our endless fascination with technology continue.

      The New York-based artist (previously) toys with perception as he sculpts miniature works at 1:43 scale and smaller. His new dystopian series, Clear History, invokes classical Greek and Roman sculpture, although the venerated figures appear more as a warning than an ideal. Sharp rays pierce through a woman’s head in “Clickthrough rate,” for example, while the hunched protagonist of “Opt in” demonstrates the neck-cranking posture many of us know all too well.

      “Infinite scroll” (2024), mixed media, 22 x 13.8 x 13.8 centimeters

      Interested in the long tail of culture, Doyle frequently looks to the past to better understand the consequences of our present. “I’m fascinated by the way we are hurtling toward what seems to be a new way of being human, leaping without looking, hoping for the best,” he says.

      In each of the mixed-media scenes, tiny figures peer up at or sit near the weathered statues as they consider a world that’s come and gone. “The trappings of past cultures are all around us, morphed and made nearly unrecognizable over centuries,” the artist adds. “I’ve tried to trace the ways in which today’s technologies will reverberate over time. What will grow from the seeds we plant today? What becomes a venerated symbol? What serves as a cautionary myth?”

      Doyle currently has a few models on view at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago, and he very generously shares glimpses behind the scenes on Instagram.

      “Acceptance criteria” (2024), mixed media, 21 x 15 x 15 centimeters

      “Opt in” (2024), mixed media, 20 x 20 x 20 centimeters

      “Switch profile” (2024), mixed media, 20 x 12.5 x 12.5 centimeters

      “Show hidden” (2024), mixed media, 28 x 30 x 30 centimeters

      “Session timeout” (2024), mixed media, 25 x 14.5 x 14.5 centimeters

      “Bad gateway” (2024), mixed media, 20 x 17.5 x 17.5 centimeters

      “Use case” (2024), mixed media, 20 x 14 x 14 centimeters

      “Temporary redirect” (2024), mixed media, 21 x 26 x 26 centimeters

      “We value your privacy” (2024), mixed media, 28 x 17.5 x 17.5 centimeters

      “Rollback” (2024), mixed media / 20 x 16 x 16 centimeters

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    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Art

      Werner Bronkhorst’s Tiny Beachgoers and Sailors Wade Through Chunky Blue Expanses

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      Detail of “Walk On Water” (2025),
      archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69. All images courtesy of Dellaposa, shared with permission

      Werner Bronkhorst’s Tiny Beachgoers and Sailors Wade Through Chunky Blue Expanses

      July 23, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      In a world constrained by rising sea levels and the climate anxiety that comes with a warming planet, it’s not far-fetched to imagine a life surrounded by the blue ocean. For Werner Bronkhorst, the overwhelming nature of this potential future inspires a collection of mixed-media works that find minuscule figures amid broad expanses.

      Bronkhorst’s new body of work, Sail Away, on view at Dellaposa, visualizes solitary protagonists as they trudge to the beach or surf on a seemingly endless tide. Thick impasto strokes in varying shades of blue provide an abstract backdrop for each piece and minimize the already tiny characters. “I pour layers of gel, then wait for landscapes to emerge—mountains, waves, ice. Only then do I add the figures,” the artist shares.

      “Mockney” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      Given their rare communion with other humans, Bronkhorst’s subjects also seem to embody the dissociation and disconnection of a post-digital world. Like a blip when viewed from afar, the figures emerge from their gestural environments as if in low resolution, their distinctive features impossible to discern.

      Raised in Pretoria, South Africa, Bronkhorst now lives and works in Australia. You can find more of his practice on Instagram.

      “Sail Away” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395 gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      Detail of “Sail Away” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395 gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      Detail of “Mockney” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm canvas, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      Detail of “Blue Water High” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      “Blue Water High” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      “Diamond Sea” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, signed by the artist, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      “Walk On Water” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, 33 × 43 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      Detail of “Diamond Sea” (2025), archival pigment print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas, made with long-lasting Epson archival inks, hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine, and float framed in FSC-certified Meranti with a painted white finish, signed by the artist, 100× 100 centimeters framed, edition of 69

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

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