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    London’s Largest Ancient Roman Fresco Makes for the ‘World’s Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle’

    Timelapse of the MOLA specialist team reassembling a section of wall plaster. All images © MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), shared with permission

    London’s Largest Ancient Roman Fresco Makes for the ‘World’s Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle’

    June 23, 2025

    ArtHistory

    Kate Mothes

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    One of the remarkable things about a city like London, which has been inhabited for nearly 2,000 years, is that no matter where a developer chooses to build, chances are there’s some relic of the past buried below ground. Archaeologists are routinely called to new development sites to carefully verify the presence—or not—of everything from early structures to centuries-old graveyards. And in a place founded by the Romans shortly after 43 C.E., we can occasionally glimpse astonishing finds from well over 1,000 years ago.

    This year, a team of researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has been hard at work in a development site known as The Liberty, which has already revealed ancient mosaics and a mausoleum. But the discoveries keep coming. Scattered in pieces, the city’s largest-ever collection of painted Roman plaster was found amid the rubble, dating back at least 1,800 years.

    MOLA specialist Han Li reconstructing the wall plaster

    The first structures on this site appeared between 43 and 150 C.E., and the frescoed wall would have stood in a high-status Roman building. Sometime before 200 C.E., the building was demolished and the plaster pieces discarded in a pit. Seeing the light of day for the first time since, it was a dream opportunity for MOLA researchers.

    Han Li, MOLA’s Senior Building Material Specialist, spent three months reconfiguring the artwork with the help of a team of researchers. He explained that pieces had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so figuring out how the fresco was originally composed took a lot of tinkering and patience. “It was like assembling the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle,” he says.

    Even the most avid jigsaw fans will appreciate that this type of puzzle is a real mind-bender—there’s no picture to look at for comparison. But there are clues. This era of Roman painting commonly incorporated color panels with border motifs and elements that imitated stone slabs like porphyry without the expense or labor involved in hauling that much material. And while this work is fairly representative of the style, the use of the color yellow is particularly rare and found in only a few very luxurious buildings around the U.K.

    The fresco also tells the story of visitors and passersby who left graffiti, including an image of a crying woman with a hairstyle common in the Flavian period (69 to 96 C.E.) and a carved Greek alphabet. It’s thought that the latter could have served a practical purpose, like a tally sheet or a checklist.

    Wall plaster reconstruction illustration by Faith Vardy

    One special detail comes in the form of what’s known as a tabula ansata, a carving of a decorative tablet that Roman artists used to sign their work. It contains the Latin word “FECIT,” which means “has made this.” Sadly, the part where the artist’s name would have appeared is too broken to determine, so their identity will likely remain a mystery.

    Explore more of MOLA’s excavations and projects on its website.

    The remains of the tabula ansata

    MOLA specialist Han Li reconstructing the wall plaster

    Sections of bird decorations on the Liberty wall plaster

    A MOLA archaeologist uncovers the wall plaster during excavations at The Liberty site

    Sections of floral decoration on the Liberty wall plaster

    Yellow and imitation porphyry panels

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    Seth Armstrong Sets the Hills of Los Angeles Aglow in Vibrant Oil Paintings

    Seth Armstrong Sets the Hills of Los Angeles Aglow in Vibrant Oil Paintings

    June 20, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Capturing the magical glow of the golden hour, the rich blue of early evening, and the butter-yellow of morning, Seth Armstrong transports us to Southern California in his ongoing series of oil paintings. Bright bungalows, electrical lines, palm trees, and shrubs dot the foothills that shape Los Angeles, with the San Gabriel Mountains often rising in the background.

    Greenery plays a central role in Armstrong’s suburban portraits, revealing and concealing roads, homes, and infrastructure—evocative of the city’s reputation as a place where any dream seems possible. Yet its sprawling neighborhoods, immense wealth, and locus of the entertainment industry tend to obscure undercurrents brought to light by recent immigration protests or last year’s devastating wildfires.

    Next month, Armstrong opens a solo exhibition titled Subrosa at Unit London, borrowing from the Latin phrase “under the rose,” signifying secrecy or discretion. The artist draws upon his own observations of his L.A. neighborhood during long, early-morning walks with his young son.

    Viewed from a distance, the hillside neighborhoods appear idyllic, even paradisiacal, but he hints at out-of-frame elements in this city constantly in flux: simmering socio-political tensions, scorched mountains and fire-leveled homes, and palpable economic disparities. Sometimes people are present, half-hidden in windows and often only noticeable when viewed up-close. “There’s substance behind the forms,” Armstrong says. “Sometimes you get a peek inside. Sometimes you don’t.”

    Subrosa runs from July 9 to August 17. See more on Armstrong’s website and Instagram.

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    Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

    “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024),
    walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches. All images courtesy of Andrew Rafacz, shared with permission

    Josh Dihle Toys with Reality in His Topographic Paintings Akin to Fever Dreams

    June 16, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    “The model railroader is the truest creator: engineer, architect, and master of his own timetable,” reads a statement about Josh Dihle’s feverish exhibition, Basement Arrangement.

    Armed with hundreds of minuscule objects from coral to LEGO, Dihle concocts dreamlike worlds in which figures become topographies and every cavity houses a surprising detail. Peek inside the cheek of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary,” and find a wooly mammoth with lustrous stones embedded in its wooden tusks. “Confluence” is similar as carved fish jut out of the foam-and-plaster ground alongside trees and palms with widespread fingers.

    Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

    Evoking model railroads and dollhouses, Dihle’s sculptural paintings incorporate recognizable objects but with an uncanny, if not skewed, perspective. Stretching nearly five feet tall, the large-scale works hang on the wall and draw a contrast between the overall composition, viewed straight on, and the miniature vignettes best taken in at a 90-degree angle. Step back and see an aerial landscape with hills shaped like lips or a sunken nose, while close-up inspection becomes a dizzying hunt for unlikely items tucked into every crevice.

    The exhibition title originates with hermit hobbyists, who seem to come alive when cloistered in worlds of their own making. What appears to outsiders as an escape from reality is, for them, an attempt to organize the chaos and take control, even if in the form of toys and make-believe.

    If you’re in Chicago, see Basement Arrangement at Andrew Rafacz through July 18. Find more from Dihle on his website.

    Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

    “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches

    Detail of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches

    “Brittle Star” (2025), oil, acrylic, casein, colored pencil, Legos, fossils, rocks, plastic toys, marbles, mosaic tile, buttons, carved walnut, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, and plywood on panel, 47 x 21 inches

    “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches

    “Sighting” (2025), casein, colored pencil, rocks, fossils, eyeball agate, agate, amber, found objects, plastic toys, mosaic tile, marbles, LEGO, beads, thumb tacks, and beach glass on carved basswood, 18 x 14 x 1.5 inches

    “Falls” (2025), acrylic, turquoise, meteorite, fossil, marble, rocks, plastic toy, paper pulp, plaster gauze, twine, maple, and foam on panel, 42 x 32.5 x 11 inches

    “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches

    Detail of “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inches

    Installation view of ‘Basement Arrangement’

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    In ‘Pu$h Thru,’ Yvette Mayorga Examines Latinx Experience Through Rococo Maximalism

    “She’s in the cake/Put out the fire, after Nicolas
    Lancret” (2025), collage, glitter, buttons, textile, birthday candles,
    pastel, cardboard, gold foil, silver foil, gold flakes, stickers, cake
    toppers, acrylic marker, acrylic nails, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 60 x 120 inches. all images courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, shared with permission

    In ‘Pu$h Thru,’ Yvette Mayorga Examines Latinx Experience Through Rococo Maximalism

    June 11, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Known for her delectable, frilly, occasionally ominous acrylic paintings made with bakery tools, Yvette Mayorga (previously) nods to memories of her mother working as a baker and references Baroque and Rococo art while critically examining family, community, and notions of prosperity.

    Mayorga’s pieces are “dominated by shades of pink to critically examine the American Dream and the Latinx experience, often borrowing compositions from personal and family photos and art history,” says Monique Meloche Gallery, which presents a solo show of the artist’s work opening this weekend.

    “W3 R TIR3D” (2025), collage, rhinestones, plastic butterflies, acrylic marker, pastel, silver foil, gold foil, pen, acrylic nails, car sticker, butterflies, glitter, gold flakes, silver flakes, textile, belt, rhinestones, nail charms and acrylic piping on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

    Pu$h Thru, the artist’s first show with the gallery and the first in her hometown of Chicago since 2018, takes a semi-autobiographical approach by reflecting on her experiences during the last decade in the city. Beyond her characteristic confection-inspired works, she has created large-scale compositions incorporating found objects like lampshades, clothing, and jewelry, along with bits of ceramic, pastels, gold foil, acrylic nails, and more.

    Many of these works draw on Mayorga’s personal memories, like snapshots of the artist as a child during a birthday party or sitting in her family’s living room. Converging with romantic Rococo aesthetics and style, like portraits modeled after Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun or Jean-Honoré Fragonard, the artist addresses the Euro-centric narrative of art history and its overarching omission of other identities. Mayorga has even coined a term to describe her approach, “Latinxoco,” which merges Latinx identity with Rococo aesthetics.

    “Pink, a color that has a long history with Mayorga’s practice, is deployed as a conceptual strategy to destabilize Western ideals of skin tone, evoking questions of race, class, and gendered embodiment while also referencing cosmetic and domestic aesthetics—an ironic and radical reclamation of softness as strength,” the gallery says.

    Pu$h Thru runs from June 14 to July 26. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

    “La Ursupadora Not 4 Me” (2025), collage, textile, glitter, lamp shade, pen, electrical outlet, hoop earrings, shoes, jeans, marker, pastel, drawer handles, lampshade, ceramic, belt, felt, pastel, clock, stickers, gold flakes, gold foil, mirror, acrylic nails, textile, nail charms, TV control, and acrylic piping on canvas, 60 x 120 inches

    “What’s Hidden Beneath (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

    “Hot and Ready” (2025), collage, rhinestones, acrylic marker, silver foil, gold foil, pen, pastel, mirror, acrylic nails, stickers, rhinestones, gold flakes, nail charms, collage, glitter and acrylic piping on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

    “Self Portrait of the Artist After Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun” (2025), textile, collage, stickers, gold flakes, silver flakes, pen, lace, buttons, acrylic nails, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

    “The Portal (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

    “Rhinestone Vaquero After Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun” (2025), textile, rhinestones, buttons, belt buckle, gold flakes, silver flakes, glitter, and acrylic piping on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

    “Taffy Taffy (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

    “PU$$H PU$$H THRU” (2025), collage, rhinestones, glitter, acrylic marker, silver foil, gold foil, pen, toy boat, mirror, marker, acrylic nails, stickers, textile, leather, nail charms, and acrylic piping on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

    “La Serpiente (Remnant Series)” (2024), found objects and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

    Installation view of ‘Pu$h Thru’ at Monique Meloche Gallery

    “Party Favor (Remnant Series)” (2025), found objects, nail charms, party favor, and acrylic piping on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

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    At Joy Machine, Five Artists Bring a Gust of Fresh Air for a Joint Exhibition with The Jaunt

    Stevie Shao, “Thistle Butterfly sheltering from rain,” acrylic gouache and latex paint on paper, 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches

    At Joy Machine, Five Artists Bring a Gust of Fresh Air for a Joint Exhibition with The Jaunt

    June 9, 2025

    ArtPartner

    Joy Machine

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    Joy Machine is excited to announce a joint exhibition with The Jaunt. Opening this week in Chicago, Ventus features paintings, sculptures, and prints by Cody Hudson, Seonna Hong (previously), Seth Pimentel, Stevie Shao, and Scott Sueme.

    Founded and curated by Jeroen Smeets, The Jaunt (previously) is a travel project that sends artists around the world to experience new locations and cultures. Once they return home, artists create a limited-edition silkscreen print inspired by their journeys.

    Seonna Hong, “Summer Swimmers” (2025), acrylic on linen, 30 x 24 inches, framed

    Being outside our comfort zones heightens our senses and opens us up to new experiences and inspiration. The Jaunt is a gust of new perspective and energy that flows through artists’ creative processes, allowing them to reorient and establish a new current.

    For Ventus, Smeets gathered a group of artists who have each participated in the project, traveling to places like Shanghai, Mexico City, and Jeju Island, along with the towns of Shelton, Washington, and Joseph, Oregon. Each lets their experiences and observations lead as they create new artworks.

    Chicago has always been somewhat of a home away from home for The Jaunt. The very first exhibition was in the city, and over the years, amazing artists living and working in Chicago–including Cody Hudson, David Heo, Liz Flores, and others–have participated. The Jaunt and Joy Machine are excited to partner and present these five artists, many of whom are showing here for the first time.

    Ventus runs from June 13 to August 2. RSVP to the opening reception here.

    Stevie Shao, “Swallows,” acrylic gouache and latex paint on shaped wood

    Seonna Hong, “Bigfoot,” hand-finished print

    Scott Sueme, “Self-Schema, Pillar One” (2025), acrylic, flashe, and pastel on wood, 69 x 5.5 inches

    Cody Hudson, “Self-Sufficiency, Tangerine Variant”

    Cody Hudson, “Alternative Education, Tangerine Variant”

    Seth Pimentel, silkscreen print, 50 x 70 centimeters, edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist

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    An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

    “Utopian Visions of Hope” (2025). All images courtesy of Sapar Contemporary, shared with permission

    An Astronaut Finds Symbiosis with Nature in Agus Putu Suyadnya’s Uncanny Paintings

    June 6, 2025

    ArtClimate

    Grace Ebert

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    In Symbiotic Utopia, Agus Putu Suyadnya imagines a future in which tropical ecosystems not unlike those of Southeast Asia become sites for humanity to commune with nature.

    Surrounded by verdant foliage and moss-covered roots that seem to glow with blue and green fuzz, a recurring astronaut figure approaches each scene with comfort and ease. In one work, the suited character cradles a chimpanzee à la notable conservationist Jane Goodall and waves a large bubble wand to create trails of the iridescent orbs in another. And in “Cosmic Self Healing,” the figure sits in a comfortable chair, a large potted plant at his side. This typical domestic scene, though, is situated on the moon, and Earth’s swirling atmosphere appears behind him.

    “Cosmic Self Healing” (2022)

    While alluring in color and density, Suyadnya’s paintings are surreal and portend an eerie future irredeemably impacted by the climate crisis. The astronaut, after all, is fully covered in a protective capsule, a sign that people can only survive with this critical adaptation. “Humans cannot live without nature,” the artist says, “whereas the natural world without mankind will continue to survive. So why, as humans, do we think we have the upper hand?”

    Symbiotic Utopia is on view through July 7 at Sapar Contemporary in New York. Find more from Suyadnya on Instagram.

    Detail of “Cosmic Self Healing” (2022)

    “A Hug for Hope”

    “Steady Humility Wins Every Time” (2025)

    “Yearning for Home” (2024)

    “Playful Nature is the Future” (2024)

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    William Mophos Conjures the Carefree Joys of Childhood on Salvaged Architecture

    Detail of “Quintal da Vovข” (2025), acrylic painting on wall fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, acrylic dome with cement board base, 21.6 x 23 x 21 centimeters. All images courtesy of William Morphos, shared with permission

    William Mophos Conjures the Carefree Joys of Childhood on Salvaged Architecture

    June 6, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    The thrills of childhood play are on full display in the miniature works of William Mophos. On salvaged bricks, cracked tiles, and other architectural matter found throughout São Paulo, the Brazilian artist composes mixed-media scenes of a toddler drinking from a water hose or a youngster walking a dog. Intimate in size, the dioramas meld photorealistic portraits in acrylic with sculptural elements like minuscule flip-flops flung off a child’s feet or a red balloon frozen in an acrylic pane.

    Shown here are pieces of Colossal, a series that’s taken shape during the last five years. Marked with age, the materials evoke times passed and conjure a nostalgic, wistful longing for days filled with exploration and imagination. Find much more of Mophos’ work on his website and Instagram.

    “Estou Voando…” (2023), acrylic painting on tile, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 25.5 x 25.5 x 7.5 centimeters

    “Quintal da Vovข” (2025), acrylic painting on wall fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, acrylic dome with cement board base, 21.6 x 23 x 21 centimeters

    “Quintal da Vovข” (2025), acrylic painting on wall fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, acrylic dome with cement board base, 21.6 x 23 x 21 centimeters

    “Violeta e o Amarelo” (2023), acrylic and miniature painting on tiles, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 29 x 29 x 12.5 centimeters

    Detail of “Violeta e o Amarelo” (2023), acrylic and miniature painting on tiles, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 29 x 29 x 12.5 centimeters

    “Bexiga” (2023), acrylic painting and miniature on a wall fragment, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 24 x 26.8 x 7.5 centimeters

    Detail of “Bexiga” (2023), acrylic painting and miniature on a wall fragment, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 24 x 26.8 x 7.5 centimeters

    “Bento e seu amigo” (2025), acrylic painting on a wooden fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, framed in acrylic with a cementboard background, 33 x 26.5 x 9 centimeters

    Detail “Bento e seu amigo” (2025), acrylic painting on a wooden fragment, miniatures of mixed materials, framed in acrylic with a cementboard background, 33 x 26.5 x 9 centimeters

    “Ligia e o Urso” (2022), acrylic and miniature painting on a clay floor, framed in acrylic and with a cementboard background, 22.6 x 28 x 7.5 centimeters

    “Ibirapuera” (2024), acrylic painting on wooden board, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 32 x 18 x 7.5 centimeters

    “Bem Te Vi” (2024), acrylic painting on tiles, framed in acrylic with a cement board background, 20.3 x 42 x 7.5 centimeters

    “Dia de Chuva” (2023), acrylic painting on floor, framed in acrylic and with a cement board background, 9.3 x 19 x 7.5 centimeters

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    Literary Citations Abound in Andrew Salgado’s Vibrantly Layered Portraits

    “When We Cease To Understand The World (Grothendieck’s Ghost)”(2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 180 x 160 centimeters. All images courtesy of Damian Griffiths and BEERS London, shared with permission

    Literary Citations Abound in Andrew Salgado’s Vibrantly Layered Portraits

    June 4, 2025

    Art

    Grace Ebert

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    A new body of work by Andrew Salgado (previously) unfurls from a central premise: we are the books we read. The artist, who works between London and New Brunswick, Canada, is literarily insatiable and considers every unread tome an opportunity of “infinite possibility.”

    At BEERS London, Salgado’s Self-Portrait as a Stack of Books presents a series of paintings that open like chapters and together, build a larger narrative. “My Year Of Rest And Relaxation” directly references Ottessa Moshfegh’s bleary novel of the same name and depicts a young protagonist inert and detached. There’s also “Véra (Please Come Over, You’re Always Welcome),” which portrays a resolute Véra Nabokov writing what might be one of her since destroyed letters.

    “Véra (Please Come Over, You’re Always Welcome)” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 76 x 61 centimeters

    Salgado is continually interested in citation and the ways that memories and experiences layer atop and mold one another. Many of the authors he’s drawn to—Virgina Woolf, Jorge Luis Borges, and Margaret Atwood among them— “are influenced by art. By music and painting. They write about it all the time. The word is ekphrasis,” he adds. “Nabokov lists over 150 paintings in his collected works. So why shouldn’t the inverse also be true?”

    Intuitive marks of oil paint and pastel characterize Salgado’s works and seem to build up over time. Irregular stripes and circles add greater depth and dimension to patches of color delineating a dress or facial feature, leaving each scene with a certain indeterminacy. Allowing for interpretation and an array of personal references is essential to the artist’s thinking: “It’s ready for the taking. And whatever you take from it—from the books, or the paintings, or the ideas within—it’s all right. It’s all correct. There are no wrong answers,” he says.

    Self-Portrait as a Stack of Books is on view through June 28. Find more on Salgado’s website and Instagram.

    “My Year Of Rest And Relaxation” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 90 x 100 centimeters

    “St. Augustine’s Confessions” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 160 x 125 centimeters

    “Hotel Du Lac” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 152 x 117 centimeters

    “Meditations” (Sayings, Speeches, Notes) (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 150 x 120 centimeters

    “The Last Evening On Earth” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 125 x 100 centimeters

    “Beware of Pity” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 80 x 75 centimeters

    “The Aleph & Other Stories” (2025), oil and oil pastel on linen, 216 x 164 centimeters

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