Author: Sam Art

Artist Doug Argue calls the Weisman Museum of Art’s (WAM) refusal to sell a monograph on his art in its bookstore during his recent survey exhibition there a form of “book banning.”The exhibit, held last summer at the University of Minnesota museum, featured Argue’s work from the early 1980s. Argue’s work has been shown at One World Trade Center and the Venice Biennale. He is best known in Minnesota for his giant painting of a chicken coop in a factory, which can be seen for many years at WAM.A work originally selected by guest curator Elizabeth Armstrong for the show,…

VP Vasuhan is a Sri Lankan artist whose journey through life, from his early years in Jaffna to his artistic explorations in Paris, has shaped his unique style and perspective. Born in 1977 in the village of Alaveddy, Jaffna, Vasuhan was surrounded by traditional arts from a young age. His grandfather, an agriculturist, and the local culture deeply influenced him, exposing him to religious paintings, embroidery, pottery, and kolam designs. His education at Mahajana College, Thellippalai, further nurtured his artistic talents, and upon moving to Colombo in the 1990s due to the ethnic conflict, Vasuhan’s artistic horizons expanded. He explored…

I decided not to read any reviews of the Royal Academy programme, Entangled Pasts, 1769-Now: Art, Colonialism and Change (until April 28), before going to see her. I wanted to approach the exhibition with an open mind, and so on a rainy afternoon in February, I set out for Green Park not knowing what to expect.In the courtyard, I was greeted by the monumental sculpture of Tavares Strachan, The First Supper (2023). It is in conversation or confrontation with the famous mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper (around 1495-98). In Strachan’s sculpture, the heroes of Africa and…

Gerhard Petzl, born in 1973 in Graz, Austria, is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans over three decades. He currently resides and works in Vevey, Switzerland, and Kalsdorf/Graz, Austria. Petzl’s artistic journey is marked by an exploration of shape, color, and texture, leading him into uncharted territories and self-discovery. His work is not confined to any single medium, technique, or shape, as he seamlessly transitions from traditional 2D visuals to digital art and creates sculptures ranging from found objects and recycled materials to metal works like bronze or aluminum. His artistic endeavors even extend into the realm of science, showcasing…

When Mexican designer Stephanie Barba Mendoza and her Austrian husband moved into their Victorian home in northwest London seven years ago, the writing was on the walls for a renovation, at some point. With the shell already in “pretty good shape”, new paint and carpets made it ideal for their growing family. Still, as Mendoza adds, “it was always in the cards to do an expansion: make the kitchen bigger, change the bathrooms, make some aesthetic changes.” In 2022, she and her husband Bernhard, together with their children aged eight and five, found the time and courage to make it…

For numerous years, Jade Ahn wrestled with her mental challenges. In that prolonged period, each day felt like an unending battle, and a profound sense of lifelessness covered her. Recently, a sequence of unanticipated events unfolded, guiding her back to art. Then, she discovered that the muted passion for art within her had patiently awaited rekindling. Ever since, art has been healing her wounds, giving her a reason to breathe once again. It makes her feel fully alive. Embarking on a journey to reclaim her lost pieces through art, she knows that someday, she will become whole again. Jade Ahn’s…

The big themes of the spring season in the world of museums and biennials are migration and mutation. The former is the loose focus of this year’s edition of the Venice Biennale, the world’s biggest art festival, which will explore artists who live in diaspora. But it is also the subject of a range of retrospectives for artists whose work provides a rebuke to the notion of national borders as fixed, immutable things. Transformation was a core component of Surrealism, an avant-garde that is turning 100 this year. It is, however, not the only movement celebrating an anniversary in 2024—Impressionism,…

More than 100 Jeff Koons sculptures are still aboard the Nova C (Odysseus) lunar lander, which is likely to soon lose power and communication with flight control engineers. Nova C landed on the moon’s surface on its side late last week, but according to Intuitive Machines, the company behind the lander, the craft fell on its side. The February 22 botched landing occurred after its two rangefinder lasers failed to guide the landing because its safety switches were on, the New York Times reported on Thursday. Switches can only be turned off manually. There were other failures and inaccuracies in…

The Maddox gallery has announced its representation of Munich figurative painter Moritz Moll. Moll’s bright, flattened depictions of friends and family in oil and spray paint explore the transition from youth to adulthood.”Molls’ distinctive portraits are uniquely found within our portfolio, with his vibrant, genre-fluid figures offering a more modernist approach to the genre,” said Fi Lovett, European Director of Maddox.Artist’s debut solo exhibition with Maddox, featuring pop inspiration after skiing portraits, is titled “The Grand Finale” and premiered on February 12 in Gstaad, Switzerland. This exhibition follows his participation in ‘Summer Daze’ at the Maddox space in Westbourne Grove…

Sabrina Puppin is a visual artist whose work has been showcased in different venues worldwide, including the Museum of Kyoto in Japan, the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and various museums and galleries across the USA, UK, Qatar, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, China, Israel, Malta, Dubai, and India. Her art has been celebrated for its ability to reinstate the primacy of form and color, establishing order and a sense of stillness while captivating viewers with its details and vivid colors. Puppin’s journey as an artist has been marked by numerous milestones. She participated in the XIV Florence…