Saturday, September 13, 2025

Sandy Skoglund captures eternal clash of culture and natural world in 'Enchanting Nature'

Sandy Skoglund at installation of “Revenge of the Goldfish” at McNay Art Museum. Photo by Jacklyn Velez.
SAN ANTONIO, TX.— Bright orange ceramic goldfish swimming in a turquoise bedroom, neon green cats swarming a mundane kitchen and plush dancing trees welcome visitors into artificial wonderlands in “Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature,” open through Feb. 1, 2026 at the McNay Art Museum. Showcasing the breadth of Skoglund’s artistic practice as a sculptor, installation artist and photographer, the exhibition merges visually striking photographic imagery and gallery architecture, offering an entirely new way to experience her art. Skoglund (American, b. 1946) creates tableaux constructed with unconventional materials that she then photographs, incorporating live models in scenes filled with fabricated objects or sculptured animals. The exhibition invites viewers to wander through the artist’s most famous installations. Intricate details often missed in traditional prints come into focus in the debut of monumental wallpaper enlargements of Skoglund’s artworks. The unique backdrop reveals how the artist manipulates materials to achieve a range of visual effects. “The McNay Art Museum has been connected with Sandy Skoglund for more than two decades, and visitors often identify her artworks as some of their favorites from our collection,” said Matthew McLendon, Ph.D., director and CEO of the McNay. “We look forward to sharing this latest collaboration with our community, featuring boundary-breaking art from throughout Sandy’s career as well as never-before-exhibited works. We hope ‘Enchanting Nature’ inspires renewed perspectives as visitors consider their own place and impact within the natural world.” The exhibition is anchored by three distinct room-size environments, debuting the never-before-exhibited “Fresh Hybrid” (2008), an install...
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Bettina Pousttchi explores urban change and memory in Berlin

BERLIN.— The Buchmann Galerie is presenting the exhibition Horizons by Bettina Pousttchi. The presentation brings together new photographic works on canvas from the eponymous series Horizons, as well as new polychrome sculptures made of ceramic and steel. The point of departure for all three groups of works is, in different ways, the urban experience of Berlin. Coinciding with the exhibition at the gallery is the inauguration of the six-meter-high sculpture Vertical Highways V02 by Bettina Pousttchi in front of the Istanbul Modern as part of the museum collection. With her new series Horizons Bettina Pousttchi continues her conceptual approach to an expanded notion of photography, bringing together photographic methods with painterly means. The artist applied acrylic paint to identically sized canvases in a variety of monochrome colours ranging from vivid red to luminous mint green, carefully
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The world's leading architects design birdhouses for charity auction at Christie's

LONDON.— Christie's London will present Architects for the Birds, a project conceived by Norman Foster and the Tessa Jowell Foundation, which brings together ten of the world's leading architects to raise vital funds to improve treatment for brain cancer, which is the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40. The architects are Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, David Chipperfield, Grafton Architects, Sou Fujimoto, Lina Ghotmeh, Jacques Herzog, Frida Escobedo, Farshid Moussavi, and Kazuyo Sejima. Coinciding with Frieze Week in London, the exhibition will be open to the public at Christie's King Street from 8 to 14 October 2025, showcasing a collection of ten unique birdhouses, representing a rare and collectible design challenge by the most revered architects of our time. Architects for the Birds began with an invitation from Lord Foster to nine of the world's leading architects to take on a more intimate architectural challenge: interpreting themes of sanctuary,
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Jennie Goldstein named inaugural Marion Boulton "Kippy" Stroud Curator of the Collection

NEW YORK, NY.— The Whitney Museum of American Art has named Jennie Goldstein as the inaugural Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Curator of the Collection. This position has been made possible by a generous endowment gift from the Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Foundation in honor of the Museum’s longtime supporter and founding member of the Whitney’s National Committee, who passed away in 2015. In this role, Goldstein will lead the strategic oversight of the Museum’s collection of over 26,000 works of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American art, managing its growth while developing opportunities for scholarship and display. She will promote the collection through special exhibitions and projects, like the recently announced High Wire: Calder’s Circus at 100, co-curated with Roxanne Smith, Jennifer Rubio Assistant Curator of the Collection, opening on October 18, and continue curating rigorous temporary exhibitions, such as Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night,
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Imperial porcelain, rare jade carvings and private collection treasures headline Heritage auction

DALLAS, TX.— Imperial porcelain, jade and hardstone carvings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and curated treasures from elite private collections will share the spotlight September 17 in Heritage’s Fine & Decorative Asian Art Signature® Auction. “This auction is a celebration of artistry, legacy, and provenance,” says Charlene Wang, Heritage's Consignment Director of Asian Art. “From rare Qing imperial porcelain to private collections formed over generations, the breadth and quality of material we’re presenting on September 17 offers a remarkable opportunity for both seasoned collectors and new admirers of Asian decorative arts.” Also known by his Japanese artist name, Shoji Kuroda, Crowder was a pioneering Nihon-ga artist and notable collector who developed his painting style in Japan during the Meiji period. His work, which includes 28 lots that will be in play in this auction, exhibits both Eastern and Western influences. The American-born artist visited Pyongyang
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Exhibition at Elizabeth Xi Bauer explores dialogue between artists Alexandre da Cunha and Brian Griffiths

LONDON.— Home with a Man takes its title from a gouache by Alexandre da Cunha, from his prolific Exile series (2022 – ongoing). Unlike most of his practice – essentially sculptural, often monumental – these works are painted over A4-ish surfaces, a format that is easily moved around. Having recently relocated his studio to São Paulo and being himself based between there and London, the artist’s very idea of home is embedded in layers of multiculturalism. Whereas in the realm of the gouache, the Man alludes to da Cunha’s domestic world, in the context of the show, it addresses the dialogue that is being established between him and Brian Griffiths. Such dialogue was largely inspired by the transportability of the Exiles, to which Griffiths responded with sculptures that, in common, share a travel case. In his This is Not an Exit (2025) series, open briefcases appear on top of leatherette
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Landmarks, UT's public art program, announces monumental new work by Howardena Pindell

AUSTIN, TX.— Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin, announces Autobiography: Circles, a major new work by Howardena Pindell. For the artist, the large-scale composition is a legacy project, combining the major themes and visual motifs of her pioneering career. Commissioned for the College of Education, Autobiography: Circles will be permanently installed on the glass façade of the George I. Sánchez building—the main entry for the college—where it will be viewed by approximately 15,000 students, faculty, staff, and visitors each day. Autobiography: Circles represents Pindell’s first exterior public work and first public art commission in Texas. Landmarks will celebrate its unveiling with a free public lecture on April 23, led by Valerie Cassel Oliver, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curatorial
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From UFO sightings to inner worlds: Thomas Zipp unveils new works in Berlin

BERLIN.— On the occasion of Berlin Art Week, Galerie Barbara Thumm is presenting “Profondeville,” the first solo exhibition by Berlin- based artist Thomas Zipp ( 1966, Heppenheim, Germany) at the gallery. This exhibition marks a milestone in our ongoing collaboration with the artist and follows his participation in the group exhibition “Anti- Pop II,” which we co- curated and through which we first introduced Zipp’s work to our program. Thomas Zipp, widely known for his intellectually demanding, multidisciplinary approach, has been a central figure in contemporary art in Germany and beyond since the late 1990 s. His oeuvre encompasses drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and performance, consistently engaging with complex historical narratives, speculative knowledge systems, and psychological architectures. In “ Profondeville,” Zipp unveils an impressive ensemble of works that deepens his engagement
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Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery exhibits Lee Kang So's groundbreaking 1975 Paris Biennale work

PARIS.— On the 50-year anniversary of the happening that propelled Korean artist Lee Kang So to international renown at the 9th Paris Biennale in 1975, the work returns to the city for the first time since this presentation in an exhibition at Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Marais. The avant-garde performance, in which Lee Kang So casts a live chicken as artist, is accompanied by works in hemp cloth executed the same year, as well as photographic, video and sculptural works that retrace his wider practice during the 1970s. Also on view is a selection of paintings testifying to the development of Lee Kang So’s art-making in the decades that followed this decisive period. In the 1970s, through avant-garde performances and installations, Lee Kang So developed a highly experimental practice that profoundly shaped the evolution of Korean contemporary art. His international reputation was cemented at the 1975 Paris Biennale with his presentation at the Musée d’Art moderne de
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Sam Falls's tenth solo exhibition at Galerie Eva Presenhuber explores nature as his studio

ZURICH.— Galerie Eva Presenhuber is presenting the tenth solo exhibition by US artist Sam Falls. As a young man, Sam Falls became eager to leave behind the farm in a small Vermont town where he had grown up with his mother. With a population of 3,000, the pre-Internet rural setting felt limiting, and he longed for the intellectual buzz of a big city. Eventually moving to New York, he set out to pursue his artistic ambitions. Given his desire to escape that pastoral life, it’s even more striking that nature would later become central to his work. After years immersed in universities, libraries, and the urban landscape, Falls began returning to the natural world. Sleeping in a tent, he spent extended periods outdoors and discovered that he felt more at home under a starry sky than inside a city studio. What initially seemed like a departure from his roots turned out to be a return: the forests and deserts of his childhood, experienced as an only child,
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Istanbul Modern presents advisory boards and new works from the collection

ISTANBUL.— As Istanbul Modern approaches its twenty-first anniversary in its award-winning building designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the museum’s advisory committees and collection policies are restructured by the museum’s Artistic Director Çelenk Bafra with the contribution of international art authorities. For the first time, the International Advisory Board—shaping the museum’s global programs and strategies—welcomes curators and museum directors from Asia. Joining the board are Hoor Al-Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation; Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director of M+ Hong Kong and President of CIMAM; and Laurent Le Bon, President of Centre Pompidou, alongside long-standing members Glenn D. Lowry, Director of MoMA, and Sheena Wagstaff, Creative Advisor of Frieze Masters. Istanbul Modern’s Photography Advisory Board, aiming to expand the museum’s lens-based programs, now includes curators and directors of international institutions. Este
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Quan Wenfei's new exhibition explores digital culture through printmaking and installation

NEW YORK, NY.— Eli Klein Gallery is presenting Ǫuan Wenfei: Internet Archaeology, the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery. The exhibition showcases Ǫuan’s explorations of time and imagery visible on the internet, featuring 10 works using multimedia from her series “CAPTCHA,“ “Click and Win!,” “Tetris,” and a selection of installations. Ǫuan Wenfei, who considers herself to be an “internet archaeologist,” grounds her practice in personal experiences drawn from the online world. Revisiting her interactions with the internet, from childhood summer vacations to her present-day encounters, she deconstructs visual information gathered from digital screens and incorporates it into her creative palette. Working across multiple media, she transforms these fragments into conceptual works. Through her refined skills, the boundaries between
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Galerie Urs Meile presents 'A Pre-Arranged Life,' first solo show in Zurich for Miao Miao

ZURICH.— Galerie Urs Meile is presenting A Pre-Arranged Life, the first solo exhibition in Zurich by the emerging Chinese artist Miao Miao (*1986, China). As a leading voice among the young generation of Chinese artists, Miao Miao’s practice moves fluidly between painting, sculpture, and installation. The exhibition introduces a new body of paintings, a sculptural ensemble alongside the artist’s signature paravents, a format currently receiving renewed attention in the contemporary art discourse. With A Pre-Arranged Life, Miao Miao investigates how everyday life, urban environments, and invisible forms of labour intersect with imagination and memory. Her works are marked by an acute sensitivity to colour, material, and the overlooked details of daily existence, transforming familiar motifs into allegorical and sensorial worlds. Miao Miao’s practice addresses the accelerated transformations of twenty-first
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If I want to give my mind diversion, then it is not honour I seek, but freedom.
Rembrandt van Rijn

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Stay Connected: Navigating the Cloud at Tai Kwun Contemporary

The two-part exhibition Stay Connected: Art and China Since 2008 presents twenty-first century art that addresses changes in social realities in China and their impacts on the world. Framed through the dual lenses of digital technology and the manufacturing supply chain, the two chapters, Stay Connected: Navigating the Cloud (September 26, 2025, to January 4, 2026) and the forthcoming Stay Connected: Supplying the Globe (February 27 to May 31, 2026), trace a constellation of innovative and alternative artistic practices as well as cultural transformations during this period. Navigating the Cloud showcases 35 artists and groups active in China and internationally whose innovative and alternative practices reflect the integration of the internet, social media platforms, and digital technologies into all aspects of daily life. More than 50 artworks, including

Commemorative exhibition for the 80th anniversary of liberation at MMCA Deoksugung

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA; Director Kim Sunghee), presents A Commemorative Exhibition for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation: Landscapes of Homeland and Longing from Thursday, August 14 to Sunday, November 9, 2025, at MMCA Deoksugung. Through modern and contemporary Korean landscape paintings, poetry, and Manchurian exile Gasa poetry, this exhibition explores the sentiment of “hometown” that has remained deeply rooted in Korean consciousness throughout the turbulent tides of Japanese colonial rule and liberation, division and war, and the subsequent waves of industrialization and urbanization. In reflecting on the 80-year history since liberation, the concept of “hometown” serves as a key link between this land and its people. In Korean

Brazilian artist Macaparana makes New York solo debut at Sous les Etoiles Gallery

Sous les Etoiles Gallery presents "A Playful Geometry", a selection of works from the Brazilian artist Macaparana (Brazil, b. in 1952) in its gallery space. It is the first exhibition of the artist with the gallery and his first solo show in New York, from September 13th to December 19th, 2025. In "A Playful Geometry", Brazilian artist Macaparana invites us into a realm where geometry sings. His work is rooted in the Brazilian concrete and neo-concrete art, movements that challenged traditional boundaries between form, perception, and emotion. His compositions unfold like visual scores—each line, plane, and interval charged with quiet tension and lyrical grace. Enchantment arises not from illusion, but from the precision of balance and the poetics of restraint. “My process of working is always very spontaneous, and I prefer starting some work in a freeway,

New exhibition explores light, perception, and the absent image

Photography has a lot to do with orientation. To obtain a good picture, one should position oneself at a suitable angle to the desired motif. The rays of light must also be oriented by lenses when they enter the camera. They set the direction by means of the light passing through them, and redirect the “pencils of light” in such a way that they make pictures emerge. The camera itself provides orientation as well. As a gravitational point, it ensures that all the objects photographed refer to and are put in relation to it. A similarly strong force of attraction can radiate from a light- house as well. As a marker of land—as a landmark—it is able to align everything toward or repel everything from itself, even if it is currently not within the range of vision. Cyclic Indirec­ tions (2022) by Luzie Meyer is a video with a twofold, perhaps even threefold or fourfold, circular movement, at whose

Secession exhibition elevates the "common" in a retrospective of artist John Smith

What does it mean to be ‘common’ or overlooked in a neoliberal society that preaches the extraordinary? In the English-speaking world, ‘John Smith’ is the generic name par excellence. In the UK alone, around 30,000 people bear this name – an awkward reality for anyone called John Smith who might wish to underscore his individuality. This conundrum is the point of departure for Being John Smith (2024), the most recent film by John Smith, a British artist renowned for elevating the unspectacular. The work spans Smith’s life story: from school failures to his emergence as an avant-garde filmmaker, from his cancer treatment to reflections on global politics today. Image, voice, and text are intertwined in an autobiographical meditation on nothing less than the meaning of art and existence itself. Despite its thematic weight, the film is devoid of pathos; in fact,

Becoming B at Künstlerhaus Bethanien

In 2024, Künstlerhaus Bethanien celebrated its 50th anniversary—marking five decades of artistic experimentation, international exchange, and cultural impact. As one of the world’s oldest and well respected residency programs, it offers artists from across the globe a temporary home, studio, and platform for public presentation. With the appointment of Antje Weitzel as artistic director last year, Künstlerhaus Bethanien embarks on a long-term transformation process. Building on its legacy, she seeks to reimagine the institution as a dynamic space for exchange, creation, and presentation, while addressing what a residency can and should mean today. This vision takes shape in Becoming B, a year-long exhibition series unfolding in five chapters. The series revisits the institution’s name, identity, and mission, asking what a residency might look like in the 21st century.

Adam Mickiewicz Institute presents The Clothed Home, Korea-Poland textile crafts exhibition

The Clothed Home exhibition, organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, recalls the historical role of textiles in home interiors that helped humans adapt to seasonal transitions. This exhibition echoes the Polish exhibition “The Clothed Home: Tuning in to the Seasonal Imagination,” which explored how textiles used indoors once played an active role in mediating between the interior and the external world. Composed of Polish and Korean sections that share a common philosophical foundation—a “reappraisal of discomfort”—the exhibition seeks to illuminate ways of living that are finely attuned to the rhythms of nature. It also aims to reveal how textiles—far from mere decorative elements—have long served as sensory mediators, bringing together people, space, and the environment. Emerging from opposite ends of the Eurasian continent,

M+ announces new Facade commission 'Ayoung Kim: Dancer in the Mirror Field'

M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, announces a new M+ Facade commission, Dancer in the Mirror Field (2025), by artist Ayoung Kim (South Korean, born 1979). Set in a futuristic city, this visually striking animated film explores society’s obsession with optimisation and efficiency through a mysterious annual competition. Commissioned by M+ and Powerhouse, Sydney, Dancer in the Mirror Field will be shown on the M+ Facade every night from Friday, 3 October to Sunday, 28 December 2025. The Hong Kong presentation is supported by Presenting Sponsor Julius Baer, a leading Swiss wealth management group. The work will be presented next year at Powerhouse, Sydney in a major exhibition that reflects on mall culture. Dancer in the Mirror Field is a speculative
Flashback: On a day like today, Italian architect Renzo Piano was born
Renzo Piano, Ufficiale OMRI (born 14 September 1937 in Genoa) is an Italian Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff said of Piano's works that the " ...serenity of his best buildings can almost make you believe that we live in a civilized world." In 2006, Piano was selected by TIME as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was selected as the 10th most influential person in the "Arts and Entertainment" category of the 2006 Time 100. In this image: Italian architect Renzo Piano, right,waits to receive the Danish Sonning Prize and its 1 million kroner (US$190,000) award during a ceremony Wednesday Oct. 1, 2008, at Copenhagen University in Copenhagen. His wife, Emilia Rossato, left, was seated next to him during the ceremony. The architect received the award for "commendable work that benefits European culture" and Piano's works include the New York Times building and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

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