A retrospective exhibition at the Broad in Los Angeles is challenging the notion that identity politics is a modern trend by showcasing the work of Joseph Beuys, who explored themes of masculinity and environmental activism in his work from the 1950s to the 1970s. The exhibition highlights Beuys's use of sculpture, performance, and ephemera to critique stereotypically masculine pursuits such as war, sport, and commerce. Curators Andrea Gyordy and Sarah Loyer position the show as a reflection on Beuys's environmental activism, including his membership in Germany's Green Party and his monumental work "7000 Oaks," which involved planting 100 trees in Kassel, Germany during documenta 7.
https://hyperallergic.com/982176/joseph-beuys-predicted-the-manosphere-broad-los-angeles/Artist Fiza Khatri's figurative paintings do not aim to represent reality objectively. Instead, they involve a degree of invention and imagination, which she calls "fiction and coding." This approach allows her to envision alternative worlds where plants and animals coexist as equals with humans, encouraging viewers to consider the interconnectedness of all living beings. Her exhibition, "The Beauty You Beheld," is currently on display at Semiose in Paris from January 11 to March 15, 2025.
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/fiza-khatri-the-beauty-you-beheld-semiose-paris/The exhibition "Raul De Lara, Shanique Emelife, Sihan Guo, Tahnee Lonsdale" at Alexander Berggruen gallery in New York explores the intersection of ecological systems and spiritual phenomena. The works by the four artists - Raul De Lara, Shanique Emelife, Sihan Guo, and Tahnee Lonsdale - blur the lines between the natural and intangible worlds, challenging Western cultural binaries. Their sculptures and paintings signify personal and ecological migration, as well as the interplay between human and transcendental forms. The exhibition dismantles the narrow designation of "immigrant" in the United States, embracing a globalized ethos instead.
https://hyperallergic.com/980601/four-artists-dismantle-the-boundaries-of-immigrant/Researchers Adhi Agus Oktaviana and colleagues have discovered the world's oldest figurative cave art, a painting of a wild pig and human-like figures in Leang Karampuang cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia, which is at least 51,200 years old. This finding suggests that visual storytelling with anthropomorphic figures and animals dates back to an earlier point in human evolution than previously thought.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/from-chimps-eating-medicinal-plants-to-footprints-tracking-our-early-relatives-here-are-the-most-significant-human-evolution-discoveries-of-2024-180985756/Dilip Mali's upcoming exhibition, Whispers of Nature, will be held at Jehangir Art Gallery from December 30, 2024, to January 5, 2025. The exhibition features 45-50 acrylic paintings that blend realism and abstraction, inviting viewers to reconnect with nature. Inspired by the natural world, Mali's works showcase a mix of realistic and abstract artworks that pay homage to the beauty of the world around us.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/booksart/whispers-of-nature-exhibition-by-dilip-mali-celebrates-natures-beauty-1850264The Drift Museum in Amsterdam is being transformed from a former railway factory into an art museum that aims to generate more energy than it uses. The museum's sustainability features include a heating system that stores summer warmth for use during the winter months, located at the Van Gendt Hallen on a windswept Amsterdam quayside.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/12/20/amsterdams-drift-museum-aims-to-create-more-energy-than-it-usesThe Autry Museum of the American West is hosting an exhibition titled "Out of Site: Survey Science and the Hidden West", which challenges its usual focus on the association between the West and popular entertainment by confronting the darker histories of the region. The exhibition features works by artists such as John Divola, Rachelle Reichert, Will Wilson, Julie Anand, and Damon Sauer, who explore themes related to the land, science, and the Native American experience. The show includes pieces like "Blue with Exceptions 16576 (12_16_2020)" by John Divola, a pigment print of George Air Force Base, and "Moodswings" by Rachelle Reichert, an archival pigment print on aluminum from her series Silver Peak. The exhibition is located at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles and will run through January 5, 2025.
https://hyperallergic.com/976381/exposing-the-dark-underbelly-of-the-american-west-autry-museum/Artist Holly Lane's exhibition "Not Enough Time to Love the World" at Los Gatos features a collection of artworks that blend painting and sculpture to create shrines to the natural world. The pieces are characterized by intricately carved frames inspired by early Christian carvings, which serve as a counterpoint to traditional notions of what constitutes a good frame. Lane's work explores the intersection of nature and time, often incorporating symbols such as bubbles and hourglasses to convey the fleeting nature of life and the importance of appreciating the natural world before it is too late.
https://hyperallergic.com/976012/holly-lane-elegiac-shrines-to-the-natural-world/Artist Anya Gallaccio's retrospective at Turner Contemporary in Margate is a reminder that life can thrive even in challenging conditions. The exhibition features works made from organic materials such as trees and plants, which are intentionally allowed to rot and wither, symbolizing the cycle of decay and renewal. However, amidst this process of decline, new growth is also being fostered, reflecting the artist's message of hope and resilience.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/12/16/artist-anya-gallaccios-margate-retrospective-reminder-life-always-finds-way