In recent years, cities across India have undergone a vibrant transformation with the emergence of street art. Cities such as Kochi, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai, and Kolkata have seen their dull walls repurposed into vibrant works of art by local and international artists. In Kochi, the city's annual exhibition, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, has put the city on the global map, while in Chennai, student initiatives like #ConquerTheConcrete and Paintbox have transformed the Kannagi Nagar area into an art district. Similarly, Goa's graffiti-covered walls showcase its diverse identity, while Mumbai's labyrinthine lanes are filled with artwork depicting Goan life and culture. In Kolkata, the city's deep connection to politics, culture, sports, and literature is reflected in its graffiti scene, which includes tongue-in-cheek political satires, murals of laureates, and caricatures of footballers.
https://www.ndtv.com/travel/6-cities-in-india-where-street-art-is-bringing-new-life-to-streets-7392448The Lat House Gallery in Perak features a collection of special exhibits showcasing the personal items, nostalgic photos, and comics of Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, also known as Lat. The gallery includes awards and a unique experience where visitors can enter a wooden house inspired by his iconic comic "The Kampung Boy".
https://www.ipohecho.com.my/2025/01/03/living-art-eternal-stories-explore-heritage-works-at-the-lat-house-gallery/London-based artist Harrison Marshall, 30, has been living in a converted skip bin in his backyard for the past two years as a cost-saving measure to address housing affordability issues. The bin was transformed into a habitable space by Marshall and his partner, Danny Cozens, who documented their project on social media under the name "The Skip House".
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/man-lives-in-garbage-bin-to-save-money-on-housing-20250103-p5l1x6.htmlMadonna reflected on her life as a mother and artist, describing it as "equal parts joy and suffering" in a New Year's Eve Instagram post. The 65-year-old singer shared photos of herself with her children, referencing a phrase she saw at a Louise Bourgeois exhibition in Tokyo that read "I have been to hell and back and let me tell you it was wonderful!" Madonna said the phrase resonated with her own experiences as a mother and artist.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1268129-madonna-shares-cryptic-post-after-new-year-celebrations-been-to-hell-and-backHistoric England has made archival images available to explore famous lost interiors in London. The images showcase the changing tastes of the capital's elite, including homes of aristocrats such as Mrs Vernon Tate at 7 Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, which features a 1930s kitchen. Architectural historian Steven Brindle curated the collection, offering a glimpse into the lives of society figures and artists who once inhabited these spaces.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/01/03/londons-lost-interiorsdiscover-famous-homes-of-aristocrats-society-figures-and-artists-gone-foreverNadezhda Tolokonnikova's solo museum show "RAGE" at OK Linz explores her experiences as a member of Pussy Riot who was imprisoned for her activism against Putin's regime. The exhibition features paintings, engraved wooden reliefs, and video installations that reflect on the psychological impact of her two-year incarceration and her defiance in reclaiming her artistic agency. Tolokonnikova merges her sex appeal with religious iconography in a way that is deeply disturbing to Russian sensibilities, highlighting the danger radical feminist art poses to political power. The show includes a reconstruction of her prison cell and video clips of Pussy Riot's performances, underscoring the artist's continued resistance against authoritarian regimes.
https://hyperallergic.com/980878/nadya-tolokonnikova-makes-an-art-of-rage-ok-linz-austria/Pippa Garner, a Los Angeles-based artist, created satirical works that critiqued consumerism in the US. Her notable projects include "Kar-Mann (Half Human Half Car)" (1969), a prototype of a car with a human lower half, and "Backwards Car" (1974), a modified Chevrolet driven backwards over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Garner also published a mock mail-order catalog featuring nonsensical hybrid inventions in 1982, which earned her an appearance on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In the 1980s, she began experimenting with body modification by taking black-market hormones, leading to a transformation of her own body as an object.
https://hyperallergic.com/980939/pippa-garner-ingenious-conceptual-tinkerer-dies-at-82/The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 will feature a range of cultural events and performances at the Ganga Pandal in Prayagraj, India. The event will include stage plays such as actor Ashutosh Rana's "Hamare Ram" on January 25 and actress Hema Malini's dance drama "Ganga Avtaran" on January 26. Other notable performances include actor Ravi Kishan's "Shiv Tandav" on February 8 and actor Puneet Issar's epic "Mahabharat" on February 21. The event will also feature musical bands such as Indian Ocean, Agni Band, Maati Bani Band, and Thaikkudam Bridge. The cultural activities will conclude with the film "Kumbh Gatha," produced by Reliance Entertainment and Sobo Film, on February 23.
https://www.news18.com/lifestyle/kumbh-mela-2025-be-a-part-of-cultural-events-and-performances-at-maha-kumbh-mela-9176002.htmlA sculpture created by Jose Rizal during his exile in Dapitan is described as depicting a moment of tranquility, joy, and bliss with Josephine Bracken. The artwork symbolizes both sorrow and agony alongside happiness and love.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/01/04/opinion/columns/rizal-in-alberta/2029810