In defiance of the Taliban's ban on music in Afghanistan, musicians are continuing to play behind closed doors and craftsmen like Sakhi are still making traditional instruments such as the rubab. Despite the risks, Sakhi has been crafting two rubabs a month for decades at his workshop in Herat, citing the cultural value of his work as more important than financial gain.
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3292892/afghans-making-music-and-musical-instruments-defiance-ban-taliban?module=top_story&pgtype=sectionThe "Back to the Future" art exhibition at the Seoul branch drew a record-breaking 50,000 foreign visitors between June 2023 and May 2024, making it the most-visited by international attendees during its run.
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-01-02/culture/artsDesign/MMCA-breaks-record-with-most-foreign-visitors-in-2024/2213925Researchers 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/Arts Missoula is hosting a celebration that showcases local artists and culture in Missoula, Montana. The event features new additions such as a dance showcase and reflective opportunities at the ZACC and Missoula Library. It highlights some of the best artists in the area, but organizers note it's just a small representation of the larger art and culture scene. The goal is to inspire attendees to explore new hobbies or follow local artists in 2025 by sparking curiosity about what the community has to offer.
https://www.montanarightnow.com/missoula/missoula-on-main-celebrates-arts-and-culture-for-new-years-eve/article_044e3f0e-c7ca-11ef-b44c-2352b5c26f88.htmlAward-winning photographer Amir Hamja has showcased his work in prominent publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and The Guardian. His solo exhibition, "A Year in the Times," is a documentation of his experience as the first Bangladeshi photographer to join The New York Times as a photography fellow. The exhibition explores themes of identity, culture, and community through his photographs, and it opened on December 19, 2024, and will close on January 4, 2025.
https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/year-times-capsule-history-through-amir-hamjas-lens-1032331Lauren Ironmonger suggests that people should have multiple hobbies in the new year. She references a TikTok post by a US user who proposes having four types of hobbies: Create (e.g. painting or gardening), Consume (e.g. reading), Cavort (physical activity) and Commune (social activities). The author argues that having one hobby may not be enough, but does not provide evidence to support the need for multiple hobbies.
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/hobbies-are-like-dating-how-to-find-one-and-be-happier-in-2025-20241227-p5l0vr.htmlArtist Shabir creates sculptures that blend fluidity with traditional principles of art, including orientation, proportion, scale, articulation, and balance. Notable highlights include a presentation at the Dubai Design Week 2024, an exhibition at the Kommagene Biennale in Turkey, and a site-specific installation for the National Bank of Fujairah's Dubai office. Shabir has also received awards such as Sculpture of the Year by RAK Art 2024 and Emerging Art Icons 2023 at the Magzoid Awards.
https://www.gulftoday.ae/culture/2025/01/01/sculpting-life-shabir-ahmed-mirs-sculptures-narrate-true-life-storiesA new wooden structure called the "Grand Ring" has been built for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Designed by Sou Fujimoto, it will encircle dozens of national pavilions at the six-month event starting in April. The Grand Ring is intended to serve as a symbol of unity and pay tribute to Japan's architectural history.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/01/01/style-design/sou-fujimoto-osaka-expo-architecture/The Art Gallery at the former JPC headquarters on Michigan Avenue is currently hosting an exhibition featuring a diverse collection of art pieces, including sculptures made by artist Bill Gates using vintage Ebony periodicals as material. The exhibit also showcases works from Gates's personal collection, such as paintings by Kerry James Marshall and Barkley L. Hendricks, alongside photographs taken by Ebony staff photographers. Additionally, visitors are invited to browse through the "Cabinet of Women Origin Stories," which contains approximately 800 images of Black women selected from the archives of Ebony and Jet magazines.
https://hyperallergic.com/978452/theaster-gates-house-museum-gone-wild/