A Sneak Peek Of Frank Stella's Retrospective Exhibition At the Whitney In New York

On October 30th Frank Stella’s major retrospective opens at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The survey marks the first retrospective at the new location and encompasses around 120 works from mid 1950’s to the The entire fifth floor has been taken over by Stella’s large-scale paintings and sculptures, divided by floating walls that mark the different stages in the artist’s career. The 18,000-square-foot gallery is set up as a timeline that starts with Stella’s iconic work Die Fahne Hoch!, from 1959, with which the artist , 23 at the time, marked his rebellion against the strict limitations of Abstract Expressionism. The retrospective impressively manages to reconstruct the different stages in Stella’s practice, emphasizing especially lesser-known pieces made between the 1980’s and 2000’s. It is in this way that the artist’s natural progression into sculptural works unfolds for the visitor, as well as giving a clear understanding of why Stella continuous to call his work paintings. The metal structures, embedded with 3-D printed elements, tower seemingly weightless from the gallery walls and are reminiscent of canvases packed and layered with paint as in the case of “At Sainte Luce!”. It is in these moments that Stella’s personality and unwillingness to confirm to rigid definitions shines through. Frank Stella: A Retrospective will open tomorrow and run until February 7, 2017 at the Whitney, 99 Gansevoort Street New York, NY. photographs and text by Adriana Pauly

LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) Presents An All Souls Eve Fête At The Ebell of Los Angeles

LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) presented an All Souls Eve Fête, an "immersive, macabre evening of dinner, cocktails, dancing and live performance," at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles. A live auction, with works by the likes of Aaron Young, Eve Fowler, and Jay Stuckey, was presented by Artsy. photographs by Oliver Maxwell Kupper

Alber Elbaz, Lanvin Designer Who Became Unlikely Face of The Once Obscure Brand, Is Stepping Down

Announced today, Alber Elbaz – who became the unlikely face of the once obscure brand 14 years ago – is leaving Lanvin, a 126 year old brand started by Jeanne Lanvin who initially started making clothes for her daughter Marie-Blanche de Polignac. The clothes started gaining the attention and a heritage brand was born. Who's going to fill Elbaz's shoes? – Who knows, we're still speculating on who take Raf Simons' place after leaving Dior last week. Could it be Elbaz?  

Devin Troy Strother "They should've never given you niggas money" @ Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles

On view now, Los Angeles-based artist Devin Troy Strother presents "They should've never given you niggas money" at Richard Heller Gallery. The exhibition takes its name from a line in a comedy sketch about Rick James by the great comedian Dave Chappelle. Artist Statement: "Behind any work that I do there’s always an element of humor. The current works revisit some previous motifs, such as the aluminum painted sculptures, but also go in a new direction with installation and neon. Neon, wallpaper and carpet are all areas that I’m interested in exploring more, as well as how to do a show that may have a lot going on in a room while, at the same time, have the room not feel overbearing with works."  They should've never given you niggas money will be on view until December 19, 2015 at Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles. 

The Year of The Zine: Read Our Picks For Some Of The Most Exciting and Scintillating Zines Of 2015 →

2015 is when the zine went mainstream. Some of our fave artists dabbled in the fine craftsmanship of the stapled chapbook that many people think dates back to the early days of punk, but it actually can be dated all the way back to 1776 when Thomas Paine published his famous pamphlet, Common Sense, which rifled enough feathers for thirteen colonies to declare war and independence from the British. Fancy that. However, the modern zine, which is shorthand for fanzine – not magazine as many believe – was a photocopied, hastily stapled together collection of appropriated imagery and art school angst. In 2015, the zine has held true to its DIY Xerox aesthetic, with a few surprising contributions – and of course some obvious contributors from the likes of one of our favorite photographers working today, Sandy Kim, and from one of our favorite new Los Angeles queer-cult collective, Gurt. Click here to check out ten of our favorite zines that came out in 2015, so far.

Premier Of The Final Installment of Haelos' Music Video Trilogy For the Track "Dust"

Today Autre premiered the last two parts of Haelos' music video trilogy directed by Jesse Jenkins - the one above for the track "Dust" and for the track "Pray."  In August, we premiered the first installment, for the track "Earth Not Above" and a link to purchase their new EP on the Matador record label. We're excited for whatever Haelos puts out next. 

Part Two Of Haelos' Music Video Trilogy for the Track "Pray"

In August, Autre featured part one of London-based trio Haelos' music video – for the track "Earth From Above" This time around, we feature part two of the trilogy – for the track "Pray" – which takes further the journey of heartbreak, lust and euphoria. Haelos have just been announced for next year’s SXSW. This weekend the band will play the Pitchfork Music Festival in Paris. The music video trilogy, directed by Jesse Jenkins, is a powerful introduction for the band that just signed to the Matador records label. 

Subculture Capital: Valerie Steele Dishes On The Fine Line Between Fashion and Reality, And Her New Book About Queen Of New York Nightlife Susanne Bartsch →

Fashion and nightlife are enmeshed in a seductive tango that relies on the notion of the pleasure. I often wonder if the pleasure of fashion is about dressing for yourself or for being seen? One could make the same argument about going out on the town. Indeed, there are many ways fashion and nightlife mirror one another. Each is an art as well as enterprise; each is mercurial; each can convey status and each sets and rejects trends, most typically from the ground up. Click here to read our conversation with Valerie Steele. 

William Pope.L "Forest" @ Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects

Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects presents "Forest," their first solo exhibition with the legendary William Pope.L. The exhibition features paintings and sculptures in an architectural installation surveying the artists object-based practice from the mid-1990s through the present. William Pope.L is a visual and performance-theater artist and educator who makes culture out of contraries. "Forest" will be on view until December 5, 2015 at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, 6006 Washington Blvd Culver City, CA. photographs by Oliver Maxwell Kupper

Sightings: Alex Israel @ The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas

For his Sightings exhibition at the Nasher, Israel presents new sculptures and paintings, some related to his first feature length film, SPF-18, currently in production. The work explores the genre of the teen surfing movie, using visual and narrative conventions common to the after-school special, a series of made-for-TV movies for adolescents. Israel's installation combines new sculptural objects derived from Hollywood movies, his own and others', with self-portraits incorporating classic images of Southern California to create a quasi-narrative installation within the gallery. Israel has also made an intervention in the Nasher Collection Gallery upstairs, placing sky and decorative backdrops among the works. "Sightings: Alex Israel" will be on view until January 31, 2016 at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas. photographs by Ouitney Lorin

Art In the Age of Afrogallonism: Read Our Interview With Ghanaian Artist Serge Attukwei Clottey On Turning Refuse Into A Symbol of Reclaimed Idenity for the People Of Africa →

There are not a lot of artists willing to get dragged by a noose through the streets of Accra, the capital of Ghana, in the name of social justice. Gallon by gallon, Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey is returning your used plastic refuse in the form of beautiful masks and mask-like sculptures that take on haunting human expressions. In the artist’s native Ghana, yellow canisters are ubiquitous and have become a seamless part of the country’s landscape. Where these containers come from has become a source of plight for the people of Ghana and central to Clottey’s artistic practice. Click here to read the full interview. 

Watch The Virtual-Reality Inspired Music Video For Petite Noir's Track "La Vie Est Belle"

Watch Yannick Ilunga, aka Petite Noir, turn into a virtual-reality version of himself and the environment in this music video directed by Alan Del Rio Ortiz for the track "La Vie Est Belle" off the album Life Is Beautiful. 

6 Things You Must See & Do During FIAC Art Fair Week in Paris

1. Palais de Tokyo presents two exhibitions for FIAC 2015. "I <3 John Giorno" presents a retrospective on the life and work of John Giorno. "Seul celui qui connait le désir" features new work by Ragnar Kjartansson (pictured above). Visit Palais de Tokyo Tuesday through Sunday from noon to midnight. 2.  Sterling Ruby's first solo exhibition are being shown at Gagosian across its two Paris galleries. See the artist's new "YARD" paintings (pictured above) at Gagosian Rue de Ponthieu. 3. Galerie Perrotin presents "Paulin, Paulin, Paulin" featuring the work of designer Pierre Paulin next to contemporary artists. 4. See Robert Montgomery's newest installation aptly entitled  'CHAPTER SIX IN WHICH WE SIT LIKE DOCILE CATTLE WHILE YOU USE THE AESTHETICS OF PUNK ROCK TO SELL CREDIT CARDS BACK TO US." The exhibition, presented by Galerie Nuke and ISTANBUL '74, explores the Montgomery's fascination with ecological and social concerns. 5. "Jack Climbed Up the Beanstalk to the Sky of Illimitableness Where Everything Went Backwards" at Almine Rech Gallery is a mini-retrospective of 12 works by painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel. 6. Galerie des Galeries hosts the first solo exhibition of artist and filmmaker Alex Prager, best know for her photographs that draw on the drama of Golden Age Hollywood films. The exhibition features her most recent works, including her latest film, "Face in the Crowd."

For This Week's Friday Playlist, Jam to the Deliciously Sweet Sounds of Motown Soul and Funk →

Whenever I get the proverbial gun to the head and am asked if I could only listen to one genre of music forever, I go with soul and funk. Why? Because it's everything: amazing lyrics, amazing singing, political, emotional, makes you dance, makes you cry, makes you sex. Click here to listen to the playlist.

When Savage Culture Was The Norm: Smiler Captures The Wayward Visages Of London's Squatters

An exhibition of unseen photographs by Smiler (aka Mark Cawson) of London squats from the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s is currently on view at the ICA in London. The content of the exhibition focuses on a body of work that Smiler mainly shot between West London and Kings Cross. The exhibition consists of black and white images taken on an analogue camera. “I used the camera like a storm anchor helping me to navigate and freeze a spinning world of change and flux.” Smiler Against the backdrop of social and political upheaval, young people across the city were drawn to squats by the prospect of a place to live, but also by an identity and a sense of community. Smiler’s photographs document the people who lived in squats across the city, at a time when salvage culture was the norm. Smiler: Photographs of London by Mark Cawson will be on view at the ICA until November 29, 2015, 12 Carlton House Terrace London

Continuous Surfaces: Sara Cwynar, Lukas Geronimas, Josh Reames, Cole Sayer @ Andrea Rosen Gallery

Andrea Rosen Gallery presents Continuous Surfaces. The exhibition features new work by Sara Cwynar, Lukas Geronimas, Josh Reames, and Cole Sayer. Writing in Artforum, Alexander Provan proposed that “every era has its interface, and every interface determines how we relate to the world.” If the late 20th century was defined by the graphical user interface made popular by personal computers, the early 21st century is marked by the proliferation of touch screens, which mediate increasingly broad swaths of everyday life. Touch screen devices like phones and tablet computers represent a radically new kind of surface, one that is both physically flat and thin, but experientially depthless. Continuous Surfaces will be on view until October 24 at Andrea Rosen Gallery, 544 West 24th Street, New York.