Welcome to the Dreamstate: Read an Interview of Kelly Lee Owens on the Occassion of Her Latest Album Release →

Album cover for Dreamstate
Image courtesy of Huxley
Photo credit: Samuel Bradley

Dreamstate breathes life into the experience of being human through electronic synths, poetic sonics, and an adeptness to color purportedly infused in our ether. Pioneering the electronic sound alongside revolutionaries such as Björk, Kelly Lee Owens has emerged as a maestra of techno. Tactfully and seamlessly blending drum and bass into a Berlinesque rave set, Owens punches the ceiling of what many understand electronic music to be. Her urge to go higher lays at the core of her latest album, which elementally fuses the concept of air into its resonance. Owens’ embrace of what it truly means to dream underpins the emotive beats which transcend her audience. Read more.

Dreamstate is out on Friday, October 18th via dh2/Dirty Hit.

Gregory Crewdson: Unveiling the Dark Side of the American Dream at Espace Louis Vuitton München

The Espace Louis Vuitton München is showcasing a new exhibition dedicated to American photographer Gregory Crewdson. As part of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s "Hors-les-murs" programme, two exclusive series from Crewdson’s work, Dream House (2002) and Cathedral of the Pines (2014), are displayed for the first time in Munich.

Crewdson, a key figure in contemporary photography, has spent decades capturing the haunting essence of middle-class America, revealing its dark side through carefully staged, cinematic scenes. His images evoke a sense of surrealism, blending autobiography with an exploration of America’s faded dream, marked by eerie, deserted landscapes and mysterious characters. Crewdson’s work draws on film noir, psychological drama, and fantasy to create an unsettling atmosphere, reminiscent of David Lynch’s style.

Over the years, his technique evolved from simple compositions to elaborate productions with full film crews, as seen in Dream House. The Cathedral of the Pines series reflects a more personal and intimate phase, connected to his own life and family.

On view from 11.10.2024 to 22.02.2025 Espace Louis Vuitton München Maximilianstrasse 2a, 80539 München, Germany.

Challenging the Gaze: A Photographic Homage to Sofonisba Anguissola by Arale Reartes & Saskia Schmidt


photography by Arale Reartes c/o Magali Mgmt
styling by Saskia Schmidt
Models Uzu at NEU 
Happy, Steve & Louis at IZAIO 
makeup and hair by Berenice Ammann
casting by Cameron Niedrick
movement by Leonardo D'Aquino
production by Magali Mgmt 
photography assistant Brenda Vazquez
production assistant Dominik Graf
stylist assistant Denys Sadovyi & Kamal Emanga
Location scout by Marco Wagner

Arale is wearing Haderlump leather pants.
Steve is wearing Miu Miu longsleeve and Fendi pants.
Lou is wearing Miu Miu longsleeve and Avenir pants.

Sofonisba Anguissola, one of the first female Renaissance painters to gain recognition, created a celebrated self-portrait during a time when women were often confined to the role of muses. To avoid openly challenging the patriarchal norms of her era, Anguissola rendered her self-portrait such that it appears as though she, the subject, is being painted by her master.

This photographic editorial draws inspiration from Anguissola’s work and reflects on the persistence of social limitations that, centuries later, continue to relegate women to secondary roles—as muses or caregivers—creating discomfort when we occupy spaces of power and artistic creation.

Just as Anguissola defied expectations through her painting, this photographic self-portrait series by Arale Reartes plays with the ambiguity of the act of portrayal. Although these are self-portraits, the male figures also hold remote triggers, deliberately creating confusion about the identity of the author and the subject. This ambiguity invites the viewer to question not only who the true creator of the image, but also to challenge preconceived ideas about women’s place in art and society.

Arale is wearing Paloma Wool dress.
Lou is wearing Our Legacy blazer and William Fan pants.
Uzu is wearing Coach coat and Avenir pants.

Arale is wearing Haderlump dress.
Happy is wearing Coach shirt and Fendi pants.

Arale is wearing Milk of Lime bra and Falke tights.
Lou is wearing Avenir pants.

Arale is wearing Milk of Lime skirt and Haderlump jacket.
Lou is wearing full look by William Fan.
Uzu is wearing full look by Haderlump.
Happy is wearing William Fan shirt and Fendi pants.

Arale is wearing Haderlump dress.
Lou is wearing Namilia coat. 
Uzu is wearing a Joseph skirt and Coach blazer. 
Steve is wearing Chenaski pants and Namilia blazer.
Happy is wearing Namilia pants and Our Legacy Jacket.

Ocean&Climate Village Offers Ecological Expansions to Maritime Tradition in Barcelona

Students, citizens, tourists and sailing enthusiasts who flocked to Barcelona for the final stages of the 37th America's Cup welcomed the opening of the Ocean&Climate Village traveling exhibition at Port Olimpic in the Catalan capital with great enthusiasm.

UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay visited the Ocean&Climate Village exhibition at the Olympic Port in Barcelona and the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli base, where she met the Luna Rossa Women’s and Youth teams. The Director General was welcomed by Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Max Sirena, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team Director together with the Italian Consul in Barcelona Emanuele Manzitti. Azoulay warmly congratulated the Youth team for their recent victory and wished the best to the Women and the whole team for the upcoming regattas. 

The exhibition, which welcomed around 1000 visitors in the first six days of its opening and hosted 500 scientific workshops, allows visitors to explore the complex relationship between the ocean and the climate through educational tools such as infographics, photographs, interactive virtual reality installations and haptic experiences, with a focus on the ocean's crucial role in regulating the climate.

This special edition of the Ocean&Climate Village is part of the partnership between UNESCO and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, created to highlight the importance of sustainability in maritime sports and the contribution that the sailing world can make to marine scientific research through the collection of valuable data.

Materiality is the Impetus of Perrotin's Pacific Abstractions in Los Angeles

text by Mia Milosevic

Materiality lays at the center of Perrotin’s Pacific Abstractions. The use of material fluctuates between artists, but the physicality of abstraction remains distinctly intact. 

Lee Bae uses five different forms of wood to construct his charcoal ink on paper. An ode to movement embodies the work, where motion is inextricable from risk. Each charcoal stroke is entirely reliant on the mobility of Lee’s artistic hand—no gray-hued ribbon is ever erased or redone. The movement of material is the final product. 

Naotaka Hiro’s corporeal paintings are imbued with a kind of where-the-wild-things-are sexual innuendo. The work’s technicalities deconstruct the body, and then reinstate it with a phallic abstraction that is just discernible enough to make the body knowable. Two perfect, symmetrical holes perforate the bottom of his Untitled (Uproar). These circular lesions mark the negative space the artist inserted his legs into as a processual requirement. The alteration of the canvas threatens prescribed limitations of material—Hiro’s anatomical segmenting shatters the fourth wall of space. 

Kazuo Kadonaga’s Wood No. 5 Cl is an intricately constructed log made from paper-thin slices of real wood. The veneer slicer he used to create these vellums pays homage to his upbringing in forestry. The trunk’s growth rings explicitly mimic the surreality of Earth’s extraordinary constructions, made with the caliber of precision and detail generally credited to the hands of the divine. Alas, we may come to question Kadonaga’s mortal statehood. The portrait of an axed tree excavates a visceral reaction: Should we mourn the losses wrought by Big Paper or must we instead celebrate post-natural invention? By virtue of materiality, reincarnation is imminent. 

Pacific Abstractions is on view through November 9 @ Perrotin in Los Angeles, 5036 W Pico Blvd

Read a Conversation Between Filmmakers Benjamin Tan and Catherine Hardwicke →

In Benjamin Tan’s 2024 short film, Dog, teenage angst sizzles from the screen in a haze of rave-flavored smoke almost thick enough to make you cough. Tan speaks with filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke–who described and shaped generations of adolescent fantasies and fears with movies like Thirteen (2003), Lords of Dogtown (2005), and Twilight (2008)–to identify the strains of terror, rebellion, and self-destruction that combine to infuse the atmospheres of their movies with punch-drunk drama. Dog exists only in tight, black and white images of raves, bedrooms, and cars, which are so myopic that each small scene expands into a massive world, capturing a hedonistic sense of frightening abandon by allowing each moment to become all-consuming. Hardwicke also harnesses deprivation to produce abundance, her coming-of-age stories defined by a similar smallness as limited backdrops make up the vastness of young adult worlds. The limitations of their settings go from comfortingly controlled to claustrophobically constrictive as bacchanalian exploration leads down dark, dead-end roads. Tan and Hardwicke’s films are astonishing for their abilities to capture the unbound possibility of youth culture and keep the camera trained when the carcass of promise begins to rot and fester in its fishnets and kandi bracelets. In conversation, the creators turn their gazes on their own explosive entrances to adulthood, sifting through memories of predators, secrecy, and ecstasy, cataloging the bruises and scars they passed down to their protagonists. Read more.

Read an Interview of Calla Henkel on the Occasion of Her Recent Book Release →

 
Scrap by Calla Henkel
 

Stepping out of the chaos of Santa Monica Blvd and into the New Theater to meet Calla Henkel for our interview about her latest book, Scrap, had the transportative quality of entering a portal; exiting the speedy streets and entering the hermetically sealed darkness of the cool, dark, velvet-lined theater for a different kind of vector. Side-stepping two girls in prom dresses rehearsing a cat fight, Henkel mentions she had just returned from a swim at a public pool a block away, thus explaining her swimwear. She has an incredibly disarming demeanor—a calm, collected amiability rare for Los Angeles, perhaps equal-parts informed by, and resistant of, the twelve years she spent in Berlin running TV, a smorgasbord performance space, nightlife venue and film studio with Max Pitegoff (also co-founder of the New Theater).

The New Theater is something of a nexus for the burgeoning literary scene and (stagnating) gallery-circuit of Los Angeles, buttressing each through its unique hybrid programming. And not unlike the New Theater, her latest novel Scraps is an intersection between Henkel’s understanding of narrative and lived experience within the arts. It’s a lesbian neo-noir trojan-horsing a deeper critique of the gallery system, true crime, and the underbelly of schadenfreude inherent to both. Read more.

Louis Vuitton's SS25 Men's Collection Is a Paean to Late South Korean Painter Park Seo-Bo

Louis Vuitton launches Fall, a Men’s Capsule Collection released in September 2024. Founded in the dandy elegance at the heart of the practice of Pharrell Williams, the proposal hones the switching of dress codes instinctive to the Maison’s menswear in a versatile and transversal wardrobe suspended between city life and weekend getaways. Riffing on the philosophy introduced by the Men’s Creative Director for the runway collection in June 2024, the capsule focuses on macro versus micro visions of color, construction, and surface decoration, inviting the eye to zoom in and out to discover the savoir-faire that permeates every garment and accessory. The premise inspires a creative exchange with the Estate of the late South Korean painter Park Seo-Bo – known for his minimalist yet graphically impactful lines – across ready-to-wear, leather goods and shoes. Before his passing in 2023, Park Seo-Bo previously collaborated with Louis Vuitton on the ArtyCapucines project in 2019.

YG Walks the Runway for Willy Chavarria’s SS25 Show for the Second Consecutive Year

Photo credit: Visuddhi UNG / @visualisation_ 

NEW YORK [September 7, 2024] On Saturday, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rapper YG kicked off New York Fashion Week 2025 with a commanding appearance in Willy Chavarria’s highly anticipated Spring 2025 América collection. Walking the runway in an embroidered two-piece windbreaker and sweats, paired with a black bandana, leather gloves, and heeled loafers, YG effortlessly fused his musical style with urban high fashion, setting a bold tone for the week ahead.

This collaboration between the West Coast icon and the visionary designer builds on the success of last year’s acclaimed showcase, which celebrated the release of the brand’s Spring 2024 collection, New Life.

Discover El Affaire Miu Miu, Women's Tales #28 By Laura Citarella

EL AFFAIRE MIU MIU, directed by Laura Citarella, Argentine film director and producer, is the 28th commission from Miu Miu Women’s Tales. The acclaimed short-film series invites today’s most profound and original female directors to investigate vanity and femininity in the 21st century. Citarella continues to explore her ongoing interest in “female Sherlock Holmes” figures who try and solve the puzzle of “women that, for different reasons, run away.”

Craig Richards' 2024 Houghton Festival Pays Homage to Andrew Weatherall

Tantrum Stage



text by Lara Monro
photographs by Khroma Collective


Since the 2000s, Houghton Hall, an expansive Georgian residence built in the 1720s for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, has gained international renown as a world-class sculpture park, featuring permanent works by Richard Long, Ryan Gander,  Rachel Whiteread, and James Turrell, to name a few. 

The Hall’s sculpture park is further accompanied by an annual solo exhibition program showcasing esteemed artists such as Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor. This year, Sir Antony Gormley’s Time Horizon places 100 sculptures across 300 acres, with Dame Magdalene Odundo’s artworks simultaneously positioned within the state rooms. 

Stephen Cox “Interior Space”
copyright Houghton Hall

In 2017, Houghton Hall complemented its art collection by adding Houghton Festival, the underground dance music festival established, crafted and curated by Craig Richards. It instantly earned acclaim for its five-star lineup, sound systems, lighting, and reputation as a hedonistic playground (thanks to its rare 24-hour license), with Mixmag hailing it as “a festival the UK is lucky to have” and The Independent calling it a “utopian retreat like no other.” As a result, each August, discerning music enthusiasts of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds converge to immerse themselves in a musical Valhalla that knows no pause.

However, Houghton is so much more than just a musical odyssey. The festival and its music stages, impressive as standalone sonic and visual installations, also coincide with a rich visual arts program that is integral to the Houghton experience. For Richards, the intention behind the 24-hour festival is not merely to host a round-the-clock party, but to create a space where the interplay of sound, art and the shifts of dawn, dusk and all things nature can be profoundly appreciated. He explains, “it’s about the beauty of sunrise and sunset, experimentation, and savoring the festival’s diverse offerings at any hour of the day or night."  

Now fifty-seven, Richards reflects on his impressive career as a DJ, which he describes as accidental. After spending a year in Los Angeles at nineteen years old, where he immersed himself in the vibrant Downtown LA music scene at iconic parties like Dirt Box and Power Tools, he moved to London in 1987 to study illustration at Central Saint Martins and went on to an MA at the Royal College of Art.

“It was during my time in the States I bought a lot of records. I had always collected soul, funk, disco, and reggae records from before I moved to London.” During his time at Saint Martins there was a coffee bar at the Charing Cross Road building—incidentally, the first place the Sex Pistols ever played. “Naturally, it was the perfect spot to organize parties, as was Soho, where it was easy to acquire a hundred-person basement for the night to have a party, Soho was a very different place then. Before long, I was getting paid to DJ instead of just earning a taxi fare home, and that was it, really.” Richards’ ‘accidental’ career quickly gained momentum, establishing him as a key figure in the global music scene. Yet, even as his sonic reputation flourished, he remained committed to creative pursuits beyond the decks, with a deep engagement in painting, drawing, photography, and silkscreen printing. 

Craig Richards "Untitled"

This dual commitment to both music and visual arts has become a defining characteristic of Houghton. Blending auditory and visual experiences, the festival has become Richards’ canvas, allowing him to explore his artistic creativity in dynamic and innovative ways. His imprint is everywhere, from the festival’s poster designs that feature his original artwork, to a number of visual installations at a selection of the music stages, to the lineup penned in his unmistakable handwriting. 

But the creativity doesn’t stop there. Richards has also commissioned a series of site-specific installations over the past eight years. Large, steel sculptural pieces have been created from his drawings, none more poignant than the 8-meter-tall sculpture dedicated to the late Andrew Weatherall. This iron structure, birthed from a series of sketches Richards created in 2017, stands proudly at the festival’s epicenter, paying homage to Weatherall’s immense talent and influence in the contemporary music world; 

 

Craig Richards "Andrew"

 

“Andrew was one of the first people who inspired me to become a DJ,” Richards reflects. “Everything he did, from Sonic Blood Sugar to his presence at gigs, left a mark. Many of us in this industry find ourselves asking, ‘What would Andrew do?’ It’s a tragedy that the captain of our ship was taken from us. The sculpture’s grandeur reflects his lasting impact and the fact that he will always be a part of this festival and the music scene.”

For Richards, this sculpture embodies the depth and breadth of Houghton’s offerings, which he is proud to have extended far beyond music. Its diverse program includes talks and installations that truly enrich the experience. The Armadillo, a timber arts pavilion commissioned for Houghton 2024 in partnership with the architectural firm Unknown Works, hosted an array of talks and performances such as London based DJ Anna Wall’s ambient music set. The Pinter stage, nestled amongst an idyllic orchard, was graced by Swiss pianist and composer Nik Bärtsch who shared a mind-sound and soul-altering performance while American beatboxer, comedian and musician Reggie Watts, performed a light-hearted yet exceptionally crafted sketch, perfect for a Sunday afternoon and slightly tired and tender festival crowd. The Warehouse, a repurposed barn, was transformed into a digital art space by UVA who showcased Present Shock II, a mind-bending installation created in collaboration with Robert Del Naja. Deep within the forest, Natural Symphony’s interactive festival forest design; a sound and light installation that uses the natural biorhythms of plants to create music and visuals, offered a moment of wonder, grounding and tranquility. Meanwhile, a quaint ‘noddy train,’ accompanied by art historians, would transport the more adventurous to James Turrell’s Skyspace, an immersive sculpture positioned in an elevated oak box that encourages visitors to sit at dusk or dawn and enjoy the Norfolk sky cycles of blues and purples. 

 
 

While Houghton has evolved into a celebrated festival, its journey has been anything but linear. The festival has managed to face and overcome significant setbacks, including a last-minute cancellation in 2019 due to extreme weather and two subsequent years lost to the pandemic. That it has endured without government or commercial funding is a testament to its resilience and the strong community it fosters. For Richards, the pursuit of something meaningful far outweighs the lure of profit. “When you prioritize significance over financial gain, creativity naturally flourishes,” he explains. Richards’ determination and perseverance may also be attributed to his enduring optimism, a quality he credits to his parents and their appreciation for the art of presentation; “my parents were both cabin crew in the 1950s, they instilled in me a deep understanding of how to do things properly—how to create an experience,” Richards reflects. “They were products of a pivotal era, epitomized by events like the 1951 Festival of Britain, which celebrated art and embodied a spirit of optimism. This outlook has profoundly shaped me; I’ve inherited their belief in making things as exceptional as possible, and it continues to drive me forward.”

Richards’ meticulous attention to detail, coupled with his passion and craftsmanship, are clearly influenced by this familial legacy of hard work and dedication. And, Houghton’s authenticity is undeniably an extension of this. Although Richards acknowledges that the visual arts program has yet to reach the level of its musical counterpart, his optimism assures him that it is only a matter of time. “With patience, I am confident this will be achieved,” he says. “It will happen organically as we gradually build a bigger community—a group of believers who share in this vision.”

 

Reggie Watts at Pinters Stage

 

Watch Celine Men 23 "The Bright Young" Featuring Their Summer 25 Collection

As a student at the École du Louvre in the late ’80s, Hedi Slimane began writing an essay on Anglomania—from the Comte d'Artois, who initiated Anglomania at Versailles, to the Lions des Boulevards, in the wake of Beau Brummel. He was also researching Stephen James Napier Tennant (recognised as the original party animal) and Cecil Beaton, who was part of his entourage. With “The Bright Young” collection, Hedi Slimane revives this 30-year-old project.

Call The Miranda July Hotline Now 833 526 8880

The Prada Fall/Winter 2024 advertising campaign, titled ‘Now That We Are Here,’ is based on dialogue, on conversation between individuals - not just conveying knowledge and exchanging experience, but also as expressions of intimacy and presence. In a real-life mirror of the telephone interchanges at the heart of the campaign’s still and motion imagery, Prada collaborates with American filmmaker, artist, and writer Miranda July to bring these fantasized conversations to life. Billboards across key cities worldwide— Milan, Los Angeles, New York, London and Bangkok—advertise a dedicated toll-free phone number, allowing the public to interact from their own devices. Callers can “dial in” to speak with Miranda July, or rather, with July’s voice, which interprets conversation with the caller according to a pre-programmed script written by July herself. Combining the provocative with the quotidian, the intellectual with the instinctive, the scripted calls have a multitude of variations, randomly selected and triggered by caller responses. Spanning from ironic advice to seemingly friendly conversation to surreal and unexpected scenarios, each interaction tells an individual story determined by interaction - another form of dialogue. In July’s own words and her own voice, this Prada hotline combines technology with gestures to the analogue. It also seems to lift the lid on the campaign itself - allowing an audience to ‘listen in’ to the fragmented conversations hinted at. Ambiguous, abstract, possibly revelatory, each caller enters a unique exchange—with July, and with Prada—to unravel the meaning behind the image.

Summergust by Charlotte Helwig & Natalia Farnaus

Fake fur stole DIESEL
Latex briefs & socks stylist's own

photography by Charlotte Helwig
styling by Natalia Farnaus
Ine Michelmann via Modelwerk
makeup by Leana Ardeleanu
hair by Noriko Takayama
lighting by Max Muthig
photography assistant Emi Iguchi
set design by Georgina Bates

 
 

Nappa leather high-neck blouse JOSEPH
Raffia dress JIMENA GUZMAN
Nude briefs WOLFORD

 
 

Statement shoulder midi dress SPORTMAX

 
 

Velvet dress TRANSE PARIS
Sheer tights FALKE 
Shoes stylist's own

Double-layered blazer SPORTMAX 
Double-layered midi skirt SPORTMAX 
Leather triangle bra ZANA BAYNE 

 
 

Ruched crop top NICKLAS SKOVGAARD
Sequin skirt NICKLAS SKOVGAARD

 
 

Leather triangle bra ZANA BAYNE
Cotton briefs WOLFORD

Statement shoulder midi dress SPORTMAX
Stretch Napa-leather boots SPORTMAX

 

Distressed t-shirt stylist's own
Bustier top with leather bra JIMENA GUZMAN
Leather briefs JIMENA GUZMAN

Single-breasted coat DIESEL

 
 

Blazer worn back to front T/SEHNE
Tassle skirt TIM RYAN

 

Prada Group and UNFPA Celebrated the Completion of Their Fashion Training Program in Mexico

 
 

Prada Group and UNFPA celebrated the completion of their first-of-its-kind fashion training program "Fashion Expressions: The Stories She Wears" in Mexico with an intimate event to highlight the milestones that the artisans achieved during the six-month period.  

The training program implemented by UNFPA Mexico provides women with valuable knowledge and practical skills in the fashion industry while promoting women’s empowerment and sexual reproductive health. The expansion of the program to Querétaro state (Mexico) was initiated in September 2023. 

The project involved thirty women artisans in Querétaro state, from Indigenous and surrounding communities with experience in weaving and embroidery, to strengthen their technical, artistic, and financial skills. 

The participants – embroiderers and weavers between 18 and 50 years old – were mothers who work as artisans in small family-run home workshops, usually with the help of their children, supporting their families through the sale of artisanal items at Querétaro’s local markets.

The evening included a panel discussion, titled Doing great things together!, on the experiences and learnings from the program as well as its impact in the context of the wider fashion industry. Moderated by Farah Slim, Head of Editorial Content of Glamour México y Latinoamérica, the panel included Mariarosa Cutillo, Chief of Strategic Partnerships of UNFPA, Galo Bertin, fashion designer and Program Advisor, Adriana Barrón, artisan (San Juan del Río, Querétaro), Estela Porfirio, artisan (Amealco, Querétaro), Emilienne Limón, Mexico Artisan Program Advisor of Nest. 

After the initial opening remarks and the panel discussion, guests explored an exhibition that showcased twenty designs from the artisans, which they created during the program.

Highlights From The Inaugural Aspen Art Fair At The Historic Jerome Hotel

In the former silver mining town of Aspen, Colorado, art week brings an exotically curious international crowd. Billionaire collector home tours, dinners, exhibitions, activations, and art fairs take over the tiny, quaint city nine-thousand feet in the Rockies. The air is thin, rare, and rich in this alpine ecosystem of nature that meets the nostalgia of the American West with the hyper-commerce of the 21st century. A newcomer on the scene, The Aspen Art Fair, feels like it's been there all along. Ideally situated at the historic five-star Jerome Hotel, which opened in 1889 and is now part of Auberge Resorts’ portfolio, the fair presented thirty international exhibitors and curatorial projects from more than twelve countries. Cozily tucked into bottom-floor bungalows, the fair follows the grand tradition of hotel art fairs, like the Gramercy International Art Fair at the Gramercy Hotel in New York and Felix at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  Co-founded by art world veterans Becca Hoffman and Robert Chase, the Aspen Art Fair included a stellar list of galleries, including Galerie Gmurzynska from Zürich, Perrotin, and Southern Guild from Cape Town, South Africa. With the general art market in a post-pandemic slump, Hoffman, who is also the founder of the women-led 74th Arts, which organizes global art fair experiences in cities around the globe, knows full well the power of boutique. “We need to rethink how we connect on culture, in citywide environments. How do we have more intimate opportunities for engagement, education, connection, and commerce?” Hoffman—tough as nails and ultra-savvy—told us on the third to last day of the fair. With Aspen being 1,390 times smaller than the population of New York and a super concentration of centimillionaires, Aspen is the perfect environment for art and commerce. With works ranging from Picasso to Paola Pivi to Fairfield Porter and Richard Diebenkorn, the Aspen Art Fair is both refreshing and exhilarating.

HOT AND BOTHERED GROUP SHOW COMES TO AN END

Marielle Chabal, 'QUEENS project. Moodboards #1 and #2', 2024, 'Hot and bothered (Nightmares in a bed full of pillows)' group show, 2024, Galerie Alberta Pane, Paris

Completing their exhibition July 20th, The Alberta Pane Gallery presents the group show Hot and bothered (Nightmares in a bed full of pillows), featuring the work of three international artists: Guendalina Cerruti, Marielle Chabal, and Davide Sgambaro. Gathered together for the first time in a group exhibition, the works of Cerruti, Chabal, and Sgambaro focus on the young generation’s existential concerns. Through various media the artists investigate similar issues, trying to unveil doubts and anxieties linked to an uncertain future. With their practices they attempt to propose new solutions to contemporary society’s disillusions, while using an absurd and sarcastic approach. Each art piece is unique and varies in execution, yet clearly displays their unified message through multiple different artistic approaches that manage to convey the evolution of self, starting at the absurdity and wonder of childhood to a more hollow and bitterly aware adulthood. The group exhibition is an exploration of identity and the growing pains that come with leaving your youth while still managing to carry that sense of creativity throughout your journey.

Hot and Bothered is on view until July 20th @ Alberta Pane Gallery 44-47, rue de Montmorency 75003, Paris, France, for more information, visit their website

Sharon Stone's Eternal Failure Is An Eternal Success

Courtesy Gallery 181 Fremont Residences San Francisco/Moanalani Jeffrey Photo Agency

John Steinbeck once said, “San Francisco is a golden handcuff with the key thrown away.” Indeed, San Francisco is a beautiful prison of imagination—a city so unusual it seems unreal. For the inimitable actress and now esteemed painter Sharon Stone, San Francisco was a place to die and be reborn as an artist. In her new exhibition, “My Eternal Failure,” on view at Gallery 181 at San Francisco's 181 Fremont Residences until August 31st, these days of vulnerability are explored in a series of large-scale, abstract paintings that exemplify Stone’s adeptness at shape, color, and composition.  Heartbreak and a 2001 brain injury in San Francisco allowed Stone to see colors in a whole new way—her prismatic kaleidoscopic palette is like a psychotropic wellspring. “I want this exhibition to serve as a vehicle for self-forgiveness, and I hope it can help others do the same by letting go of societal stigmas and imposed perceptions,” says Stone. “In this way, failures become sources of strength, and to face them is to keep growing. The exhibition’s title My Eternal Failure is freeing for me.”

 

Jester, by Sharon Stone, 2023 (acrylic on canvas), 36” x 18”