Step into the Infinite: HUMANHOOD Dance Company Unveils a Visionary Performance @ Sadler’s Wells East

text by Lara Monro
photographs by Tom Visser

This February, dance lovers are invited on a cosmic journey as HUMANHOOD Dance Company presents ∞ {Infinite}, an extraordinary dance theatre meditation. Marking the second production at the newly opened Sadler’s Wells East, this visionary work blends movement, energy, and spiritual practice in a mesmerising display of artistic innovation.

At the heart of ∞ {Infinite} lies a unique fusion of Artistic Directors Julia Robert and Rudi Cole’s signature choreography and shamanic influences. The performance seamlessly integrates spectacular dance and profound internal awareness, designed to illuminate the infinite power that moves through us all. With eight dancers, including Cole himself, the stage transforms into a dreamscape of fluid motion, pulsating tribal rhythms, and transcendent storytelling.

In the unprecedented theatrical experience, audiences are not merely spectators but participants in an immersive meditation. Through channelled words by Julia Robert, the production invites individuals to explore the depths of their consciousness, offering an exploration of infinity within. This innovative approach to dance theater aims to bridge the gap between the physical and metaphysical, transforming the stage into a sacred space where energy and movement become one.

Speaking about this milestone production, Julia Robert and Rudi Cole share their excitement:

“The time has come for us to break out of our shell and share with the world the fusion of our spiritual practice with our artistic voice. ∞ {Infinite} is the culmination of decades of metaphysical experiences around the world and our vision to take audiences to a brand-new theatre experience. This is our first Dance Theatre Meditation, marking an exciting chapter in HUMANHOOD’s expansion.”

For the duo, the theater is more than a performance venue—it is a modern-day temple where audiences can collectively engage with new ideas and challenge their perceptions of the universe. ∞ {Infinite} offers an invitation to step into a realm of possibility, where the limits of the body and mind dissolve into an expansive, boundless adventure.

This philosophy stems from HUMANHOOD’s broader mission: to bring the power of movement to communities worldwide. Julia Robert and Rudi Cole believe that dance is not a privilege for the few, but an essential element of human existence. To them, movement is life, and as long as we breathe, we are dancing. Their work is deeply rooted in the idea that through dance, we access our body’s portal and create a state conducive to liberation.

Beyond performance, HUMANHOOD fosters a global movement of individuals seeking a deeper connection with themselves and their surroundings. By practicing continuous awareness, they cultivate a collective union of empowered and awakened individuals, expanding their presence to transform not just their own lives but the lives of others around them.

Their ongoing research delves into the fusion of ancient mysticism and modern science. Julia and Rudi have travelled the world to connect with spiritual hermits, shamans, and Indigenous tribes from Ecuador, India, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and beyond—absorbing sacred wisdom, rituals, and traditional practices. Simultaneously, they have collaborated with renowned scientists, including NASA physicists, to deepen the dialogue between movement, consciousness, and scientific discovery.

Their holistic movement practice, developed through extensive hours of exploration both in the studio and in nature, seeks to push the limits of human potential. By integrating ancient spiritual knowledge with cutting-edge scientific inquiry, HUMANHOOD crafts performances that are not only visually and emotionally profound but also energetically transformative.

∞ {Infinite} opens tonight and will be playing through Saturday @ Sadler’s Wells East

Ellen Carpenter's “Hair Care:” Devotion and Responsibility in the Hands of a Caretaker

Lovingly, in a starch white nightgown, Ellen Carpenter tended to a wooden chair dressed with synthetic hair in her two-hour-long performance at John Street Gallery

text and photos by Maisie McDermid

Minutes before Ellen Carpenter's 2-hour-long performance of "Hair Care" began, Chair II sat below a spotlight at the end of a white hallway doubling as a staircase. The levels leading down to the curious furniture piece showcased twenty other art pieces contributing to John Street Gallery's latest collection, "Misery's Child" – a black rubber-coated rocking horse, an oil painting of two swans on a lake, and various stoneware pieces. But Chair II, the result of 40 hours of tedious sewing, stood proudly, awaiting Carpenter's adoring hands.

"I know the chairs very intimately," Brooklyn-based multimedia artist Carpenter said, describing the many hours spent at the legs of these chairs sewing. While joining individual locks of synthetic hair onto polyester stretch fabric, she tended to the chair in front of an intimate group of viewers seated amongst the gallery steps on the show's February 6 performance. Dark skies outside contrasted sharply with the white, fluorescent lights illuminating Carpenter's acts of devotion: combing, shampooing, conditioning, blow drying, and braiding the hanging hair. 

Carpenter's cleansing and styling of Chair II contributes to a two-part performance: "Hair Care" and "Ruining My Life In Public." Both explore emotional extremes that occur within Carpenter's body and domestic space. One inhabits devotion and tenderness, while the other exposes rage and violence. The idea for "Hair Care" came to Carpenter while untangling, brushing, and braiding Chair I's hair before routinely putting it into storage. "It's a laborious process that often feels simultaneously thankless and required of me. After a while, I felt like this labor was a piece in and of itself," she said. 

Carpenter had not performed "Hair Care" live before this evening (her first performance of “Hair Care” was virtual.). "I think I practice the performance every time I take a shower," she said, laughing. Carpenter, either kneeling or seated with her legs crossed, catered to individual sections of Chair II's hair at a time, not one strand going unnoticed. The chair took several different forms: straightened after brushing, droopy after sponging, fluffy after blow drying, and twisted after braiding. Carpenter's hands matched a rhythm, not of sound, but of obsession. Carpenter, at times, appeared under a spell, surprising even herself when the chair called for a new demand. 

Carpenter fetched water from outside the tall, cloudy glass door beside her leading into a hidden portion of the gallery. The sounds from behind the door, amongst no other, provoked a confronting familiarity. The door's hinges sounded like ones from one's own home, and the dumping and refilling of water buckets reminded one of their own bathroom sink. "I loved the idea of ‘fetching water’ in service of the chair, especially since I could incorporate the use of opening and closing the gallery door as if it was my own apartment… Leaving the room also helped me incorporate short visual pauses into the piece without impeding my actual progress."

Her departures from the chair were brief but felt much longer. As the chair began to assume characteristics of both power and powerlessness, the absence of Carpenter created a feeling of uneasiness. Viewers wondered what would happen if Carpenter left and never returned, therefore leaving Chair II in a permanent state of incompletion. Carpenter's dependence on Chair II (the need to care for another) and Chair II's dependence on Carpenter (inherently incapable itself) oscillated throughout the performance – their interdependence the central theme. 

Carpenter's work pecked and pulled at living contradictions. "In 'Hair Care,' I inhabit the role of a caretaker in service to something outside myself, but in 'Ruining My Life in Public,' I inhabit the role of antagonizer or perpetrator of violence, and both roles are equally possible, equally true of almost anyone," she added. As much as Carpenter displayed relaxation and intention, she also exuded exhaustion and fatigue. When Carpenter stood to grab a hairbrush or rubber band, she stretched her back and wiped her bangs to the side of her face. Every now and then, a sigh slipped from her focused composure. Beyond devotion, this piece is about the heavy undertones of responsibility. 

For Carpenter, this, too, is a piece about agency. "Something about enacting performance with my body, with my full agency, is really powerful to me." As a multimedia artist, performance art is only one of her several other forms of expression. Notably, it is one she exercises the least. Nonetheless, she owns it, literally. "I can't be separated from the piece; in fact, the piece doesn't exist if I'm not there to perform it. That lack of separation feels like shouting 'I claim this thing!!' to everyone watching."

“Hair Care” is part of a group show titled, “Misery’s Child.” Ellen Carpenter’s live performance took place on February 6th, 2025. Chair II and the twenty other contributions are on display at John Street Gallery through February 12th, 2025.

Zoe Chait's 'What Dream' Is An Exploration Of Grief and Loss @ Micki Meng In Paris

 

Zoe Chait
cheeky, 2019
Archival pigment print
23 x 17 x 1 1/2 inches
Edition 1 of 3 + 2AP

 

Grief is unpredictable. It doesn’t follow a pattern, but it often brings us back to the same memories, searching for answers or comfort. We turn to photos, notes, and objects, trying to find meaning in them. Over time, both our perspective and the materials change.

Zoe Chait’s exhibition, What dream, revisits images first shown at Ramiken, New York, in 2021. These thirteen works document Chait’s relationship with music producer Sophie, capturing moments from 2017 to 2020 as Sophie transitioned from a private individual to the public figure SOPHIE. While the photos are intimate, they also highlight a sense of distance—the gap between personal connection and public persona. Chait’s work reflects an effort to reconcile the Sophie she knew with the one the world saw.

Sophie died in an accidental fall on January 30, 2021, six months before the exhibition opened. Nearly four years later, Chait revisited these images, altering them in response to her grief. She worked with printed positives and negatives, abstracting the images to explore themes of presence and absence. Sophie’s influence—her rituals, worldview, and music’s distinctive texture—continues to shape these works, which remain both unfinished and complete.

In Mexico City, Chait collaborated with a master printer of photogravure, a 19th-century printing process using etched copper plates and a gelatin resist. Chait was drawn to the unetched plates, mid-process, where the gelatin resist formed ghostly images on the copper. What dream features two pairs of such works, each showing a positive and negative version of the same image. The exhibition’s title comes from the first, a still from a video shoot where Sophie appears poised under dramatic lighting. The second image shows Sophie lying nude on a bed, open and serene. These works are material and painterly, presenting images that feel incomplete and vulnerable to time.

Chait also reimagined her video installation, projection reflected (2017–2020). Projected onto aluminum panels with varied grain alignments, the videos capture intimate moments between the artist, Sophie, and the camera. One video shows Sophie adjusting her hair before a shoot, focusing on her public image. Another captures Chait gently moving Sophie’s chin in soft afternoon light. Ambient sounds—breathing, pauses, background noise—create a sense of continuity. The videos loop at different lengths, offering endless opportunities to revisit and reinterpret these moments.

What dream is on view through February 20 by appointment only @ Micki Meng 2 Rue Beaubourg Paris 4e

Capturing the North: Juliet Klottrup’s Lens on Community, Identity & Belonging

text by Lara Monro

Award-winning visual artist Juliet Klottrup is redefining how we view life in the North of England, blending photography and filmmaking to document communities often left out of mainstream narratives. Her work spans rural traditions, environmental concerns, and the resilience of underrepresented groups, capturing intimate stories of identity and belonging against the backdrop of the region’s landscapes. As an Honorary Photography Teaching Fellow at the University of Cumbria, Klottrup also shares her process and encourages students to explore photography as a tool for social engagement.

Klottrup’s practice has evolved into a modern archive of Northern life, marked by projects such as Youth of the Rural North and her Class, Covid & Cumbria series exhibited alongside Grayson Perry at Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House. Her most recent projects—Travelling Home and Skate Like a Lass—continue to reflect the depth of her socially engaged approach.


 

Travelling Home (© Juliet Klottrup, 2024)

 

Since 2019, Klottrup has been documenting the Traveller and Gypsy communities in the North West of England, focusing on their annual pilgrimage to the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria. Inspired by the sight of families passing by her window each summer—bow top wagons, horseback riders, and motor caravans winding along rural roads—Travelling Home became a deeply personal exploration of tradition, heritage, and resilience.

A standout figure in this series is Joe, a Traveller whose life and stories are etched into the landscape he traverses. “It was like time travel,” Klottrup recalls of her first ride with Joe through the quiet, empty roads of the Moors, listening to the rhythmic clatter of hooves and wheels. This connection led to a rich collection of portraits and an evocative short film, shot on Kodak 8mm and 16mm, to capture the timelessness of the Traveller experience. The film has been recognised at international festivals, including the London Film Festival and Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

For Klottrup, documenting these communities is as much about preserving cultural heritage as it is about challenging stereotypes. “The ongoing marginalisation of the Traveller and Gypsy community has strained relationships and hindered inclusion,” she says. Travelling Home aims to counter these misconceptions, focusing on family, ceremony, and the gentle traditions that persist in the face of societal change.

 
 

While Travelling Home explores heritage rooted in centuries-old traditions, Klottrup’s Skate Like a Lass shifts focus to contemporary grassroots communities, highlighting the inclusive, dynamic world of female and LGBTQI+ skateboarding collectives in Northern England.

The project was sparked by a chance encounter with Cumbria Cvven, a girls’ skate group in Barrow-in-Furness. There, Klottrup met Lily, a skater hosting a DIY skate jam on the roof of a disused multi-story car park, where handmade ramps created a makeshift haven for skaters of all ages and abilities. “I was inspired by the creativity and inclusivity,” Klottrup recalls. “These collectives offer more than just skateboarding—they create places of belonging, self-expression, and access.”

 

Skate Like a Lass (© Juliet Klottrup, 2025)

 

Drawing from the work of photographer Wendy Ewald, who empowered young people to tell their own stories through photography, Klottrup handed cameras to the skaters themselves. This collaborative process allowed participants to document their lives, capturing the raw, authentic energy of their communities. The project blends formal portraits with DIY documentation techniques, using Super 8, VHS, and digital formats to honor skateboarding’s rich visual history.

The results are striking: a short film—recently recognized with a Shiny Award—two exhibitions (at SHOP in Preston and Aunty Social in Blackpool), and a DIY zine co-created with the skaters. 

Though Travelling Home and Skate Like a Lass differ in subject matter, they share a common thread: a commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and preserving the cultural fabric of Northern England. Whether capturing the timeless traditions of Traveller communities or the vibrant, rebellious spirit of grassroots skaters, Klottrup’s work is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and a deep respect for her subjects.

“There’s great value in amplifying these stories that might otherwise be overlooked,” she explains. “Both projects reflect how people create spaces of belonging—whether on rural roads or in urban skateparks.”  

As Klottrup continues to expand her practice, blending archival research with collaborative storytelling, her work serves as a vital record of Northern life—past, present, and future. Through her lens, the landscapes and communities of the North are not just documented; they are celebrated.

Skate Like a Lass will be on view @ SHOP Preston, PR1 3XA
Thursday, February 27, 6:30–8 PM
Friday, February 28, 1–4 PM
Saturday, March 1, 12–3 PM
Sunday, March 2, 12–3 PM

The exhibition will also be on view @ Aunty Social, Blackpool, FY1 3AQ March 20th - 25th, 12-3 PM

Travelling Home (© Juliet Klottrup, 2024)

Prada Spring/Summer 2025 Collection `Ten Protagonists Written By Ottessa Moshfegh Featuring Carey Mulligan

Prada’s Spring Summer 2025 campaign continues with a book of ten short stories by Ottessa Moshfegh. Fashion can tell stories of the lives of women, evoke their most intimate and personal narratives. As part of the Spring/Summer 2025 ‘Acts Like Prada’ campaign, starring Prada Ambassador Carey Mulligan and photographed by Steven Meisel, the acclaimed American author Ottessa Moshfegh, known for her radical depiction of female characters, devises a new series of ten unique texts, each an evocation of these Prada personae. Inspired by Mulligan’s characterisations, each campaign still is expanded, through Moshfegh’s words, into a fully-realised heroine. Ten Protagonists is written by Ottessa Moshfegh and features the Spring/Summer 2025

Prada campaign images of Carey Mulligan, photographed by Steven Meisel with creative direction by Ferdinando Verderi.

Mathilde Denize's Sound of Figures Reverberates Through Perrotin in New York

The melodic sensibility of Mathilde Denize’s visual style is at the center of Sound of Figures at Perrotin in New York. Reused from film sets, her materials are born-again into an environment that is altogether new. Denize’s combination of painting, sculpture, and figure feels almost archaeological—we are transported to a retrospective that is not actually of the past. 

Her use of color and form might match stereotypical notions of femininity, but her finished products are anything but. Denize’s paintings are akin to faces printed with makeup—picture a cheek coated in blush. There’s a corporeality to her two-dimensional work that makes it feel as though it’d be warm to the touch.

The entrancing and other-worldly nature of her work speaks to a certain feminine mystique contemporarily neglected in favor of a testosterone-centric mainstream. Using an impressive amalgamation of material and medium, Denize plays the song of a nuanced female experience without having to produce any noise.

Sound of Figures is on view through February 19 at Perrotin, 130 Orchard Street, New York, NY, 10002

RIMOWA Enters The Visionary World Of Rick Owens

The Rick Owens x Rimowa collaboration is a striking union of functionality and artistic vision, blending Rimowa’s storied craftsmanship with Rick Owens’ distinctive, avant-garde aesthetic. The result is a suitcase that bridges the gap between luxury travel and contemporary design, offering a unique take on both utility and style. The standout feature of the suitcase is its patinated aluminium finish, a design element that evokes a raw, industrial sensibility while maintaining an air of sophistication. This material choice aligns with Owens’ signature aesthetic, which often leans into textured surfaces and a sense of timeless durability. Inside, the suitcase continues to innovate with an entirely leather-lined interior—a first in Rimowa’s 125-year history. From the dividers to the lining, the leather finish introduces an element of old-world refinement, creating an interior that feels as thoughtfully designed as the exterior. The juxtaposition of the suitcase’s rugged outer shell with its luxurious interior reflects the duality that defines both brands: Rimowa’s precision engineering and Owens’ creative edge. Rick Owens, a longtime Rimowa user, approaches design with a focus on essentialism, a philosophy that is evident in this collaboration. Owens has stated that his goal is to reduce life to its core necessities, which is mirrored in the suitcase’s minimalist yet striking design. “No matter how far or long, I only bring one carry-on. I wanted the outside finish to recall a bronze from Giacometti, Brâncuș I, or Richard Serra, and I wanted the interior to feel like the touch of a black leather glove.” Rick Owens added: “I don't need much, but I like my bare necessities to be as supernatural as possible.” The collaboration is highly exclusive, with only 500 pieces being released worldwide. This limited availability emphasizes the project’s collectible nature, appealing to those who value both utility and artful design in their travel accessories. In essence, the Rick Owens x Rimowa suitcase serves as a functional travel companion that doubles as a statement piece. It offers a fresh perspective on luxury, challenging traditional notions of what high-end luggage can represent while remaining true to both brands’ core identities.

Starting January 30th, 2025, the RIMOWA x Rick Owens Original Cabin Bronze (RRP 2900 €) will be made available at select RIMOWA and Rick Owens stores worldwide and online at RIMOWA.com and RickOwens.eu.

Remember The Future: Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025 Men’s Collection

Louis Vuitton’s Fall-Winter 2025 Men’s Collection, unveiled during Paris Fashion Week, represents a calculated exploration of the boundaries between luxury and streetwear. Spearheaded by Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Creative Director, alongside Japanese designer Nigo, the collection is a carefully constructed dialogue between heritage craftsmanship and the cultural vibrancy of contemporary fashion. The collection's most striking feature is its ability to harmonize seemingly disparate elements. Varsity jackets, with their bold, nostalgic presence, are reimagined with intricate detailing that elevates them from casual wear to high fashion. Tailored suits, traditionally seen as symbols of rigidity and formality, are imbued with a modern energy, pairing unexpected textures and relaxed silhouettes. Cherry blossom motifs—subtle yet evocative—thread through the collection, grounding it in a sense of delicate refinement often associated with Japanese artistry. This synthesis of aesthetics reflects the creative sensibilities of Williams and Nigo, both of whom have built their careers on the ability to bridge the cultural and stylistic divides between the East and West. Their partnership feels both intuitive and precise, leveraging Nigo's roots in Japanese streetwear and Pharrell’s broader, global perspective on music, art, and fashion. The show itself was a statement. Staged in a the historic Cour Carrée du Louvre, it mirrored not only the collection’s theme of duality but also the house’s commitment to presenting fashion as a form of cultural spectacle.

Björk Releases Her Powerful and Immersive Concert Film Cornucopia Today On Apple TV

From the jagged, volcanic, icy fjords of Iceland, Björk Guðmundsdóttir—known simply by her stage name Björk—has descended on the world of popular music over the past five decades with a sensual, otherworldly presence. Her music is constantly of the moment but also seemingly years ahead of its time with a starkly alarming prescience, especially regarding the human impact on nature and the climate. Today, she presents Cornucopia, streaming on Apple TV, a cinematic encapsulation of a “digital theater” tour extravaganza that is the culmination of dozens of shows across multiple continents (a full-length version of the film will be released in theaters later this year). With a focus on the current climate crisis, Björk told us that Cornucopia utilizes the power of sci-fi and fantasy—in the vein of writers like Octavia Butler—to imagine an unimaginable future: “We will do it with any means: activism, politics, but I think one thing which is quite important also is our imagination.” A gesamtwerk of audio, visuals, and digital avatars, Cornucopia imagines this new “post-optimistic” future using music as a template. She carves into mountains of obstinance and indifference to build a pathway for hope. She imagines the first dawn after a disaster with an orchestral of flutes and choral jubilation. Amidst the devastation of the fires ravaging the landscapes of Los Angeles and the denial of climate change, the film becomes even more dire in its global message. As for the songs, Björk mines her oeuvre as a solo artist—she looks forward by looking back—as she stands beneath her avatars projected on moving curtains. She also told us this process is not new: “I've been doing the same thing over and over again, which is to tear off all the unnecessary luggage of each album or each period, and see what attaches to a live performance now and what is current now.” Cornucopia, which she calls a "modern lanterna magica" for live music, includes “Isobel” from her 1995 album Post to "Hidden Place" from her 2001 album Vespertine, and tracks from 2017’s Utopia and 2023’s Fossora. With incredible stage direction by Lucretia Martel and original visuals by Tobias Gremmler, the concert and film utilizes a wide range of bespoke musical instruments and audio architecture, from a magnetic harp, an aluphone, a circular flute, and a reverb chamber in a personal chapel. Björk expressed that working with 360-degree sound and visual software is not new—Biophilia (2011) was released with an app with songs and narration by naturalist David Attenborough, and Vulnicura (2015) came with a VR component. For Cornucopia, she brings these 21st-century technologies back into the 19th century. Once again, Björk proves that she can move backward and forward in time and peel away the binaries of our traditional understanding of the world. Ultimately, Cornucopia is a highly moving cinematic musical experience that breaks away from the constructs of conventional concert films. We are immersed, we are moved, we are weeping. 

Premieres today at 7pm PT on Apple TV. You can also purchase the Cornucopia Book here with images by Santiago Felipe

Editor’s note: these quotes are from an upcoming larger collaboration with the artist.

Watch The Prescient New Music Video For Ross Simonini's "Theme of No Need"


text by Ross Simonini


Two weeks before my home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, I created a video of a man racing through fire. At the time of its creation, I was not concerned about fire, and yet only days later, I would be racing through a fiery landscape of my community. Fire has since defined my life. 

I believe art comes outside of time, from the place of dreams, where experiences occur outside the tedious march of causality. It can be divinatory, but I do not care to burden it with this kind of heavy meaning. I prefer to make and enjoy art without the technology of meaning, remaining in a liminal state as I work. Living in this state, however, has been one of the greatest challenges of my life.

“Theme of No Need” is the first single off the independently released album, Themes Vol. 1, out March 21st.

Carey Mulligan & Harris Dickinson Star in the New Prada Spring/Summer 2025 Campaign by Steven Meisel

Fashion and performance both reflect the multiplicity of human identity—a constant interplay between truth and transformation. In the Prada Spring/Summer 2025 campaigns, these ideas are brought to life through the presence of two celebrated actors, Harris Dickinson and Carey Mulligan. Both embody a profound duality: the truth of self and the art of reinvention.

Harris Dickinson, photographed by Steven Meisel, steps beyond traditional role-play, presenting himself as he is—an actor unmasked, yet multifaceted. His presence shapes the archetypal menswear he wears, transforming classic pieces through his dynamic personality. Each image captures varying facets of his character, from contemplative to commanding, illustrating that identity itself can be a kind of performance.

Carey Mulligan, too, challenges the boundaries of identity and transformation. Through Meisel’s lens, she embodies a multitude of distinct characters, each entirely separate yet unified by her craft. Her ability to shift seamlessly between lives mirrors the ever-evolving philosophy of Prada: a celebration of plurality, unpredictability, and the coexistence of contradictions. Mulligan's portrayals reflect fashion's power as a transformative tool—altering attitudes, redefining perceptions, and channeling alternative realities.

Together, these campaigns explore the essence of individuality within the collective. They reveal how clothes, like personas, are not static but alive, reshaped by the wearer. Prada itself emerges as a protagonist, an idea in constant reinvention—both instantly recognizable and endlessly surprising. At its core lies the celebration of humanity's complexity: ever-shifting, multifaceted, and beautifully unpredictable.

Love & Everything In Between

Norman wears coat by Stamm & sunglasses by Marni.
Roman wears sneakers by Reebok, jeans by The Kooples, tie by Versace & jacket by Anni Salonen.

Art Direction & Styling by Stef Woods
Photography by Ryan Molnar
Producer by Austin Huq
Casting by Cameron Nedrick
Styling Assistance by Dasha Vorobeva
Photography Assistance by Emi Iguchi, Camilo Gonzalez & Mackenzie Walker
Hair by Noriko Takayama|
HMU by Anri Omori|
HMU by Erika Leadbeater

What is love?

How do we know when we're in it - or out of it?
Can we even be sure we've found it in the first place?

During Autumn 2024, I sat down with five Berlin-based couples, each living their own unique love story, to explore what love means to them. I wanted to hear about their experiences with love and how they articulate this complex emotion.

Although I began without predetermined themes, common threads quickly emerged as I completed each interview. These included healing from toxic relationships, grappling with codependency, and navigating open relationship dynamics. Despite these challenges, I was struck by their self-awareness and commitment to building healthier, more authentic relationships.

Roman & Norman

As we’re sat in the back garden of their home in Brieselang, 1 hour outside of Berlin, Roman begins to recite a love note that he sent to his partner, Norman, just after they first met.

Dear Norman, across all the ages, all the journeys and time, I whisper in your ear, it is great to meet you again, and I look forward to all the adventures ahead of us. I love you. Roman - 7th November 2004.

Their love story began nearly two decades ago with a chance encounter in Berlin. Norman, working as a Spiritual Guide and Healer, had a last-minute opening due to a cancellation. Roman, a new client, filled that slot. When their eyes first met, they both experienced what they describe as a "loud silence," accompanied by an "intense flow of intimacy." This moment sparked a brief but passionate love affair in Berlin, which ended when Norman returned to his home in Sydney.

What followed was a slow-burning connection, built over years of meetings in cities like Berlin, San Francisco, and L.A. Both were cautious at first - Norman had just ended a 26-year relationship and was hesitant about dating an actor, while Roman was unsure about commitment. Their bond deepened with each encounter, eventually leading to Norman booking a one-way ticket to Berlin.

20 years later, their love continues to grow stronger, rooted in open communication - even when it’s hard - and a commitment to preserving their individual identities.

You must be you. He must be He. I must be me.
Expect nothing from that personality. That's who they are. - Norman

Norman and Roman’s enduring love story can be defined by a profound respect for one another and a commitment to staying calm, even in challenging moments. Throughout their two decades together, they’ve embraced a philosophy of stepping back from confrontation and revisiting sensitive topics when they’re both ready - often over a cup of tea. For them, every challenge is an opportunity for growth, rather than a battle to be won.

As Norman put it:

Life's too short. The older you get, the shorter it gets. I've maybe, if I'm lucky, got 10-15 years to get to 95, maybe 100. I don't know, and it would be a blessing to live to that. But you know, time runs out, so why spend a moment fighting about something that's so insignificant? Come - on.

Jota & Dianna

Jota wears shirt by Moschino, trousers by Javier Guijarro & boots by Vivienne Westwood.
Dianna wears top & skirt by Javier Guijarro & bracelet by Uncommon Matters.

I didn’t use Grindr often because of the challenges of being a trans woman and dealing with cisgender men who didn’t know how to relate to trans bodies. But one day, I saw Jota’s profile - and I was enchanted. - Dianna

After breaking the ice, Dianna recalls the sheer joy she felt upon discovering that Jota was Brazilian - meaning she could speak in her own language. What followed was a marathon video call that lasted eight hours, leaving Dianna with an undeniable feeling:

When the call ended, that’s when I truly realised I was in love.

At the time, Dianna was living in Norway and Jota in Germany, but they embraced the distance, using it as an opportunity to explore each other’s worlds through conversation. It wasn’t until three months later that they would meet in person for the first time.

When we first met in Berlin, in between conversations and affection, we realised that we were no longer in a casual relationship, and that we were already walking a path together. - Dianna

A pivotal trip to Brazil would bring their relationship to even greater depths. Sharing five transformative months there, they closed the distance that had defined their connection, no longer speaking through a phone, but enjoying the closeness and intimacy of being together in daily life.

Now, as they celebrate one year together, Dianna and Jota reflect fondly of their journey of love, connection, and growth.

Growing together as a Brazilian trans black couple living in Berlin brings challenges and opportunities for connection, understanding and mutual support. We created our own safe space, and at the same time we honour our individual identity by respecting our own journey. - Jota

Lara & Valeria

Lara wears suit by David Koma, stockings by Falke & sneakers by Our Legacy.
Valeria wears top by Caterina Giovanelli, skirt by Anni Salonen & shoes by Our Legacy.

I feel like love is like a building, you know. So the first level would be like, lust. Like, you wanna make out with the person. And then infatuation, and then it starts building and building. I would not say infatuation is not love, but you need to nurture it. You still need to go further up the ladder. And the further up you go, the bigger this feeling of safety gets, you know. - Lara

Lara and Valeria first met at a karaoke bar, where they bonded while giving advice to a mutual friend stuck in a toxic relationship, not knowing this would mark the start of a much deeper connection. They met again weeks later at KitKat, where they found themselves talking for hours in the smoking area. The conversation drifted from life and love to Valeria’s open marriage, which she had been navigating for the past year.

There was just this instant chemistry, this warmth between us. It felt different from anything I'd experienced before. - Valeria

As their relationship deepened over the following months, Valeria faced the truth about her marriage. “I was codependent on him, and he was codependent on me” she admitted. “We would have gradually destroyed each other.” Lara, seeing the emotional toll and protecting herself, gave Valeria an ultimatum - this led to a brief separation, during which both reflected on what they truly wanted.

While on a soul-searching trip to Portugal, Valeria gained clarity through conversations with elderly strangers who offered her some sage wisdom. After returning to Berlin, she made the hard decision to end her marriage and committed to building a life with Lara. Now, Lara and Valeria share a home in Berlin, navigating a love that feels both hard-won and deeply cherished.

It hurt. It hurt a lot, but it was also empowering, because I knew it was the right thing to do.
- Valeria

Lin & Alexius

Lin wears sweater by Marine Serre & jeans by Dhruv Kapoor.
Alexius wears hat by A Cold Wall, hoodie by Stamm, jeans by Anni Salonen & boots by Rombaut.

Lin and Alexius' romance is the freshest of the five, but despite only reconnecting three months prior to our meeting, their story was seven years in the making. They first met in Lisbon, during a formative period of both their lives, through a shared circle of queer friends. Although they didn’t develop beyond friends-of-friends at the time, they had definitely noticed each other.

Now fast forward to July 2024, they had long lost touch - only to randomly reconnect on the dance-floor at a Christopher Street Day party in Berlin. From that moment, they spent the following days in a whirlwind together, finally returning to Lin’s apartment after countless hours dancing around the city.

One month later I had to go back to Slovenia to pick up a piece of furniture that I created for a client here, so I got a van, and I said, “Hey, do you want to come with me? It's a 12 hour drive. We can meet each other's parents, but it won't be like a vacation. We have to work.” And he's like, “Yeah, let's go”. We spent most the time in Slovenia, but we also visited Trieste, where his mum resides. - Lin

Sharing this trip together proved to be a catalyst for their romance. During the long drive, a simple card game sparked intimate conversations, allowing them to learn more about each other’s inner worlds, and meeting each other’s parents along the way highlighted the natural ease they found together. Through these moments, they came to fully appreciate the quiet, steady love that was unfolding between them.

I used to think love had to be passionate. Had to be like going insane, crazy, waiting on the end of the phone for a message. And that was my experience with love. My first boyfriend in New York was exactly like this. My first French boyfriend as well. There's this French word—’déchirant’— that means you’ve been cut open, like your insides are being torn apart. For me, that was love. With Lin, I started experiencing calmer love, and slowly, it was like this cut that I had in myself, was slowly healing. And right now I feel good about myself. I feel good about my life. I don't need that kind of love anymore. - Alexius

Kim & Bene

Bene wears glasses by Prada, t-shirt by Marni & string vest stylist’s own.

Kim wears dress by Hauser Collective, tights by Falke, bracelets by La Manso & shoes by Nodaleto.

Berlin is a very quick city when it comes to love. Berlin is not a love city. Berlin does not keep your love safe. You have to do it on your own. Otherwise, the city will grab you—with dark energy sometimes. - Kim

Kim and Bene first crossed paths three years ago in Neukölln. At the time, Kim was in a relationship, and Bene was nursing a bruised heart from his own past. Their early conversations revealed a shared understanding, as both carried scars from toxic relationships. Whilst Bene described himself, at the time, as guarded but vulnerable, Kim became a calm and reassuring presence.

What followed was a natural and pressure-free progression. They spent time together as part of a close-knit friend group, sharing nights out in Berlin, becoming closer friends. Two years later, at a festival, their connection quietly evolved - and they shared their first kiss. Yet, even as they embarked on this new chapter, life brought its challenges - Kim still lived with her ex, with whom she shares a child. But, their relationship, grounded in patience and mutual respect, peacefully prevailed.

Everything fitted into place naturally. It always felt natural. It was not planned. And for sure, there were ups and downs - because it's also not easy to understand what you're feeling. Love means that you are verletzbar (vulnerable), and that you can get hurt. - Bene

Kim and Bene have built a love defined by calmness, trust, and the healing they’ve found in one another.

In the past I had mistaken my true feelings for being in love - and that quickly fades when you realise. You can confuse being in love with someone who is pushing the right buttons for you. The older I get the more I realise what love really means to me. It makes me feel calm. It’s not always just a rollercoaster. It feels like a mixture between butterflies and calmness. I had to realise that I was deeply, calmly in love with someone. Like the calm love I have with Bene. - Kim

 

Love is as varied as the people who experience it, and these stories are just glimpses into what it can mean. Whether you find inspiration, validation, or simply curiosity in these reflections, their purpose is to offer insight rather than answers. Love is a journey we each define for ourselves.

 

Lauren Halsey "emajendat" @ Serpentine South Gallery In London

Lauren Halsey’s three-room exhibition at London’s Serpentine South Gallery showcases miniature worlds within her world of South Central Los Angeles. The rooms are entry points into Halsey’s equally youthful and sharp mind, demonstrating, in material excess, what should never be lost from a neighborhood vulnerable to gentrification.

Text and photos by Maisie McDermid

LA-based artist Lauren Halsey installs a South Central Los Angeles universe within Kensington Gardens at South Serpentine Gallery. She advances the essence of one of her greatest passions, architecture, by constructing the central ideas of her first UK solo exhibition: funk fantasy, South Central backyard culture, maximalism, and technicolor transcendence. From the books about funk stacked onto clouds to the palm branches standing in spray-painted neon pots, emajendat is a garden of dreams, literally. 

Her characteristic power of materializing systematic issues confronting people of color, queer populations, and the working class is ever present in this space. Having only recently completed her MET roof garden commission in October 2023, the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I), and her 60th Venice Biennale exhibition, keepers of the krown, in 2024, Halsey brings commendable energy to three rooms in London. 

The first room, tiled with animal-print carpets and enclosed with galaxy wallpaper, feels like a psychedelic living room. At the center of the room, a rainbow joins two of emajendat’s most iconic objects, “funk mounds” (hardened white clouds scattered throughout all rooms). Just below the clouds, a carpet depicts five children praying. Cut-outs of Egyptian pyramids lined with sparkles stick to the walls, hinting at Halsey’s fascination with ancient Egyptian architecture in a contemporary context. Curiously, the only prominent object left unpainted in the exhibition exists in this first room: a luxurious modern house with Black figures holding each other and swaying on the roof. 

Halsey’s interest in objects as symbols is loud between these three rooms; dime-sized ballerina figures and palm-sized palm trees fill the corners of emajendat. Her mementos from years of collecting speak to visors. Like the symbols within Hieroglyphs, each of Halsey’s mementos means something new when put beside each other in thoughtfully curated scenes. Her collection of items becomes her own language, singular items that, when brought together, add life to the crevices of her imagined universe. The exhibition is far from what may casually be understood as hoarding; it is instead a demonstration of lovingly categorized remembering. 

The following room opens the exhibition view to Kensington Gardens, much gloomier behind colorfully tinted windows. A monitor projects a video of two South Central locals dancing on a loop, prompting one to wonder why Halsey refrains from including sound in any of the rooms. The rhythm and tunes seem to instead vibrate through the many cut-out photographs of legendary Black singers and dancers joining together on the floor-to-ceiling photomontage. Halsey’s collages are where her artistic mastery radiates. She bridges time and space by positioning an Egyptian pharaoh beside a group of Black men from the 80’s and a line of kids hand-in-hand before ancient pyramids. 

Palm trees made out of mirrors stand before this lively wall, reflecting the layered photos. But one differs from the others. The tallest tree model in the room commemorates several Black women who were murdered by a serial killer in South Central in the early 2000s. Their photographs appear on the branches and trunk, reminding visitors of their collective story, while a mirror at the base reflects both the women in the palm tree and the faces on the collage wall behind them. 

The windy, silver path through purple mounds of sand eventually ends at the opening of the third and final scene. CDs overlap in rows on the four walls like fish scales, and the glass flooring exposes items below: photos of friends, three-dimensional clouds, local high school graduate certificates, and more and more and more. The contents of Halsey’s mind wrap visitors above, below, and all around. There is even a carved-out seat within one of the rainbow, spray-painted mounds where one can look and wonder about the central figure in the room. 

A life-size figurine of a young Black girl dressed in all the animal patterns and neon tints shown in the first two rooms crouches over a circle of concrete with a pencil in hand. She holds a focused face similar to the faces of children praying on a carpet in the first room. Only, rather than praying, she is creating. The statement piece centers Halsey’s themes taped, layered, and squeezed into the three connecting rooms. This is an exhibition about desperately creating to preserve. It is about making what is old new again, “remixing,” as Halsey would put it. 

Halsey’s strength is in channeling a young mind at play with her neighborhood’s confrontation with gentrification. Visitors feel her presence in the rooms, envisioning her seated before the collage wall with piles of cut-outs beside her, making thousands of decisions on placement. To imagine all items within emajendat standing in a line before a white wall shows just how much Halsey creates by picking up a cut-out book on funk and taping paper hands in prayer at its book seam. 

Lauren Halsey’s emajendat will be open from 11 October 2024 - 23 February 2025 at Serpentine South Gallery. Free entry.

Pro Tips For Navigating An Art Fair: Getting the Most Out of Your Shopping Experience at Art Basel Miami Beach

Moffat Takadiwa
Zuva/Sun, 2024
toothbrushes, computer keys, bottle caps and nail cable clips
68 7/8 x 61 x 3 1/8 in 175 x 155 x 8 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Nicodim

text by Janelle Zara

“How’s the fair this year?” an Uber driver asked me during Art Basel Miami Beach last week. Although, this edition was less sensational than others, I told him every year can be described in more or less the same way: out of a couple thousand works, maybe a couple hundred are good, and a few dozen might be great—the trick is just knowing how to find them. 

 
 

Think of an art fair like a high-end shopping mall. The anchor tenants are major blue-chip galleries—David Zwirner, Pace, Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian, etc…—that offer brand name works at luxury prices while feeling increasingly mass produced. The Anish Kapoor disc for example, sold at Gagosian, Lisson, Kukje, Regen Projects and more, was the “it” bag of artworks for many years, being instantly recognizable, ubiquitous, and available in many colorways. These days that’s Alicja Kwade’s rock-and-chair sculptures like Binding Finding (2024) in Pace’s booth: offered in different variations of heights, rocks and styles of chair, this body of work is meant to evoke the weight and texture of nature in contrast with the quotidian and manmade. Having seen some version of them at every edition of Art Basel this year, I find something unconvincing in their finishes; mostly they feel like a product line manufactured specifically for art fairs. Another art fair staple is the Kusama pumpkin, available in bronze at David Zwirner or stainless steel at Victoria Miro. There’s also Jenny Holzer’s silkscreen paintings of redacted government documents coated in gold leaf, including irregular (2024) in Sprüth Magers’ booth. Formally inert and made of fine materials, they’re everything you want in quiet luxury. 

 

Jenny Holzer
irregular, 2024
Text: US government document
24k gold and red gold leaf and oil on linen
61 x 46.2 x 3.8 cm | 24 x 18 1/8 x 1 1/2 inches
© 2024 Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Courtesy Sprüth Magers
Photo: Sveva Costa Sanseverino

 

The blue-chip galleries also carry vintage treasures, like David Hammons Rock Head (2000) in White Cube’s booth, part of a body of work where the artist arranged the sweepings from a Harlem barbershop floor on an actual stone. This one in particular evinces a barber’s precision, where neat parallel incisions gesture toward cornrows. If you’re specifically seeking vintage, a whole corner of the fair specializes in the secondary market; you can always find a few Picassos at Helly Nahmad or Acquavella. If you’re seeking trends at lower price points, middle-tier gallery offerings can range from high quality dupes to fast fashion copies. Let’s say Joan Mitchell or even Oscar Murillo are out of your budget: this year I saw plenty of derivative scribbly abstraction that was pretty much indistinguishable from one canvas to the next. 

 
 

For the less commercial, more challenging, conceptual, one-of-a-kind stuff, the indie boutiques are in the curated sections around the edges. The fair’s Survey sector is for historical presentations, like Parisian gallery Eric Mouchet’s booth of South African artist Kendall Geers’ works from before 2000. Each piece resonates with either explicit or implicit violence, where an example of the former is Suburbia (1999), first seen in Okwui Enwezor’s Documenta 11. The grid of photographs of apartheid-era Johannesburg walls threatening potential intruders with barbed wire, electric fences, and armed security signage. Bible Belt (1988) carries an implicit violence, but maybe the good kind; the sculpture features a holy book bound by a leather strap in a way that evokes S&M. Next door in the Daegu- and Seoul-based gallery Wooson’s booth was a solo presentation of Choi Byung-so, whose subversions were decidedly more subtle. Taking pencil and ballpoint pen to newsprint, the South Korean artist developed a practice of drawing as many lines as his material could physically bear, producing illegible, blackened pages sliced into rhythmic patterns. I was particularly mesmerized by Portia Munson’s Bound Angels (2021), shown by PPOW in the Meridians sector of large-scale works. It was a table covered in lamps with uncovered bulbs among angelic figurines methodically tied in white string; a little on-the-nose in its symbolism—the artist describes the piece in terms of the social bondage of womanhood—but beautiful and luminous in a way that attracted viewers like moths to a flame. 

JORDAN NASSAR
Song of the Flowers, 2022
Hand-embroidered cotton on cotton
130 x 245 x 3 in.
330.2 x 622.3 x 8 cm.
© Jordan Nassar 2024. Courtesy the artist and James Cohan, New York.
Photo by Mel Taing.

Trending this year were textile works, and some of them were good. The not good ones used the medium as a literal and uninspired translation of a painting or photograph, rather than exploring fiber’s formal potential or really anything beyond baseline technique. These include Erin M. Riley at PPOW and Sanford Biggers at David Castillo. The good ones leaned into the qualities that distinguish fiber from other materials, like Do Ho Suh’s Myselves, 2013, a Nude Descending a Staircase-style self portrait drawn in tangled and layered threads at STPI. Jordan Nassar’s landscapes of traditional Palestinian embroidery were shown by both Anat Ebgi and James Cohan. Not advancing the craft in any particular way, they were decidedly decorative but undeniably, even profoundly beautiful. My favorite weaving actually wasn’t made of textile at all; in Nicodim’s booth, Moffat Takadiwa’s wall-mounted assemblage Big Brother Africa, 2024, was made of toothbrushes and computer keys. Under the artist’s direction these materials somehow change their physical properties; hard, discarded plastics become fibrous tendrils or glossy porcelain. Every time I see Takadiwa’s work, I utter my highest compliment: “Now that’s a fucking artist.”  

Do Ho Suh
Myselves, 2013
Thread drawing embedded in STPI handmade cotton paper
167.5 x 131 cm.
© Do Ho Suh. Photo courtesy of the artist and STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, Singapore.

Moffat Takadiwa
Big Brother Africa, 2024
toothbrushes, computer and laptop keys
98 3/8 x 55 7/8 x 2 in 250 x 142 x 5 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Nicodim

Gala Porras-Kim Reimagines Museums to Rethink Traditional Cataloging Systems in her LACMA Art + Technology Lab Project

Gala Porras-Kim: Expansive Data Fields is the third and final film from Hyundai Artlab centered around the LACMA Art + Technology Lab—one of the museum’s unique programs that was revitalized through a long-term partnership between Hyundai Motor and LACMA beginning in 2015. This series showcases bold experimentation and cross-disciplinary innovation fostered by the lab through the eyes of three artists.

This film focuses on Expansive Data Fields, the 2023 LACMA Art + Technology Lab project developed by Los Angeles-London-based artist Gala Porras-Kim. In this project, Porras-Kim worked closely with the museum to address gaps in its cataloging systems, proposing new database fields that expand how cultural artifacts are registered, conserved, and displayed. By introducing methods that go beyond traditional frameworks, her intervention allows for a richer and more multifaceted understanding of these objects, opening up possibilities for alternative narratives about their historical significance and ongoing functions.

Porras-Kim’s multidisciplinary practice incorporates meticulous research, drawing, and collaboration with museum professionals to question how institutions shape the stories of the objects they preserve. The film delves into her creative process, highlighting her ability to bridge art, history, and technology to rethink how museums define and display cultural heritage. Gala Porras-Kim: Expansive Data Fields explores the evolving roles of objects within collections ultimately demonstrating how cultural artifacts can be understood in more inclusive and dynamic ways.

Watch the full film on Hyundai Artlab

Moonlit Mourning and Radiant Hope in TRAИƧA

 
 

review by Chimera Mohammadi

TRAИƧA’s first song, “I. Midnight Moon Pool (Womb of the Soul),” is a sonic dream of birth, an ode to the raw creative power that defines the act of gender transition. This first glittering wave pulls us deep into the celestial sea of grief, spirituality, and hope that constitutes TRAИƧA. The album unites a dazzling array of newer Queer talent, cultural titans, and indie darlings, including Sade, André 3000, ANOHNI, Adrianne Lenker, Devendra Banhart, Perfume Genius, Sam Smith, Clairo, and many more, resulting in a stylistically diverse yet cohesive body of work. It’s divided into eight sections, each thematized by its first track. It is at once a tribute to trans musical pioneer SOPHIE, whose passing galvanized the creation of the album, a guide through grief, and an exploration of trans identity and resistance. The music spans ethereal meditations, dirges, disco-infused celebrations, rebel cries, and more, an eclectic blend that manages conversation rather than dissonance. Songs like Niecy Blues’ “It Is Over Now?” dive into open wounds that are subsequently sewn up in tracks such as Laura Jane Grace’s “Surrender Your Gender,” which demands self-actualization without concession. Songs like the cover of Low’s “Point of Disgust” by Alan Sparhawk and Perfume Genius linger in quiet moments of pain which evaporate in the sunshine of tracks like “I Feel Free” by SPARKLE DIVISION and Pepper Mashay. Throughout TRAИƧA, dual rivers of mourning and creativity converge to create a healing current of liberation that listeners can ride all the way from the Womb of the Soul to Reinvention while they dream of safer worlds. 

Dig into the album at transa.world.

Doug Aitken's Lightscape Dazzles and Darts Between Genres @ the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles

text by Oliver Misraje

On Saturday, November 16th, Los Angeles' art and fashion elite converged at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, resplendent in their finest attire and about as glitzy as the average Doug Aitken film. Lightscape, the enigmatically titled centerpiece of the PST-sponsored music festival "Noon to Midnight," had generated considerable buzz. I overheard one patron refer to it as a film, another as a symphony, an art installation, a performance. Tickets were highly coveted and difficult to come by. As the crowd filed into the concert hall, I observed friend groups atomize into disparate units, each member claiming their individually assigned seat. Despite this dispersal, the patrons exuded a nervous excitement akin to a dinner at a trendy pop-up where the menu is a mystery.

As described on the LA Philharmonic website, “Lightscape is an innovative multimedia artwork created by the artist Doug Aitken in collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. It’s a modern mythology propelled by music that asks the questions, ‘where are we now?’ and ‘where are we going?’ Lightscape is a shapeshifting act of contemporary storytelling that unfolds in various stages: a feature-length film, a multiscreen fine art installation, and a series of live musical performances.”

What actually unfolded was a nonlinear cinematic experience paired with a live score that played a supporting rather than collaborative role, along with elements of sculpture and dance. As I watched the film jump between characters and the Southwestern landscapes—both urban and natural—I was reminded of the Old Norse concept of the Web of Wyrd: a vast, intricate web of fate composed of individual threads that intersect and influence one another. While we may retain agency over our individual action, the myth suggests that every decision and consequence is connected to, and governed by, this larger structure of fate. 

In Lightscape, a similar invisible matrix connects the characters. This logistical web is woven from freeways, factories, digital networks, commerce, and sound. Every detail—every drop, ruffle, and clink— is not incidental but another reverberation along this vast, invisible web, illustrating the interconnectedness of the characters and their world. A woman reads at the beach. She looks up at a plane flying above her. Later we see workers in a factory manufacturing aerial parts perform a mechanized-esque choreography. 

Within Los Angeles, where the film is predominantly set, the culture of individuality—fostered by the privatization of public spaces and ubiquity of cars and suburban enclaves—we are led to believe that every man is indeed an island. Aitken’s film suggests the opposite: we are intricately connected to others, even those with whom we may never physically interact. On one hand, the film celebrates the rugged individualism that underpins the city's mythology, the freedom to get in your car and go and the possibilities that this affords. On the other hand, it is an ode to the city's kaleidoscopic community, with its varied landscapes, sounds, and energies.

Like Los Angeles itself, the narrative of Lightscape unfolds horizontally, jumping between archetypes, settings, and characters from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. These disparate vignettes are woven together by the repetition of dialogue that functions not dissimilar from Zen koans. Phrases such as you can get lost in a blink of an eye,” “all of this will never make sense,” or “He does not live anymore,” were performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, interjecting a sense of poetry and mystery, while connecting the varied scenes like the arteries of a freeway. 

The emotional crescendo of the performance occurred during a rendition of Phillip Glass’ “Wild Horses.” However, just before the feelings could truly actualize themselves, the music stopped and cut to another glossy scene. This abrupt ending was emblematic of the structural and aesthetic flaws that marred what was otherwise a resounding presentation; the lofty ambition of the project sometimes interrupted the pathos innate to the messaging. 

In retrospect, Lighscape would have benefited from stripping away some of Doug Aitken’s characteristically shiny cinematography, and redirecting that energy into a more symbiotic dialogue with the orchestra. At its core, Lightscape contains a raw, organic spiritual and existential truth. However, this truth is often frayed by the brilliant, blinding, advertorial glare of a Budweiser can under the LA sun.

In Aitken’s defense, Lightscape will be showcased at the Marciano Art Foundation as a large-scale installation, which may prove to be a more suitable home for the work than the Philharmonic, where one is led to expect a more resounding musical experience. 

Lightscape will be on view as an installation at the Marciano Art Foundation from December 17th, 2024, to January 15th, 2025, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale. Admission is free to the public.

The Mythology of the American West: An Interview of Sol Summers →

 

Image courtesy of Untitled and Sol Summers.

 

interview by Oliver Kupper
intro by Mia Milosevic

Experimenting with concepts of extremism, Sol Summers manifests the mythology of the American West in a way that refuses to compromise its own convictions. Channeling the human propensity to accept the bizarre without further questioning, Summers fuses synthetic pigments into his work which traditional landscape paintings would fervently exclude. Using the desert as a respite from the entrapments of capitalist requirements–ambition, success, renown–Summers opens up a space for honest introspection and lends a sincere sense of dignity to solitude. His admiration of Russian Realism fuses seamlessly into his appreciation for the cactus–according to Summers, limitation, hardship, and scarcity are truly fertile grounds for creativity. Sol Summers will bring his surrealist manifestations of nature to Untitled Art in Miami this December. Read more.

Fall into a crevice of the human mind @ Perrotin in New York

text by Mia Milosevic

Jesper Just’s surrealist film, Interfears, is an eerie dreamscape documenting the neurological manifestation of emotion. The film, alongside an accompanying series of MRI prints, is currently on view at Perrotin in New York until December 21. 

On the second floor of 130 Orchard Street, positioned in a dark enclave to the left of the hallway, is Jesper Just’s neuroscientific pursuit into the emotional mind. Starring Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon, the film on display documents his character in a state of relative turmoil. He recites a monologue from the discomfort of an fMRI, which highlights the entrapment of the mind in its own neural net. As Dillon endeavors to portray an invented character, Interfears logs his authentic response, dismantling the separation generally accredited to the actor and his assigned role.

Breaking from conventional narrative structure, the film leverages MRI technology to aesthetically analyze emotional processing. The utilization of the clinical, private space strategically enunciates the natural paranoia our own minds force upon us in moments of solitude. Broadcasted on the ceiling of the otherwise sterile environment is a blue sky and a collection of palm trees. This illumination, amidst the otherwise corporate ceiling, starkly contrasts the internal neural processing of the character lying beneath it. Our own ironic sense of confinement, in contrast to the abyss which remains consistently above us, becomes jarringly apparent.

Facing the film, alongside the viewers, are three MRI prints which display brain activity via coloration of varying human emotions–terror, joy, and sadness. To witness movement on the MRI when someone is organizing their memories and thoughts is separative in a way that is abstractly terrifying. It doesn’t feel like we should be able to see the sensations which we might already doubt the legitimacy of. Further, the assignment of a region on the brain to one emotion or another actually does the opposite to demystifying the concept of our own emotional sourcing. Just’s propensity to provoke further inquiry is writ large. 

The cinematic musical composition is dreamlike for the entirety of the film, its resonance reminiscent of the distance we generally feel between action and volition when in the thick of a bad dream. Gustave Mahler’s Fifth Symphony Adagietto both activates and follows Dillon’s affective voyage throughout the piece, exploiting the role of sound in emotional exploration.

At one point in the film, Dillon recounts what appears to be a distant and potentially aversive memory.

“I’m outside the concert hall on the stairs.

My face, numb and freezing.

I hear laughter.

Golden light.

Red velvet seats.”

The image is vivid, and the description relatable. The dimly lit hue of Dillon’s memory is grounded by the environment it’s recounted in.

Installation view of Jesper Just’s Interfears at Perrotin New York, 2024. ©Jesper Just 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.

Interfears is on view through December 21 @ Perrotin, 130 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002

Read an Interview of OpenAI's First Artist in Residence →

Installation view of Disruptive Reflexivity in the Flux of Becoming (2024) in the Write a convoluted exhibition title for Alexander Reben’s show in the basement of the Charlie James Gallery exhibition. Courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo © 2024 Yubo Dong; photo credit @ofphotostudio Yubo Dong.

interview by Mia Milosevic

Alexander Reben is a multidisciplinary artist and engineer whose work investigates the intersection of technology, humanity, and creativity. Known for his provocative explorations of artificial intelligence and automation, Reben challenges the boundaries between the artificial and the real, prompting philosophical inquiries into human identity and technological evolution. As the first artist in residence at OpenAI, he developed tools that expand artistic expression and explore AI’s potential in reshaping creative practices. His latest exhibition at Charlie James Gallery, Write a convoluted exhibition title for Alexander Reben’s show in the basement of the Charlie James Gallery, showcases a diverse range of work, from AI-generated musings to intricate sculptures created with robotics, each piece reflecting Reben's fascination with the dialogue between human ingenuity and machine autonomy. Reben’s latest artistic innovations, including some created during his residency at OpenAI, are on view until December 7 at Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles. Read more.