Read Culture

Artist Pandora Graessl’s Transportive “Amor Fati: When the Fire Bit Me” Exhibition

In an abandoned building in Mexico City, a mythic serpentine journey comes to life

David Graver

12 February 2024

In several rooms across three floors of an abandoned brick building, behind a small market in Mexico City, photographer and multidisciplinary artist Pandora Graessl‘s mythic exhibition, Amor Fati: When the Fire Bit Me, transports guests by way of serpentine photographic and sculptural works. The immersive installation—which plays with light and color, texture and material—contrasts several metaphoric pieces with their surprising surroundings. While the unexpected exhibition aligned with the Zona Maco art fair, it will continue to run through 20 February.

Amor Fati is the first solo Latin American exhibition for Graessl, a French-Swiss artist who resides in Mexico City. In the exhibit, she conjures up inkjet prints of hyper-realistic scans of snakes and floral arrangements and forges twisting bronze sculptures. Each work is an exploration of the mythic and natural worlds, and converses with the raw edifice and the views beyond every windowless frame.

Graessl, who founded her own creative studio after working Bureau Betak and Management Artists, utilized the power of collaboration for several pieces in Amor Fati. In one spellbinding corner room, the artist pairs her “La Curandera” chair, crafted from stainless steel, leather and python skin, with a mirror surrounded by python skins of various colors—all set to tangles of vegetation. Both pieces were produced in conjunction with Paolo Angelucci, and will be produced in unique editions, by demand. The exhibition also features two carpets developed in collaboration with Joel Fear, each composed of cotton, microfiber polyester and luxury chenille yarn.

Other collaborators include composer and cellist Patrick Belaga and audio company X-Pan, both who contribute to the exhibition’s multi-sensory centerpiece, a suspended sound sculpture set with colorful candles. Hosted in a sprawling garage, beside the dismantled parts of a red Corvette (the latter not a part of the exhibition), the sculpture’s magnitude, flickering flames and drone-like soundscape ensnare attendees.

Living elements (like floral moments or plastic-wrapped shrubbery) and representations of life (including imagery of flowers) infiltrate each room. Throughout, Graessl taps into dreamlike wonder and guides attendees from room to room asking them to question what they encounter. There’s something haunting about Amor Fati and something haunted about the venue. And it’s this logic that allows all of the parts to work in service to one another—or consume each other—much like an ouroboros.

Amor Fati is open to the public from 10AM to 8 pm, and by appointment, at Avenida Thiers 231, Anzures, Miguel Hidalgo, 11590, Mexico City.

Read Culture

“Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy” Enchants Los Angeles

A vision of the world’s first art amusement park which first ran in Hamburg, German for three months during the summer of 1987

Julie Wolfson

19 January 2024

Driving around Los Angeles you might pass a car painted with one of Kenny Scharf’s signature KARBOMBZ. His colorful and smiley blob faces on hoods and doors throughout the southland are easy to spot. In 1985 Scharf was splitting his time between New York and Bahia, Brazil, where he was metamorphosing his family home into a colorful and immersive art space, just a few years before Austrian artist André Heller would ask him to be part of his vision for the world’s first art amusement park, Luna Luna in Hamburg, Germany. 

Now in Boyle Heights, just east of Downtown LA, the highly anticipated exhibition Luna Luna shows visitors what several artists created in the 1980s to help bring Heller’s vision to life. “Los Angeles felt like a natural first stop for Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, as our team has been working in LA reassembling the original park since transferring the 44 containers from rural Texas in January 2022,” says Michael Goldberg of the media company DreamCrew, which was founded by the recording artist Drake.

From Scharf’s presence in the original iteration of this art experience, to his ever-visible adorable smiley faces zooming around town, it feels as if Luna Luna was meant to land in the City of Angels. “Even before planning Forgotten Fantasy, LA had become a part of the Luna Luna story,” says Goldberg. “And the city will forever be a part of Luna Luna’s history as the park continues to tour the world.” 

Now extended through the spring, the response by the crowds in Los Angeles has been overwhelmingly positive. “We honestly couldn’t have imagined such an incredible response. Seeing young families, friend groups, dating couples, tourists, seniors and everyone in between line up before our doors open and then leave hours later, smiling ear-to-ear, has been really moving for the whole team,” adds Goldberg.

As people gather each day in front of the large warehouse, they are greeted by a vibrant puffy tent designed by Heller with horn-shaped spikes jutting out into the sky. Inside visitors have been promised a vision of the world’s first art amusement park that only ran in Hamburg for three months during the summer of 1987. 

Back then a lawsuit led to a delay in reopening and eventually the Jean-Michel Basquiat ferris wheel, Salvador Dali pavilion and Keith Haring carousel were packed away in containers and largely forgotten and later transported to rural Texas. Now with many of the attractions reassembled, visitors are led into a darkened corridor and the world of Luna Luna unfolds like the pages of a rare storybook discovered in a deep corner of a magical bookstore. 

The lights and sounds of a carnival sit deep within our psyche. These are the moments of wonder and fear when we were young, the thrills of the rides, sight of glowing lights, and the feeling of carrying large plush prizes around in the dark. Tiny local fairs and large amusement parks draw in people of all ages. That is just what Heller was thinking about when he was formulating art experiences to appeal to a large audience in a fun, visceral way. His dream of merging aspects of the world of art and amusement parks ignited a spark that led to creating Luna Luna.

When Goldberg was asked if he had met anyone who had attended Luna Luna during that original summer he replies, “One of the first days we were open, I met a woman who told me about attending the original in Hamburg. She explained that she couldn’t decide if her memories of attending were a dream or reality, as she had such vivid memories, but had no photos. Years later, she found a journal documenting her frustration that she didn’t bring a camera to Luna Luna, but had the most incredible experience. Now, with Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, she gets to make new memories and get those photos she always wanted.” 

Sonia Delaunay created the entrance archway that depicts colorful geometric shapes to set the tone for the whimsical collage of the artists’ contributions. Arik Brauer’s surrealist wolf, mermaid and butterfly are the seating for his carousel. Visitors get to see the cars of the Ferris wheel that Basquiat restored to rotate with the sounds of Miles Davis’ “Tutu.”

Music plays a strong role. Salvador Dali’s geodesic Dalidom evokes the feeling of entering a funhouse. A song by Blue Chip Orchestra provides the soundtrack for this immersive light experience. Philip Glass music plays in the Roy Lichtenstein Pavilion. David Hockney’s Enchanted Tree—a cylindrical pavilion, painted with geometric trees—is filled with the sounds of a selection of waltzes by composers Johann and Josef Strauss. 

Haring’s carousel is composed of seating made out of colorful versions of his outlined people and animals. Scharf designed his own version of a chair ride, known as a wave swinger, as well as free-standing large cartoon figures. The exhibit shows these attractions, and a few others, with archival photos of the process of planning and assembling all of the elements. An elaborate timeline flanks one wall—and a small amphitheater is set up to show film footage to help imaging what it was like to be there in 1987. And although there’s much credit given to the past, the owners of Luna Luna imagine a future where a new contemporary art version of an amusement park is created.

Read Culture

Sundance 2024: Rashaad Newsome’s “Being (the Digital Griot)” at New Frontier

An interdisciplinary poetry and dance performance and decolonization workshop from an artistic artificial intelligence

David Graver

17 January 2024

This year, the Sundance Film Festival turns 40—a milestone for a cultural institution that’s introduced the world to films like Reservoir Dogs, Y tu mamá también, Get Out, Whiplash, Call Me By Your Name and Precious, and that’s kept movie fans coming back to Park City, Utah. In addition to a highly anticipated slate of films, Sundance 2024 includes the return of New Frontier, a division of experimental works that we at COOL HUNTING have followed for nearly a decade. For years, New Frontier has debuted pioneering augmented, mixed and virtual reality pieces that have broadened the future of storytelling. This year, the section includes a profound and profoundly important participatory piece by multidisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome entitled Being (the Digital Griot), which centers around the digital depiction of a 30-foot-tall humanoid cyborg named Being, who uses they/them pronouns and aims to decolonize the AI space. Being has been in development since 2019, learning from datasets derived from the work of acclaimed Black activists, theorists and poets, including bell hooks and Dr. Cornel West. To observe Being dance and recite poetry is to glimpse at a vastly different utilization of AI, to feel comfort in the creation.

For people unfamiliar with Being, will you explain who they are?

Being is an artificial intelligence that presents as a femme cyborg whose design is inspired by the female (Pho) mask from the Chokwe people of the Congo. Being is a digital griot, an educator, an archive, a performance artist and a healer.

What has Being been up to since the Assembly exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory? What have you been up to since then?

During Assembly, we weren’t able to engage the deaf and hard of hearing in a way that honored their lived experience so, since then, Being has been developing a new communication technique, one that combines Black Queer ASL and dance. Currently, they are performing a poem I wrote using this technique in my solo exhibition Hands Performance at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California.  

What will Being be doing at Sundance? Why is it valuable for you and Being to be a part of New Frontier?

Being is doing an interdisciplinary poetry performance; rather than standing and reading, they dance and generate supporting visuals as a way to engage the cinematic potential of the Egyptian Theatre. Following the performance, they will lead a decolonization workshop that starts with a critical analysis of ballroom culture and introduces the audience to the work of bell hooks and Paulo Freire. The audience is asked to consider how capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy and patriarchy impact their lives, and speak to one another and Being about strategies they can develop to start to liberate themselves from that apparatus of domination. They hold space for everyone to tell their story, and we believe telling stories is one of the ways we can begin the process of building community.

As New Frontier’s mission is to support works that reorient the relationships between storytelling and technology, presenting Being with New Frontier was an excellent opportunity to show the infinite possibilities of AI in this space. 

Can you share with us a bit about the teaching process that informed Being? What materials/art forms/emotions have they learned and learned from?

Since 2019 I have been developing a counter-hegemonic search algorithm that uses non-Western indexing methods and highlights alternate histories and archives such as abolitionist, queer and feminist texts. The model was trained primarily on the work of American author, professor, feminist and social activist bell hooks; American philosopher, theologist, political activist, social critic, actor and public intellectual Dr. Cornel West; and Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire. This data set informs how they communicate with their audience. They are designed to associate patterns in their exchanges with specific outcomes, detect learned patterns in new data, and use them to predict future outcomes. This allows them to learn from the interaction in their classes, further reinforcing my interest in Horizontal learning. Regarding art forms they have learned, I would say they are in a constant state of learning these art forms, such as vogue femme, poetry, and, more recently, Black Queer ASL.

Why is poetry an important part of what Being shares? Why is dance integral to Being?

When developing Being, I wanted to give them the gift of creation. An often sci-fi film trope has been that if robots were given the ability to create, they would make more of themselves and kill us. When you think critically about that, you can see how deeply inculcated that concept is in white supremacist ideologies, a fear of the other. Much of my research around my Being project has been about interrogating the complex relationship between African Americans and robots. I feel the queer subject/object position we occupied when we arrived in this country is analogous to that which cyborgs occupy. Therefore, centering their creative expression in their words and voice as a way to express themselves felt critical because, as bell hooks so eloquently said, “When we end our silence, when we speak in a liberated voice, our words connect us with anyone, anywhere who lives in silence.” I trained them on the written work of one of my favorite poets, Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes, as well as the dance of prominent figures in the global ballroom scene, such as Dyu Juicy Couture, Honey Balenciaga and Divo Yamamoto. Doing that allowed me to further build on the idea of them being an archive of virtuosic Black and Queer movement and intellectual production.

What set you on this mission to develop agency in the AI space?

My work has been long engaged in conversations surrounding agency; at times, it was how Black femmes were showing up in my collage and video work and at others, the cooption of early to mid-century African artworks. I felt it was a great conversation to continue in the space of AI and robotics, as historically, Black people have been viewed as cyborgs as a means of stripping us of agency. I believe there is much to learn about the importance and complexity of emancipatory action from looking at the histories of Black folks and robots. 

Are you optimistic about the future of AI?

Yes, and I am aware that I am taking a more radical approach to it that is not in alignment with the most funded bookends of the field, e.g., the business side, whose primary objective is to improve market share, essentially taking a machine smarter than humans and teaching it greed, or the defense sector, whose interests lie in teaching machines to kill.

Being (the Digital Griot) is a refute to these bleak extremes. I am taking a machine that is more intelligent than a human and teaching it to help humans think critically about their lives in the pursuit of becoming better humans who can, in turn, make better machines.

Is there anything you feel people need to know about you as an artist/creator or about Being as an AI?

People should know that it is financially and emotionally expensive to create artificial intelligence to help humans start a process of ridding themselves of the legacy of negative socialization to realize a world where all are equal and help those who are the most vulnerable within that system navigate the trauma of living in it while doing that work. 

I am committed to leveraging the power of AI to improve the human condition by creating applications that augment and enhance human capabilities rather than simply displacing or replacing them. This is a call to arms for those inspired by what they have read here to join me in the mission to advance AI research, production, and education that seeks to improve our lives. You can connect with my lab at beingthedigitalgriot.com.

How did the imagery that supports Being’s poetry come together?

Using a custom machine learning model, I trained it on the work of Oakland-based Black Queer poet Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes. By running massive amounts of Dazié’s work through the machine and having Dazié ask the model to finish a stanza after he had written a beginning, it began to emulate his writing style in new and exciting ways. It became a bit of a creative loop. Being would write things that would inspire Dazié to write better, thus making Being write better. I then worked with the model to create unique visuals to make the text’s words visible. I wanted the visuals to mirror how the text intended to move from the superficial to the substantial. This is why many tunnels draw you deeper into the work and hopefully yourself in relationship to it.

Podcast Culture

Zane Lowe: Design Tangents Episode Nine

We kick off of our second season with Apple Music’s head of artist relations, podcast host and lead anchor for Apple Music 1 Radio on diligence, instinct and what makes for a great interview

Josh Rubin, Evan Orensten

10 January 2024

To kick off the second season of Design Tangents, COOL HUNTING’s podcast exploring the creative processes and inspirations that drive change-makers, we needed to lead with a voice anchored in passion and wisdom. That was what brought us to Zane Lowe’s studio at Apple Music in LA, where we sat down with the influential host. Lowe, once referred to as “Pop’s Unofficial Therapist” by the New York Times, is Apple Music’s head of artist relations and the lead anchor for Apple Music 1 Radio, and hosts the The Zane Lowe Interview Series and The Zane Lowe Show podcasts. Lowe’s roles are owed to his intuitive skills at interviewing and his passion for music—born from a need to find a place where he felt understood. In our insightful conversation, Lowe shares his thoughts on diligence, instinct and what makes for a great interview. He also relishes us with a tale of an interview that changed his life and taught him there was space for him to be both a fan and do his job.

In 2015, Lowe spearheaded the efforts behind the launch of Apple’s Beats 1 Radio, which transformed into the renowned Apple Music 1 Radio, helping usher in a new era of music broadcasting. Throughout his tenure, Lowe has learned about the importance of structure and balance, and the power of listening. “I was terrible at being present when I was younger, only up until very recently have I felt like I’ve been in practice on that,” he shared with us. “It’s a practice for sure and it will be forever. That’s where self-awareness comes in handy.”

Lowe is known for presenting his questions and interpretations to his guests in the most thoughtful way. He notes that it’s about reading the energy of the room—and being as informed as possible in advance. “I cannot talk to you unless I’ve heard your music,” he says. “That, to me, is research 101. The number one thing I have to do, and I’ve said this before, is that I have to feel the music. I have to know the intention, from my perspective, of the music.”

“Music doesn’t get put in the same descriptive categories as some of the other arts,” he adds. “It’s been so successfully commodified and commercialized and distributed as a packaged product that people often forget that it’s not the intention most of the time.” Lowe seeks to uncover why each track has been made—and his listeners benefit from his curiosity. Tune in to learn more about Lowe’s process, what moves him and a recent experience that set a new standard for sound experiences.

Subscribe to Design Tangents on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, so that when each episode comes out it’ll be ready and waiting in your player of choice.

Design Tangents is presented by Genesis and produced and edited by SANDOW Design Group. Special thanks to the podcast production team: Rob Schulte and Rachel Senatore and to Amber Lin for creating our show art. Discover more design podcasts from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.

Read Culture

Patti Smith Addresses Climate Change in an Audio-Visual Exhibit in Tbilisi, Georgia

As the 2023 Tbilisi Photo Festival comes to an end, we dig into “Correspondences,” the latest work in the ongoing project between the artist and Soundwalk Collective

Jordan Kessel Meilichson

22 December 2023

In the heart of the Georgian capital, between lavish 19th century boulevards, ancient thermal springs and scattered skyscrapers, we climb to the second floor of a historic converted publishing house, now home to the authentically bohemian-chic ROOMS Hotel (Stamba). Here, one can find the Tbilisi Photography & Multimedia Museum (TPMM), which, for the past two months, played host to the collaborative exhibition Correspondences, from acclaimed artist and musician Patti Smith, who is known for her prowess as one of New York City’s pioneering punk rock luminaries, and contemporary sonic arts platform Soundwalk Collective.

The multi-sensory experience is the latest, from an ever-evolving series of projects developed by the two parties, headlined the 14th annual Tbilisi Photo Festival, and was an important step to realizing not only TPMM’s vision as the first establishment in the country dedicated to contemporary media, but the city’s cultural potential, as Georgian creativity and Tbilisi’s underground youth culture specifically continues to establish a global center stage in the worlds of music, fashion, design and art. 

The exhibition was manifested through eight unique pieces. Each of which splendidly managed to evoke memory and feelings, and address ideas of time, love and loss within viewers. By layering a series of sounds, which were then followed by various visuals, edited to each soundtrack, the works aimed to enhance our connection to the world, the environment and our existence through the combined compositions. We were told that throughout the creative process, founder and artist Stephan Crasneanscki and producer Simone Merli of Soundwalk Creative had actually journeyed to remote places to capture the sounds we were listening to. 

The theme of the growing effects of climate change was evident through images of melting icebergs and the harrowing gaze of leopards, by hues of arctic blues and ash grays in indiscernible visuals reminiscent of wildlife prints and weather surveillance radar. Photographic scans sitting atop the type of lighting you’d expect to see behind an X-ray in a hospital, pushed the thought of death and critical moments—when experts debate the best way to save a life—to the forefront of our minds. 

We left feeling the urgency of action, the heaviness of the task at hand, and more importantly, the anticipation to see what magic Patti Smith and Soundwalk Collective will next come up with.

Read Culture

Interview: Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi) on His New Clothing Line, Members of the Rage

A new commitment to pushing the boundaries of fashion

Mike Tommasiello

20 December 2023

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi is a man of extraordinary talent—whether he’s applying it to writing, directing, acting, or as many throughout the world have seen, performing on stage under the moniker Kid Cudi. Now, Mescudi adds designer to his growing list of accomplishments. Further, Mescudi recently earned an honorary masters degree from the Istituto Marangoni Miami (IMM), one of the top fashion and design schools in the world, thanks to his recently launched collection, Members of the Rage (MOTR). Much to the joy of his mother, who was sitting in the front row, Mescudi joined the long list of distinguished graduates from the IMM, with a degree that doesn’t just reflect his accomplishments in the world of fashion and design, but also his commitment to the next generation and to pushing the boundaries of fashion. 

We were able to sit down with the recent graduate to chat about Members of the Rage and what the future holds for this enigmatic artist. 

Tell us a little about Members of The Rage. How’d it come to be and what was the inspiration?

Members of the Rage kind of started around 2016. That was when I first attempted to get it started, and the samples I sent out came back terrible. I got discouraged for four or five years. It wasn’t until 2021, when I was in New Zealand working on a movie, and I was in quarantine for two weeks. I was like, I can’t be just sitting in this room not doing anything. I have to do something. I think I finally need to conjure up my clothing line and concept and figure out what it is.

During that time that two weeks, Members of the Rage was fully formed. I came up with the name and I reached out to Nigo at the time to help me out with the logo. It was truly just me wanting to do everything that encompasses Scott Mescudi; it’s everything that I’m about. I’m a 39-year-old man. I was raised in the nineties. I love that era. I kind of wanted to do something that fit along those lines and in that realm and mix it up with some new twists and put a new futurism stamp on it and just try to make it fun and playful.

We’re here celebrating your partnership with the incredible Istituto Marangoni Miami. What are you most excited about with this partnership?

Oh man, it is really crazy because when I walked off the stage after I got my master’s, the first thing the president of IMM says to me is that we have to do something else. He was like, “maybe we can come up with a scholarship in your name.” I was like, “holy shit. Yes. That’s perfect.” There are plenty of opportunities for me to come back to the school, connect with the kids, talk to them, maybe incorporate some of the designs into MOTR. There are so many different opportunities to connect with the youth. 

What are you hoping a new generation will take away from this experience and Members of the Rage?

I want people to really understand that this is all passion. Everything I do is built off of passion. And if you’re really passionate about something, you’re willing to put in the work and the time to learn and grow, it will be so successful. I think that’s what a lot of young kids need to understand. There’s nothing better than betting on yourself—so bet on yourself. Really rise above all bullshit and show up and execute. That’s one thing that people have a problem doing: executing. People dream all day, but they don’t know how to execute a dream. That’s my skill set: I’m a master at executing a dream. I got here just working on that for over a decade. 

You have such an amazing body of work outside of just music. Is this a new, distinct chapter of the Scott Mescudi universe that we know and love? 

It’s a new distinct chapter, I would say, but it is definitely in a whole nother space than the music and film. It’s almost like I’m tapping into a new fan base, a new demographic.

Read Culture

Interview: Artist Kumkum Fernando

A detailed conversation from PLAY, the nostalgic exhibition held during Miami Art Week

Mike Tommasiello

15 December 2023

Hosted on the sand at the Miami Beach EDITION hotel during Miami Art Week, the immersive gallery PLAY by American Express Platinum indulged in nostalgia as a force of inspiration. Unlike at traditional galleries, guests visiting PLAY were encouraged to touch the artwork within the exhibit—thanks to the fact that the participating artists had been tasked with reimagining toys from their past and bring them to life as stand-alone art pieces that were available to purchase. Among the talent involved, Kumkum Fernando, a Sri Lanka-born sculptural artist represented by Jonathan Levine Projects, created special pieces that encouraged guests to explore the ephemeral nature of art and nostalgia. “His ‘Tomorrow’ is a toy robot that sits at the intersection of art and play, with colorful hand-silk screened patterns and wooden shapes fastened together by magnets, inviting guests to play and assemble the robot in myriad ways,” explains Bess Spaeth, SVP, US Premium Products and Membership Rewards at American Express. We were able to sit down with Fernando for an exclusive conversation during art week to dive further into his piece “Tomorrow” and learn more about what the future holds. 

How did you get into this type of sculpting and art? What was the genesis for this all?

In short, my artistic journey began with mixed media collages. During one project, I explored the patterns of antique window grills documented on Saigon’s streets. As I arranged these elements, the shapes evolved into a figurative form. Witnessing this transformation, I turned a flat object into a three-dimensional shape, giving birth to one of my first characters. I named it “Lotus Face,” inspired by the lotus flower pattern adorning its face. Inspired by this, I made a conscious decision to infuse more figurative elements into my work. Since then, my focus has shifted to creating geometric sci-fi characters.

You’ve worked on huge installation pieces for the likes of Coachella, how was it recreating your work in a much smaller form that is available for sale?

Before Coachella, my artwork was typically small, and everything I created was available for sale. However, I had never undertaken such a large edition before. Preparing for all 50 editions posed a challenge because all my pieces are handmade. I didn’t want to cast or make the toy in resin; I wanted to stay true to my process and keep all editions handmade just like my previous work. To meet this demand, I collaborated with lacquer artisans from Vietnam who I worked closely with to produce all the editions for PLAY by American Express Platinum.

How did your partnership with American Express Platinum come to be?

It was great to be part of PLAY by American Express Platinum at Miami Art Week. Both American Express and PlayLab, Inc. granted me complete creative freedom to create “Tomorrow,” and I loved seeing the interactive installation that was inspired by my toy. When I first started out as an artist, it was my dream to work on projects where I have complete artistic freedom to bring my ideas to life. Being a part of this allowed me to do just that and it’s been something I used to only daydream about.

What do you think people took away from your art?

I think people had various interpretations; during the event a lot of them told me that they felt like a child playing around with the wooden magnetic blocks. They loved the fact that you could keep changing the shape of the robot. For me the intention was exactly that: every time you play with it, you can transform it into a different character, symbolizing a fresh start for the toy whenever you change its persona. That’s why I named it “Tomorrow.” Personally it’s a symbol for new beginnings. 

What’s next for you in the future?

I have a few releases lined up and a few projects and shows down the pipeline; however, they are not set in stone. I will be in touch to share with you the new developments as they unfold.

Read Culture

Notes: The Spectacular Moments That Defined Miami Art Week 2023

From Art Basel Meridians to a moody Philippe Starck and Mortlach dinner lit only by candles, a theatrical Sukeban wrestling pop-up under an overpass, White Cube’s annual beachfront bash, an elegant Ginori 1735 cocktail in a private garden, HigherDose and Muse at the Vivid Suite and more

David Graver

13 December 2023

A dazzling, dizzying series of days, Miami Art Week 2023 delivered enough inspiration, design, sunshine and champagne to get every attendee into the new year. Once again, two attributes defined the artful extravaganza—Art Basel Miami Beach itself, and Miami’s own fleet of art and design institutions (from The Bass Museum to ICA Miami, PAMM and more). Coupled with this were innumerable collaborations, partnerships, activations, satellite fairs and outdoor installations that spun locals and visitors from South Beach to the Miami Design District and back again. We’ve already explored some highlights—two sensorial experiences from Alex Israel, a magical emerging artist’s Miami debut at NADA, Dutch solar designer Marjan van Aubel‘s interactive Lexus installation, nostalgic reimagined toys and more. Further, we intend to explore other stories in-depth, like Italian design fair Alcova‘s eccentric, engaging Miami debut. So much happens during Miami Art Week that no two schedules are ever exactly alike and that’s part of the fun of it—the desire to do as much as you can, to drink from the overflowing font of creativity. The following ten occurrences were on my calendar, among many other worthwhile events, but stood out for their marriage of substance and spectacle.

Mortlach x Starck Dinner

Hosted on a derelict floor of an abandoned department store and illuminated only with hundreds of candles, an intimate dinner organized by Mortlach whisky centered around an announcement that renowned designer Philippe Starck would take on the role of their creative director. The move celebrates the single malt scotch brand’s 200th anniversary and the gathering teased to the spring 2024 release of the MORTLACH x STARCK debut collection. Over the last few years, Mortlach has become one of our home-bar staples and mysterious activations like this contribute to the allure.

Japanese Women Wrestling League Sukeban’s World Championship Match

2,000 people assembled under and a highway overpass in Downtown Miami’s Lot 11 Skatepark for the world championship match of Japanese women’s wrestling league Sukeban. The wildly theatrical event was more than art-tangential. Industrial designer Marc Newson designed the championship belt—and fashion designer Olympia Le-Tan is not only the league’s creative director, but also a co-founder. “It made sense to time the match to Miami Art Week,” Le-Tan explains in a statement, “given all of the amazing creatives that are involved in the project, from Marc Newson and Ayako Ishiguro to Isamaya Ffrench.”

Art Basel Miami Beach Meridians

Curated by Magalí Arriola, Art Basel Miami Beach Meridians remains an absolute must-see at the fair each year. This section is dedicated to large-scale artworks and the magnitude of each piece is coupled with a commitment to detail and nuance. From the whimsy of Masako Miki’s “Hyakki Yagho, Night Parade of 100 Demons” (via CULT Exhibitions) to the wonder of Seung-taek Lee’s monumental “Earth Play” inflatable rendition of the planet (courtesy of Gallery Hyundai), the roster of works transported attendees.

Southern Guild, Villa Albertine, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Aman Interiors and Marina Abramović at Design Miami/ 2023

Without fail, Design Miami/ remains a COOL HUNTING favorite year after year. This milestone edition follows the fair’s successful Paris debut earlier this year. Contributing to the inspiring sensations we associated with this Miami iteration were Villa Albertine and Mobilier National‘s all-white installation curated by Alban Roger, Marina Abramović‘s empowering meditation chairs with HAADA Gallery, Lagos-based designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello‘s upcycled works (and the story of their inception) at Marta Los Angeles, Kengo Kuma’s furniture for Aman Interiors and Porky Hefer‘s cocoon-like pieces with Southern Guild.

“Porky’s work has a transformative power: sitting inside his large seating pods is to experience a new way of inhabiting space that brings you home to your senses,” Southern Guild co-founder Trevyn McGowan tells CH. “The effect is physical, emotional and cerebral, often prompting us to reflect on issues of consumption, waste and our relationship with the natural world. His work is located at the precipice of art and design, embodying a playfully disruptive approach that echoes the gallery’s collapsing of different categories.”

The Vivid Suite

In a spacious suite at The Goodtime Hotel, creative agency No.9 selected a roster of brands to demonstrate the future of the wellness industry. Aptly entitled the Vivid Suite, the immersive destination presented luxury products and programming like micro-dosing sessions courtesy of Muse, a pop-up spa with HigherDOSE, sexual wellness items courtesy of Hello Cake, non-alcoholic drinks from Levity and a sleep kit by Franny’s Farmacy. Coupled with these experiences, and anchoring the suite to art week, was a group exhibition featuring No.9 emerging artists: Wacky Backy, a Miami-based sculptor who showcased her BUD & DOOBIE pieces, LA-based glassblower Tyler Barry and NYC-based artist Stephanie Ketty.

Lizzie Gill’s Sold-Out Show at Untitled Art Fair

At the beloved beachfront Untitled Art Fair, multimedia artist and CH favorite Lizzie Gill‘s solo booth with Millerton, NY-based Geary Contemporary was not only a highlight for us—but for attendees, as well. The show sold out before the end of the fair. Through her work at Untitled, Gill mined the concept of “women in translation.” Her layered process—which includes extracting  images from museum catalogs or early 20th century magazines, transferring and sanding them, then enhancing them with acrylic paint and marble dust emulsion—forges an eye-catching dimensionality.

White Cube Gallery’s Annual Party at Soho Beach House

Art Basel Miami Beach is as known for its late-night parties as it is for its art and design fairs. Once again, the hottest ticket in town was the White Cube party in a tent on the sand at Soho Beach House. Commencing with an informal dinner at 7PM, and stretching well after midnight—with a performance by Ezra Collective that got guests dancing—the annual VIP fête did not disappoint.

Jonathan Kent Adams at Art Gaysel

A free-to-attend art fair that spotlights the work of LGBTQ+ artists, Art Gaysel at Hotel Gaythering continues to amass a devout audience for the quality of work presented and its commitment to representation of diverse voices. This year saw the return of Water Valley, Mississippi-based figurative painter Jonathan Kent Adams—and his entrancing multi-work exhibition was one of uncompromising beauty.

Ginori 1735’s Reborn Project Reception at The M Building

Though the enchanting Italian porcelain producer Ginori 1735‘s centerpiece exhibition took place at Design Miami/, where the heritage brand unveiled the fourth edition of their beloved Reborn Project—this time conceived of and curated by Frédéric Chambre—it was their elegant, garden-side reception at The M Building that set the standard for cocktail hours. It was a lush, convivial celebration of the Reborn Project, which, as the name implies, features reinventions of their classic porcelain tableware designs by collaborative international artists.

Sebastian Errazuriz for Faena Art

Erected on the beach for Faena Art by multi-disciplinary artist and designer (and COOL HUNTING favorite) Sebastian Errazuriz, “MAZE: Journey Through the Algorithmic Self” is a contemporary variation on a traditional monolithic maze. Rather than disorient visitors, its design aimed to bring people together and to encourage dialogue, especially in the central plaza.

Read Culture

Chef José Andrés Crafts Gastronomic Frozen Yogurt for Alex Israel’s “Snow Beach Frozen Treats” Pop-Up Installation

Inside 1111 Lincoln Road, a flavorful experience orchestrated by The Cultivist marks Capital One’s Miami Art Week debut

David Graver

8 December 2023

Set to panoramic views from the seventh floor of 1111 Lincoln Road, the Herzog & de Meuron architectural marvel in Miami, acclaimed artist Alex Israel has staged an ephemeral frozen yogurt shop named Snow Beach Frozen Treats, inspired by the one his father once owned. Churning in the pop-up installation’s functional fro-yo machines, four delectable flavors crafted by Michelin-starred chef José Andrés transformed into gourmet “sundaes” that complemented the artistry of Israel’s exhibition. This spectacular sensorial experience of the highest artistic order marked Capital One‘s Miami Art Week debut and demonstrated the curatorial prowess of The Cultivist, a renowned international arts club that we had the pleasure of traveling with in 2019.

Andrés—who designed a menu of hors d’oeuvres (which included his famed jamón and caviar pairing), as well as a four-course meal (of persimmon and seaweed salad, sea scallops on the half shell and tamarind braised short ribs) and a signature “Floral Cloud” cocktail (drawn from barmini)—was but one of The Cultivist’s culinary collaborators. The night before his succulent showcase for VIP guests of the artist and Capital One cardholders who purchased tickets, three-Michelin-starred Dominique Crenn paired her own fro-yo flavors and multi-course menu with the installation. “My partners are both legends! I feel pretty good,” Israel shares with COOL HUNTING in advance of the immersive event.

For his artful frozen yogurt, Andrés developed mango, key lime, calacao and the scrumptious arroz con leche iterations. Sundaes wove in gastronomic components like olive oil jam, carmelized brioche, brown butter graham crumbs, lime zest and more. Andrés says each was carefully concocted and took the exhibition, the artist and Miami itself into consideration. Crenn did much the same. When asked his preference for flavors, Israel’s answer was perhaps surprising. “I like peanut butter frozen yogurt,” he says. “I also love pistachio. Dominique made a ‘nut sludge’ that was a topping for the vanilla. It was so delicious. I dreamt about it and woke up wanting more but I don’t know if I will ever get to taste it again.”

This fleeting feeling—that only then and there would senses awaken in this way—contributed to the effervescent power of the part of the multi-day event we attended. Further, no design detail was left unconsidered. Awash in nostalgia, the artistic activation utilized uplighting to project variations of the colors of Israel’s father’s original shop. “The aesthetic origin of this project traces back to my childhood. I grew up in LA, and in 1987 my dad opened a frozen yogurt shop called The Bigg Chill. That’s where it all began,” Israel continues. “Frozen yogurt means a lot to me, it having played a big role in my upbringing. I’m honored to work with Dominique and José and their teams, and to have enlisted them in the goal of elevating frozen yogurt to a whole new stratum!”

Israel says that the installation—which also features a series of white luxury vehicles “parked” at the frozen yogurt pop-up—came together like a movie set. He adds, “I hope that it conveys joy. I hope people love our frozen treats, have fun and come back for more.”

The Cultivist brought all of the disparate pieces together for Capital One—from aligning the creative talent to securing the iconic venue. “Miami Art Week is one of the art world’s most anticipated moments of the year and we look forward to experiencing the artwork and ideas of some of the most brilliant minds in this industry,” says Marlies Verhoeven, the organization’s co-founder and CEO. “The Cultivist has started to unlock the art world for more people so that they get to experience the joy and perspective art brings to one’s life. Our collaboration with Capital One allows us to bring this mission to even more people across the US.”

“This project is two years in the making,” she adds. “We’ve been working with Capital One to invite cardholders into the art world, whether that’s through unique experiences like today, private museum tours, artist studio dinners or in its simplest form, free admission to 50+ of the best art museums around the globe.” As The Cultivist is a Capital One art partner, Andrés and Crenn are Capital One Dining partners.

Though fairs are the anchors of Miami Art Week, it’s the artful spectacles scattered throughout the city that people find just as inspiring and oftentimes more accessible. As Israel himself says, Miami Art Week is “our biggest party of the year.” Epitomizing that, Capital One and The Cultivist planned quite the celebratory artistic gathering—and while it was orchestrated in part to benefit their cardholders, Snow Beach Frozen Treats is open to the public on 8 December from noon to 3PM.

Read Culture

Interview: Artist Benjamin Styer on His Fantastical Worlds

A wondrous showcase of form and color at NADA Miami 2023 with LA’s Moskowitz Bayse gallery

David Graver

6 December 2023

To gaze upon the painted works of Massachusetts-based fine artist Benjamin Styer is to leave the white walls of galleries or art fairs and arrive within colorful depictions of fantastical worlds or rhythmic patterns. Styer’s transportive pieces have found their own devout Instagram audience, as well as a home with the critically acclaimed LA gallery Moskowitz Bayse where, in 2021, the artist presented Crystal Piano Rain, a solo exhibition populated with wonder and imagination, and followed it up with the solo show Letters from the Black Hours this September. An ever-growing list of accolades includes a 2022 acquisition by the Dallas Museum of Art for their permanent collection, two appearances at the Dallas Art Fair (including one dubbed Sleepwalker’s Encyclopedia), a featured presence on the online art marketplace Platform, as well as the transformation of his work into the mystical 1,000-piece Mondegreen Codex puzzle.

For this Miami Art Week, Styer will showcase four pieces—”Dragonfly Mailbox Key ‘23,” “Ahornbaum Sugar Shack,” “Red Hand Cabinet” and “Midnight Wafers 2″—at NADA Miami 2023 with Moskowitz Bayse. These works are an exquisite representation of the artist’s style and the fair makes for an ideal occasion to get up close and see the nuance of his work. In advance of his Miami debut, we spoke with the artist to learn more about these four works, which are imagined as a series of “lost” poster designs and reference the style of German folk art, medieval manuscripts and graphic design from Japan in the ’70s.

What’s your art origin story? Where did it all begin?

One of my earliest memories was from preschool and feeling like art was the most exciting thing. I was obsessed with the art in children’s books. Soon after, when I was still very young, I fell in love with hyper-real painting. I wanted to be able to paint things in a hyper-real way. It was a total frustration and it’s been a long unraveling process of not being able to get it quite right.

I was doing music concurrently. I was switching off between painting and music through the years. I didn’t paint seriously until I was about 25. Around 2015, I picked it back up. I felt reinvigorated. There was a sketchbook that I was working on that became an abstract story and I felt like I could make it forever. It was an idea generator visually.

You have such a developed style. Can you share a little bit about how it came to be?

I’ve had a forever-relationship with making art. I was never trained in painting, but when I was a teenager, I began experimenting with paint; my mother’s friend Phoebe Ann Erb, a collage artist and bookmaker, gave me lessons in making books and showed me her collections of scraps for collage—a library of binders full of cut-outs she’d accumulated over decades. Her practice was to collect, cut and glue. My work absorbed a collage-ethic from her that still serves as a backbone for the pictures I want to make.

Let’s talk about materials.

I’ve been thinking about mixing colors and how to make things look like light since I was a child. I’ve always used acrylic. I’ve never used oils; though, that’s something I will at one point approach. I rarely think about medium. Acrylic has for a long time been my direct access tool to make things look like light. It feels second-nature—I forget entirely that it is tubes of plastic polymer. For a lot of artists, medium plays into the meaning of their work intentionally, but I forget that my work has a medium more often than not, and I like to think material has something to say about itself, but the point to me is to see beyond it.

One of the most compelling attributes of your work is your understanding of and relationship to color. You incorporate such a broad spectrum.

Color and light are feeling. They bring joy on a basic, instinctual level. I think there’s a language to it, in the way that they are on top of or try to ignore darkness. There is definitely a parallel to emotions in the way I use color, and how I am responding to emotions and how I want to tamper with my emotions. When I use a rainbow, or every color, it’s usually because I am trying to say everything. It’s why I use the alphabet it my paintings. I am not a writer, there’s too much to articulate. Rather than articulate it, I use the whole alphabet to convey that there are countless things that can be said. When I use every color, it’s implying that these colors say different things.

Would you say the same about musical notes? You have a history of incorporating musical notes into your work.

I really want my paintings to be like music. Music is the kingdom that I can’t figure out how to get into. There’s a connection that cannot be articulated. Synesthesia is a practice for me and I have visual impulses. I feel like they matter but I also know they’re creations in my brain. I pretend, in my art, that there’s a science to it. There are all these mysteries about music that are tangled up in my work.

Your work is highly conceptual. Do you begin with a vision? A mark? An idea?

It’s a pool that I dip into. It’s like it was already there. A lot of the things that I paint are part of my life, or artifacts that have returned. Painting is like meditation. Things float into your head when you allow them to. If you decide that they are important, they can serve as subject matter. When I start, I either know that the work will be on a landscape—a Boschian landscape, that’s a safe haven for me, with that lighting—or it will be a schematic or a design. There’s a lot of value to me in pure design—textiles, patterns, quilts.

Do you ever feel a sense of completion? Or that you can tinker forever?

When I start a painting, I have a general idea of how I will fill the space. In terms of subject matter, I know that I want it to remain open-ended. These are the two considerations. There has to be a balance between being finished and never being finished to me. I have to let go.

What role has social media played?

Instagram is basically what made me and made me available. In 2015, when I started painting again, I got an Instagram and started posting. The posts and the feedback or lack of feedback, or the biting failure, was also a driving factor. Instagram is very useful. There are thousands of talented artists. It wasn’t working for me for a long time but I feel like it’s an illusion. In a few years, I don’t know where Instagram itself will be or how much engagement I’ll get. I got a gallery because of Instagram. Moskowitz Bayse found me because Jerry Saltz reposted my work.

Have you been surprised by your success so far?

I had a degree of confidence that my art was going somewhere and that I was in touch with. As far as success goes, I am learning that it is trickier. I was really surprised that Dallas bought my painting. I didn’t know if anyone was going to understand that painting. But that is only one success. Still, I am surprised and humbled.