Thousands of microchips, terminals, nails, letter keys, and lengths of wire transform into spectacular, monumental sculptures by acclaimed Ethiopian artist Elias Sime. In his exhibition Eregata እርጋታ at Arnolfini in Bristol, he highlights assemblages made from everyday materials, especially discarded technological detritus like computer keys, circuit boards, wires, and other electronic objects.

Sime draws on ancient Ethiopian carving, beading rituals, and weaving techniques to connect a rich artistic heritage to contemporary mass production and consumerism. The title, Eregata እርጋታ, is derived from the artist’s language, Amharic, the meaning of which Sime translates as tranquility, calmness, or serenity.

Though his undulating, patterned pieces may on one hand appear meditational, he plumbs the tension between our reliance on technology and our sense of well-being or ability to be present. “We struggle to stop and sleep because our brains are constantly stimulated by technology—we are constantly moving faster, not slower,” he says. He instead pushes back against the tide, emphasizing a practice that requires patience, discipline, and a painstaking attention to detail.

Detail of “Tightrope: Concave Triangle #2” (2020)

A series of dozens of anthropomorphic ceramic pots titled Bareness winds through the galleries, each vessel a slightly different shape or size, with arms outstretched or wearing scarves around their necks. This sprawling installation draws attention to Sime’s focus on collaboration, community, and togetherness.

The artist spends years on some of his pieces, collecting the type or amount of material he needs to complete one work, which often takes on the patterned appearance of large textiles. Eregata እርጋታ includes the monumental assemblage “Veiled Whispers,” which comprised part of a major installation he presented at the 2022 Venice Biennale, and many pieces from Sime’s ongoing Tightrope series span architectural surfaces, incorporating thousands of yards of wire.

From a distance, Sime’s architectonic sculptures are topographical, evocative of gridded city streets. But up close, the hidden pieces of the technologies that influence our everyday lives become apparent in intricate detail.

Eregata እርጋታ continues through February 18. Find more on Arnolfini’s website.

“Tightrope: Concave Triangle #2” (2020). Photo by Jonathan de Waart

Installation view of ‘Eregata እርጋታ’ at Arnolfini, Bristol, October 2023. Photo by Lisa Whiting Photography

“Tightrope: Behind the Processor #6” (2022). Photo by Jonathan de Waart

Left: Photo by Lisa Whiting Photography. Right: Detail of “Tightrope: Behind the Processor #6” (2022). Photo by Jonathan de Waart

Photo by Lisa Whiting Photography

“Veiled Whispers” (2021). Photo Thomas Barratt, courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery

Detail of “Veiled Whispers” (2021). Photo by Thomas Barratt

Photo by Lisa Whiting Photography

Photo by Lisa Whiting Photography

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Barbara Earl Thomas reminds us that darkness—and the absences and omissions it conceals—are part of the stories we’ve adopted as truth. Her pieces gravitate toward the inextricable relationship between light and dark, with warm colors and soft glows emanating from floral motifs.

Working in paper and Tyvek, Thomas makes poetry of nature as it envelops the human body, carving intricate narratives that can be read as beautiful and apocalyptic. She’s interested in illuminating the choices society makes, whether it be deciding to cloister ourselves in climate-controlled spaces safe from the elements or cling to baseless prejudices.

“We create a kind of a story for ourselves that gives us the opportunity to not be scared to death every day, and then we live inside that story. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s what it is,” she says during a conversation with Colossal. “In the cuttings, I’m focusing on moments that both seem comforting and terrifying, ones where you get eaten, where the landscape engulfs you.”

Thomas’ works prompt viewers to recognize that these stories offer the illusion of control and “that things aren’t exactly what they appear to be.” She references Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s treatise “In Praise of Shadows” as informing much of her thinking.

The essay, which describes the electric lightbulb’s influence on Japanese aesthetics, considers what it means to take something “part and parcel from one culture into another culture,” particularly when it degrades the richness and potential of the culture already there. Both Tanizaki and Thomas point out that adopting new technology, like preserving incomplete histories or privileging some lives over others, isn’t compulsory.

Detail of “The Transformation Room”

Thomas works out of a basement studio in Seattle that she’s occupied since 1988. On the walls are paper-cut portraits with long sheets of Tyvek draped over tables. She knows all of her subjects and sees each body of work as a sort of community, one she won’t split up even to send a piece or two to her gallerist in preparation for an exhibition. For the artist, the community and the individual, like humanity and nature and light and dark, are co-constitutive. Their unity is what allows them to exist.

The first traveling exhibition of Thomas’ work, The Illuminated Body, debuted about a year ago at the Chrysler Museum of Art before heading to The Wichita Art Museum and making its final stop at Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania this month. Comprising nine portraits and an immersive installation called “The Transformation Room,” the show emphasizes human creativity while celebrating Black icons like playwright August Wilson and cellist Seth Parker Woods along with the artist’s friends and acquaintances. Referencing portraiture traditions, the pieces are equally elegant and subversive, questioning how we present ourselves, recognize others, and what shapes those perceptions.

“Girl with Flowers II” (2022), paper cut with hand-printed color. Photo by Spike Mafford/Zocalo Studios, courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery, New York

Each iteration of “The Transformation Room” has been different, with children helping to cut additional panels of white Tyvek in Wichita. When the exhibition opens this week at Arthur Ross Gallery, the piece will include color and a sculptural addition. The space also has gothic windows into which Thomas has fitted cuttings, allowing natural light to combine with the artificial to illuminate the suspended sheets of material.

Casting elegant shadows throughout the gallery, the installation invites viewers to reflect and see themselves and each other anew. The artist intends to “create a community gathering experience where my vision is filtered through sound and light, while being anchored in the historic familiar, poised for transformation.”

The Illuminated Body runs from February 17 to May 21 in Philadelphia. Find more by picking up a copy of the accompanying monograph and visiting the artist’s website.

Installation view of “The Transformation Room,” Arthur Ross Gallery

“Girl and the World” (2022), paper cut with hand-printed color. Photo by Spike Mafford/Zocalo Studios, courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery, New York

Left: “Two Trains” (2022), paper cut with hand-printed color. Right: “Lady in the Library” (2022), paper cut with hand-printed color. Photos by Spike Mafford/Zocalo Studios, courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery, New York

Installation view of “The Transformation Room,” Arthur Ross Gallery

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Five years have passed since BI Auction held its first event for Georgia’s young artists, inspired by the many young artists they had met along the way through their art auctions, artists that had little hope of future recognition or success until BI Auction announced its first competition in November 2019.
While the pandemic put a stop to most activities, BI Auction kept going, putting their competition online, seeing the BI Auction team working even harder ‘for Art, Artists and Art lovers.’

“This February, the 5th Competition Ceremony is being held, accompanied by an exhibition and a live auction event for the artworks of young artists,” says Bengü Akçardak Küçük Co-Founder of the BI Auction. “In the past eight years, we have proudly seen and felt that every initiative we did had a great impact on the market, especially our auctions for Contemporary Art and for Young Artists, which motivated market players and garnered interest from art lovers, as well as boosting dynamics in the field. We are proud to see almost every day a new exhibition or event for young Georgian artists not only in Tbilisi, but also abroad, especially those of our competition winning artists.”

BI Auction was the first art auction company in Georgia, established in 2016. The company aim is to promote Georgian art and artists and to grow the market. BI Auction ‘for ART’ organizes two big auctions each year, and in eight years has held over 15 events and presented more than 750 paintings from 200 Georgian painters. In every auction, the collection is selected from among thousands of paintings from well-known legendary artists of Georgia, and from promising young artists too.
Head along to see the exhibition of young artists on Saturday, February 17, at IArt Gallery, Uznadze 13, Tbilisi.

By Katie Ruth Davies

A staple of tables across the Middle East and western Asia, a hummus plate is itself an art form. Traditionally made from pureed chickpeas mixed with tahini, a condiment made from toasted sesame, hummus achieves a depth of flavor from garlic, lemon juice, salt. Topped with olive oil, garnished with herbs, and sprinkled with spices, each presentation is as much a feast for the eyes as it is a comforting, nourishing dish.

Designers Naama Steinbock and Idan Friedman, a.k.a. Reddish Studio (previously), draw on the popular meal in Speculative Hummus, a project they describes as a “collision between culinary heritage and design innovation,” questioning authenticity, locality, and appropriation. The duo repositions hummus as a case study in design, subjecting it to myriad practical and aesthetic transformations. They say:

The name ‘Speculative Hummus’ sets a tongue-in-cheek tone to the project, and it invites a reflection on the role of the designers in shaping cultural identity. We should ask ourselves whether our interventions are needed and what are their consequences. This project is a commentary about changes.

Steinbock and Friedman created plastic patterns that can form amorphous lumps into ridged circles, functioning like the arm of a record player and shaping the puree as it spins on a platform similar to a pottery wheel. The pair gently formed additional details with their hands and complemented the base with other traditional dishes like falafel, fava bean mash, and egg. The plates were then meticulously photographed by Dan Perez, and the images were projected onto screens in last year’s exhibition Food at Design Museum Holon, evocative of the way global fast food chains present their menus.

See more on Reddish Studio’s website.

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February 14, 2024 – The art market, a world filled with beauty and culture, is increasingly becoming a hotbed for money laundering. The lack of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations for art dealers, combined with the ease of manipulating art market prices and the portability of artworks, has made the art market an attractive haven for criminals looking to launder their ill-gotten gains.

Art Market: The Unseen Risks

It’s not uncommon for artworks to disappear for years after being purchased, only to resurface in free ports where they’re stored anonymously and sold privately. This secrecy and lack of transparency create an ideal environment for money laundering, which occurs when illegally obtained funds are funneled through the buying and selling of artworks to create an appearance of legitimate income.

New AML/CFT Obligations for Art Dealers

In response to these growing concerns, AML/CFT (anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism) obligations have recently been imposed on art dealers in the United States. As a result, there’s a growing demand for online AML certification platforms that can help art businesses navigate these new regulatory requirements.

Strategies to Combat Money Laundering in the Art Market

To address the risks of money laundering in the art market, art businesses must implement robust AML practices, including due diligence, accurate record keeping, and the use of AI-based anti-money laundering tools. These measures can help art businesses reduce the risk of interacting with criminals and money launderers, while also ensuring compliance with new regulatory requirements.

By taking these steps, the art market can begin to shed its reputation as a haven for money laundering and instead become a beacon of transparency and integrity.

Note: This article highlights the importance of implementing stricter AML regulations in the art market to combat money laundering and protect the integrity of the industry. The lack of regulation, high value of artworks, and secrecy of transactions make the art market vulnerable to these crimes, but with the right measures in place, it’s possible to mitigate these risks and create a more secure and transparent art market.

The prestigious Loewe Craft Prize announced 30 finalists for its 2024 competition, showcasing an impressive array of pieces spanning ceramics and glass to textiles and metals.

A focus on found and natural materials dominates this year’s shortlist, and many of the works celebrate the beauty of the natural world in both subject matter and substance. Heechan Kim pushes the boundaries of woodworking with “#16,” a voluptuous sculpture made of water-soaked ash strips stitched together with copper wire. Eunmi Chun’s elegant “Wings of the Blue Bird” takes a more carnal approach and is comprised of dried and cut cow intense that masquerades as blue feathers.

The prize garnered 3,900 submissions from artisans in 124 countries and regions. On May 14, one winner will be awarded €50,000, also marking the opening of an exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris running through June 9. (via Artsy)

Eunmi Chun, “Wings of the Blue Bird,” cow’s small intestine, thread, ink

Ozioma Onuzulike, “Embroidered Royal Jumper for Peter Obi,” clay, ash glaze, recycled glass, engobe, copper wire

Ferne Jacobs, “Origins,” coiled and twined waxed linen thread

Jeremy Frey, “Symphony in Ash,” black ash, sweet grass, synthetic dye

Andrés Anza, “I only know what I have seen,” ceramic

Luis Santos Montes, “Cristalización Orgánica Esmeralda,” paper, MTC, inks

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Found and Natural Materials Prevail in This Year’s Shortlist for the Loewe Craft Prize appeared first on Colossal.

Ceysson & Bénétière will open a space in Tokyo this fall, the French gallery announced on Wednesday. Located on the eighth floor of the Cura Ginza tower in the city’s Ginza district, the 3,500-square-foot space will be the gallery’s eighth outpost and its first in Asia.

“The gallery is delighted to open in Tokyo since we really fell in love with this iconic Asian city,” Loïc Garrier, the global director of Ceysson & Bénétière, said in an email to Artnet News. “Tokyo is still a dream internationally and we have a freer field of action since only Perrotin, Blum, and soon Pace are based there.”

The new Tokyo space will be managed by Leslie You, who worked for the Mennour and Perrotin galleries before setting up her own art advisory, LYAA. The venue is being designed by architect Sophie Dries.

Founded in 2006 in Saint-Étienne, France, by François Ceysson and Loic Bénétière, and later joined by artistic advisor Bernard Ceysson, the gallery has spaces in Paris, Lyon, and Pouzilhac in France, as well as Luxembourg, Geneva, and New York.

One of the gallery’s focuses is artists involved with the Supports/Surfaces movement, which originated in the south of France in the late 1960s and early 1970s against the backdrop of civil unrest in France. Its members challenged traditional painting practices by deconstructing and re-examining its material components, freeing the medium from the confines of canvas and stretcher bars.

“It also seems logical to us to continue the exchanges started by our artists like Supports/Surfaces who have been referring to and admiring the Gutai art since the 1960s,” Garrier said.

“Tokyo is an international city,” Garrier continued. “The Ginza district is a stopping point for all travelers. Our participation in the first edition of the Tokyo Gendai fair confirmed to us that many collectors and institutions were traveling there. We had a solo show by Claude Viallat [a key Supports/Surfaces artists] and sold to Japanese but also Koreans, Chinese, and Singaporeans.”

A cultural powerhouse in Asia since the post-war period, Tokyo is home to many world-renowned artists, but despite being the center of one of the world’s largest economies, its art market remains disproportionately small. However, it appears to be making a comeback on the global art stage in recent years.

Japanese collectors have been actively bidding at auction and traveling to art fairs, and new market initiatives have been drawing visitors from abroad after the lifting of strict pandemic rules. Art Week Tokyo staged its third edition last year, which also saw the arrival of the art fair Tokyo Gendai, organized by the Art Assembly.

Other homegrown events in Japan, such as Art Collaboration Kyoto, Art Fair Tokyo, and local auctions, are stepping up their efforts to cultivate the local market. Mega gallery Pace will open an outpost designed by Thomas Heatherwick in Tokyo this spring at the new Azabudai Hills development.

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The View From is excerpted from The Asia Pivot, Artnet Pro’s biweekly members-only newsletter providing mission-critical analysis, insights, and exclusive intelligence on developments in Asia’s art markets, with a focus on business opportunities and challenges. Subscribe here to receive it directly to your inbox.

The whirlwind week of Art Basel Miami Beach wrapped up a busy year. Miami Art Week was still fun and full-on, just like how I remembered it from my last visit in 2019, but it was not as warm and sunny as expected. The chilly wind and lack of sunshine spoiled the mood a bit, as I had to cling to my sweater wherever I went.

Miami’s somber weather also somehow corresponded to the vibe of the art market in 2023. Things may appear to be vibrant and glamorous to outsiders, but in reality, this was not the case. The market has indeed slowed down dramatically. Just look at the auction results around the world and the slower sales at art fairs. The economic uncertainties, geopolitical conflicts, and wars have together ended the celebration of an art-market high early.

But this slowdown is by no means a bad thing. In fact, this can be the beginning of a much-needed transition, with the art market heading towards a better, healthier place—although this may be painful to some.

The market explosion over the past couple of years has caused some problems. For example, the rules of pricing went almost completely out of the window. Price manipulation, both in the primary and secondary markets, was obvious. An increase in prices for an artist’s work used to follow a trend, for instance, after a certain number of solo shows. But recently, prices for certain works in the primary market were marked up for no apparent reason, or at a level that they did not deserve.

This was further fueled by record prices achieved at auctions for contemporary art. Newcomers treated art collecting as an investment vehicle, looking to resell a work within six, or even three months. Galleries were rushing to sell. Everyone was pushing for new things. Attention spans were short. It was a difficult time for artists, too. Like injecting growth hormone into chickens to ensure larger but perhaps less tasty cutlets, it was a very unhealthy cycle.

The great thing about 2023 was that these circumstances did not continue to spiral downwards. Indeed, some people who bought art at unreasonable prices in the past have failed to find buyers for their works this year, putting everybody in the trade on the edge. Some of my younger clients have learnt their lessons and now they are looking to buy works by artists who have a much more solid career and developed practice.

This was much more acutely felt in Asia, particularly at the major auctions in Hong Kong, where highly anticipated blockbuster lots failed to find buyers. Works by emerging artists that fetched high prices in the past sold at lower reserves. But let’s not forget that the Asian art market expanded tremendously since the pandemic. Hence, the slowdown is much more obvious compared to its Western counterparts.

The general economic uncertainty in China is one huge factor at play, and the disappointing sales results for the collection of the Long Museum founders at Sotheby’s was a key indicator. The country is still suffering from the aftermath of a prolonged lockdown under its zero-Covid policy, which was finally lifted only this year, in addition to larger geopolitical tensions. Works priced above $100,000 were so much harder to sell at Shanghai fairs this year. China is too large to ignore, and its impact can be felt not just in the region but also globally, whether you like it or not.

The grim outlook aside, I’ve made some (re)discoveries this year. I made my first trip to South Korea after many years to attend Seoul Art Week, and I was impressed by the local trade’s ambition and determination in cultivating the country’s art industry and market. There are good private collections and eager young collectors there. Art is treated as a core part of the country’s cultural and creative industries alongside K-pop and K-drama, which have been pivotal to Korea’s surging global influence. In terms of art, there’s still a lot more to discover.

In New York, I found that some younger galleries are eager to show art from wider areas, and works by overseas Asian artists are getting more exposure, little by little. People are tired of seeing the same kinds of works at art fairs over and over again. But this development is still at a very early stage, and I expect that Asian diaspora artists are a demographic that is worth paying attention to in the coming years.

As for my New Year’s resolution, I just wish everyone to stay healthy—both among art industry practitioners as well as the art market. We must stay healthy and fit as a fiddle, both physically and mentally, to brace for the challenges in 2024.

—As told to Vivienne Chow. This article was originally published in The Asia Pivot on December 13, 2023.

Gladys Lin is the founder of Gladys Lin Projects and divides her time between Taipei and New York. Lin was previously the Asia director for Sean Kelly.

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Locals and visitors alike ducked inside The Collective event space Saturday to escape the chill and immerse themselves in color, chatter, and a vibrant artistic community.

The Valentine’s Pop Up Art Market held Saturday, Feb. 10 gave local artists a chance to sell their wares and connect to the rest of the community. 

20 artists from different backgrounds and artistic mediums filled the space with paintings, photography prints, handmade ceramics, and more.

Local artist Erin Abraham organized the event alongside Laramie Artists Salon, a collective of local artists focused on building connections between creators of all different kinds of art. 

“One of the things we’re trying to do with Laramie Artists Salon is really build up the artist community in Laramie, so I thought this would be a good way to try and do that,” Abraham said.

She sees it as a way to keep people engaged in the artistic scene through the cold Wyoming winter, when outdoor art fairs and farmer’s markets are not an option. 

It’s also a chance to be festive. 

Claire Pearson, the artist behind Prickly Pearson, was excited to weave a Valentine’s Day theme into her wares. 

“I like the color and I like the heart. And I like, you know, the love motif—just celebrating the people you love and your friends and your partners and your family,” she said. 

Pearson is a textile artist, and she filled her table with hand-crocheted flower bouquets. That kind of handcrafted work was popular with many attendees.

“I really love all the handmade stuff,” said Kendall Nahorniak. She was one of many attendees who expressed interest in making art themselves.

“I’m a little bit of a fiber artist myself, so I always love seeing the ways that other people are trying to make things come to life,” she said.

The pop up market offered artists a chance to build camaraderie with peers and passersby alike. 

Tara Pappas, one of the exhibiting artists, spoke fondly of that togetherness.

“It’s a very supportive, tight-knit community. We’re not in competition with each other; we’re here to help each other and grow together,” she said.

Lisa Muller attended to support her daughter, artist Rose Gardener. “I think it encourages young artists—I just spotted a couple of friends, with children, y’know, little people—it encourages them to have a different perspective,” she said. 

In addition to getting people out of the house and spreading awareness, events like this help local artists turn their passions into livelihoods.

“I grew up very crafty, my mom had this kids-knit book when I was little; I made a lot of really ugly skinny scarves,” Claire Pearson said.

She became a full-time artist in June of 2023. “It’s been a lot of fun! I feel very lucky and privileged to be able to do that,” she said.

Erin Abrahams hopes to host more events and to continue uniting the local art scene in the future. She’s currently planning similar pop up markets for Jubilee Days and for the University of Wyoming Homecoming.