Hundreds of reflective traffic cones jut from the neoclassical facade of Aula Academica at Ghent University, turning the grand columns into a dense thicket of spines. The playful installation is one of the most recent projects of the Spanish artist known as SpY (previously), whose site-specific works often utilize functional materials in unexpected places.

The short-lived intervention, titled “Cones,” wraps hundreds of bright roadway markers around eight columns lining the street entrance. Light illuminates the installation at night, casting a cheerful orange glow on the surrounding area.

On view for just a few weeks in late 2023, “Cones” was a preliminary project to the 2024 Lichtfestival Ghent, which opens this month in the Belgian city.

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 SpY Transforms a Ghent Building into a Spiny Thicket of Bright Orange Traffic Cones appeared first on Colossal.

Looking out from the high elevation of Castagneto Po in Italy on December 5, Valerio Minato photographed an extraordinarily magical alignment across the way in Piemonte. Already glowing in the darkness, the hilltop Basilica of Superga sits directly in the center of the Monviso mountain with the moon precisely framing the pair.

Minato planned the perfectly positioned shot well in advance—watch the night unfold on Instagram—and explains the distinct lighting within the image. “Even though the setting moon was captured in a crescent phase, the exposure was long enough for doubly reflected earthlight, called the da Vinci glow, to illuminate the entire top of the moon,” he says.

Minato frequently photographs cities and landmarks around Italy, which you can view on his site. Find prints in his shop. (via Kottke)

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Flora Yukhnovich, the British artist known for reframing 18th-century Rococo art for a contemporary audience, will show two new works at the Wallace Collection in London this summer inspired by the French artist François Boucher and other Rococo masters.

Yukhnovich’s paintings will temporarily replace two works by Boucher at the top of the grand staircase on the landing of Hertford House, which houses the collection, from June to October. Boucher’s two large-scale works, Pastoral with a Bagpipe Player (1749) and Pastoral with a Couple near a Fountain (1749), will be moved to a display space on the ground floor. “I have been visiting [the Wallace Collection] since I was a student to immerse myself in the 18th century and to study the Boucher paintings,” she says in a statement.

Boucher, who was also a theatre designer, reinvigorated traditional pastoral and mythological scenes, filling his canvases with nymphs, goddesses and shepherdesses. Other leading Rococo artists include Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) whose most famous painting, The Swing (around 1768), is housed at the Wallace Collection.

Victoria Miro, the gallery which co-represents Yukhnovich along with Hauser & Wirth, described the nuanced relationship between her practice and these historical works in a statement. “When viewed from afar, Yukhnovich’s works might be seen to be figurative, their suggestive brushwork carrying echoes of elaborate 18th-century scenes. Yet when approached more closely, the precisely arranged structure gives way to pure texture and colour,” it said.

Describing her approach, the artist says: “I like the idea of combining these two art historical moments which have become highly gendered: the pretty Rococo imagery and the machismo of abstraction. But really abstraction and figuration don’t feel separate to me. They are two different points in the same process, part of a spectrum which ranges from very loose, abstracted marks through to tightly articulated figuration.”

Yukhnovich’s fluid canvases have also been a commercial success. In October 2021, Sotheby’s offered her 2020 painting I’ll Have What She’s Having during its contemporary art evening sale in London, with an estimate of £60,000 to £80,000. After a flurry of bids from Asia and the US, it sold for £2.5m (including fees)—more than 30 times the high estimate. On the secondary market her large canvases command seven-figure sums.

Asked about her stratospheric market rise, she told the Telegraph: “There are certain elements that feel really surreal. But every day, I come in here [to her studio in Bermondsey], and I’m by myself all day. There are times when it feels like a loud noise. But mostly, I just try and keep it as quiet as possible, because all those things, especially in the market, are not in my control.”

The Norwich-born, London-based painter studied portraiture at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and, in 2017, earned her MA from the City & Guilds of London Art School. She had her first solo shows at Brocket Gallery and Parafin in London. An exhibition of her works inspired by Dutch Golden Age still-life paintings is currently on show at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (Ashmolean Now, until 14 January).

How do you visualize seemingly imperceptible changes over time, like trees rustling in the wind or cabinets shaking when someone walks by? Michiel de Boer, a.k.a. Posy, devised what he terms “motion extraction,” a filtering technique that leaves only the variances in time visible.

In a compelling and instructional video, de Boer explains a rather straightforward editing technique he uses to isolate movement over time. Examples include how to reveal a camouflaged deer walking through a forest and rain plunking into puddles, transforming scenic landscapes into what appear like glowing, abstract animations. As Kottke notes, the most stunning moment shows a man walking through a gravel bed, his footprints suddenly illuminated as bright splotches where the rocks have shifted.

Check out the tutorial-turned-artwork above, and find more of de Boer’s educational experiments on YouTube.

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Immerse yourself into history and the arts this weekend.

Whether you’re looking for a local art market, a historical walking food tour, a classical concert, a multicultural concert or a collage night, Lancaster County has several options ripe for exploring.

Here are five events to check out in Lancaster County this weekend.

Collage Art Night

Lancaster artist Shauna Yorty, who has painted several murals in Lancaster city, will host a collage night at the Susquehanna River Creative Conspiracy. The venue is a nonprofit studio space for artists to create art, record podcasts, stage photography and more. 

Yorty will provide the needed materials and guide the class on how to create art using paper clippings.

More information: Thursday at 5:30 p.m. | Susquehanna River Creative Conspiracy, 156 Lancaster Ave., Columbia | Cost: $15 at the door, or $8 for members of the Susquehanna River Creative Conspiracy | More info

Martin Luther King Jr. Food Tour

Kendra Wolfe, head of tourism business Unique Lancaster Experiences, will guide people through several immigrant- and minority-run restaurants in Lancaster city and educate participants about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. She promises to have attendees leave feeling “well-fed and well-informed.”

There is an additional food tour next Tuesday, Jan. 16, if you miss this weekend’s tours.

More information: Friday at 12:30 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m., Sunday at 12:30 p.m. | Lancaster City Welcome Center, 38 Penn Square, Lancaster (starting location) | Cost: $65 | More info

Sopa Sol concert

Folk duo Sopa Sol will perform this weekend at the Leola United Methodist Church as part of the church’s concert series, Maple & Main. The duo uses influences from their travels and experiences, including sounds from Kenya, Brazil and Haiti, as inspiration for their music.

More information: Friday at 7 p.m. | Leola United Methodist Church, 7 W. Main St., Leola | Cost: Free; register online here | More info

‘Bach & Glass’

The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra will debut “Bach & Glass” this weekend, featuring three performances that focus on piano works from composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Arnold Schoenberg and Philip Glass. There will be a free concert talk before each performance; be sure to arrive 45 minutes early to participate.

More information: Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. | Gardner Theatre at Lancaster Country Day School, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster | Cost: $39-$99 | More info

Switchboard Art Market

Looking for some locally made goods to add some charm to your home? Switchboard Studios & Gallery will host several vendors this Saturday, featuring items like ceramics, clothing, comic books, pins, stickers, original art and more.

More information: Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. | Switchboard Studios & Gallery, 40 N. 3rd St. (second floor), Columbia | Cost: Free admission | More info

In a significant move, Sony Pictures Networks India has secured an extended multi-year rights agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), ensuring its exclusive media presence in India and the Indian subcontinent till 2028. This renewed association includes broadcasting 42 live UFC events, original programs, archive content, and the ‘Road to UFC’ tournament for Asia’s top MMA prospects. The deal also marks the first introduction of local language commentary in Tamil and Telugu.

Enhanced Broadcast Details and Expansion

The agreement encompasses television and digital media rights for a wide array of UFC events through 2028. This comprehensive coverage includes 42 UFC LIVE events annually, comprising 12 Pay-Per-View (PPV) and 30 Fight Night events. Sony Sports Network will continue to broadcast live the ‘win and advance’ tournament for Asia’s top MMA prospects, ROAD TO UFC.

The partnership extension allows Sony to sustain the exclusive coverage of live UFC events in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. This move caters to a larger audience base and enhances viewer engagement with expansive portfolio programming.

Stella Artois in the Realm of Fine Art

While UFC fans have something to cheer about, the Belgian beer brand, Stella Artois, dating back to 1326, has embarked on a unique journey with GUT, an innovative creative agency from Argentina. GUT has developed an algorithm that examines European paintings featuring people consuming alcohol and calculates the likelihood of the beverage being Stella Artois. Factors considered include the painting’s date, location, type of glass, color of the liquid, proximity to the original brewery, distribution reach of Artois, and potential competitors of the time.

Through this ingenious application of data analytics, GUT has positioned Stella Artois within the context of historical European art. The campaign implies that iconic artists like Manet and Van Gogh were ‘probably’ endorsing Stella Artois throughout the centuries. This creative marketing strategy leverages Stella Artois’ heritage and establishes an extraordinary connection between data analytics, fine art, and marketing. This can be viewed as a form of posthumous ‘celebrity endorsement’ from the world of art.

Photographer and drone pilot Isak Finnbogason captured stunning footage of a new eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula in December, documenting the nearly two-mile-long lava vent on the first day it was active. Streams of magma rolled across the snowy landscape, creating a dramatic contrast between the frozen surface and molten earth surging up from below.

See more of Finnbogason’s aerial shots on his YouTube, and follow him on Instagram for updates. You might also like this video, filmed at night, which just shared of last summer’s incredible eruption.

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Visitors peering into the storefronts along Amsterdam’s popular P.C. Hooftstraat are greeted by a striking, technologically advanced new facade by Studio RAP. Utilizing custom-built 3D printers, the firm conceived of white and brick-colored ceramic tiles that undulate across the surface, fusing historic architectural styles with contemporary design.

On the first floor, pearlescent pieces capture your attention at eye level, and on the higher floors, three shades of red mirror the original cross bond, or brick arrangement. A laser-cut steel framework perfectly aligns with the outlines of the blocks, its metallic edges employed as a high-tech reference to the original flush joints, or mortar.

Studio RAP created the delicate curves and fold-like details as a nod to stitch patterns and knitted textiles, responding to the building’s function as a boutique and creating a playful tension between tough building materials and associations with softness and pliability.

See more projects on Studio RAP’s website, and follow updates on Instagram. (via Yatzer)

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 Undulating 3D-Printed Ceramic Tiles by Studio RAP Envelop a Boutique Facade in Amsterdam appeared first on Colossal.

The Colossal community hit an exciting milestone this week: thanks to our ever-generous Members, we funded our 75th classroom through DonorsChoose.

A portion of all Colossal Membership fees are allocated to K-12 art education, and so far, we’ve collectively donated $8,090 to classrooms in need. In celebration of the occasion, we’re sharing some feedback from educators whose students have directly benefited from the support.

Thank you for your donations to this project to help our students engage in hands-on learning and use their creativity. During the pandemic, they missed these projects and the joy of working with their peers. As they are creating, they are reconnecting with their peers and developing those social skills that are crucial to their success as productive citizens. Not all students thrive academically. These projects will allow my students to express themselves in other ways. —Mrs. Lindsey, Carver Elementary School

A heartfelt thank you for funding the art therapy supplies for our school’s social work services. Your generosity will enable us to provide a creative and healing outlet for our students. Your support means the world to us and our students. —Ms. Roberts, Pilsen Community Academy

It is so amazing to be in a community that supports the arts as much as you do! Because of your generosity, year after year, we can continue to expand and experiment with new materials, which makes it exciting for me and the kids! Thank you so much for your support. —Mrs. MacBeth, Amundsen High School

You can find out more about the specific projects funded on DonorsChoose, and join us by becoming a Colossal Member.

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 Colossal Members Have Funded 75 Art Projects in K-12 Classrooms through DonorsChoose appeared first on Colossal.

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. 

Traveling to Europe and the U.S. for art has become my annual expedition since the outbreak of the pandemic three years ago. I always choose to go to cities where art events are taking place, and my impression is that the art scene is still very vibrant despite the various challenges facing each city.

The significant changes instigated by the pandemic have brought a major paradigm shift that has not only altered people’s habits, but also people’s priorities. The information gaps are growing as well. In terms of art exhibitions, for example, there’s a gap between the information about the domestic and international scenes. Viewing China from abroad also involves information gaps and inaccuracies. It is important to be aware of these. A lack of such awareness could be dangerous, as degradation of information can take over our understanding of the world easily.

Worries over China’s economic environment has been a major discussion topic among many. Indeed, not many industries or sectors are profitable at the moment. But this month’s Shanghai Art Week was lively and vibrant. The number of art enthusiasts [in China] is growing. Collectors also staged various exhibitions showcasing their collections, including mine at Tank Shanghai.

The growing number of new galleries across China is also astonishing. They don’t just open in Beijing and Shanghai. The southern city of Shenzhen alone saw 30 new galleries popping up over the past two or three years. There are also many new galleries established in second- or third-tier cities and they are eager to take part in art fairs. Some are even getting support from local governments to do so.

And large fairs are now taking place across major cities and regions in Asia including Singapore, Seoul, and the Greater Tokyo Area. This kind of competition is definitely beneficial for the region’s development.

In contrast, Hong Kong has undergone significant changes. A year or two ago, Hong Kong was still seen as an irreplaceable art hub in Asia, but this is might no longer be the case today. Hong Kong is still very competitive, in my opinion. The freedom of movement, the ease of import and export of artworks, funds, and overall services are still among the best, and these aren’t yet accessible in Shanghai.

But, without a doubt Shanghai is the best city for contemporary art in China at the moment. It is an international metropolis where vibrant exchanges with the global art community are taking place. This art season the city has attracted many foreign curators and gallery owners who are curious about China.

Indeed, China has its uniqueness and a lot to offer, and we don’t necessarily have to be in a confrontational state with the West. The rapid progression of the market in 2018 and 2019 gave us a false expectation of catching up with the West very soon. But today, it’s clear that the gap has widened. We should acknowledge it. [China] has only been part of the global art market for about a decade and a half, whereas the art market in the West has taken centuries to develop. We should maintain an open mindset and work on exerting our global influences. We should be confident instead of being arrogant, because what we are doing is meaningful.

As someone who operates a non-profit art organization in China, I realize that organizing a world class international exhibition is becoming increasingly challenging. But it remains important for China and contemporary art globally.

As a collector who’s interested in both domestic and international artists, I see that a not-so-hot market may serve collectors better. In such times, collectors often have more agency and more options. Indeed, collecting art becomes even more meaningful.

– As told to Cathy Fan. This article was originally published in The Asia Pivot on November 16, 2023.

Qiao Zhibing is one of the top contemporary art collectors in China. In 2019, the entrepreneur opened Tank Shanghai, which transformed five empty oil tanks into one of the most iconic private museums and a cultural landmark in the country.

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