Steeling against snowstorms and the brutal cold of winter, photographer Mikko Lagerstedt (previously) devotes himself to documenting the frozen solitudes of his native Finland. His ethereal images frame vast swaths of land and sea with very little human life, capturing fog lifting at daybreak or the brilliant dance of the auroras.

With an eye for unique light, color, and texture, Lagerstedt’s photos are tinged with magic and mystique. Sunlight filters through a candy-colored atmosphere, icicles clasp to the barren branches of a lone tree, and the night sky appears like a glimmering blanket of stars, softly illuminating the terrain below.

Lagerstedt’s exhibition The Solitude of Nature is on view through January 31 at Kaari in Helsinki, which will move to the Goodman in Hämeenlinna after that.  Shop prints on his site, and follow his latest work, including photos from a recent trip to Kuusamo, on Instagram.

“In Silence”

Left: “The Show.” Right: “Green World”

“Wonder”

“Milky Way and Aurora”

Left: “Crashing Waves.” Right: “Coastal Dream”

“Cold Breeze”

“Through the Storm”

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Creating one of Hattori Makiko’s twisted porcelain sculptures is an exercise in patience. The Japanese artist makes just a few works a year, each requiring tens of thousands of rolled clay shavings precisely placed on and within the curved forms. Dense with crinkled florets, the unglazed pieces are made from Seto porcelain, a material from Aichi Prefecture in Japan, and can take up to six months to dry.

Many of Hattori’s works taper to slender bases with wider concave openings in the center. While more recent sculptures feature subtle folds and overlaps at the top, her earlier pieces dramatically twist and twine into elegant knots evocative of bunched fabric.

Find more of Hattori’s works at Joan B Mirviss LTD, where she’s represented.

(2019), unglazed Porcelaneous stoneware, 15 x 9 7/8 inches. Photo by Richard Goodbody

“Hōyō; Embrace” (2023), unglazed porcelaneous stoneware 13 3/8 x 15 inches. Photo by Hayashi Tatsuo

“Kizashi; Sign” (2023), unglazed porcelaneous stoneware 11 3/8 x 15 3/4 inches. Photo by Hayashi Tatsuo

Detail of “Kizashi; Sign” (2023), unglazed porcelaneous stoneware 11 3/8 x 15 3/4 inches. Photo by Hayashi Tatsuo

“Samayou (Wandering)” (2012), porcelaneous stoneware, 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches. Photo by Richard Goodbody

“Fuka; Hatching” (2022), unglazed porcelaneous stoneware, 10 1/2 x 16 1/8 inches. Photo by Hayashi Tatsuo

Detail of “Fuka; Hatching” (2022), unglazed porcelaneous stoneware, 10 1/2 x 16 1/8 inches. Photo by Hayashi Tatsuo

“Kodō; Heartbeat” (2022), unglazed porcelaneous stoneware 10 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches. Photo by Hayashi Tatsuo

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In 1987, in Hamburg, Germany, an amusement park like no other popped up on the grounds of a public green. The brainchild of Austrian artist and polymath André Heller, Luna Luna was an ambitious artistic collaboration with some of the most famous artists of the time, whose work still resonates today.

Visitors entered through a gate painted by Sonia Delaunay, went for a spin on a carousel designed by Keith Haring or a Ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and immersed themselves in pavilions by David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and Salvador Dalí. Then, inexplicably, the project was nearly lost.

Luna Luna was open for only the one season before being packed up into 44 shipping containers and shipped to Texas, where it remained locked away for more than three decades. In 2022, DreamCrew—an entertainment company co-founded by Drake and Adel “Future” Nur—acquired the entire presentation and shipped it to a warehouse in Los Angeles where it could be restored and rebuilt.

Photo by Jeff McLane

This month, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy opens in a vast complex on the east side of Los Angeles, once again welcoming us into a one-of-a-kind art experience. Visitors can wander through David Hockney’s “Enchanted Tree,” visit Salvador Dalí’s “Dalídom,” and even get hitched in André Heller’s own “Wedding Chapel.” Park goers can also peek into the rediscovery and reassembly process, from the large-scale unboxing of shipping containers to uncovering ephemera from the original fair to solving the puzzle of how to rebuild the rides.

Find tickets and plan your visit on the project’s website. And if you want to dig deeper into the history of the park, Phaidon recently re-issued Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park, the book that accompanied the original opening. Get your copy on Bookshop.

Photos by Sarah Mathison

Photo by Jeff McLane

Photo by Jeff McLane

Photo by Joshua White

Photo by Jeff McLane

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The curtains have risen on ‘The Madness Never Ends’, an exclusive solo exhibition by the emerging artist Zhu Chenwei. This contemporary art showcase, currently on display at the multi-experiential art space Artelli, is the latest cornerstone in Zhu’s burgeoning career, following his recognition as the youngest participant at the ‘2022 Taipei Contemporary Art Fair’ and his display at the 10th Shanghai West Bund Art & Design Fair.

Exploring Zhu’s Artistic Universe

Zhu’s artistry is a vivid exploration of 1960s pop art ambiance, a testament to his adept use of acrylic paint and a flat coating technique. His canvases, boasting over 50 original works, are a mirror of his life, reflecting his experiences, habits, and interests. These elements are tastefully reworked into memories and integrated into themes that create a dialogue between the artist and his art.

The SUNNY Sculpture: A Macau Exclusive

One of the exhibition’s highlights is the exclusive 2-meter tall ‘SUNNY Sculpture’, a piece designed by Zhu himself specifically for Macau. This art piece adds another dimension to Zhu’s repertoire, further enhancing the viewer’s immersion into his artistic world. His creations often feature animals, humans, and flames, each playing different roles, creating a narrative that depicts the relationship between the artist and his art.

Artelli’s Significant Partnership with Gallery 333

Concurrent with the opening of ‘The Madness Never Ends’, Artelli has made a significant stride in the art world by announcing a partnership with Gallery 333. This major move, which includes signing Zhu Chenwei, signals Artelli’s intent to advance into the Asian art market. The exhibition is set to run until January 19, 2024, at Artelli in The Showroom at Macau’s City of Dreams, providing ample opportunity for art enthusiasts to experience this unique showcase.

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Taking three years from start to finish, Anton Thomas’s meticulously detailed map takes us on a zoological journey around the globe. “I’ve imagined ‘Wild World’ since childhood,” he says. “I remember watching nature documentaries, awed by the evocation of nature—inspired to care.” Starting in July 2020 and completed in July of this year, Thomas rendered a total of 1,642 wild animals in “Wild World,” all spread across Earth’s seven continents and five oceans.

Born and raised in New Zealand, Thomas grew up in an area surrounded by natural beauty and was inspired to draw maps when he was young. In 2011, he took a life-changing trip to North America, starting in California, then traversing numerous states and eventually heading north to visit different regions of Canada, where he landed in front of an unlikely canvas.

“In late 2012, I was living in Montréal. I was working as a cook—rather unhappily at this point—and was preparing to return to New Zealand when my housemate suggested I draw on our fridge,” Thomas tells Colossal. “It was an old fridge covered in stains, so he painted it with white house paint, and I set to work drawing a pictorial map of all of North America. I ended up spending six weeks in front of the fridge. The experience was deeply moving to me, and I knew I had to go deeper.”

As his early interest in cartography resurfaced, Thomas began to draw a map of North America, which was so detailed that it took five years to complete. After moving to Melbourne, where he is currently based, he began planning a global edition, and “Wild World” was born. “I didn’t have a plan; I just wanted a physical world map with some animals,” the artist says. “It wasn’t until I’d been drawing for six months that I began to understand how complex it was.”

Thomas estimates that nearly a third of the time and labor that went into creating the map was dedicated to researching animal habitats and physical geography so that he could be as accurate as possible. “I do gravitate towards beautiful, unique, and iconic animals,” he says. “But as the map got underway, I settled on three criteria that came to shape its philosophy. All animals are wild, native, and extant—not extinct.” He continues:

There’s so much bad news about the state of the planet due to our actions: biodiversity loss, climate change, ecological collapse, and I worry that people are growing up without any hope for the future. And hope is a key ingredient to inspiring change. So “Wild World” was drawn as a reminder that the planet remains wild, even deep into the 21st century.

Every element is hand-drawn in colored pencil and pen, from the terrain to the place names to the wide variety of species. Using the Natural Earth projection as a template, the map focuses on creatures native to specific regions rather than political boundaries or cities, emphasizing the planet’s wilderness. “‘Wild World’ is a place that still exists; a world that can still be cared for, cherished, and protected,” Thomas says. “It may seem an idealistic portrayal of Earth, but it shows nothing that isn’t there. Every species, every habitat, is still with us. I want this map to inspire hope, to show just how wild the world is still is, how much there is left to preserve.”

Prints of “Wild World” are available to order on Thomas’s website. You can also follow him on Instagram for updates and insights into his process.

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Since the 1960s, British artist Antony Gormley has used the language of sculpture to examine relationships between human beings, nature, and the cosmos. If you’ve driven the A1 or taken a train past Gateshead in the U.K., you’ll have likely seen the “Angel of the North,” a public work made of weathered COR-TEN steel installed on a hilltop in 1998 that depicts a figure holding out arms that look like riveted wings. One of his most recognizable projects, the work was met with controversy at the time but has since become a beloved landmark.

For decades, Gormley has featured the human form in his work, often using his own body as a starting point for large-scale installations in which abstracted figures wander through outdoor spaces or convene in enigmatic arrangements. In Body Politic at White Cube in Bermondsey, London, the artist investigates our relationship with industrial environments and the tension between migratory impulses and the need for refuge.

In “Test, Bind” a single figure inhabits the center of one gallery, extending long, iron latticework to each wall and the ceiling, simultaneously supported by and supporting its surroundings. And in another room, 244 modular figures made from fired clay sprawl across the floor in “Resting Place,” evoking a gridded urban landscape. As visitors wander through the maze of prone and splayed bodies, the work summons a tense uncertainty. Some appear relaxed while others express discomfort or pain, stirring associations with the risks migrants and refugees take to escape conflict, along with a lack of resources and the effects of the climate crisis.

Installation view of  ‘Retreat’ series in ‘Body Politic’ at White Cube Bermondsey

In a series titled Retreat, blocky concrete pieces, which Gormley refers to as “intimate bunkers for one,” form a single-file line through the corridor of the gallery and into the courtyard. Cast to the scale of the artist’s body, each figure compresses and contorts into different postures, with a small opening at the mouth that reveals a human-shaped void inside. “The only place where we can find true freedom is within the infinite darkness of the body available to us once the body is still,” Gormley says. “These works both evoke and embody the space that we all enter the moment we close our eyes.”

Throughout Body Politic, Gormley wrestles with ideas of interiority and external influences, vacillating between human introspection and the inevitability of outside forces. If you’re in London, you can visit the exhibition at White Cube through January 28. A solo show of his work will also open at White Cube New York this spring.

Gormley also has a solo presentation at the Musée Rodin in Paris titled Critical Mass, which remains on view through March 3. Find more on the artist’s website.

“TEST: BRACE” (2021), cast iron, 175.6 x 48.2 x 75.7 centimeters. Photo by Stephen White & Co.

“Test, Bind” (2023). Installation view of ‘Body Politic’ at White Cube Bermondsey

Installation view of ‘Body Politic’ at White Cube Bermondsey

“Stand” (2023). Installation view of ‘Body Politic’ at White Cube Bermondsey

“Retreat: Tuck” (2022), concrete, 81 x 61.5 x 108 centimeters. Photo by Stephen White & Co.

Installation view of “Resting Place” (2023) in ‘Body Politic’ at White Cube Bermondsey

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In the realm of motorsports, filled with roaring engines and soaring adrenaline levels, there’s a magnetic force that transcends the mere mechanics of racing. Beyond the chequered flags and burning rubber, there’s a fascinating psychology at play, and smart marketers are tapping into it to drive brand affinity. Experiential marketing leveraging motorsports is essentially a world where the thrill of the sport meets the art of emotional connection, which is translated into brand loyalty by marketers. 

The Roar of Emotion: Beyond the Racetrack

Unsplash/Representative Image

Have you ever wondered why the deafening roar of engines, the squealing tires and the adrenaline-pumping speed of motorsports resonate so deeply with audiences? It’s not just about the physical spectacle; it’s about the emotions they evoke. Motorsports, in all its high-octane glory, taps into our primal instincts – the need for speed, the thrill of competition and the triumph of pushing limits. And it’s this emotional rollercoaster that smart marketers are leveraging to create lasting brand connections through experiential marketing.

Turning Spectators into Participants

At the heart of motorsports marketing is the understanding that fans aren’t just spectators; they are participants in an emotional journey. Brands that recognize this fact find themselves able to skillfully tap into it and devise strategies curated around it. It’s about weaving narratives that go beyond horsepower and lap times. It’s about experiencing something akin to what professional racers or adventure seekers feel – the desire for victory, the pursuit of excellence and the thrill of the unknown.

This can’t be better described than the Ultimate Desert Challenge (UDC), a high-endurance desert offroading competition that strives to give both experienced and aspiring offroaders an equal chance to win. 

Pit Stops and Power Plays: Building Lasting Connections

Unsplash/Representative Image

In the fast-paced world of motorsports, every pit stop is a strategic move and the same applies to marketing. The art of emotional connection involves strategic ‘pit stops’ where brands engage with their audience authentically. Whether it’s through behind-the-scenes glimpses, personal experience stories or interactive fan experiences, these pit stops are crucial in building a lasting connection that goes beyond a simple transaction.

It was quite the power play to incorporate cutting-edge technology to create a truly unique simulator at the international stage of EICMA, the Milan Motorcycle Show. Maxperience provided people with an authentic experience of riding a power bike through LED consoles, for Hero MotoCorp. 

A Truly Immersive Experience

Sponsorship and partnership in motorsports is a powerful tool for building brand affinity. It’s more than just putting logos on a racing car; it’s about becoming an integral part of the motorsports narrative. Brands that understand this forge partnerships that extend beyond the racetrack. From immersive fan experiences to collaborative content creation, sponsorship becomes a shared journey, making the brand an inseparable part of the motorsports culture.

For instance, enduro racing is still finding its audience in the country, so by hosting the CEAT Enduro Training Tracks Programme, the first-of-its-kind event, CEAT and Maxperience will forever be associated with the advent of the format in India. 

Unsplash/Representative Image

In the digital age, the roar of the crowd has shifted from the stands to the realm of social media. Conversations around motorsports now unfold in real-time on digital platforms. Smart marketers leverage this by actively participating in the discourse, amplifying fan experiences and creating shareable content that builds up the excitement before the event and sustains it after. It’s not just about the event day; it’s about a continuous engagement that keeps the engines of affinity running.

An Ongoing Journey After The Chequered Flag

Building brand affinity is an ongoing journey where each event, each engagement, contributes to a broader narrative. The chequered flag isn’t the end; it’s a signal for the next lap in the race for consumers’ loyalty. Experiential marketing is not just about selling a product; it’s about selling a feeling. It’s about creating an emotional connection that withstands the test of time and the speed of innovation.

The author is co-founder and CEO, Maxperience. The views expressed are his own.