Art

The title “My Mama Told Me You Was a Problem Bitch” captures the energy of 90s rap, a genre that reshaped cultural narratives with its sharp wit, raw emotion, and unapologetic commentary on life. Inspired by the rhythm of five iconic tracks—Biggie’s Mo Money Mo Problems, Jay-Z’s 99 Problems, Nas’s Life’s a Bitch, Tupac’s Wonder Why They Call U Bitch, …

Valentine’s Day is an annual reminder that affection for others and personal passion are vital aspects of living creatively amid challenging times. The vamp of art leads the way into February’s crop of exhibitions in Upstate New York. Kick off this romantic time of the year with a visit to Mary Ellen Mark’s show at the recently reopened Center for …

Whether weaving plastic pony beads into a monumental sculpture, adorning figures with mother-of-pearl buttons, or mosaicing ceramic tile across a New York subway station, Nick Cave has continually returned to one question: how does this material help bring people into the work? “I have to think about the journey and how I get your willingness to explore and go with …

A series of paintings shows simple views of walls seen up close, repeated scenes of the painter’s observation of the flattenings of natural light on different surfaces: bricks, stones, or slate sets. Fixated on a single motif and diffused through repetition, they seem to display cornered paintings, firstly because they literally show angles, but also because of a specific positionality …

Artist Graham Nickson, who led the New York Studio School (NYSS) in Manhattan for more than half of its history as a passionate advocate for drawing and multi-faceted arts education, died on January 28 in his home in New York City at the age of 79. The news of his death was announced by the school. A galvanizing arts educator …

Paintings by Philadelphia-based artist Marcelle Reinecke. A reference to an Appalachian folk song–an amalgamation of several songs with no known authorship–“In the Pines” is a collection of work that blends layers of narratives within myriad iterations of the song: “I love this song for its eerie beauty. It is mysterious and menacing, but nostalgic, and I love how overtly American …

A striking silhouette of two fighting stag beetles takes the top prize in the 6th annual Close-Up Photographer of the Year contest (previously), capping a group of category winners and finalists that showcase an array of natural phenomena in astonishing detail. A jury of 25 experts, comprising scientists, editors, naturalists, journalists, and photographers, narrowed down 100 images from more than …

A chorus of things crooning: “Look! Look!” The bio-mechanical apparatus of the eye shudders, clicks, whirrs, and Psyche responds: “I know not where to lay my head.” In “Tells,” Marisa Kriangwiwat Holmes approaches the idea of the photograph not as pure image but rather as circuit, treating the photograph—both object and permeable category—with a deflectionary logic where the operative verbs …

The Smithsonian Institution reportedly told staff members today, January 28, that it is closing its office for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to comply with an executive order (EO) issued by President Donald Trump last week. The controversial order requires all federally funded agencies to end their DEI programs and initiatives.  In a staffwide email, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch …

For our first-ever Booooooom Illustration Awards, supported by Format, we selected 5 winners, one for each of the following categories: Editorial, Personal, Product & Packaging, Advertising & Promotional, Student. Now it is our pleasure to introduce the winner of the Student category, Jess Martinez. Jess Martinez is a Mexican-American illustrator and designer. Born and raised Los Angeles, Martinez creates work …