We’re fans of artist Alex Israel. It may in part be due to the fact that we’re surfers here at … More
Category: Art
“GOTHIC FUTURISM” : THE BLOCKBUSTER ARTWORK OF PIONEERING HIP-HOP ARTIST RAMMELLZEE!
We went to Deitch Projects gallery in Los Angeles on Saturday for the last day of the blockbuster “Gothic Futurism” … More
AT THE MUSEUM: INCREDIBLE NAVAJO-INFLUENCED ART OF ERIC-PAUL RIEGE!
We’re blown away by the artwork of Navajo artist Eric-Paul Riege. His current show at the Hammer Museum in Los … More
INCREDIBLE EDIBLE: ARTIST CREATES GIANT FOOD SCULPTURES TO DROOL FOR!
We checked out the whimsical “Fulton’s Exhibit” in Hollywood last weekend. The show is a collection of giant food sculptures … More
VAN LIFE: YET ANOTHER VEHICLE PAINTED BY KENNY SCHARF!
We spotted yet another vehicle adorned with artwork by the artist Kenny Scharf in Los Angeles. This one was on … More
MEDIUM IS MESSAGE: THE POTENT RELEVANCE OF BARBARA KRUGER!
The Broad museum in Los Angeles has several major works by the influential American artist Barbara Kruger in its permanent … More
POST-MODERN CLASSIC: REVISITING ANDY WARHOL’S “MAO” PAINTINGS!
Between 1972 and 1973, the late great pop-art pioneer Andy Warhol created 199 silkscreen paintings of the notorious Chinese revolutionary … More
HOUSE BEAUTIFUL: MR. DOODLE TURNS 12-ROOM U.K. MANSION INTO TRULY EPIC GRAFFITI ART CANVAS!
British artist Sam Cox, better known as Mr. Doodle, spent roughly two years during the COVID pandemic painting black-on-white doodles … More
COSMIC THING: KENNY SCHARF CARTOONS ADORN L.A. TIRE SHOP!
Two dark-pink, disembodied cartoon heads by Los Angeles-based artist Kenny Scharf bookend the signage on the facade of a tire … More
LONG GAME : LEGENDARY 95-YEAR-OLD “PAINTER’S PAINTER” PREPS FOR HIS NEW SHOW AT GUGGENHEIM!
The New York Times had a great article on the artist Alex Katz last week. The artist is a giant … More
CRYPTO ART : MURAL OF THE BORED APE YACHT CLUB NFT AS GYM DECOR
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been around for few years now, but it was in 2021 that these captured the public’s … More
POST-MODERNISM IN THE PARK : CONTEMPORARY ARTWORK AS PLAYGROUND
Dubbed the “post-modern playground slide” in the park across the street from my in-laws’ home near Roppongi in Tokyo. The … More
BEYOND “SUPERFLAT” : AT THE MIND-ALTERING TAKASHI MURAKAMI SHOW IN L.A.!
We finally made it to the landmark Takashi Murakami exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. We posted about … More
UN-CONTAINABLE : AT THE OPENING OF THE BRILLIANTLY-CURATED “VESSEL” ART SHOW IN LA LA LAND!
On Saturday we went to the opening of a new group show at Hashimoto Contemporary in Los Angeles. It’s called … More
SUPERFLAT IN LA LA LAND: TAKASHI MURAKAMI’S FIRST MAJOR SOLO SHOW AT THE BROAD MUSEUM OPENS!
This weekend saw the opening of a major Takashi Murakami exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. It’s the … More
STREETSY : BAFFLINGLY ABSTRACT MURAL CONFUSES VENICE BEACH LOCALS!
The Venice Beach area of Los Angeles, its fashionable neighborhoods and adjacent districts, is home to a lot of street … More
BRUSHED UP : HOW A GIANT COMB SCULPTURE BLEW OUR MIND!
The first time we saw Latvian artist Vija Celmins’ giant plastic comb at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art … More
FLIP MODE! SHREDDED BANKSY RE-SOLD AT AUCTION FOR MORE THAN $25 MILLION!
We’re in the wrong business. We should be in the business of flipping infamous Banksy artworks. Especially the kind that … More
ULTIMATE PAINTING: ARTIST SARAH CAIN PAINTERLY PROVOKES ART WORLD GATEKEEPERS!
The New York Times arts section has turned a deservedly keen eye towards Los Angeles-based painter Sarah Cain. Cain’s paintings … More
STOP MAKING SENSE: NEW WORK FROM TEXAS ARTIST RAY DUNLAP DIVES DEEPER INTO GLORIOUS ABSTRACTION !
Houston, Texas-based artist Ray Dunlap has unleashed a new series of paintings dubbed “American Made Witchcraft.” This new work delves … More
SPARKLING COLLAB: TAKASHI MURAKAMI BRINGS “SUPERFLAT” TO A PERRIER BOTTLE NEAR YOU!
It was only a matter of time until we see a contemporary art superstar lend their artwork to a major … More
INEDIBLE EDIBLES: ARTIST CROCHETS PASTA!
Somebody’s got a lot of free time on their hands. They’ve got vision. They’ve got yarn. They’ve got a crocheting … More
101-ISM : HOW TO DRAW YOURSELF AS A PEANUTS CARTOON CHARACTER! FOR REAL!
Happy Monday! And we know what you’re thinking! Wouldn’t it be cool to draw yourself as a character from a … More
PHOTOGENIC : NEW SHOW REVEALS DEEP TIES OF TWO JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS!
A new exhibition at the European House of Photography in Paris (Maison Européenne de la Photographie or MEP) showcases two … More
EXHAUSTIVE : NEW DOUBLE EXTRA-LARGE BOOK OF EVERY FRIDA KAHLO PAINTING EVER!
Taschen’s new XXL-size coffee table book contains the entire set of artworks by the late great artist Frida Kahlo. Aptly … More
TOUR DE FORCE: OBAMA PORTRAITIST AMY SHERALD’S BRILLIANT “THE GREAT AMERICAN FACT” EXHIBITION IN L.A.!
It’s a small show, but one that packs a punch. Amy Sherald’s collection of five new paintings manage to fill … More
CALIFORNICATION!: THE SURF-INSPIRED ART OF DJ JAVIER!
One could draw a Venn diagram with one circle for artists, designers, musicians, actors, and all manner of creators, and … More
TRANSPARENT THINGS: THE MINIMALIST GLASS CUBE THAT TURNS THE WORLD RED!
Artist Larry Bell’s red, glass cubes at MOCA Los Angeles are a masterful use of color, materials and space. The … More
LIGHT LINES: THE STUNNING IMMERSIVE SPACES OF BRAZILIAN ARTIST BLOWS OUR MINDS!
Last weekend we went to the new exhibition of artwork by Brazilian artist Lygia Pape at Hauser and Wirth Los … More
DRAWN TO DISTRACTION: DAVID HOCKNEY FLIPPING THROUGH HIS SKETCHBOOK IS BRILLIANT!
. . . . . This video of British artist David Hockney flipping through his sketchbook without commentary is a … More
FANTASTIC PLASTIC: GIANT YELLOW CUBES MADE OF WEST-AFRICAN WATER CONTAINERS!
On the edge of a Native American land tract on the outskirts of Palm Springs, California, stand a pair of … More
ALL OF THE LIGHTS: “EX STASIS” BRINGS L.E.D. MAGIC TO BEAUTIFUL NATURAL LANDSCAPES
. . . . . This video of four audio-visual artworks by artist Reuben Wu are sublime and otherworldly. The … More
EXPLODED VIEWS: ARTIST SLICES UP EVERYDAY OBJECTS!
Artist Fabian Oefner’s Heisenberg Objects is a collection of sculptural works created by slicing objects — sneakers, a clock, a … More
MEDIA DIET: WHAT WERE WATCHING, READING & LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW!
Here it is, folks! A brief run-down of our current media diet: Some of the TV shows and movies we’ve … More
BACK TO THE MUSEUM!: WE VISIT OUR FIRST EXHIBITION IN OVER A YEAR! PANDEMIC BE DAMNED!
On Monday we went to our first art exhibition in over a year. Our first since the start of the … More
ESCAPE ARTIST: NEW BANKSY STREET ART DEPICTS MAN SCALING PRISON WALL IN U.K.
. . . Banksy recently painted this stencil street art work on the wall of Reading Prison in the U.K. … More
MARK THE SPOT!: EPIC, SPRAWLING “DESERT X” CONTEMPORARY ART EVENT RETURNS TO THE COACHELLA VALLEY!
It’s back! And we are so very happy to see it! Desert X has returned. What’s Desert X? It’s the … More
ABOUT FACE: MASKS OF THE WORLD, UNMASKED!
. . . . . “Beyond Noh” is short documentary film by Patrick Smith that dives into the subject of … More
NIFTY!: DIGITAL N.F.T. ARTWORK SOLD FOR $69 MILLION AT AUCTION! JAWS DROP!
In a groundbreaking auction sale a digital artwork in the form of a JPG file as non-fungible token (or NFT) … More
HOME RUN: ARTISTS COMMISSIONED TO RE-IMAGINE ICONIC BASEBALL CARDS!
The Topps chewing gum and baseball card company has launched Project 70 to celebrate seventy years of producing annual baseball … More
WHAT PARTY?: FIRST MAJOR KAWS RETROSPECTIVE OPENS IN BROOKLYN!
The New York Times has published a review of the new KAWS exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. KAWS … More
THE UNLIKELIEST ART STAR: HOW KAWS WENT FROM GRAFFITI-TAGGER TO GLOBAL ART WORLD MEGASTAR!
The New York Times has published an excellent profile of artist Brian Donnelly. Who is Brian Donnelly you ask? He’s … More
FUZZY LOGIC: CULTURE OF MISAKI KAWAI!
Artist Misaki Kawai‘s current exhibition of new work at the Hole Gallery in New York City could at a brief … More
IN PASSING, IN MAKE OUT CITY: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF IAN HOLWORTH
British photographer Ian Holworth‘s images remind us of the work of another photographer, William Eggleston, and the painter Edward Hopper. … More
FLAKEY: WEB-BASED SNOWFLAKE GENERATOR IS SUBLIME (AMONG OTHER THINGS)!
Here’s a fun way to wile away a couple of hours. The Snowflake Generator is the awesome work of California-based … More
MAKING WAVES: OLAFUR ELIASSON’S “ATMOSPHERIC WAVE WALL” BREAKS IN CHICAGO!
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has built a career on ambitious, large-scale and innovative public installation art projects that lean into … More
VISUAL CULTURE: THE TIMES’ BEST OF 2020 ILLUSTRATION!
The New York Times art directors have picked their favorite illustration of 2020. It’s an excellent survey of some of … More
NAILED IT!: GERMAN MAGAZINE DER SPIEGEL’S UNCANNILY PREDICTIVE COVERS OF TRUMP AND THE WASHINGTON CAPITOL RIOT!
Like many news magazines around the world, the highly-respected weekly German news magazine Der Spiegal has over the past five … More
AUDIO FILES: THIS IS POSSIBLY THE COOLEST MUSIC PODCAST IN THE UNIVERSE!
The podcast Lost Notes 1980 from the massively influential Los Angeles public radio station KCRW takes deep dives into significant … More
STREET ART: SPEAK NO MONEY, SEE NO MONEY, HEAR NO MONEY!
This wonderful mural in Downtown Los Angeles is a visual play on the age-old proverb “Speak no evil, See no … More
DOING IT FOR THE GRAM: IT’S JANUARY! JANUARY JONES, THAT IS!
January Jones, star of such television shows such as Madmen and the Last Man on Earth, is a celebrity who … More
HAPPY NEW YEAR! WE WENT SURFING!
Happy New Year, everybody! We’ve started 2021 right by going surfing! The waves have been pumpin’! Hopefully this is the … More
LIVIN’ LARGE: WHAT A HOME FILLED WITH MINIMALIST ART LOOKS LIKE!
The MoMA dives into what it’s like to live with some amazing minimalist artwork in the home and workplace. In … More
TRAIN STATION FROM HELL FINALLY SAVED FROM ARCHITECTURAL DAMNATION!
If you’ve ever been to New York City’s Penn Station then you are familiar with one of the world’s most … More
AMERICAN “DEAD MALL” GOTHIC: PHOTO ESSAY DOCUMENTS THE EMPTYING OUT OF ABANDONED SHOPPING MALLS
Cool article and photo essay in the New York Times on dead malls, how these are emptied out through the … More
REVEALED: LONGEST PHOTO EXPOSURE EVER — 8 YEARS! — CAPTURED WITH PIN-HOLE CAMERA MADE WITH BEER CAN! REALLY!
True story: An MFA student at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K. made a pin-hole camera using an empty … More
PRIVATE EYES: MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR TOILETS WITH A VIEW AND MORE!
Artist-photographer Andi Schmied’s latest project called “Private Views” is a photo collection documenting the incredible views from some ultra-luxury high-rise … More
WATCH: MIND-BLOWING OPTICAL ILLUSION FUN WITH ROTATING CIRCLES AND ARROWS
This mesmerizing animated GIF is an excellent illustration of an optical illusion where our human cognitive system plays a trick … More
BREAKING! NEW BANKSY “AACHOO” ARTWORK GOES UP IN U.K.!
The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. has reported that a new work of street art has been put up by … More
IT’S HERE! THE “ALOHA DEATH” PLAYLIST!
Yup, by popular demand we’ve finally set up a proper playlist for GlobalGraphica’s indie-rock-electronic soundtrack music project “Aloha Death.” AND … More
MUSIC: OUR NEW WINTER 2020-21 PLAYLIST IS HERE!!!
Our new Spotify playlist for Winter 2020-21 is here with lots of new tunes, lots of favorites and some obscure … More
MEDIA DIET: WHAT WE’RE WATCHING, READING, AND LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW!
In a new installment of “media Diet” here we’re sharing some of what we’ve been consuming across the cultural landscape. … More
ADDICTIONS: COFFEE, IT’S NEVER ENOUGH!
As many Global Graphica readers will know, we’re big — BIG! — coffee drinkers here. We drink a lot of … More
FINALLY! NEWS OF TRUMP DEFEAT AS ANNOUNCED BY NEWSPAPERS AROUND THE WORLD!
We woke to the news this Saturday morning that the U.S. presidential election result finally has been called in favor … More
POLITICAL CARTOONS: ARTIST’S ILLUSTATIONS SERVE UP SCATHING CRITIQUE OF DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY IN WAKE OF ELECTION!
New York artist Edel Rodriguez, has made a sub-career the past few years of creating clever illustrations that offer scathing … More
PHOTOGRAPHIC: WHAT GORDON PARKS SAW!
. . . . . Gordon Parks was a multi-faceted artist who worked across diverse mediums, but his photography capturing … More
UPLIFTING: JAPANESE ARTIST TAKASHI MURAKAMI DECORATES CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL WITH ICONIC ARTWORK
Mega-superstar Japanese artist Takashi Murakami recently decorated part of the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., with his iconic cartoon-like … More
ZEITGEISTY: STREET ART REFLECTS COVID PANDEMIC AND BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS
With urban architectural surfaces an almost always available canvas for street art and graffiti art, new artwork can emerge quickly … More
SPACEY: MAN GENERATES 2.5 GIGAPIXEL IMAGE FROM MORE THAN 2,500 PHOTOS OF ORION TAKEN OVER 5 YEARS!
A man in Tennessee has spent over five years taking detailed telescopic photos of a single constellation. The man is … More
GREAT SCOT! RIP, SEAN CONNERY
Scottish actor Sean Connery passed away this past weekend at the age of 90. Connery was a bona fide movie … More
COOL: BIDEN FRIDGE OR TRUMP FRIDGE? TAKE THE PHOTO QUIZ!
Is it possible to discern which U.S. Presidential candidate an American voter supports by merely looking at the contents of … More
JUST FOR HUE: THE QUARANTINE COLOR PALETTE IS REAL AND IT’S HERE!
As many people enter the eight consecutive month of Life in the Time of COVID and further come to terms … More
LA LA LAND: INTERACTIVE DRIVE-BY PHOTO ARCHIVE OF EVERY BUILDING ON EVERY BLOCK OF SUNSET BLVD IN L.A.!
The Getty Museum has launched a website called 12 Sunsets that is a fascinating interactive archive of 65,000 photos taken … More
CURATORS GONE WILD: A SELECT LIST OF WONDERFULLY OBSCURE AND UNUSUAL MUSEUMS!
From professionally curated museums devoted to specific sub-genres of art to suburban homes-turned-museums devoted to the usually discarded ephemera of … More
THRILLS, PILLS & SHARKS: NEW DAMIEN HIRST EXHIBITION BRINGS BACK THE FORMALDEHYDE SHARK AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
British artist Damien Hirst made a name for himself in the early 1990s with a sensational exhibition of works that … More
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ARTWORK SELF-DESTRUCTS, ROTS, FALLS APART, BREAKS, ETC.?
Museums are increasingly having to deal with works of art that require regular maintenance during periods of exhibition and throughout … More
DENIED! BANKSY TRIES AND FAILS TO TRADEMARK GRAFFITI ARTWORK!
As if 2020 wasn’t a weird, dumpster fire of year already, especially in the United States where political goings-ons of … More
FAREWELL: A MASTER PAINTER OF PHOTO-REALISTIC SUBURBIA AND CARS DIES
We just learned of the passing last week of artist Robert Bechtle. If you’ve visited enough art museums and galleries … More
CHILLIN’! : PHOTOS OF LIFE IN REMOTE SIBERIAN HINTERLAND ARE STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL!
Photogapher Alexey Vasilyev’s images of the Sakha (a.k.a., Yakutia) area of Siberia are a fascinating look at the locales, people … More
LOVIN’ IT: TRAVIS SCOTT AND MCDONALDS JOIN FORCES IN LIMITED-TIME COLLABO!
. . . . . For the past two years the tune “Sicko Mode” by rapper Travis Scott has occupied … More
APOCALYPSE NOW NOW! VIDEO OF SAN FRANCISCO SHROUDED IN SMOKEY ORANGEY LIGHT DUE TO CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES!
. . . . . . If you live in California, you might say it’s been “a little hot” lately. … More
VIRULENT: ARTIST AI WEI WEI RELEASES DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN WUHAN, CHINA
. . . . . Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei has produced a documentary film about the early days of … More
IN IT FOR THE MONEY: ARTIST PAINTS PORTRAITS OF CELEBS AND POLITICAL FIGURES ON U.S. DOLLAR BILLS!
Los Angeles artist Claire Salvo has a new series of portraits that she’s painted on United States dollar bills. The … More
RISE AND SHINE: ARTIST-DESIGNER PAINTS SUNRISE VIEWS FROM HIS APT. ON N.Y. TIMES COVERS, HONORS JACOB BLAKE!
The artwork is part of a series by New York City-based artist and designer Sho Shibuya, who paints sunrise view … More
“UP!” IN REAL LIFE!: DAVID BLAINE FLOATS TO 25,000 FT. WITH BUNCH OF HELIUM BALLOONS LIKE IN THE PIXAR FILM!
. . . . . Illusionist and extreme endurance performer, dare we say performance artist, David Blaine has just done … More
YACHT ROCK: U.K. STREET ARTIST BANKSY FINANCES AND DECORATES REFUGEE RESCUE BOAT IN THE MED!
Mysterious and infamous U.K. artist Banksy has bankrolled a small refugee rescue ship sailing the Mediterranean Sea. The boat is … More
BEATS: HOW 9TH WONDER MAKES BEATS FOR KENDRICK LAMAR!
. . . . . We like to think we’ve got a dab hand at music production, and have recorded … More
DATA VIZ GONE WILD: ARTIST TURNS VISUALLY BORING-ASS STOCK CHARTS INTO AWESOME LANDSCAPE ART!
You’ve seen financial charts. Maybe they mean nothing to you. Or they mean everything. Maybe you’re a day trader with … More
AND NOW YOU KNOW THIS: THE VISUAL LOOP HAS A NAME
You’ve seen it. You know what it is. But did you know there’s a name for this? It’s called the … More
ARCHI-TORTURE: SOMEBODY’S BUILDING A MEMORIAL TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC
An architecture firm in Montevideo, Uruguay is building the worlds first memorial to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The firm is … More
STUNNER: VANITY FAIR PUTS BREONNA TAYLOR ON COVER OF SEPTEMBER ISSUE!
The cover of Vanity Fair magazine’s September 2020 issue is a triumph. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet portrait of Breonna Taylor … More
WTF!: YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHERE WE SPOTTED AN INFAMOUS NYC STREET ARTIST’S GRAFFITI TAG!
“Wow!” Just “Wow!” That’s what we exclaimed as we approached the stop at the T-intersection in our car. We were … More
DIGITALISM: THE FX OF “THE EVER-EVOLVING WALKING FIGURE” GETS A 2020 UPDATE!
. . . The awesomeness of “The Transfiguration“ by Universal Everything studio collective is still spellbinding. The original version of … More
BIG BANG THEORY: GIANT CHIMES SCULPTURE AWES US!
. This sublime kinetic, sculptural artwork by Etienne Krahenbruhl is made up of thousands of chimes and absolutely awes us. … More
MEDIA: THE SINGULAR GENRE-DEFINING STYLE OF CREEM MAGAZINE
Early rock music journalism and writing was unsparing, fun, raw, crude, effusive, deep, indulgent, sexed-up and complicit in the style … More
REVEALED: AUTEUR-HIPSTER FILMMAKER WES ANDERSEN SHOWS OFF HIS STORYBOARDS FOR “GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL”
This is a super awesome video for fans of Wes Andersen and cineastes. It’s an exploration of Andersen’s storyboards for … More
DESIGN: THE LOOK OF THE THE FIRST TOKYO OLYMPICS
It’s now August 2020, which is when, had the global COVID-19 pandemic not upturned life as we knew it, the … More
DESIGN: THE MAN WHO MADE DAVID BOWIE A STYLE ICON
Pioneering Japanese designer and visionary of sartorial style, Kansai Yamamoto has passed away. He may not have been a household … More
“IF YOU DON’T SURF, DON’T START”
“If you don’t surf, don’t start. If you do, never stop.” These were the searing copy lines from an iconic … More
STREET ART WILL EAT ITSELF: ART-ON-ART VIOLENCE IN VENICE SHOCKS PASSERSBY
Yes, it’s true, folks! An illegal wheat-paste street artwork on a utility box in Venice Beach, Los Angeles has been … More
GLOBAL GRAPHICA 