Alejandro Aguilar Canela Finds Clarity in the Shadows of Graphite
Austin, Texas-based artist Alejandro Aguilar Canela channels difficult emotions into graphite and mechanical pencil drawings on paper and vellum, embracing smudges and unplanned marks as part of his process. Several works appear in this year’s Critic’s Choice exhibition at Ki Smith Gallery in New York, on view through September 6.
When the past wont go away: how foreverisation is reshaping nostalgia
Research by Jonatan Sodergren suggests digital preservation, restoration and 0foreverisation keep the past so available that brands may be selling familiarity rather than nostalgia. Gaming illustrates the shift, with Nintendo, PlayStation and Nightdive Studios returning classics to everyday play.
Prismatic Portals in the Dark: Wiley Wallaces Night Bloom in Philadelphia
Phoenix-based Wiley Wallace conjures desert mystique in glowing acrylics for Night Bloom at Arch Enemy Arts, a solo exhibition of gem-like works that range from 16 inches wide to 6 x 6 inches and continues through August 30 in Philadelphia.
Calabashes, Cartons, and Memory: Sipho Mabona Honors His Father
In The Calabashes We Never Drank Amasi From, Sipho Mabona transforms calabashes with recycled milk cartons, mirrors, and audio of his father, Mongameli Mabona, creating an audiovisual tribute displayed on earthen plinths that reference rondavel huts. An installation view from 2024 appears at Kunstmuseum Luzern.
The Rumpus unveils El Alboroto, a new Spanish-language vertical
The Rumpus has launched El Alboroto, a Spanish-language vertical dedicated to commissioning original work—across criticism, essays, interviews, fiction, poetry, and comics—led by Alejandra Márquez and Vasthi Jean-Michel. The initiative follows a revival by Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman and aligns with a broader Rumpus 2.0 strategy rooted in California.
Record-Breaking Solar Close-Up Reveals Rippling Instabilities on the Sun
Captured at 416 nm by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui, the highest-resolution image of the Sun’s photosphere reveals Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability and features smaller than 12 miles across, offering new clues to magnetic energy build-up and solar heating.
Renaissance echoes, modern matter: Suzanne Jongmans portraits made from the thrown-away
Suzanne Jongmans fashions Renaissance-style portraits from padded packaging, fruit mesh, and even copper coils salvaged from appliances, pairing humble materials with velvet, deep backdrops, and composed sitters. Works like In Resonance, Kindred Spirits Childhood, and a pandemic self-portrait, In the Midst of It All, explore femininity, concealment, and the place of wonder in a technologized age.
Signals of the tangible: AI watermarks, vinyl waitlists, and a $6B theatre buy
Spotify will tag AI “personas” and remove them from recommendations, Anthropic says all model outputs carry watermarks, and Suno added watermarks and opened a vinyl waitlist. Meanwhile, Time projects half its revenue from live events, public radio’s audience is up 9.6% in two years, poetry is booming live, Ari Emanuel’s Mari acquired ATG for a rumored $6 billion, and the National Symphony expects roughly half its budgeted ticket revenue.
Wind, dreams, and “Bound Species”: Jennifer Latours botanical sculptures step into the wild
Vancouver-based artist Jennifer Latour pushes her ikebana-style, hand-built floral sculptures outdoors for her Bound Species series, battling wind to photograph the ephemeral works. Her images are currently in group exhibitions in Montreal and Palma, Mallorca, with trips to Arizona and the U.K. seaside ahead and a solo show planned for 2027.
Finalists for Ocean Photographer of the Year Balance Awe with Alarm
Presented by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain, the Ocean Photographer of the Year highlights finalists across categories like Adventure, Human Connection, Ocean Unseen, and Conservationwhich is split into Hope and Impact. Winners will be announced in September.