It is cold in Harbin, a city located in China’s northeastern reaches. It is the capital of Heilongjiang Province, on the banks of the Songhua River. Winters here are long and severe. Nearly three quarters of its territory borders the far—and frozen—Russian Far East.
One of the qualities I most admire in the Chinese people is their practical intelligence. They perform small miracles with whatever lies at hand...
Contemporary Arts Center opens "Voices from Nakivale"; illustrated memoirs by refugee youth; Jan 15, in Cincinnati 2026.
Exhibition exploring the illustrations and legacy of MAD Magazine, with iconic imagery and cultural satire.
The exhibition opens on December 15 at the Cincinnati Art Museum, featuring more than 100 glass works by Indigenous artists.
The Cincinnati Ballet opens its annual production of The Nutcracker on December 18 in downtown Cincinnati.
CAC Family Festival: Snowy Studio brings winter, art-making and science experiments for families, Jan 10, Cincinnati, OH.
Cincinnati Art Club opens its Abstract Exhibition, with a reception Jan 16, followed by public hours Jan 17–18 downtown.
My interest in Asia does not arise from fascination, but from the recognition of a cultural sediment that resists superficial readings. China and Japan have been fundamental references in this process, both in the realm of visual arts and in that of symbolic management. Their literature and philosophy have not lost their capacity to converse with contemporaneity—not as untouchable corpora, but as tools for living thought, applicable to politics, ethics, cultural architecture, and aesthetics.
Why share an image that, from an aesthetic standpoint, I find unpleasant? Of all possible complementary color pairings, this is probably the only one I would never use in a design or in a work of artistic intent. Together—yellow-gold and cold violet—they vibrate in an unbearable way, imposing a visual rhetoric saturated with meaning. Perhaps because, over centuries, they have been associated with institutions now perceived as decadent, with a solemnity that fails to justify itself.
It is not the same to watch a cyclone from the window of your house as from an orbital station. They are two entirely different spectacles. When I was a child, it filled me with tremendous excitement. I had eyes only for its ravaging gusts. I did not notice my father sweating as he nailed boards over the windows. That is the distortion produced by perspective. From the distance established by innocence, catastrophe becomes nothing more than a majestic spectacle.
It is 18 degrees in Cincinnati right now—remarkably close to the record high for a December 26: 20 degrees Celsius, registered in 2016. No snow. It would be tempting to invoke climate change if I were looking for a quarrel, but I’ve just come off several days of snow. I lack serious arguments to do so. Snow is beautiful, as are snow-covered landscapes—especially when the sun is out and the air stands still.
Sargon of Akkad’s grandson was born hunchbacked. His grandfather had raised the first known empire, anchored in the lands of ancient Mesopotamia. He was fond of the boy, and let him do whatever he pleased. When he strode peacock-proud through the palace corridors, the servants—because of his short stature—bowed as he passed. And so his most recurrent vision became an endless rosary of crowns: some hairy, others smooth and shining. It gave him an utterly distorted view of life. Today’s grandchildren are not all that different.
Trying to find something even mildly interesting on the platforms for a quiet December night, I stop at what appears to be the latest cinematic version of the mythical Superman. I read that it was written and directed by James Gunn and released last July, just this past summer. I also note that it has enjoyed a favorable reception from both critics and audiences. A commercial success, in fact—the highest-grossing solo Superman film in the United States among those that place the superhero at the absolute center.
Margate is a coastal town in southeastern England. Located in the county of Kent, on the shores of the North Sea, it forms part of the Thanet district and lies approximately 120 kilometres east of London.
Directly facing the sea stands Turner Contemporary, a contemporary art centre designed by David Chipperfield Architects and inaugurated in 2011...
Australian photographers Peter Eastway and David Evans, founders of the International Landscape Photographer of the Year award, have launched the inaugural edition of the Aerial Photographer of the Year. This international competition is devoted exclusively to images captured from the air—using drones, airplanes, helicopters, or hot air balloons—and seeks to encompass the widest possible range of aerial photographic practices...
