Discover the Best of Today's Art World - https://mymodernmet.com/category/art/ The Big City That Celebrates Creative Ideas Fri, 11 Jul 2025 18:13:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-My-Modern-Met-Favicon-1-32x32.png Discover the Best of Today's Art World - https://mymodernmet.com/category/art/ 32 32 LACMA Acquires Monumental “Living” Sculpture by Jeff Koons https://mymodernmet.com/jeff-koons-split-rocker-lacma-sculpture/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:45:41 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=754912 LACMA Acquires Monumental “Living” Sculpture by Jeff Koons

It’s no secret that Jeff Koons is a master of pop art. Since the 1980s, Koons has created some of the world’s most recognizable sculptures, ranging from giant balloon animals and the Incredible Hulk to Hoover vacuums and the Pink Panther. Across the entirety of his practice, play and humor are clearly at the forefront, […]

READ: LACMA Acquires Monumental “Living” Sculpture by Jeff Koons

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LACMA Acquires Monumental “Living” Sculpture by Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons’ Split-Rocker sculpture at LACMA

Jeff Koons, “Split-Rocker,” 2000, installed at Versailles, Paris, 2008. (Photo: Laurent Lecat)

It’s no secret that Jeff Koons is a master of pop art. Since the 1980s, Koons has created some of the world’s most recognizable sculptures, ranging from giant balloon animals and the Incredible Hulk to Hoover vacuums and the Pink Panther. Across the entirety of his practice, play and humor are clearly at the forefront, and Split-Rocker is no exception. Now, an artist’s proof of the monumental sculpture has found a new—and permanent—home at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Towering at a height of 37 feet, Split-Rocker combines two child-like and nostalgic forms: half of a pony’s head, and half of a dinosaur’s head, both simplified to the point of appearing appropriately cartoonish. More than 50,000 plants bloom across the sculpture, completely covering its surface while being supported by an internal irrigation system. Each season, these flowers transform, evolve, and alter the profile, texture, and character of Split-Rocker, reinforcing its status as both a surreal and “living” sculpture. To accommodate California’s climate, LACMA’s edition of Split-Rocker will be outfitted with drought-tolerant flowers and plants, curated by a dedicated team of local horticulturalists.

LACMA’s acquisition of Split-Rocker also kicks off a new chapter for the institution. Gifted by Lynda and Stewart Resnick, the sculpture will anchor the public gardens surrounding the David Geffen Galleries, which will open in 2026 and house the museum’s permanent collection. In preparation for its opening, LACMA is also planning a “robust program of outdoor public art” throughout the 3.5-acre park. Alongside Koons, the garden will feature sculptures and works by Liz Glynn, Thomas Houseago, Shio Kusaka, Pedro Reyes, and Diana Thater.

Since 2000, both the artist’s proof and first edition of Split-Rocker have traveled around the world, having been exhibited at the Fondation Beyeler, Rockefeller Center, Palais des Papes, and Versailles. As of 2013, the sculpture’s first edition is on permanent display at the Glenstone Museum in Maryland.

“Jeff is a master of bringing bold playfulness together with layers of deeper artistic meaning,” Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg director, says in a statement. “We’re thrilled to welcome this living sculpture to LACMA, where it will greet visitors, pedestrians, and traffic along Wilshire Boulevard.”

LACMA anticipates seeding Split-Rocker later this summer, with hopes for it to be fully bloomed by next April. Uniquely, among four of Koons’ flower sculptures worldwide, LACMA’s Split-Rocker will be “alive and growing year-round in the mild climate of Southern California,” as Govan enthusiastically adds.

To learn more about Split-Rocker and the opening of the David Geffen Galleries, visit LACMA’s website.

LACMA has acquired Split-Rocker, a monumental living sculpture depicting childhood toys by Jeff Koons.

Jeff Koons’ Split-Rocker sculpture at LACMA

Jeff Koons, “Split-Rocker,” 2000, installed at Versailles, Paris, 2008. (Photo: Laurent Lecat)

Jeff Koons’ Split-Rocker sculpture at LACMA

Jeff Koons, “Split-Rocker,” 2000, installed at Rockefeller Center in New York, 2014. (Photo: Tom Powel Imaging)

Jeff Koons’ Split-Rocker sculpture at LACMA

Jeff Koons, “Split-Rocker,” 2000, installed at Rockefeller Center in New York, 2014. (Photo: Tom Powel Imaging)

Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by LACMA.

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READ: LACMA Acquires Monumental “Living” Sculpture by Jeff Koons

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Dreamy Cloud Paintings Capture the Delicate Beauty of Changing Skies Within Vintage Frames https://mymodernmet.com/cathy-camille-gouache-cloud-paintings/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Thu, 10 Jul 2025 19:20:22 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=755461 Dreamy Cloud Paintings Capture the Delicate Beauty of Changing Skies Within Vintage Frames

Artist Cathy Camille is known for her delightful paintings of clouds, showing their ephemeral beauty through delicate, detailed artwork. With NUAGE, she’s combining the fleeting nature of clouds with the timeless strength of wood. The series celebrates the juxtaposition of old and new with a set of new oil paintings surrounded by refurbished antique frames […]

READ: Dreamy Cloud Paintings Capture the Delicate Beauty of Changing Skies Within Vintage Frames

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Dreamy Cloud Paintings Capture the Delicate Beauty of Changing Skies Within Vintage Frames

Cathy Camille in front of the NUAGE collection

Artist Cathy Camille is known for her delightful paintings of clouds, showing their ephemeral beauty through delicate, detailed artwork. With NUAGE, she’s combining the fleeting nature of clouds with the timeless strength of wood. The series celebrates the juxtaposition of old and new with a set of new oil paintings surrounded by refurbished antique frames that the artist sourced across Europe.

These frames, repainted in hues that mirror the artwork, serve as a point of renewal, demonstrating the power of transformation. In some way, Camille’s clouds do the same. As viewers, we know these clouds are temporary. Soon, they’ll begin to dissolve and fade away, only to be replaced by something new. In this way, Camille’s art asks us to reflect on the cyclical nature of time and to embrace the moment while it lasts.

“With NUAGE, I want to remind us that what’s old can be reimagined, and what fades still matters,” the artist shares. “Each piece in this collection lives in that space between past and present, between what endures and what disappears. In many ways, that’s where we all live: somewhere between memory and becoming.”

The small paintings, some measuring just 6 inches by 6 inches, are filled with rich detail. Taking advantage of oil paint's ability to create light, Camille renders everything from fiery orange sunsets to delicate pink hues creeping into the afternoon sky. Each piece is a triumph, with the artist using her skills to build up clouds with realistic volume that somehow retain a light, airy feeling.

Scroll down for more images from NUAGE and stay up to date with Camille's work by following her on Instagram.

Cathy Camille is known for her delicate paintings of clouds.

Cathy Camille in front of the NUAGE collection

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Her new series of oil paintings, NUAGE, juxtaposes old and new with paintings surrounded by refurbished antique frames.

Cathy Camille Cloud Paintings

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

These frames, repainted in hues that reflect the artwork, serve as a point of renewal, demonstrating the power of transformation.

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Taking advantage of oil paint's ability to create light, Camille renders everything from fiery orange to delicate pink hues.

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting Detail

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting Detail

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting Detail

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting

Cathy Camille Cloud Painting Detail

Cathy Camille: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Cathy Camille.

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READ: Dreamy Cloud Paintings Capture the Delicate Beauty of Changing Skies Within Vintage Frames

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Exquisite Wooden Sculptures Move Like Real-Life Computer Glitches https://mymodernmet.com/han-hsu-tung-glitched-sculptures-moving/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Thu, 10 Jul 2025 14:45:32 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=754702 Exquisite Wooden Sculptures Move Like Real-Life Computer Glitches

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by 韓旭東 (@han_hsu_tung) For three decades, Han Hsu Tung has managed to stop time. With his exquisite wooden sculptures, Tung freezes his subjects in mid-motion, pixelating limbs, faces, and entire bodies as if they’re buffering, awaiting the moment in which they may move once again. […]

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Exquisite Wooden Sculptures Move Like Real-Life Computer Glitches

 

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A post shared by 韓旭東 (@han_hsu_tung)

For three decades, Han Hsu Tung has managed to stop time. With his exquisite wooden sculptures, Tung freezes his subjects in mid-motion, pixelating limbs, faces, and entire bodies as if they’re buffering, awaiting the moment in which they may move once again. Recently, however, the Taiwanese artist has revisited how he represents movement entirely, opting instead to integrate it more literally.

All Beings is one such sculpture. The work, which, as of July 2025, is nearly complete, depicts what appears to be a bust of the Buddha, his eyes peacefully drawn shut even as pixels scatter across his face. Resting atop his head is another Buddha, alongside other ornamental details that have been meticulously carved into the soft wood. What distinguishes All Beings from Tung’s previous work is its mechanical elements: several of the sculpture’s components slowly glide in and out of place, with the bust’s head splitting in two as it ascends upwards. Similar to his other sculptures, All Beings simulates a glitch without relying upon digital interventions, but, of course, it takes it a step further. Here, that glitch is enacted in real time—not just in our own imaginations.

The artist has shared similar sculptures, including one in which a man stands rigidly and stares blankly ahead. His stiff posture doesn’t last long, as it’s interrupted by rhythmic movements in his chest and shoulders. These gestures resemble both breathing and the steady clack of piano keys, increasing the sculpture’s sense of poetry. Later, the man’s head also shifts, the right side of his skull easing up into the air as his bottom lips open like those of a marionette doll. Just like All Beings, Tung’s famous glitch effect becomes an animating force, where humans and technology merge into one singular being.

To learn more about the artist, visit Han Hsu Tung’s website and follow him on Instagram.

Han Hsu Tung has always incorporated glitch effects within his wooden sculptures, but his recent work takes it to the next level: they actually move.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 韓旭東 (@han_hsu_tung)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 韓旭東 (@han_hsu_tung)

With these moving sculptures, Tung simulates a glitch without relying upon digital interventions and, unlike his static work, that glitch is enacted in real time.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 韓旭東 (@han_hsu_tung)

Han Hsu Tung: Website | Instagram

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READ: Exquisite Wooden Sculptures Move Like Real-Life Computer Glitches

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Artist Creates Immersive Marine Seascapes Swarming With Cardboard Animals https://mymodernmet.com/josh-gluckstein-marine-island-cardboard-sculptures/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Wed, 09 Jul 2025 13:50:09 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=753446 Artist Creates Immersive Marine Seascapes Swarming With Cardboard Animals

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Josh Gluckstein – Cardboard Artist (@joshglucksteinartist) For years, Josh Gluckstein has fabricated cardboard sculptures of various animals, but his latest series may be his most ambitious yet. In what he calls a “cardboard museum installation,” the London-based artist has fashioned several distinct scenes of […]

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Artist Creates Immersive Marine Seascapes Swarming With Cardboard Animals

For years, Josh Gluckstein has fabricated cardboard sculptures of various animals, but his latest series may be his most ambitious yet. In what he calls a “cardboard museum installation,” the London-based artist has fashioned several distinct scenes of coral reefs, each of which center marine species. Their massive scale and lavish details aren’t the only things that distinguish these new sculptures—at nearly every step, Gluckstein cataloged the process behind their production.

One video, for instance, showcases Gluckstein’s largest cardboard turtle to date, mounted atop a rotating reef base complete with vibrant corals. To sculpt this massive Hawksbill turtle, Gluckstein first traced its shell on flat cardboard, meticulously cutting out the shape and building upwards with additional cardboard scaffolding. He employed a similar technique for the turtle’s head, later painting the creature with a decadent, reptilian pattern. Unlike its scales, which are fairly precise and segmented, the turtle’s shell seems more abstract, the colors fluidly melting into each other as if mimicking a glossy surface.

Another video outlines how Gluckstein created a whale shark and dugong, both of which are as monumental as they are intricate. Unlike the Hawksbill turtle, the whale shark and dugong receive intricate backdrops that reach up toward the ceiling, peppered with a colorful assortment of sea sponges, corals, and other underwater plants. Beneath the dugong, Gluckstein even included small, yellow-striped fish, further enhancing the sense of immersion and world building. When staged next to one another, these sculptures shape a decadent ocean landscape, where every nook and cranny offers something to be discovered.

“Animals have always been a central theme in my artwork,” Gluckstein has written of his practice. “Inspired by my extensive travels and volunteering through Asia, East Africa, and South America, I have sought to capture the presence of some of the most majestic animals I’ve seen in the wild.”

But these sculptures aren’t simply homages to those “majestic animals.” They also offer a clever solution to art production while biodiversity faces tremendous threats from the ongoing climate crisis. Gluckstein’s work is, in many ways, a form of recycling, repurposing and reimagining the limits of cardboard even after their functionality or purpose has waned.

“Sustainability is at the heart of my practice,” the artist explains. “The accessibility and versatility of cardboard, with its many tones and textures, allow me to capture unique details and raw emotion, all while creating zero waste.”

To learn more about the artist, visit Josh Gluckstein’s website and follow him on Instagram.

London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has created more immersive seascapes, each swarming with a vibrant cast of cardboard animals.

For years, Gluckstein has fashioned such cardboard animals and scenes, all in the effort to maintain a sustainable practice.

Instead of being secretive about his creative process, Gluckstein consistently showcases step-by-step videos in which he fabricates his dazzling creatures.

Josh Gluckstein: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature media by Josh Gluckstein.

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READ: Artist Creates Immersive Marine Seascapes Swarming With Cardboard Animals

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Man Spends Over a Decade Beautifying His Brooklyn Neighborhood With Street Art [Interview] https://mymodernmet.com/bushwick-collective-joe-ficalora-interview/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Tue, 08 Jul 2025 20:15:11 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=754090 Man Spends Over a Decade Beautifying His Brooklyn Neighborhood With Street Art [Interview]

Born and bred in Bushwick, Joe Ficalora has transformed the face of his neighborhood, transforming it into an open-air art museum with a project he calls the Bushwick Collective. But Ficalora is not your typical art curator. In fact, one could say he's an accidental art curator who, in the best way, used his personal […]

READ: Man Spends Over a Decade Beautifying His Brooklyn Neighborhood With Street Art [Interview]

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Man Spends Over a Decade Beautifying His Brooklyn Neighborhood With Street Art [Interview]

The Bushwick Collective

Born and bred in Bushwick, Joe Ficalora has transformed the face of his neighborhood, transforming it into an open-air art museum with a project he calls the Bushwick Collective. But Ficalora is not your typical art curator. In fact, one could say he's an accidental art curator who, in the best way, used his personal pain to reshape his environment.

In 2011, after losing his mother to a devastating battle with brain cancer, Ficalora was looking for a change. So he began searching the internet for street artists who could transform neighborhood walls with their art. Even though he had no connections or experience with the art world, he took a chance and invited several artists to come and paint. And in June 2012, the Bushwick Collective was born.

Over the past 13 years, Ficalora's personal initiative has changed Bushwick and drawn top-tier local and international talent. Everyone from legendary street artists Blek le Rat and Jef Aerosol to My Modern Met favorites Dasic and Alice Pasquini have left their mark on Bushwick's walls.

What makes the Bushwick Collective unique in terms of street art projects is its scope, which moves far beyond the aesthetics of the finished artwork. Ficalora cares deeply that anyone who brings their work to the neighborhood understands its history and is passionate about being part of the community. And each year, an annual block party brings that community out en masse—a stark contrast to Ficalora's days growing up there in the 90s, when he wasn't allowed to play outside for safety reasons.

My Modern Met had the chance to speak with Ficalora about the history of the Bushwick Collective and where he sees it headed. Read on for our exclusive interview.

How did you know that the Bushwick Collective was really starting to take off?

I didn't, I just kept doing it because it made me feel less pain from my loss and the void of my mother no longer being around. People, including family, started to come together, and it was my therapy. I'd say three years into it, I realized I had a greater responsibility to others whom this project has affected and inspired.

The Bushwick Collective

Tymon de Laat for The Bushwick Collective

The Bushwick Collective

Mate for The Bushwick Collective

How has it helped shape or make a difference in the community?

It has brought the whole world together and created a home for people who love what they are doing with life, not just artists….volunteers, lawyers, doctors, marketing executives, photographers, families. I have received messages even last week to ask when we are hosting our annual event, so they can plan their family trip to America around it. It's a platform for everyone to do what they love and give more of themselves than they receive.

Enzo at the Bushwick Collective

Enzo for The Bushwick Collective

Golden305 for The Bushwick Collective

Golden305 for The Bushwick Collective

Over a decade in, how has the Bushwick Collective evolved?

It has evolved organically through the blessings of all the souls and hearts that have contributed to this family. Bushwick Collective has its own soul and has grown through the years. Life is about evolving and changing to be better each day we get blessed to be here.

What is your current process for selecting artists who participate?

You must be dedicated to your craft, passionate, and an all-around good human being. Life is way too short not to give it your all!

What do you see for the future of the Bushwick Collective?

I never planned this, and just like life, none of us knows what's to come. I'll just keep being true to my passion for this project and the beautiful people who have helped build it and have helped me put my broken heart back together

Bushwick Collective

Bushwick Collective Artist BBQ, an annual event held for artists who have painted for the collective. (Photo: Dave Lee)

14th annual Bushwick Collective Block Party

14th annual Bushwick Collective Block Party

How has the whole experience impacted you personally?

In so many ways, so much so that I want it to go forever, even when I'm no longer here and able to continue. It has helped me understand my mom's journey, realize what truly matters, and be inspired by endless amounts of inspiring people (artists, Bushwick KiDs Collective, journalists, volunteers, supporters, sculptors, business executives, musicians, rappers, DJs, producers, videographers, families, young artists, so many). Last year, a young artist came all the way from London to perform live for us to try to get on stage for the Bushwick Collective Block Party. This is just an example of the inspiration and effect that this platform has made, and I have so many more stories to share.

The Bushwick Collective: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by The Bushwick Collective.

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READ: Man Spends Over a Decade Beautifying His Brooklyn Neighborhood With Street Art [Interview]

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Artist Creates Dazzling Portrait by Layering Shattered Glass https://mymodernmet.com/simon-berger-morphogenesis-de-wette-park-basel/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Tue, 08 Jul 2025 16:35:58 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=753447 Artist Creates Dazzling Portrait by Layering Shattered Glass

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art) Nestled in Basel’s De-Wette Park is something unexpected: several panes of glass, each shattered and irregularly stacked against a transport rack. Titled Morphogenesis, the installation is the latest from Swiss artist Simon Berger, who, for years, has manipulated glass through breaking, […]

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Artist Creates Dazzling Portrait by Layering Shattered Glass

 

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A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

Nestled in Basel’s De-Wette Park is something unexpected: several panes of glass, each shattered and irregularly stacked against a transport rack. Titled Morphogenesis, the installation is the latest from Swiss artist Simon Berger, who, for years, has manipulated glass through breaking, cracking, and hammering to produce dazzling and ephemeral portraits. Morphogenesis is no exception, and, as the artist himself says, marks a “new chapter in my exploration of glass as a medium.”

Like much of Berger’s work, the magic of Morphogenesis involves movement. At one moment, the sculpture betrays very little, simply catching the sunlight or reflecting the trees, sky, and buildings around it. At another moment, a woman’s face peers through the glass, etched into the surface through Berger’s meticulous hammering. Depending on distance, Berger explains, the portrait either “emerges clearly or dissolves,” insisting that its viewers engage with it from multiple angles and vantage points. This sense of fluidity is also highlighted by the installation’s title, Morphogenesis, which comes from the Greek words for “form” and “creation.”

“It’s a reference to the physical act of shaping new, organic forms through impact,” Berger writes of the artwork. “Through this piece, I wanted to challenge not only the limits of the material, but also the way we perceive form, emotion, and context.”

Functionality comes into play as well. Morphogenesis incorporates two materials often associated with industry, including glass and a transport rack, and reimagines them into “expressive tools,” per Berger. And, while such industrial elements typically imply a level of control, here they’ve submitted to chance. After all, to crack glass is to accept that not every stroke will be perfect.

“Human faces have always fascinated me,” Berger says of his subject matter. “On safety glass, they come into their own and magically attract the viewer. It’s a process of discovery from abstract fogging to figurative perception.”

The faces in Berger’s glasswork emerge quietly, slowly, as if haunting the surfaces in which they were carved. That delicacy presents a fascinating juxtaposition to the vigor and energy required to break glass in the first place.

“Destruction shapes into a form of drawing while the break becomes the mark,” Berger adds, in reference to Morphogenesis. “In this way, the work resists fixed meaning—rather, it lives in flux, redefined continually by light, context, and time.”

To learn more about the artist, visit Simon Berger’s website and follow him on Instagram.

A new sculpture by Simon Berger features several panes of shattered glass that are irregularly stacked against a transport rack, revealing a woman’s face when viewed at different angles.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

Throughout his work, Berger often creates portraits etched into glass, which he hammers, cracks, and shatters.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

These sculptures are dazzling displays of light and transparency, showcasing Berger’s tremendous control over movement, perspective, and context.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simon Berger (@simonberger.art)

Simon Berger creating a new glass portrait

Simon Berger producing a new artwork at Aurum Gallery, Bangkok, in 2022. (Photo: Aurum Gallery via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0)

Simon Berger: Website | Instagram

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READ: Artist Creates Dazzling Portrait by Layering Shattered Glass

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Artist Recreates Iconic Artworks With LEGO Pieces That Mimic Digital Pixels https://mymodernmet.com/lego-art-gerardo-pontierr/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:45:33 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=753609 Artist Recreates Iconic Artworks With LEGO Pieces That Mimic Digital Pixels

Since their introduction in 1949, LEGO bricks have been used in countless imaginative ways, far beyond their original purpose. Mexican artist Gerardo Pontiérr is one person who takes these colorful plastic pieces and turns them into something extraordinary. He recreates famous paintings and portraits as 3D, pixel-like artworks made from thousands of LEGO pieces. Pontiérr […]

READ: Artist Recreates Iconic Artworks With LEGO Pieces That Mimic Digital Pixels

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Artist Recreates Iconic Artworks With LEGO Pieces That Mimic Digital Pixels

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

Since their introduction in 1949, LEGO bricks have been used in countless imaginative ways, far beyond their original purpose. Mexican artist Gerardo Pontiérr is one person who takes these colorful plastic pieces and turns them into something extraordinary. He recreates famous paintings and portraits as 3D, pixel-like artworks made from thousands of LEGO pieces.

Pontiérr uses LEGO much like a 20th-century Pointillism artist used paint—only here, each tiny daub of color is a single, meticulously placed brick. Up close, the individual LEGO bricks appear as simple blocks of color, and the image may seem abstract. But as you step back, the full picture comes into focus, with each brick acting like a pixel in a digital image, blending with the others to form detailed, cohesive artwork.

Pontiérr’s 3D artworks are striking from every angle. Viewed from the side, the varying heights of the LEGO “pixels” resemble a densely packed cityscape, adding depth and dimension to the work. The artist even includes thoughtful details in each piece, like in his portrait of Vincent van Gogh, where miniature LEGO renditions of Starry Night and Sunflowers are subtly tucked into the 3D mosaic.

“After more than 30 years of playing, I’m still captivated time and again by how each piece can become anything,” Pontiérr tells My Modern Met. “Today, I understand LEGO as a three-dimensional visual language—a wordless idiom practiced around the world that speaks to both children and adults through its geometry, colors, and endless possibilities.” The artist adds, “It’s a material where precision, imagination, and freedom come together to create worlds at your fingertips.”

Check out the artist’s incredible LEGO art below and follow Gerardo Pontiérr on Instagram.

Mexican artist Gerardo Pontiérr recreates famous paintings and portraits from thousands of LEGO pieces.

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

He uses LEGO much like a 20th-century Pointillism artist used paint—only here, each tiny daub of color is a single, meticulously placed brick.

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

Each LEGO block acts like a pixel in a digital image, blending with the others to form detailed, cohesive artwork.

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

Viewed from the side, the varying heights of these LEGO “pixels” resemble a densely packed cityscape, adding depth and dimension to the piece.

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

LEGO Art by Gerardo Pontiérr

Watch how the artist creates his amazingly detailed work.

Gerardo Pontiérr: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Gerardo Pontiérr.

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Musical Composer’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music Three Years After His Death https://mymodernmet.com/alvin-lucier-brain-matter-revivification-installation/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Fri, 04 Jul 2025 17:25:01 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=751656 Musical Composer’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music Three Years After His Death

What if death weren’t the end for human creativity, but instead the catalyst for a new kind of art? Revivification is a haunting and immersive installation created in collaboration with the late American composer Alvin Lucier that probes the liminal space between life and the afterlife. Speculative science fuses raw emotion to create a piece […]

READ: Musical Composer’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music Three Years After His Death

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Musical Composer’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music Three Years After His Death
The late experimental composer Alvin Lucier is still creating music three years after his death

Alvin Lucier (Photo: Non Event via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0))

What if death weren’t the end for human creativity, but instead the catalyst for a new kind of art? Revivification is a haunting and immersive installation created in collaboration with the late American composer Alvin Lucier that probes the liminal space between life and the afterlife. Speculative science fuses raw emotion to create a piece that invites us to question not just how far creativity can go, but whether it even should go that far.

Revivification is an immersive installation in the Art Gallery of Western Australia that, according to the gallery, has been “four years in the making.” The concept was developed by artists Nathan Thompson, Matt Gingold, and Guy Ben-Ary, in collaboration with neuroscientist Stuart Hodgetts and Lucier.

One of the most respected experimental composers of his time, Lucier’s compositions were known for drawing from principles of physics in sound. He often took a curious and playful approach to creating music; one particularly memorable example is his 1969 piece titled “I Am Sitting in a Room,” where he read a passage multiple times over while recording on the same tape. Lucier repeated the process until it became nearly impossible to pick out the words of his phrase in the cacophony.

Lucier began working with the artists and scientists on this project in 2018, three years before he died in 2021. Ever the risk-taker, the composer provided the group with his blood. White blood cells from this sample were “reprogrammed into stem cells,” then into organoid structures that are meant to resemble and mimic a developing human brain.

In Revivification, these cerebral organoids run the show, physically and metaphorically. Placed in the center of the installation space in an incubator, the organoids represent Lucier’s “in-vitro brain” that lives beyond his earthly and departed body. Electrical signals derived from this brain matter then send impulses that trigger mallets to periodically hit 20 brass plates mounted to the installation space.

The result is a haunting experience that prompts us to think deeper about the creation of art that occurs during and after our lifetimes. University of San Francisco cognitive neuroscientist Indre Viskontas has one way of framing it. “Creativity really has to have a conscious element to it,” she says in an interview with NPR. “I don’t think this particular piece of art is conscious. Those cells have no intention.”

Revivification doesn’t offer an easy answer or way out; rather, it lingers in this uncertainty, much like the reverberations of Lucier’s compositions. By animating remnants of a life once lived, the installation challenges us to confront questions of agency, authorship, and legacy. Is the music produced by Revivification a continuation of Lucier’s work, a resurrection, or something completely new and original?

Revivification is on view at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth now through September 21, 2025.

The late experimental composer Alvin Lucier is still creating music three years after his death, thanks to science and brain matter derived from his white blood cells.

The late experimental composer Alvin Lucier is still creating music three years after his death

Photo: iLexx/Depositphotos

In the immersive installation Revivification, cerebral organoids developed in a lab send out electrical impulses to mallets, which then periodically hit brass plates lining the gallery's walls to create sound.

The installation prompts us to ask questions about agency, authorship, and legacy in creating art after life.

Sources: Artificial ‘Brain’ Aims to Allow Composer to Keep Making Music Three Years After His Death; Revivification; A Musician’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music—Three Years After His Death

Exhibition Information:
Revivification
April 5, 2025–September 21, 2025
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000, Australia

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READ: Musical Composer’s Brain Matter Is Still Making Music Three Years After His Death

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Dazzling Thread Art Installation Stretches String To Create Luminous Indoor Rainbows https://mymodernmet.com/gabriel-dawe-plexus-no-46/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:30:21 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=753895 Dazzling Thread Art Installation Stretches String To Create Luminous Indoor Rainbows

Artist Gabriel Dawe is creating rainbows indoors again. Continuing his dazzling Plexus series, the renowned creative has recently installed Plexus no. 46 as part of a group show at Villa Manin in Italy. The exhibition is titled Transparent Architectures (Architteture Trasparenti) and features Dawe’s work alongside incredible artists, including Christina Kubisch, Robert Irwin, Pat White, […]

READ: Dazzling Thread Art Installation Stretches String To Create Luminous Indoor Rainbows

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Dazzling Thread Art Installation Stretches String To Create Luminous Indoor Rainbows
Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

Artist Gabriel Dawe is creating rainbows indoors again. Continuing his dazzling Plexus series, the renowned creative has recently installed Plexus no. 46 as part of a group show at Villa Manin in Italy. The exhibition is titled Transparent Architectures (Architteture Trasparenti) and features Dawe’s work alongside incredible artists, including Christina Kubisch, Robert Irwin, Pat White, and Jeppe Hein.

As in his previous Plexus pieces, Dawe uses a full spectrum of hues to create an interplay of light and perceived color. Delicate threads are stretched across a partially walled space, and they crisscross to create new hues in the process (thanks to optical mixing). As the light shines on and through the threads, the unified components create a singular dazzling piece that evokes joy.

Transparent Architectures is a journey through contemporary art inspired by the concept of a border. A border is a geographic line—a boundary—but it’s also a mental space. In the context of this exhibition, it’s viewed as a “crossable limit, which can be crossed with the gaze or body.” This ties in with Dawe’s work. Although we can’t step into Plexus no. 46, we can traverse the structure in our mind.

Dawe began creating the Plexus series as an extension of his embroidery practice and experimenting with thread on an architectural scale. “That component started surfacing at the beginning, how buildings and clothing both have the function of sheltering,” he explained to My Modern Met in a previous interview. “But then when you use the material of the clothing on an architectural scale, you lose that physical sheltering quality, but it gets transformed into this very childlike quality. It becomes like a sheltering of the soul in that way.”

You can see Plexus no. 46 as part of Transparent Architectures (Architteture Trasparenti) at Villa Manin until October 26, 2025. While there, you can take in the history of the location. “Villa Manin is a palace about one and a half hours north of Venice, and built by the last Venetian Doge,” Dawe tells My Modern Met, “and that’s where Napoleon stayed for two months while negotiating a peace treaty when he defeated the Venetian Republic.”

Artist Gabriel Dawe is creating rainbows indoors again.

Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

Continuing his dazzling Plexus series, the renowned creative has recently installed Plexus no. 46 as part of a group show at Villa Manin in Italy.

Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

A full spectrum of hues creates an interplay of light and perceived color.

Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

Delicate threads are stretched across a partially walled space, and they crisscross to create new hues in the process.

Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

As the light shines on and through the threads, the unified components create a singular dazzling piece that evokes joy.

Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

See Plexus no. 46 as part of Transparent Architectures (Architteture Trasparenti) until October 26, 2025.

Plexus No. 46 by Gabriel Dawe Art Installation

Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

Exhibition Information:
Transparent Architectures (Architteture Trasparenti)
June 8, 2025–October 26, 2025
Villa Manin
Stradone Manin, 10, 33033 Passariano UD, Italy

Gabriel Dawe: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Gabriel Dawe.

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READ: Dazzling Thread Art Installation Stretches String To Create Luminous Indoor Rainbows

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Ephemeral Streaks of Magenta Cover 53,000 Square Feet of Space at Art Basel https://mymodernmet.com/katharina-grosse-messeplatz-project-art-basel/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:35:42 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=753394 Ephemeral Streaks of Magenta Cover 53,000 Square Feet of Space at Art Basel

German artist Katharina Grosse has long been a fixture of Art Basel, and to celebrate the iconic art fair's 55th edition, she created the largest urban art installation of her career. Grosse is known for her large-scale spray-painted artworks, and she certainly brought her artistic energy to the Messeplatz for CHOIR. The piece, which was […]

READ: Ephemeral Streaks of Magenta Cover 53,000 Square Feet of Space at Art Basel

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Ephemeral Streaks of Magenta Cover 53,000 Square Feet of Space at Art Basel

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

German artist Katharina Grosse has long been a fixture of Art Basel, and to celebrate the iconic art fair's 55th edition, she created the largest urban art installation of her career. Grosse is known for her large-scale spray-painted artworks, and she certainly brought her artistic energy to the Messeplatz for CHOIR.

The piece, which was on view until June 22, saw Grosse spraying white and magenta forms across the Heurzog & de Meuron-designed space. Grosse selected magenta, as it is the color most visible to the human eye outdoors. At over 5,000 square meters (nearly 53,820 square feet), it completely envelopes the space, transforming it into an unmissable artistic monument.

“Color, especially magenta, grabs your attention and alters how you relate to your surroundings,” the artist writes. “It becomes a tool to disrupt habits and provoke change. I want people to feel so destabilized, positively or negatively, that something moves.”

Moving freely from the pavement up the architecture itself, Grosse's work shows no limits. In fact, she likens it to “a vast painting [that] has flown through, landed briefly, and left its residue behind.” The ephemeral nature of the work, which lasted only a week, is also interesting given its context. While Art Basel is all about collecting and ownership, CHOIR demonstrates the power of art that is free and fleeting.

Curated by Natalia Grabowska of London's Serpentine, Grosse's installation is a celebration of freedom and the dissolution of boundaries.

For Art Basel 2025, German artist Katharina Grosse created her largest urban art installation to date.

CHOIR covers nearly 53,820 square feet and is an explosion of color.

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

“I want people to feel so destabilized, positively or negatively, that something moves.”

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

The ephemeral piece lasted just a week, demonstrating the power of art that is free and fleeting.

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

CHOIR by Katharina Grosse at Art Basel 2025

Katharina Grosse: Website | Facebook | Instagram

All images by Jens Ziehe, courtesy of the artist (c) VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025. My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Art Basel.

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READ: Ephemeral Streaks of Magenta Cover 53,000 Square Feet of Space at Art Basel

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