DESIGN DISPATCH

Warhol-Inspired Justin Timberlake Mugshot Prints are Rapidly Selling Out, and More News

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Tuesday Night Out. Image courtesy of Romany Kramoris Gallery.

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Two artists are making bank selling Warholian prints of Justin Timberlake’s mugshot.

Robert Lohman and Mary Godfrey are the painter-photographer duo behind Andy Warhol-style mugshot portraits of Justin Timberlake’s recent booking photo. Together the friends created limited-edition prints that are rapidly selling out at Sag Harbor’s Romany Kramoris Gallery for $520 each. The collaboration has garnered global attention, with orders pouring in from countries like Germany, Australia, and Canada. The artists plan to maintain the original price, and are considering additional color variations if popularity persists.

Nintendo doubles down on developing games with human creativity as opposed to AI.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently reassured investors of the video game company’s human-centric design approach, which he said contrasts with competitors like Microsoft and Playstation, who are increasingly integrating AI into their game design processes. Furukawa has pledged to prioritize human creativity in game development, and noted that while AI can enhance certain aspects, it cannot replace the unique value created by humans, such as “decades of know-how.” 

Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin, 2024. Courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner. Image courtesy of George Darrell

Thomas Austin is named Architect of the Capitol amid January 6–related controversies.

Engineer and retired U.S. Army Colonel Thomas Austin has been appointed as the 13th Architect of the Capitol (AOC), taking over from interim AOC Chere Rexroat. Rexroat was temporarily appointed to the role after predecessor J. Brett Blanton’s controversial tenure ended with being fired for a slew of controversies including those related to the January 6 insurrection. Austin, who was unanimously selected by a bipartisan congressional commission, is now tasked with the maintenance and preservation of key government buildings and grounds in Washington, D.C., oversight of 2,400 employees, and a $1 billion budget.

The Getty says its upcoming edition of PST Art will open with fireworks by Cai Guo-Qiang.

The L.A. art institution has confirmed its September 15 PST Art initiative will open with WE ARE: Explosion Event for PST ART, a grand fireworks display by gunpowder artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Guo-Qiang’s display will take place in the airspace over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and will feature more than 1,000 drones and AI choreography. The display aims to merge the virtual and real worlds through a collaboration with an AI model Guo-Qiang has been developing for the last seven years. The event will mark the beginning of the third edition of PST Art, which will include more than 70 exhibitions across Southern California that blend art, science, and technology. 

A 19-foot-tall pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama takes residence at Serpentine Gallery.

London’s Serpentine Gallery has revealed Yayoi Kusama’s latest work: a 19-foot-tall bronze pumpkin polka dot sculpture that’s located next to the Round Pond on the gallery’s grounds in Kensington Gardens. While Kusama has incorporated pumpkins into her work since 1946, this is her tallest to date. Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine’s artistic director expressed the gallery’s honor in presenting the work, which marks a reunion with Kusama, who had her inaugural U.K. retrospective there in 2000.

A still from Skywalkers: A Love Story. Image courtesy of Netflix.

Today’s attractive distractions: 

One writer finds solace in Piscine Saint-Georges, an Art Deco masterpiece

Singapore is designating insects like grasshoppers and silkworms as food

The Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef continues to intensify with this tattoo drama

Skywalkers follows the “rooftoppers” who found love while scaling skyscrapers

 

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