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The Artist Plate Project Is Fighting Food Insecurity
Editions aren’t a common sight at Frieze New York, but this year’s attendees had the opportunity to acquire limited-edition fine bone china designed by the market’s leading artists. Thanks to the Coalition for the Homeless, Prospect New York, and 40 participating artists and estates, the Artist Plate Project gave Frieze attendees first pick of limited-edition plates by the likes of Rashid Johnson (pictured), Mickalene Thomas, Derrick Adams, and more. The initiative, co-founded and curated by Michelle Hellman in 2020, has to date raised more than $4.5 million to benefit the Coalition for the Homeless. Couldn’t make Frieze? Surface readers can shop the plates now at Artware Editions. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
“Seated” (2022) by Tschabalala Self. Photography by Lineker Photography/courtesy of De La War Pavilion…
A Tschabalala Self sculpture of a seated Black woman is painted white by vandals.
Last week, vandals in England spray-painted a ten-foot-tall sculpture of a seated Black woman by Tschabalala Self. The artwork, titled Seated (2022), was initially displayed near King’s Cross in London before moving to the De la Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. After the vandalism, more than 200 community members united to clean and restore the sculpture to its original state. The De la Warr Pavilion intends to keep the artwork on view despite the incident, standing in solidarity against the violence enacted on the sculpture.
The founders of Hauser & Wirth will open their first restaurant in New York next year.
Swiss art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth are expanding their hospitality empire with the upcoming launch of a restaurant and bar in New York, their first in the city. The restaurant will be located across from a new Hauser & Wirth gallery in SoHo. The venture is part of the Wirths’ Artfarm business, which now operates ten establishments worldwide, including pubs, a fishmonger, hotels, and a private members’ club. Ewan Venters, CEO of Hauser & Wirth and Artfarm, believes that the combination of art, community, food, and people creates a natural synergy in their endeavors.
The Norman Foster Foundation shares its concept of an “essential home” in Venice.
The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide is steadily increasing, reaching 103 million. Many reside in temporary settlements for years or even decades. To address this, the Norman Foster Foundation and Holcim joined forces to create the Essential Homes Research Project, which aims to provide dignified and sustainable housing for displaced individuals. Presented at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, the project features real-sized prototypes combining innovative design from the Norman Foster Foundation with Holcim’s sustainable building solutions. The low-carbon, energy-efficient homes utilize materials such as rollable concrete sheets, Elevate RESISTA AK insulation, Airium mineral foam, and ECOPact concrete pathways, promoting circularity, safety, and environmental responsibility.
Hunters Point Library. Image courtesy of Steven Holl Architects…
Steven Holl Architects may face charges over Hunters Point Library’s accessibility.
Steven Holl Architects (SHA) is facing a potential lawsuit from the City of New York that could result in more than $10 million of upgrades to Hunters Point Library. The city alleges that SHA violated the Americans with Disability Act and breached its contract with the city’s Department of Design and Construction. The library, which opened in 2019, received immediate backlash for its lack of accessibility, including the absence of elevator access to three out of five levels. The city is seeking to hold SHA accountable for the alleged noncompliance and is demanding repayment for the design services.
An exhibition space dedicated to psychedelic art has opened in the Hudson Valley.
Every morning, artists Alex and Allyson Grey follow a routine that includes cold showers, meditation, reading aloud, and using an inversion table to stretch their spines. This practice was suggested by Albert Hofmann, the chemist known as the father of LSD. The Greys are the founders of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and they are set to open Entheon, a 12,000-square-foot exhibition space dedicated to visionary art in Wappinger. Entheon will feature Alex Grey’s renowned series of paintings called Sacred Mirrors and artwork from other visionary artists worldwide. The couple sees Entheon as a place for affirmation of psychedelic experiences and as a potential ceremonial space if laws around psychedelics change.
Patrik Schumacher critiques the Venice Biennale for not showing actual architecture.
In a Facebook post titled “Venice Biennale Blues,” Patrik Schumacher expressed his disappointment with the Venice Architecture Biennale. The principal architect of Zaha Hadid Architects argued the majority of the national pavilions fail to showcase actual architecture, leading him to question whether this absence reflects a shortage of remarkable architecture in the Western world. He further insisted the Biennale may risk losing its reputation and importance if it continues to deviate from its architectural focus.
Byakura ice cream by Cellato. Image courtesy of Guiness World Records…
