AX Mina is an artist and culture writer exploring contemporary spirituality, technology and other sundry topics. She co-produces Five and Nine, a podcast about magic, work, and economic justice, and serves on the board of the Rabkin Foundation.
Opinion
I've been thinking a lot about the idea of open journalism in the arts. It's an important question, especially in light of the increased role of social media, blogging, and a general web presence that artists building a career in the 21st century often must maintain.
Interview
KAMPALA, Uganda — We gathered on a dusty road in the Kololo neighborhood of Kampala, Uganda's capital city, for coffee at The Hub, a popular coworking and events space. It had been a few weeks now since the terrific Kampala Art Festival, and I was just scratching the surface of Uganda's art scene. I
Art
LOS ANGELES — An 11,000 square foot warehouse in the heart of LA's Arts District, large-scale exhibitions, exciting speakers, and interactive workshops. Residencies for some of the world's most talented game designers. And a research lab designed to support game researchers around the world. This is
Art
KAMPALA, Uganda — All over Kampala, and in many parts of Uganda, you'll find them: shipping containers. From and to all over the world, shipping containers arrive and go out. Some stay, serving as a storage container on the side of a road, repurposed for whatever the contents. Others go. But, for th
Art
LOS ANGELES — Just a few miles from the concrete jungles of Los Angeles are its beaches, miles and miles of sand and silt. And just a few feet past those beaches is salt. Take a dip in the oceans of Los Angeles, and you'll inevitably notice it, whether it stings your eyes or touches your tongue. Sal
Opinion
Chinese artist Jody Xiong, who's collaborating with the China Environmental Protection Foundation, placed large white canvases on 132 crosswalks in 15 cities in China. As each person crossed, they picked up a small amount of green paint on their shoes, which they left as trails on the canvas.
Art
LOS ANGELES — High above Los Angeles on a hill near Silverlake and Los Feliz, Barnsdall Art Park has played an important role for many emerging artists in the city as a site for both education and exhibition. Its Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery is a fitting locale for Made in LA, the Hammer Museum
Opinion
LOS ANGELES — A couple of years ago, new-media performance artist Marc Horowitz submitted his life to the audience. Dubbed "The Advice of Strangers," his Creative Time–commissioned performance was determined entirely by opinion polls and votes from the audience. Horowitz is at it again, as he turns
Art
LOS ANGELES — The image of the Chinese manufacturing plant is quickly becoming a 21st century icon of production, just as the car plants of Fordism were in the 20th century and Victorian coal mines were during the Industrial Revolution. They're frequently portrayed as sites of high efficiency, but r
Opinion
LOS ANGELES — I'm a sucker for skyscraper photos. Ever since I first set foot in downtown Los Angeles and then Manhattan, I've loved looking up at buildings. Tall ones, fancy ones — almost every major city has at least one interesting one, and in a place like China, there are more tall buildings tha
Opinion
LOS ANGELES —Travel around East and Southeast Asia enough and you'll invariably come across at least one big Buddha. Cut from stone or marble or any other substantive material, they dominate the room with their presence. Then there's Kobe-based sculptor Yuji Honbori.
Opinion
LOS ANGELES — I meet a lot of artists these days who have big goals. Some of the most successful ones even write them out, with specific numbers like a solo show and such-and-such gallery within three years. In a competitive art environment, it's great to have goals, and it's great to make progress