Art
Jessica Vaughn’s Cathartic Critiques of Office Culture
In Vaughn’s hands, “success” takes shape as a parade of etiquette, competition, and power.
Olivia Jia
Art
Samara Golden’s Memento Mori Give Shape to Grief
When experienced as a portrait of the artist’s psyche alone, Upstairs at Steve’s is a piercing representation of individual grief.
Books
What Constitutes an “Appropriate Monument”? Philadelphians Have a Few Ideas
In 2020, Monument Lab: Creative Speculations for Philadelphia is not merely a living handbook, but an uncanny prophecy.
Art
The Everyday Manifestations of Colonialism's Legacy
Banal Presents is the third and final chapter in Colored People Time, departing from the previous shows' speculative representations to examine the ways that colonialism and slavery have permeated the United States' past, present, and future.
Art
Painting 250 Years of Racial Violence in the Americas
In his brightly-colored acrylic works, Haitian-born, Philadelphia-based artist Claes Gabriel addresses the Haitian Revolution, global migration, and police brutality in the US.
Art
Refugees Connect Their Personal Stories with a Museum’s Ancient Artifacts
The Global Guides program at the Penn Museum hires recent refugees from the Middle East to give personalized tours. The leader of my tour was Moumena Saradar, a refugee from Syria who has lived in Philadelphia for two years.
Art
Imagining Utopia in Rina Banerjee’s Whimsical Cornucopias
Cobbled together from materials including cowrie shells, Yoruba masks, horns, Japanese mosquito nets, and crocodile heads, Rina Banerjee's fantastical sculptures present a utopian vision of globalism.
Art
Philadephia's "Festival for the People" Is Short on Locals
I wish Philadelphia Contemporary had better followed through on the promise of representing everyday people within the city with its Festival for the People.
Art
The Secret Lives of Discarded Things
Jean Shin: Collections is a great introduction to the artist for those who do not know her work, but encounters the pitfalls of recontextualizing public art within museum settings.
Art
Trenton Doyle Hancock Designs Dolls for a New Era
An exhibition of historic and futuristic dolls that points to the power of creating new mythologies.
Art
The Distinct Shapes and Movements of Korean Modernism
Ultimately, Suki Seokyeong Kang’s use of the modernist grid is distinctly Korean.
Art
Richard Mosse Uses Military Equipment to Show the Reach of the Surveillance State
The photographer uses a heat-sensing camera to turn a critical eye towards governments’ insufficient responses to a humanitarian crisis.