Film
A Washed-up Porn Star Wreaks Trumpian Mayhem in His Hometown
Sean Baker’s film about a washed-up porn star seducing a teenage girl is sexually frank in a way few US films are now.
Review
Books
New Frida Kahlo Monograph Moves Beyond Individual Genius Narrative
Three art historians put the focus back on Kahlo’s artistic output.
Film
The Gothic Tale of a Girl With Ice Cubes for Teeth
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s English-language debut Earwig is another odd but assured film about the relationships between children and their guardians.
Art
The Urgency and Resonance of Chakaia Booker
The intentionality of Booker's abstraction gives me the impetus to discuss something about the current zeitgeist that’s been on my mind for a while.
Art
The Problematic Allure of Titian’s Poesie Paintings
Titian’s paintings are masterpieces, with all the complications of the term.
Film
With The Gaze, Barry Jenkins Asks Us to Reflect on Black Trauma Narratives
Jenkins’s new short film, the centerpiece of a MoMI exhibit on The Underground Railroad, uses his signature techniques to confront the viewer.
Film
Bob Ross the Dreamer Got a Rude Awakening
The new documentary Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed pulls back the curtain to expose the realities of Bob Ross, Inc. but does it go far enough?
Art
The Political Vision of South Asian Abstraction
The works in Fault Lines prove that abstraction need not be confined to the inner life of the artist.
Art
The Graceful Instability of Kiah Celeste’s Art
Celeste’s sculptures all rely on natural forces to achieve balance, and thus are perpetually on the precipice of collapse.
Art
Takuji Hamanaka’s Spellbinding Prints
By reinventing the traditional bokashi technique, Hamanaka reminds us that nothing is dead, even when many proclaim otherwise.
Art
With a Denver Location, Meow Wolf Expands Its Immersive Schtick
The company's mastery of the art market’s smoke and mirrors is its most impressive illusion.
Art
When Disney Declared War on Deutschland
Walt Disney built his media empire animating fairy tales; he did not start making films set in a Nazi-occupied Europe by choice.