I’ve got this queued up to listen to on the Shinkansen later: Lane 8’s Fall 2025 Mixtape . Available on YouTube , Soundcloud , and Apple Music . I’ve added this to my Underscore collection too. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
This week: the Bronx’s corpse flower, Jesmyn Ward on hip hop, the danger of SNAP’s expiration, horror and healing, Zohran jack-o-lanterns, and more.
We read the press releases so you don’t have to.
The art world is a scary place. A horror satire.
The Louvre jewel thieves, Zohran Mamdani, and Bob Ross walk into a bar.
Native American artifacts and jewelry were among the objects taken from the Oakland Museum of California’s off-site facility.
Renée Condo draws on the philosophical tenets of her Mi'gmaq ancestry to create energetic beaded works. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Vibrant
She melds the art world, the internal realm of the human spirit, the ancient origins of clay forms, and the forces of nature in her ceramics.
"I wasn’t a film critic or festival programmer or even an aspiring director. I was just an adolescent schoolboy and, in my parents’ probably loving description, a ‘weirdo.’"
“I’m not one of those incessant mark-makers; I spend a great deal of time just looking.”
Staffers say they want “fairer compensation, expanded benefits, and increased transparency” as the cost of living rises in Los Angeles.
A network of nearly 30 institutions drives exhibitions, anti-racist education, and innovative projects that challenge dominant narratives about Blackness in the Caribbean.
Apply by January 18, 2026, to be considered for a full-tuition scholarship.
"Navigating an uncertain future by connecting to Mother Earth."
"She was already a huge Hollywood star at the age of 18. Keira Knightley tells Caitlin Moran how she struggled to cope with the intense scrutiny."
"Once upon a swampy ol’ dirt road, two sisters, Caelum and Terra, were growing up under the care of a spindly little witch by the name of Katarina." Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as
A composer encourages viewers to find beauty in the mundane rhythms and repetitions of everyday traffic patterns - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
As Pax Americana ends, a multipolar order is emerging. The history of Southeast Asia holds lessons for what’s to come - by Manjeet S Pardesi & Amitav Acharya Read on Aeon
When we’re a little behind, we borrow to catch up. Perhaps we borrow goodwill and spend less time than we might on a project. Or we need some money to pay the rent, so we borrow against a paycheck. And a good night’s sleep is tempting to borrow from as well. The borrowing
Apart from certain stretches of absence, Leonardo’s Mona Lisa has been on display at the Louvre for 228 years and counting. Though created by an Italian in Italy, the painting has long since been a part of French culture. At some point, the reverence for La Joconde, as the Mona
To many longtime fans, there are — at the very least — two Pink Floyds. The first is the rock band that in 1965 took the name the Pink Floyd Sound, an invention of its newest member Syd Barrett. A guitar-playing singer-songwriter, the young Barrett soon became the group’s