Karl Hess: toward liberty
‘Society, in fact, is neighbourhoods’ – how Karl Hess transformed from a Republican speechwriter into a radical welder - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
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Venezuelan Artists Come Together
Artists share stories of grief and community after deadly earthquakes; plus, Mamdani’s budget for culture in NYC.
The anguish of choice
In the shattered aftermath of war, Sartre delivered a formidable lecture on freedom and meaning. Its urgency remains - by Skye C Cleary Read on Aeon
Constructions, Concoctions, Conjurations: A Reading List on the Curious World of Conlangs
Making stuff up is harder, stranger, and occasionally more dangerous than it looks. Seven stories that explore the world of constructed languages.
Left unsaid
It’s difficult to ride a bicycle in the pitch darkness. We need to see where we’re going to avoid obstacles. And it’s hard to maintain our balance. When we choose to avoid the conversations that make us uncomfortable, we’re pedaling in the dark. Talk about it. Turn on the lights.
Meet the Syntopicon: The Ambitious Index That Tried to Organize All of Western Thought (1952)
Mortimer J. Adler rose to cultural prominence in the mid-twentieth-century United States, not that a figure like him could have done so in any other place or time. A haphazard professional and intellectual path involving copy-boy work at the New York Sun, night school, and an
After Earthquakes, Venezuela's Artists Turn to Each Other
Facing a humanitarian crisis, everyday citizens have become rescue workers, and tight-knit art communities are creating networks of support.
Value of Looted Objects at Met Museum Tops $95M After New Seizures
Several ancient sculptures and vessels acquired between 1971 and 2001 were among the objects extracted from The Met's collection this June.
Erling Haaland “brings the intensity of a raiding...
Erling Haaland “brings the intensity of a raiding party to the sport” . And: “Haaland can call to mind a shark circling dark waters.”
Remembering Rune Mields, Onai Quiñonez, and Song Burnsoo
This week, we honor a German artist who plumbed the depths of geometry, a Venezuelan painter, and a Korean museum director and printmaker.
10 Art Shows to See in Los Angeles This July
Marc Kreisel’s secret art practice, Gwyneth Bulawsky’s queer and trans landscapes, Barbara Carrasco’s lifelong muralism, and more.
The Violinist Who Solved the Ancient Riddle of How the World Holds Together
This essay is adapted from Traversal. She is looking at the staff lines of a strange symphony in blue, her cautious disbelief punctured by a burst of delirious wonderment. Brushes and tubes of paint are scattered about her — paint she has spent years mixing into the perfect
My Family Has Been Here Since 1621. That Is Not What...
My Family Has Been Here Since 1621. That Is Not What Makes Me American. “We are a nation of immigrants that has watched as immigrants arrive, assimilate and begin pulling the ladder up behind them.”
NYC Mayor Mamdani Approves Record $323M Funding for Culture
The overall city budget also establishes a "Cultural Stability Fund" for struggling arts organizations.
There’s been so much crazy to pay attention to over the...
There’s been so much crazy to pay attention to over the past few weeks that I missed this: Midjourney, the AI image-maker that you access through Discord, is making a medical imaging machine . “It starts by stepping into a shallow pool of golden light…”
Four-Byte Burger
A graphic of a floppy disk hamburger was created on an early Amiga computer, photographed, and then deleted (more specifically, it couldn’t be saved). Stuart Brown set out to recreate this image as accurately as possible, including colors, dimensions, etc. This is deliciously
I love the aesthetic of Fresco , a video game where you...
I love the aesthetic of Fresco , a video game where you play as a character embedded into Egyptian wall paintings. In many ways, these wall paintings are ancient precursors to side-scrolling games.
How Do You Prove Arson When the Evidence Burns Away?
For the latest episode of Howtown , Adam Cole and Joss Fong look at wildfires and how investigators go about determining and proving how they start. The backdrop of video is the investigation into the Palisades Fire and the related arson trial that just concluded. What started
“That Guy is Still Out There”
"Five years after Anthony Broadwater was belatedly cleared for the sexual assault of Alice Sebold, the questions of how he came to be wrongly convicted and how one or more serial rapists operated for years with little consequence have only deepened."
Tom Colicchio’s Final Service
"Through hosting two decades of Top Chef , writing four books, and opening restaurants across the country, the celebrity chef never stopped showing up to cook in the kitchen of Craft, his pioneering New York restaurant. Until he decided to close it."
Guimi You’s Atmospheric Oil Paintings Delve into Memory, Introspection, and Rediscovery
The Seoul-based artist's lush paintings have an aura of wistfulness and quietude. 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 Guimi You’s Atmospheric Oil
You know sometimes you learn some ancient lore and...
You know sometimes you learn some ancient lore and suddenly some contemporary pop culture thing snaps into place? Anyway, I found out how Isadora Duncan died and now I better understand the “no capes” thing in The Incredibles .
How to Be Un-Dead: Anaïs Nin and D.H. Lawrence on the Key to Living Fully
"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death."
Tolkien Reads from “The Hobbit” in Rare Archival Audio from His First Encounter with a Tape Recorder
“He was Gollum — as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes.”
Saya Irie’s Intricate Sculptures Recomposed from Eraser...
Saya Irie’s Intricate Sculptures Recomposed from Eraser Shavings . “The Japanese artist erases images & then uses those eraser shavings to recompose the images into three-dimensional form, transforming the byproduct of erasure into delicate works of art.”
Opportunities in July 2026
Residencies, fellowships, grants, and open calls from the Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation, Ucross, AICA International, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
The Last Astronomers . “Many fear that if...
The Last Astronomers . “Many fear that if unleashed in all parts of the scientific process, AI tools could lead to nothing less than the death of astrophysics as a human endeavor.”
The Tick That Hunts Down Its Hosts—Including Us
"Lone-star ticks don’t just pursue and bite people. The affliction they’re spreading, an allergy to red meat known as alpha-gal syndrome, attacks a way of life."
Idris Elba DJs a House Party
Idris Elba, knight of the realm and forever Avon Barksdale’s right-hand man in my heart, has been a DJ since he was 14 years old. He recently DJed a house party for Black House Radio and it looks like everyone had a lot of fun. You can also find this mix on Soundcloud , along
Theo Bosboom Takes a Bug’s-Eye View in His Perspective-Shifting ‘Flowerscapes’
Imagine being a beetle and looking up at a forest of flowers. 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 Theo Bosboom Takes a Bug’s-Eye View in His