Madison Ave Gets New Luxury Store: Sotheby’s
The auction house’s new headquarters in the iconic Brutalist building includes private showrooms, jewelry sales, and of course, Maurizio Cattelan’s solid gold toilet.
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What Mamdani Learned from His Mother’s Films. “How the ethics of the...
What Mamdani Learned from His Mother’s Films . “How the ethics of the acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair echo in her son’s politics.”
The Week in Art Crime and Mischief
On Halloween, while dressed as Dakota Johnson from her Architectural Digest home tour, I was approached by a blond man in all black clothing, a safety vest, and a tiara who needed directions. “Louvre thief!” I shouted at him. “I thought you were arrested.” Drunk
A Hypnotic Display of Robots Making Tiny Springs
A beautifully shot HD video of machines manufacturing springs and other wire gizmos. I love how all the tools take turns and work together to make the widgets. Imagine the chatter amongst the tools: “Ok, thanks, my turn.” “Here, hold this while I turn it. Alright, we’re
10 Exhibitions to See in Upstate New York This November
Corrine May Botz’s feast for the psyche, Larissa Tokmakova’s futuristic wrestling matches, Jody Isaacson’s ode to Artemis, and so much more.
Detroit Institute of Arts Workers Push to Unionize
“The people at the 'bottom' are also very important and all deserve to be getting a living wage,” said one of the workers.
“A trio of photographers in New Zealand have captured images of ‘red...
“A trio of photographers in New Zealand have captured images of ‘red sprites’, or red lightning, one of the rarest light phenomena in the world, in which luminous crimson flashes appear in the sky .” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Maybe Don’t Talk to the ‘New York Times’ About Zohran Mamdani
"The former chair of the Africana Studies department at Bowdoin College would prefer not to."
“Members of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra playing Tango Jalousie while eating...
“ Members of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra playing Tango Jalousie while eating the worlds hottest chili peppers ” (ghost peppers, Carolina Reapers). This is what elite professionalism looks like. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
I Visited Every Country in the World Without Flying. Here Are Eight...
I Visited Every Country in the World Without Flying. Here Are Eight Things I Learned. “What you want and what you need are not the same thing.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Enroll for Summer 2026 Pre-College Programs at Rhode Island School of Design
RISD now offers in-person and virtual program formats to reach young artists from anywhere in the world.
Mushrooms Playing Music
Bionic and the Wires connects sensors to plants and fungi to help them play music . The attached sensors measure bio-electrical fluctuations in the mushroom. The fluctuations are converted into signals that control the robotic arms. The keyboard is playing a synth in Ableton
New exhibition at the British Library in London: Secret Maps. “Some of...
New exhibition at the British Library in London: Secret Maps . “Some of the maps on display reveal hidden landscapes, offering insight into places long forgotten or erased from official histories. Others are purposefully deceptive…” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Royal Family is a daily game where you have to position six...
Royal Family is a daily game where you have to position six chess pieces on a board so that none of the pieces attack each other and there’s only a single piece in each marked zone. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
These 15 Gorgeous Photographs Capture the Beautiful Art of Blown and Stained Glass
From cathedrals to train stations to museums, these masterful displays showcase the remarkable talent that goes into creating the fragile art form
TIL: “Key man risk refers to the potential threat a company faces...
TIL: “ Key man risk refers to the potential threat a company faces when a crucial employee, often a key executive or expert, is no longer available.” I think KDO has key person risk, although maybe I overestimate my VORP . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Gerwyn Davies’ Vivid Costumed Photographs Toy with the Intent of Portraiture
What does it mean, in a portrait, to be hyper-visible yet unseen? 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 Gerwyn Davies’ Vivid Costumed Photographs Toy
Saving the Venus Flytrap: How One Woman Rallied a Town Around Its Weirdest Attraction
"Despite their outsize hold on popular imagination, Venus flytraps are native to a tiny corner of the globe: the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas."
Mapping Bob Dylan’s mind
Generative AI sheds new light on the underlying engines of metaphor, mood and reinvention in six decades of songs - by Prashant Garg Read on Aeon
Time travel
We can’t change the past. But the future might be up to us. It might be best to daydream about what might be, not what already happened.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing notable stories from Joanne McNeil, Lindsey Liles, Soyonbo Borgin, Frank Chimero, and Holly Haworth.
The Roman Empire’s Vast Road Network—186,000 Miles of It—Has Just Been Mapped in a New Digital Atlas
Everywhere you look, you can find traces of the ancient Roman civilization from which the modern West descends. That’s especially true if you happen to be looking in Europe, though echoes of Latin make themselves heard in major languages used all over the world. Take, for