Writing My Own Artistic Origin Story
I didn’t speak until I was almost seven. But just because I was not speaking, did not mean I was not listening.
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Four New York City Art Shows to See Right Now
From Coco Fusco’s incisive political performance art to Alexander Calder’s whimsical circus, the shows below will grab your attention.
Calder’s Circus Is for Everyone
The Whitney’s 100th anniversary exhibition of Alexander Calder’s sculpted circus shows an artist at play, and creates a fantastical world.
A History of Japan
Bill Wurtz’s History of Japan is the most entertaining history of anything I have ever seen. [This is a vintage post originally from Feb 2016.] Tags: Bill Wurtz · Japan · timeless posts · video
New Egypt Museum Takes “Grand Opening” a Bit Too Far
After 20 years and a $1 billion construction project, the museum holding around 100,000 artifacts opened to much fanfare earlier this month.
How to Fix Breakdowns in Communication
Two people meet, discover an uncommon electricity flowing between them, exhilarate each other into forgetting the abyss that always gapes between one consciousness and another, until one day they realize they are having profoundly different experiences of the same situation and
The Anti-Caravaggio of the Baroque Era
Georges de La Tour incorporated chiaroscuro into austere genre compositions, lending them a uniquely intimate and spiritual quality.
Thieves Steal Roman-Era Statues From Damascus Museum
A historian speculates it might have been an inside job.
Mattias Krantz bought an octopus from the fish market and taught it...
Mattias Krantz bought an octopus from the fish market and taught it how to play piano . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
When the Bears Come Back
"A brutal bear attack in rural Virginia raises a difficult question: what does it mean to welcome wildness back?"
The trailer for Train Dreams, a film adaptation of the novella by...
The trailer for Train Dreams , a film adaptation of the novella by Denis Johnson . “In select theaters November 7 and on Netflix November 21.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
In ‘Of Colour,’ Vibrant Portraits by Yannis Davy Guibinga Illuminate Figures with Saturated Hues
Guibinga taps into color as a means of communication—a language that can be used for storytelling. 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 In ‘Of Colour,’
Fall 2025 Art Books From Yale University Press
Exceptional exhibition catalogues for Man Ray and Hew Locke, a landmark Louise Bourgeois biography, Robert Rauschenberg’s writings, and more titles to delight and edify.
Jamelle Bouie: “I’m gonna make a case to you that no matter...
Jamelle Bouie : “I’m gonna make a case to you that no matter what you’ve heard about the filibuster, you should want the filibuster to be sent to the ash bin of history.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
All Praise to the Lunch Ladies
"Blessed are the women who watch over America's children. "
Jessica Guo: “If there’s something out there that calls to you, I...
Jessica Guo : “If there’s something out there that calls to you, I hope you listen. Give yourself permission to do the thing.” Guo just finished hiking both the the Continental Divide Trail and the Great Divide Trail, solo. 3500+ miles! 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The Age of Audio, a Documentary on the History of Podcasting
Here’s the trailer for The Age of Audio , a feature-length documentary about the invention and popularization of podcasting, from Adam Curry to Ronald Young Jr. I ran across this movie via a clip on Instagram that explains how the word “podcast” came to be; here’s the same
Fonts based on the type generated by the Epson MX-80 dot matrix...
Fonts based on the type generated by the Epson MX-80 dot matrix printer (1980) . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
For a More Creative Brain, Travel. “New sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations,...
For a More Creative Brain, Travel. “New sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations, and sights spark different synapses in the brain and may have the potential to revitalize the mind.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
“China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months,...
“ China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months , analysis reveals, adding evidence to the hope that the world’s biggest polluter has managed to hit its target of peak CO2 emissions well ahead of schedule.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The model of catastrophe
The immense complexity of the climate makes it impossible to model accurately. Instead we must use uncertainty to our advantage - by David Stainforth Read on Aeon
A good business vs. a useful idea
Ideas open doors, lead to connections and make things better. But not all good ideas are good businesses. Crop rotation is a good idea. So is sous vide cooking and the sport of juggling. But these aren’t good businesses. A business thrives when it can charge a premium–selling
Beautiful, Color Photographs of Paris Taken a Century Ago—at the Beginning of World War I & the End of La Belle Époque
It may well be that the major pivot points of history are only visible to those around the bend. For those of us immersed in the present—for all of its deafening sirens of violent upheaval—the exact years future generations will use to mark our epoch remain unclear. But when we
Daniel Arnold’s New Pleasure? Missing the Shot.
"The street photographer speaks about New York City folklore, stepping away from Instagram, and his shifting priorities as an artist."
The Groundbreaking Animation That Defined Pink Floyd’s Psychedelic Visual Style: Watch “French Windows” (1972)
You could argue that, of all rock bands, that Pink Floyd had the least need for visual accompaniment. Sonically rich and evocatively structured, their albums evolved to offer listening experiences that verge on the cinematic in themselves. Yet from fairly early in the Floyd’s