Remembering Pat Steir
MoMA’s show on Frida and Diego misses the mark, the New School plans major layoffs, and John Yau stumbles upon two artistic beacons at Alexander Bergruen.
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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from Megan O’Grady, Alexander Sammon, Alaina Demopoulos, Blair Braverman, and Jack Crosbie.
What’s in the status bottle?
It’s often mislabeled. Sometimes the contents can make us ill, especially if we drink too much. Status is easy to sell. But despite how often people buy the promise, it rarely delivers.
When Soviet Youth Bootlegged Western Rock Music on Discarded X‑Rays: Hear Original Audio Samples
A catchy tribute to mid-century Soviet hipsters popped up a few years back in a song called “Stilyagi” by lo-fi L.A. hipsters Puro Instinct. The lyrics tell of a charismatic dude who impresses “all the girls in the neighborhood” with his “magnitizdat” and guitar. Wait, his
The Bird in the Heart: Terry Tempest Williams on the Paradox of Transformation and How to Live with Uncertainty
"We can change, evolve, and transform our own conditioning. We can choose to move like water rather than be molded like clay."
Frank Relle’s Photos Revel in Louisiana’s Otherworldly Swampland
"The swamp at two in the morning is not quiet; it is one of the loudest places I have ever been," Relle says. 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 Frank
Art Movements: A Canceled Biennale Show Finds a New Home
Gabrielle Goliath’s performance series, axed by South Africa for its Venice pavilion, will shine on, pro-wrestling meets contemporary art, a new hire for New York's forthcoming Hip Hop Museum, and more.
Frida-Mania Hits MoMA
A collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera’s costume designer, this exhibition is an irresistible marketing opportunity at best.
Ambiguity Reigns in Olaf Hajek’s Mysterious Illustrations
The Berlin-based illustrator renders dense, uncanny compositions that nod to Surrealist icons like Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7
New School Faculty React to Plans to Lay Off 15% of Workforce
"There's an air of anxiety," Carrie Hawks, an assistant professor of illustration, told Hyperallergic of the newly announced cuts.
Beacons in a Grim World
In concurrent exhibitions by Kevin McNamee-Tweed and Tajh Rust, we find two artists who keep looking and discovering, despite dark circumstances.
‘The Worst Neighbor Ever’
"He moved to the block promising a new bookstore. He brought a whole lot more than that. Now no one is quite sure how to describe what happened outside Quirky Books."
NYU Steinhardt Presents 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibitions
Part I: April 1–18, Part II: May 6–23. On view at 80WSE Gallery in New York’s Greenwich Village.
There’s an upside-down “H” on the...
There’s an upside-down “H” on the facade of a Frank Lloyd Wright building in Illinois. Here’s a deep dive into how it got there .
Pat Steir, Painter of Cascading Infinities, Dies at 87
Through works like her celebrated “Waterfalls” series, she leaves a legacy of artistic surrender and reverence for the gesture.
Required Reading
This week: what art conservators and novelists have in common, Toni Morrison and canonization, celebrating Eid in Gaza, the Lindy West drama, “girl games,” and more.
Remembering Asher Remy-Toledo, Media Art Luminary
The Colombian-born cultural producer, who died in February at age 62, cultivated community and experimentation for New York City artists, including me.
A Short Film Joins In the Timeless Swiss Masked Tradition of Silvesterchlausen
Writer and director Andrew Norman Wilson highlights a unique tradition with enigmatic origins that unfolds around the New Year. 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.
A comparison of different sorting algorithms (bubble,...
A comparison of different sorting algorithms (bubble, merge, heap, timsort). You can run them one at a time or race all seven.
How to Stop Waiting and Start Living: A Jolt from Henry James
"It wouldn't have been failure to be bankrupt, dishonoured, pilloried, hanged; it was failure not to be anything."
How American Camouflage Conquered the World
"The world-famous MultiCam pattern was designed for the military by two Brooklyn hipsters. Now everyone—from babies to ICE agents—is suited up for battle."
‘Get Down! Get Down! They’re Gonna See Us!’: Six Months of Hiding From ICE
"A family in Chicago has been terrified to leave their apartment. Agents could be anywhere."