Exilium Vita Est: The Island Home of Victor Hugo By Emma Jacobs Feature Emma Jacobs takes us on an illustrated journey of Hugo’s writing life in exile on Guernsey, where he completed Les Misérables.
‘I Surprise Myself With This Refusal To Let Go’: Kate Zambreno on the ‘Ghostly Correspondence’ By Tobias Carroll Feature “I thought for sure, I’ll never write about Rilke again. I’m done with Rilke! I’m sick of Rilke! Rilke — no more. But then the other day … I just started researching something about Rilke.”
Two Clocks, Running Down By Colin Dickey Feature In “Time Is a Thing the Body Moves Through,” T Fleischmann resists metaphor, even as they reflect on the metaphor-saturated work of Félix González-Torres.
‘Women Created Our Worlds:’ Native Art Reclaims Its Power By Soraya Roberts Feature There’s a direct line from missing and murdered indigenous women to the repression of Native women’s contributions to art and culture, but those long-silenced voices are now making themselves heard.
‘What Is Missing Is Her Soul’: Women and Art, Girls and Men By Alana Mohamed Feature In a new book, Camille Laurens examines the life of the model for Degas’ masterpiece, “Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen.” But there’s still so much we don’t know.
Against Hustle: Jenny Odell Is Taking Her Time at the End of the World By Rebecca McCarthy Feature The attention economy is killing us and the planet. Artist and writer Jenny Odell talks about why slowing down could be the only way to survive.
Unleashed in Paris By Kate Gavino Feature As a semi-professional dog walker in Paris, expat Kate Gavino has found a comfortable way to learn French.
How Do You Move a Warhol? Really, Really Carefully By Michelle Weber Highlight We’re gonna need more bubble wrap.
And They Do Not Stop Until Dusk By Daisy Alioto Feature I’ve never known what it means to feel Jewish, but I still have a past — I have György Román, who painted dreams and saw nightmares.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti at 100: A Reading List By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Reading List Beat poet and City Lights publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti turns 100 on March 24. Here’s a reading list to celebrate the centenarian.
Edward Gorey: A Highly Conjectural Man By Bridey Heing Feature When asked if there was “anything people don’t understand” about him, Gorey responded: “Yes. No. Yes. No.” A new biography by Mark Dery attempts to sort myth from reality.
Of Blackness and ‘Beauty’ By Morgan Jerkins Feature At an art exhibit exploring black models through Western art, Morgan Jerkins finds historical evidence of the white supremacist definitions of beauty Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom identifies in ‘Thick: and Other Essays.’
The Resplendent Photography of Carrie Mae Weems By Danielle Jackson Highlight Carrie Mae Weems may be our best contemporary photographer.
Tennessee Williams’ Paintings Explored Being Gay in America By Krista Stevens Highlight Williams’ paintings explored love, desire, and loss, too.
Every Mission is a Suicide Mission By Nicholas Mainieri Feature Accompanying a contestant to a pro-level Galaga tournament to discover how many digital space bugs you have to destroy to find renown, community, and a modicum of inner peace.
A Woman’s Work: The Art of the Day Job By Carolita Johnson Feature Carolita Johnson looks back on the many ways she’s tried to juggle work with her *work.*
Understanding Adrian Piper’s Probing Body of Work By Danielle Jackson Highlight Adrian Piper’s body of work encourages audiences to think critically about race, gender, and power, and to engage with their own perceptions.
‘Wild With Love’: Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah on the Portraits of Henry Taylor By Danielle Jackson Highlight Henry Taylor’s portraits are sacred objects that lovingly center black subjects and black interiority.
The Town That Camp Built By Krista Stevens Highlight “Key West’s brand of camp reflects Wolkowsky’s understanding — never on the nose, always sideways, a place where anonymity feels like an innate right.”
The Camouflage Artist: Two World Wars, Two Loves, and One Great Deception By Mary Horlock Feature In the first war, Joseph Gray used his art to reveal his fellow soldiers. In the next war, he used it to hide them.
Tax-Free Storage Wars By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian Feature Arcis is a new art storage facility in Harlem that offers its clients a Foreign Trade Zone. But are they selling the art world a luxury tax haven, or just banking on confusion?
‘Open Casket’ and the Question of Empathy By Longreads Feature Did Dana Schutz’s painting engage with her subject, Emmett Till, ethically and responsibly?
The Manipulative Power of ‘You Understand’ By Danielle Tcholakian Commentary A reminder, courtesy of Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Turning Love and Grief into Outsider Art By Aaron Gilbreath Highlight How one London man transformed his house into a work of art, and a physical love story to the people he’s lost.
Kara Walker’s Subtlety By Longreads Feature In the summer of 2014, Kara Walker’s sphinx posed a riddle about women, sweetness, and power.
What Happens Between What Seems Like All the Facts: On Interviewing Artists By Jonny Auping Feature Curator Michael Auping on the forty years he spent interviewing artists in their studios.
Art in the Age of Blockchain By Michelle Legro Commentary Why a rare Pepe meme is now easier to authenticate than a Leonardo.
Dance Me to the End of Love By Abigail Rasminsky Feature Abigail Rasminsky dreamed of becoming a professional dancer. Then she got hurt.
Longreads Best of 2017: Arts & Culture Writing By Longreads Reading List We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in arts and culture writing.
