Art
Art
Art We’re Obsessed With is a monthly series highlighting the art that Artsy staffers can’t stop thinking about, and why. From lesser-known artists our editors stumbled across at local shows to artwork that’s going viral on our platform, these are the pieces of art we’re obsessed with this month.
Abdul Salam, Remember, on that day, We will roll up the universe like a scroll. (21:104)2024
One of the largest paintings currently on Artsy, this ink painting on canvas by emerging South African artist Abdus Salaam is awe-inspiring in its sheer scale. The painting’s radiant, symmetrical forms bring a sense of tranquility and wonder to me, reminding me of the blossoming light I “see” with my eyes closed during meditation. The massive work was created over a six-week period, partially coinciding with the month-long fast of Ramadan, during which the artist completed a residency at the Nirox Foundation, a nonprofit space located in the lush countryside outside of Johannesburg.
—Jordan Huelskamp, Head of Curatorial
Ivana Basic, I too have thousands of glittering cilia, and my abdomen, newborn, born for the ground, is reborn | Position 1 (#3)2018–21
For her first institutional exhibition, “Samsara,” at Berlin’s Schinkel Pavillon, Serbian artist Ivana Bašić explores trauma and its effects on the body, influenced by a turbulent childhood during the breakup of Yugoslavia. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a block of alabaster that is slowly pulverized by a soft, clanking pneumatic drill in a breath-like rhythm. I was completely mesmerized by the pale, fragile sculptures in this show: silvery metal, wax, and textured rock folded into bulbous, bizarre shapes. From a similar series, I also have thousands of shimmering cilia… (2018–21), shown in the group show “SIGNALS” at Someday Gallery, adds long glass drops that extend out of a mouth-like bronze opening. The result is organic, gentle, and raw.
—Josie Thaddeus-Johns, editor
My creative routine usually starts with collecting some art, a surefire cure for writer’s block. One recent work that broke through my brain fog and sparked my creative routine was Ugandan artist Sanaa Gateja’s hypnotic 2020 polyptych. path. The 64-year-old artist, whose work is on display in the Uganda Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, creates multimedia textiles using paper beads, often strung with raffia, banana fiber, tree bark and various recycled man-made materials.
Aptly dubbed the “Bead King,” Gateja uses his signature medium to craft elaborate swirling patterns. pathFrom one tapestry to another, I am drawn to the fluid forms that resemble vaguely outlined figures or groups of people. Gateja’s fusion beadwork inspires me to bring together different materials and memories to tell a story.
—Maxwell Raab, Staff Writer
Sophie Jen Bretz, Time is the vastness of the ocean, Time is everything, and in its womb – the fullness of the sun2024
Every year around this time, I make myself a summer mood board, which is basically just a bunch of phrases and pictures in my Notes app (sample entries: “ice cream for dinner,” “New York ferry”). Time is the vastness of the ocean, Time is everything, and in its womb – the fullness of the sun (2024) adds a new dimension to my annual collection. I love the contrast between the soft pastel gradations and the sharp lines; the stylish Poul Henningsen lamp in the foreground and the sunset behind it; the stark indifference and vividness of the Bretez figures. On closer inspection, the book on the table is open to a passage by Rainer Maria Rilke, in which he compares summer to a period of creative fertility – rewarding those who patiently endure the “spring storms.” The scene evokes the kind of leisure I seek in this season. Now, who will teach me how to play poker?
— Olivia Horn, deputy managing editor
Claude Lalanne, Pair of Alligator Armchairs2015
I was wandering around Art Basel last week, visiting Design Miami, the exhibition center, which gave me a break from the bustle around me. Along with the extremely comfortable-looking sofas, a pair of “crocodile chairs” designed by the late French designer Claude Lalanne at the Galerie Mitterrand booth immediately caught the eye. The bronze-colored pieces are one of a series of noteworthy works in the surrealist designer’s oeuvre, and their origins can be traced back to 1972, when Lalanne was given the remains of a recently deceased crocodile. The chairs’ intricate construction and bizarre decoration made me stop and admire them. My question: Do they provide adequate back support?
—Arun Kakar, Art Market Editor
I learned about Frida Orupabo’s work when she was featured in Art Vanguard in 2020. Since then, I have followed her career closely. I am always surprised and delighted by her sharp works, including this one, which reminds me of Alex Katz’s double-sided paper cut sculptures (see Double there), often depicting his wife and muse, Ida. Olupabo is both an artist and a sociologist who examines and questions the ways in which women are represented in art history and visual culture. Like specimen butterflies, her figures are pinned (or in this case, bolted) together for the viewer’s inspection, and she reminds us that the viewer is complicit.
—Isabelle Sakelaris, Senior Manager, Growth and Lifecycle Marketing
