Artists & Personalities

Harlem Renaissance Documentary Preserves Artists’ Stories

October 20, 2026

Filmmaker William Greaves’ documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem brings a remarkable 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance artists and cultural figures to contemporary audiences. Completed more than five decades after the footage was recorded, the film preserves conversations among musicians, writers, photographers and visual artists who helped shape one of the most influential movements in African American cultural history. Key Takeaways Once Upon a Time in Harlem features footage of a gathering held at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse in August 1972. Filmmaker William Greaves recorded firsthand conversations with prominent Harlem Renaissance figures. Participants included photographer James Van Der Zee, composer Eubie Blake and visual artist Romare Bearden. David Greaves directed the completed documentary, with his daughter Liani Greaves serving as a producer. The restored footage preserves discussions about Black artistic expression, cultural identity and the Harlem Renaissance’s enduring legacy. William Greaves’ Harlem Renaissance Documentary Reaches Contemporary Audiences The Harlem Renaissance documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem revisits a gathering that filmmaker William Greaves organized in August 1972. Held at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in Harlem, the event brought together surviving artists, writers, musicians and intellectuals associated with the cultural movement that flourished during the 1920s and 1930s. Greaves assembled

Harlem Renaissance Documentary Preserves Artists’ Stories

October 20, 2026

Filmmaker William Greaves’ documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem brings a remarkable 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance artists and

How Jamie McKenzie, Known as Nastyrck, Built a Career From East London Studios to Ibiza Records

October 19, 2026

The Secretly Kept Journals That Were Discovered Posthumously Are the Heart of Middle Sisters, and What They Contain Will Stay With You Long After the Last Page

October 17, 2026

Nicole Evans Brings Theatre, Education, and Imagination Together in Children’s Literature

October 16, 2026

Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Trailer Reveals First Look at Fantasy Film

October 15, 2026

Robert Kraus on Why Artists Should Stop Renting Booths and Start Building Their Own Pop-Ups

October 13, 2026

By: Zach Miller Robert Kraus, CEPS, CNS, MMP, owner of PopUpsByDesign, has invaluable advice for artists looking to display their work. He recommends artists stop renting a booth or displaying in galleries because craft fairs make artists pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a tiny space on the floor, and commercial galleries usually take up to 50% commission from sales. Instead, Robert Kraus reveals why the answer lies in pop-ups. Strategically designed pop-up shops allow artists to have full control over the space, the customer relationship, and the economics. He further looks at the art pop-up from an event planner’s perspective. “The space is part of the product.” Even if a painting is brilliant, how people enter the area, navigate it, ask questions, and purchase could shape their recollections. Art pop-ups could help draw attention, build relationships, gauge demand, and develop a customer base that can be contacted once the event ends. Start With the Room, Not the Artwork The usual planning order is easy to understand: finish the collection, then find somewhere to display it. Robert Kraus has a different view on this. Define the target audience and the behavior you expect from them. Do you launch

Frieze London Artists Explain Their Creative Processes

October 13, 2026

Eight British-based artists preparing to show work at Frieze London 2026 have shared how materials, personal experiences and cultural influences shape their art. Their practices span sculpture, painting, charcoal drawing, photography, printmaking and textiles. The fair takes place October 14–18 in Regent’s Park, London. Key Takeaways Eight artists discussed the ideas and methods behind works prepared for Frieze London 2026 Kira Freije combines metal and fabric in sculpture, while Jake Grewal works with charcoal and painting Mohammed Z Rahman draws on Bangladeshi craft traditions, and Alvaro Barrington incorporates hip-hop into portraiture Poppy Jones and Christina Kimeze explore how unconventional surfaces affect an artwork Frieze London runs October 14–18 in Regent’s Park Frieze London Artists Prepare for the 2026 Art Fair Kira Freije, Mohammed Z Rahman, Jake Grewal, Alvaro Barrington, Louise Giovanelli, Shaqúelle Whyte, Poppy Jones and Christina Kimeze have discussed the works they are presenting and the decisions behind them. Their accounts move beyond finished images to the methods used in the studio. Some focus on combining materials, while others draw on family histories, music, memories or familiar objects. Those differences show how artists arrive at distinct forms of expression within the same contemporary art fair. Contemporary Artists Explore Sculpture,

Beyond the Ordinary, Shweta Harve and Ananda Xenia Shakti Are Redefining Music Through Purpose, Passion, and Spiritual Discovery

October 13, 2026

By: Lauren Mitchell In an industry often preoccupied with viral sensations, streaming numbers, and fleeting commercial trends, two remarkable women are proving that music’s greatest power may lie in its ability to awaken something deeper within us. Singer-songwriters Shweta Harve and Ananda Xenia Shakti have followed distinctly different artistic journeys, yet both have arrived at a similar destination: creating music that encourages listeners to question, reflect, heal, and rediscover what truly matters. One approaches her craft through contemporary pop songwriting and thoughtful social commentary. The other draws upon a fascinating history in punk rock and decades of spiritual exploration to create transformative musical experiences. Together, they represent a compelling alternative to the increasingly disposable nature of modern popular culture. Shweta Harve: A Voice for Reflection in a Restless World Shweta Harve has established herself as an independent singer-songwriter whose artistic identity revolves around meaningful questions rather than conventional pop formulas. Her music explores human relationships, emotional well-being, societal pressures, and the complicated realities of contemporary life. Working frequently with Italian composer Dario Cei, Harve has developed a distinctive approach that combines accessible melodic arrangements with lyrics designed to stimulate thought and conversation. Her 2024 single “Who Are You” introduced listeners

Frank Stella’s Work Returns to New York Galleries in 2027

October 9, 2026

Paula Cooper Gallery and Sprüth Magers will present separate exhibitions of Frank Stella’s work in New York in spring 2027, with the presentations organized alongside the Frank Stella Estate. The exhibitions will focus on works from the late 1970s and early 1980s and will be the first gallery presentations dedicated to Stella since his death in May 2024. Key Takeaways Paula Cooper Gallery and Sprüth Magers will present separate Frank Stella exhibitions in New York in spring 2027. The exhibitions will focus on Stella’s work from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Frank Stella Estate is involved in organizing both exhibitions. The shows will be the first gallery presentations dedicated to Stella since his death in May 2024. Both galleries will also present individual Frank Stella works at Art Basel Paris. Frank Stella Exhibitions Set for New York in Spring 2027 A Frank Stella exhibition will be presented by Paula Cooper Gallery and Sprüth Magers as part of two separate New York gallery presentations scheduled for spring 2027. The exhibitions will center on Stella’s work from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The two galleries will mount their own presentations rather than combining the material into a single exhibition.

Metallica Begins Life Burns Faster Residency at Sphere

October 6, 2026

Metallica has launched its Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, bringing the heavy-metal band’s live performances into the venue’s immersive audiovisual environment. The residency marks Metallica’s first performances at Sphere and pairs its concert production with the venue’s large-format visual and sound capabilities. Key Takeaways Metallica began its Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas on October 1, 2026 The residency is Metallica’s first series of performances at Sphere Metallica is the first metal act to headline a Sphere residency The performances combine the band’s live concert production with Sphere’s immersive audiovisual environment The residency includes 24 scheduled performances through March 13, 2027, using a No Repeat Weekend format Metallica Sphere Residency Opens in Las Vegas Metallica began its Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas on October 1, 2026. The run brings the band into a venue built around an immersive audiovisual environment, adding Sphere’s large-format visuals and sound system to Metallica’s established live production. The residency gives Metallica a dedicated series of Las Vegas performances rather than a single concert. The current schedule includes 24 shows extending through March 13, 2027. The opening also marked Metallica’s first performance at Sphere and

Sia Sells 50% Music Catalog Stake to Pophouse Entertainment

October 3, 2026

Sia has sold a 50% stake in her music catalog to Pophouse Entertainment, establishing a broader creative partnership between the singer-songwriter and the Stockholm-based entertainment company. The agreement covers publishing and master music rights while creating a framework for future projects based on Sia’s body of work. Sia Music Catalog Deal Establishes Pophouse Partnership Pophouse confirmed the agreement on October 1, announcing that it had acquired a 50% stake in Sia’s publishing and master music rights. The transaction gives Pophouse an interest in two distinct areas of Sia’s catalog. Publishing rights relate to the underlying compositions, while master rights cover recorded versions of the music included in the agreement. Beyond the rights transaction, Pophouse will work with Sia on new creative initiatives designed around her existing music. The company said it plans to use its in-house storytelling capabilities to develop projects across different entertainment formats while continuing to steward her catalog. Sia remains involved in that creative relationship, making the arrangement broader than a conventional transfer of music rights. Her catalog includes some of her best-known recordings, including “Chandelier,” “Unstoppable,” “Elastic Heart” and “Cheap Thrills,” alongside songwriting work connected to other major performers. Separate reporting on the transaction states that

Halsey Expands Film Career With ‘Our Hero, Balthazar’

October 2, 2026

Halsey is expanding her work behind the camera with a producer credit on the independent feature Our Hero, Balthazar. The singer-songwriter’s involvement adds another narrative film to a screen portfolio that already includes the visual album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power and Charlie Kaufman’s short film How to Shoot a Ghost. Key Takeaways Halsey holds a producer credit on Our Hero, Balthazar Oscar Boyson directed the independent comedy-drama and co-wrote it with Ricky Camilleri Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield lead the cast Halsey previously worked on If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power and How to Shoot a Ghost The project expands Halsey’s film work beyond productions directly connected to her music Halsey Adds a New Film Production Credit Halsey’s involvement in Our Hero, Balthazar places the singer-songwriter within the production team of an independent narrative feature directed by Oscar Boyson. Boyson co-wrote the screenplay with Ricky Camilleri, while Jaeden Martell stars as Balthazar and Asa Butterfield plays Solomon. The role adds another dimension to Halsey’s creative work outside recording and live performance. Her previous screen projects have often maintained a close connection to music and visual storytelling, while Our Hero, Balthazar operates as a standalone

Yuxin Zhang’s BLANKNESS, Curating Tensions, Contradictions and Gaps, and Pointing to Silencing within Social Structures

September 30, 2026

By: Kalinca Costa Söderlund BLANKNESS, a group exhibition at A Space Gallery, New York (24-29 September 2026), departs from fixity in order to explore the tensions between artworks: through a sculptural object, a pure-white carrier bag that rests on a plinth beside a large, eerie painting in which form materialises against a vast black background, Zhang juxtaposes weightlessness and heaviness; the stillness of painting is set against video, where single shots move at imperceptible speed to generate a continuous image. For Zhang, the curatorial process ought to generate meaning through the contradictions and gaps between its constituent parts, rather than through an intelligible narrative that brings together the specificity of each work of art within a single space. Black and white are not only tropes for tension and contradiction, but also formal equivalents for a logic that, in space, defines hollowness and mass, as well as for one that paces the passage of time: small black landscapes, between the pictorial and the graphic, surface from white backgrounds almost like casts of real objects, whilst screens that remain dark or blank between moments underscore how images both appear and dissolve in video art. For Zhang, there is much to be apprehended

Puyi Deng’s Curatorial Practice: Bridging Time, Materiality, Media, and Meaning

September 30, 2026

By: Kalinca Costa Söderlund Puyi Deng’s curatorial project Entre Deux at Galerie St-Guillaume in Paris (21-26 September 2026), rests on the premise that art is not the product of a specific time or individual creator, but the result of broader relational and non-teleological frameworks: a symphony bringing together past and present, artworks, their materiality and formal specificity, galleries as interactive spatial-temporal domains, and audiences as responsive elements and contributors to the generation of meaning. Art cannot exist without a symbiosis among all these elements, as without their interaction it would fail to generate new ways of seeing and understanding the world. Attention is also paid to conventions applied to craft-world and art-world formations, aiming at exploring the tensions between these two worlds whilst simultaneously blurring them. Danièle Boisot-Daguier, one of the two artists that Deng selected for the show, trained with a master glassmaker and therefore developed her practice inside a traditional craftsmanship sphere governed by its own internal technical standards, despite her discursive fluency in art history. Deng’s choice of Boisot-Daguier’s pieces for Entre Deux reflects the pursuit of the perceptual possibilities that emerge at the threshold between the refinement of craft and conceptual departure from it. The telling

Sabrina Carpenter as Ginger Rogers in Astaire Biopic

September 29, 2026

Sabrina Carpenter as Ginger Rogers is set for Sony Pictures’ untitled Fred Astaire biopic, opposite Tom Holland as Astaire and Margaret Qualley as Adele Astaire. The casting gives the film its three central performers while clarifying how director Paul King is connecting Astaire’s stage partnership with his sister to his later Hollywood work with Rogers. Key Takeaways Sabrina Carpenter has been cast as Ginger Rogers opposite Tom Holland’s Fred Astaire Margaret Qualley will play Adele Astaire, Fred’s older sister and original stage partner Paul King is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Steven Levenson, based on Kathleen Riley’s The Astaires: Fred & Adele Holland has begun dance rehearsals and has said he wants to perform the film’s dance sequences without doubles Sabrina Carpenter as Ginger Rogers will bring one of Hollywood’s best-known dance partnerships into a film whose source material is centered on Fred and Adele Astaire. The casting was reported Sept. 25, 2026, alongside Qualley’s addition as Adele, giving the long-developing Sony project a clearer shape after Holland had been attached to play Fred Astaire since 2021. King has said the story involves two different performance legacies. “Fred left a timeless legacy of dance on film,” he said,

Jingyi Zhang’s Digitally Generated Moving Image: Self and Other between Duality, Continuity and Unity

September 28, 2026

By: Kalinca Costa Söderlund The feminine, as Jingyi Zhang’s Between Her and the Other (2025) suggests, is an embodied manifestation of both personal experience and social construction. The work engages with how social pressure imposes on women not only physical but also performative demands, which in turn generate identitarian instability and vulnerability, often impinging upon a woman’s perception of the self. In this video, two digitally generated female figures are each associated with the marine and urban landscapes they inhabit in order to explore the notion of duality. As a result, identity is conceptually rendered as the negotiation of opposites: on the one hand, a fixed and socially construed persona which becomes internalised; on the other hand, an individually determined psychological and bodily domain. In terms of visual narrative, the blue, crystal-clear surface and depth of the sea stand for self-determination, whereas the vibrant, multichromatic palette and diversity of architectural forms that characterise the urban environment stand for the social conventions, aesthetic expectations, and public visibility that shape a woman’s identity according to externally established paradigms. Yet, as Between Her and the Other unfolds, duality gives way to continuity. In fact, except for the diametrically opposite colours of their dresses,

Jesús Florido and the Art of Crossing Musical Borders

September 26, 2026

There is something unexpected about the way Jesús Florido thinks about the violin. Ask him about classical music, and the conversation might lead to Puccini. Ask him about phrasing, and he may talk about an old jazz singer. Ask him about the violin itself, and before long he is discussing six strings, seven strings, electric instruments, guitar pedals, Latin rhythms, improvisation, and sounds the violin was never traditionally expected to make. For Florido, these are not contradictions. They are all part of the same musical language. Throughout a career that has moved between concert halls, recording studios, classrooms, touring stages, composition, and music production, Florido has resisted one of the music world’s most persistent impulses: the need to put artists into categories. Classical violinist. Latin musician. Fiddler. Composer. Producer. Educator. He has been all of them, but perhaps the simplest description is the most accurate: musician. At the center of his philosophy is an uncomplicated idea: good music is good music. Florido has also never thought of the violin merely as a string instrument. To him, its closest relative may be the human voice. He approaches a phrase with the emotional instinct of a singer, the vulnerability of an old

Haibo Jia’s Video Art “The Accent Frontier” As An Invisible Linguistic Boundary Within Culture

September 26, 2026

By: Valentina Shaeva Through media art practices, Haibo Jia continues to explore the issues of how language influences personality and how an individual’s attitude towards their own cultural memory is shaped through their native language amidst rapid globalization. For the artist, it is particularly important to demonstrate through his art that speech is not just an exchange of information, but a complex, constantly changing, and evolving living, independent structure that influences the entire cultural system of a nation. However, now, in the era of universal migration, language is rapidly losing its connection with established traditions and is transforming more into a coded system than a carrier of canons. Thus, Haibo Jia’s visual practices’ purpose is to present language, on the one hand, as a conditional mediator between a person and their cultural heritage, and, on the other hand, as an independent living organism that is permanently reinterpreted. In the new artwork, “The Accent Frontier”, the artist addresses the accent as one of the markers of cultural and social belonging. At first glance, an accent may be perceived as a minor feature of speech, but at the same time, it reflects a person’s essence: their upbringing, education, and the environment in

Taylor Swift Sets Release for New Single ‘Patient Zero’

September 25, 2026

Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” arrives Sept. 25 alongside The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, extending the singer’s 2026 release schedule. The rollout followed a short online countdown and limited pre-order window. The new single also leads into a scheduled music video premiere at the MTV Video Music Awards. Key Takeaways Taylor Swift announced “Patient Zero” on Sept. 22 for release later that week The single was initially available for pre-order through Swift’s website for 24 hours “Patient Zero” is track 13 on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore The release follows Swift’s Toy Story 5 song “I Knew It, I Knew You” The “Patient Zero” music video is scheduled to premiere at the MTV Video Music Awards Taylor Swift Announces ‘Patient Zero’ Taylor Swift announced “Patient Zero” three days before its scheduled release, identifying the track as her next single and opening a limited pre-order window through her website. “I’ve been impatiently waiting to tell you that my brand new single ‘Patient Zero’ will be out on September 25,” Swift wrote on social media. The announcement followed a countdown on her official website, which ended shortly before the title was revealed. Swift’s online store later listed the standard

Xiaoming Ai and The Fixed Fire: Reimagining Thangka Tradition for a Contemporary World

September 23, 2026

By Lee Sharrock Artist Xiaoming Ai occupies a fascinating space somewhere between tradition and technological innovation. Ai is knowledgeable about the ancient Tibetan Thangka tradition and also possesses extensive knowledge of programming. She approaches sacred Buddhist imagery as a living visual system capable of generating new meanings through a contemporary lens, rather than viewing it as a fixed historical language. Through her practice, Ai investigates how an ancient image can retain spiritual and psychological meanings when it’s reinterpreted in the form of contemporary art. ‘The Fixed Fire’, 2026 is an intricately detailed work of art featuring a guardian deity astride a creature resembling something between a dragon and a dog. Ai creates a visual bridge between the disciplined geometry and iconography of Thangka painting and a contemporary sensibility concerned with the exploration of consciousness and transformation. Thangka is traditionally a devotional and meditative instrument, and not simply an image to be hung on a wall as decoration. Thangka is known for its carefully prescribed proportions, sacred measurements, intense colour palette and intricate iconography. All of these elements combine to facilitate the act of contemplation. In her work ‘The Fixed Fire’, Ai demonstrates a profound understanding of the underlying spiritual, meditative