For anyone who ever wondered what Dolores Umbridge’s 2004 MySpace page might have looked like, Eder has the answer
Category Archives: Exhibitions
An exhibition at Pace in London wants to introduce an international audience to the artist's multi-faceted output, which drew on sci-fi, space exploration and consumer society
Through sculpture, algorithms and alternative gazes, the medium is reimagined at this year's edition of the city-wide event
As 130 shows take part in this year's fourth edition of the event, Ben Luke and Louisa Buck roundup some of their highlights, from John Baldessari to Michaël Borremans, Nan Goldin to BLCKGEEZER
Local non-profit Mighty Real/Queer Detroit has turned a citywide endeavour into the world’s first queer art biennial
In April 2024, the art collective “Black Void“ participated in the Hong Kong Web 3 Festival and the Hu Shi Guang Art Eco Site. Their project “Twin Cloud“ at the Hong Kong Web 3 Festival integrates innovation in blockchain technology and climate-conscious generative art, making crypto art an entry point for green practice.
The other project, “Biosphere 3,” uses a digital life generative system and 3D printing technology to present an interstellar species, leaving a series of sculptures at the Hu Shi Guang Art Eco Site. As a fusion of art and science, Black Void’s works exemplify how digital technologies can address current ecological issues, both within digital realms and real-world settings.
The digital world is giving rise to new life forms, such as Bitcoin, artificial intelligence, and any living organisms combined with machines or automatic systems. They all thrive, breathe, and draw energy in this decentralized network, where even ‘I’ am expanded into various nodes of the network.
Meanwhile, the concept of energy undergoes a transition from fossil fuels to data and computational power in the digital age. Similarly, the ecology shifts from a system supported solely by sunlight, water, oxygen, and soil to a hybrid ecosystem intricately interwoven with natural elements, informational layers, algorithms, and infrastructure.
Black Void’s artistic endeavors center around this hybrid ecology, where living organisms, AI, data, digital avatars, and currency serve as distinct nodes in a decentralized network. Themes explored include “cloud,” “carbon,” “blockchain,” and “interstellar life,” all manifesting as transmaterial entities existing across physical and digital realms.
Speaking about their vision, Black Void’s founder Yixuan Cai stated, “Our aspiration is to contribute to the emergence of a transformative ecological paradigm, unfolding within a hybrid realm where life, energy, and ecology undergo revolutionary redefinitions—spanning from pixel to planet, from Earth’s atmosphere to the Martian landscape.”
Twin Cloud
Twin Cloud is a climate data-driven generative art collection and a Web3 art IP focused on sustainability that links crypto art to green practices. Chemicals produced by mountain fires, car exhaust, and industrial production travel far distances in the air, reflecting ground activities.
The project has gathered meteorological data worldwide from the Copernicus Ecological Satellite, creating the climate identity of 300 cities through its digital sculptures. The datasets include greenhouse gases, aerosol pollutants, humidity, temperature, location, etc., all of which affect the shape, movement, color, and texture of the digital cloud. With the accumulation of chemicals, a soft and sparse cloud may change into a chaotic and violent one.
At the Hong Kong Web 3 Festival, Black Void showcased two special pieces: “Twin Cloud Hong Kong” and “Twin Cloud Bitcoin” in response to the support from the Hong Kong Web3 ecosystem and the Bitcoin Greening Action.
“Twin Cloud Bitcoin“ is based on the Cambridge Blockchain Network Sustainability Index, depicting the carbon footprint fluctuations from the genesis block in 2009 to the present. Simultaneously, the artwork collaborates with GreenBTC.Club, incorporating contributions from clean energy to offset the carbon emissions of the Bitcoin network.
Everyone participating in the Twin Cloud event will also receive one on-chain green certificate, which equals 1000 kWh of green energy usage, offsetting 0.5 tons of carbon dioxide. Engagement with the artwork serves as an entry point for individuals to engage in green practices.
Biosphere 3
Biosphere 3 builds a new vocabulary for interstellar species as a new life form composed of matter and information, while also connecting its digital form to corresponding physical sculpture through blockchain technology. Inspired by the Astromycology laboratory under NASA, the project is derived from a simple scientific hypothesis: what if fungi were to immigrate to Mars before humans? How will they thrive and communicate as an interstellar species?
The work creates a system for generating Martian mushrooms. Martian climate factors—from deserts to plains, glaciers to volcanoes, perihelion to aphelion—affect the fungi morphology. As the forms of matter and energy are completely different from those on Earth, interstellar life may transmit signals through electromagnetic waves, take cosmic radiation as food, and reproduce by copying its code.
At Hu Shi Guang Art Eco Site, the project exhibits as a digital work with its corresponding 3D-printed sculpture. The changing light and shadow of the sculpture also present the day-night and seasonal changes of Mars. At the Hong Kong Web 3 Festival, the project connects its digital and physical assets through blockchain technology, making the piece an example of RWA art assets.
The team composition of Black Void also reflects its ambition to blend contemporary art with science. The collective comprises Yixuan Cai, Stella Miao, Yuhan Xiao, Hong Yun, and members from diverse backgrounds, including art, curation, architecture, algorithms, data science, and music. Some members hail from the Future Laboratory at Tsinghua University and the Rhode Island School of Design, establishing a strong foundation for collaboration between art and science.
The art collective also builds an extensive collaborative network. Their projects have drawn data from diverse sources, including the Copernicus Environmental Satellite, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and the NASA Planetary Data System, among others.
Additionally, they have partnered with initiatives like the Greening Bitcoin Initiatives and decentralized photovoltaic power generation networks for on-chain green practices. They’ve also collaborated with sustainable brands such as L’Oreal, Genesis Motor, and Tencent SSV to increase public awareness of sustainability. The institute and enterprise collaboration allows Black Void to connect art to a larger network of action.
Black Void
Black Void is an art and science collective directed by Yixuan Cai, in partnership with Stella Miao and Yuhan Xiao, as well as Hong Yun and other members from various fields, including architecture, digital art, data science, algorithms, and experimental music. Their artistic endeavors center around a hybrid ecology interwoven by nature and technology. Through new technologies such as AI, blockchain, and intelligent manufacturing, they explore themes including “cloud,” “carbon,” “blockchain,” and “interstellar life,” all manifesting as transmaterial entities existing across physical and digital realms.
Their representative works, “Twin Cloud” and “Biosphere 3,” have been exhibited at various venues such as the Venetian Arsenal, The Guardian Art Center, the Power Station of Art, and more. They won first place in PacificVis 2023 Visual Data Storytelling and have been featured in a documentary produced by China Media Group. Past brand collaborations include L’Oréal, Tencent SSV, Audi, Genesis Motor, and others.
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Story submitted by Black Void. The World Art News (WAN) is not liable for the content of this publication. All statements and views expressed herein are opinions only. Act at your own risk. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. © The World Art News
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We speak to the Leonardo da Vinci scholar, Martin Kemp, about the famous painting's potential move and the latest research on its background, to the US artist about her show at Serpentine North and to the director of the Leopold Museum in Vienna about Christian Schad’s 'Self-Portrait with Model' (1927)
The German artist was charged with “publicly insulting the institutions of the Christian churches”
Raphael’s “Mary Magdalene” raised more than 200,000 euros in a month.
By Hervé Montois and Nathalie Popis Gadeau
Today marks the end of the exhibition of Raphael’s forgotten masterpiece, “Mary Magdalene,” organized by the Department of Var with support from the Ministry of Culture. Exhibited since April 20 in the Sacristy of the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, the third most significant tomb in Christianity after those in Jerusalem and Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where Mary Magdalene’s tomb is located. Mary Magdalene is considered the apostle to the apostles of Christ.
More than 80,000 visitors from all over the world came to admire this highly secured masterpiece, which generated incredible enthusiasm. This number represents four times the population of this town in Var, located 15 minutes from the main residence of actor George Clooney.
The work is currently estimated to be worth between 300 and 350 million euros.
Admission was 3 euros, benefiting the Basilica. The owners aimed to help restore this magnificent 13th-century Gothic monument and share the work with the public. The emotional impact was profound, with the portrait’s finesse and incredible gentleness. People have described the painting as “More beautiful than the Mona Lisa… The Mona Lisa of Raphael.” The public was deeply moved by its grace and beauty.
In the presence of Vice-President for Culture Serge Loudes, Director of Culture of the Var Department Ricardo Vasquez, several mayors of neighboring towns, and the President of the Friends of the Basilica association, Françoise Sur, this unique exhibition was organized by Vesselina Garello, advisor of the Var Department. It featured a “Sound and Light” show on Saturday, May 18, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. inside the Basilica.
A candle-lit path led to the work installed near the central Altar, accompanied by an organ performance by Tristan Faustt, a very talented musician specializing in exhibitions. Under a starry vault, the fusion of electronic music with the bieral sounds and the masterpiece evoked many emotions.
The President of the Var Department, Mr. Renaud Muselier of the Renaissance political party, pledged to work with the government to make this initiative an example to follow and to spread it throughout France.
The exhibition of a work of art in a place of worship is a first in France and aligns with the policy set by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who announced a plan to safeguard religious heritage in September 2023. Raphael’s “Mary Magdalene” raised more than 200,000 euros in a month, and the city’s businesses saw their turnover increase considerably, which is spectacular.
Without being desecrated, churches could in the future serve other purposes and become places where art and beauty shine.
A scientific publication will soon appear in Open Science “ART ET SCIENCE,” entitled “Mary Magdalene, the Forgotten Work of Raphael.” The authors are Dr. Stefano Fortunati, an expert in ancient documents who discovered Raphael’s “Mary Magdalene” in the archives of the states of Florence, in the collection of the Duke of Urbino; Nathalie Nolde, an art historian at the Chantilly Cultural Center and art restorer; and Professor Emeritus scientist Jean-Charles Pomerol.
Another version of this painting exists in the Palatine Gallery, attributed without factual basis to the painter Perugino. Historical research and scientific imagery provided by the restoration service of the Uffizi Museum revealed that it is a copy of Raphael’s work.
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Renowned Slovenian contemporary artist Michael Gregorjev Murn takes us on a journey through his vibrant career in this exclusive interview. Growing up in the small village of Reteče near Škofja Loka, Murn was surrounded by a family rich in artistic talent, fostering his early creative spirit. His passion for art and entrepreneurship ignited at the age of ten, setting the stage for a lifetime of innovation.
Murn discusses his evolving art style, blending kitsch, style, and beauty, and employing diverse materials from acrylic paint to retro items. He reflects on the challenges and triumphs of his journey, the significant events shaping his development, and his commitment to supporting other artists. As Michael prepares for his solo show at Miart Gallery London, he invites viewers to engage deeply with the emotions and stories in his work.
Can you tell our readers about your childhood, family, and the environment you grew up in? Were you an artistic child?
I grew up in Reteče, a small village near Škofja Loka in Slovenia, where my family was connected to the arts. My father was a skilled graphic designer and photographer, while my mother played piano and designed thoughtful gifts. My grandparents also had artistic talents, from pottery to drawing. This creative environment naturally influenced me. From an early age, I was very artistic and spent numerous hours in my atelier (located in the basement of our family home) working on various art projects.
What inspired you to become an artist?
I’ve always been passionate about the future and the inspiring power of art. I believe in positivity and hard work as keys to success. Since age 10, I’ve committed to art and entrepreneurship, tackling challenges with enthusiasm. Art has been my medium for self-expression and connection, allowing me to support other artists and foster collaborations from a young age.
How would you describe your art style, and how long did it take you to master it?
My art style is difficult to pin down as it constantly evolves with each new project. I’m committed to challenging norms and pushing boundaries, which is reflected in my work that blends kitsch, style, and beauty to create thought-provoking and emotionally resonant pieces. While I continually refine and develop my style through experimentation with new media, colour palettes, and motifs, it’s hard to predict exactly what form my next collection will take—whether it be acrylic paintings, ready-made art, collages, or digital graphics. This fluid approach keeps my work dynamic and perpetually fresh.
What materials do you use, and how long does it take for you to create an artwork on average?
In my artwork, I employ a variety of materials, including acrylic paint, gold leaf, and various tools for techniques such as dripping and layering. I also enjoy incorporating retro items into ready-made art to bridge historical events with contemporary values. It’s difficult to determine an average timeframe because my process can vary so much—some of my sketches and drawings are made impulsively, perhaps while laying on a beach, while more substantial projects require extensive planning and collaboration. For instance, I’ve been working on a huge 16-meter high installation with a team, and it has already been in progress for two years.
How do you decide what size an artwork will be, and what is the typical size of your art?
When deciding on the size of my artwork, I consider the concept, the level of detail required, and the display location. Often, the space for a commission or exhibition influences the size. I typically create medium to large pieces to fully capture my artistic vision, but I’m adaptable and can adjust the size to fit the project’s requirements.
Was it difficult to become a full-time artist, and what risks, challenges, or setbacks did you have to face in your art career?
Becoming a full-time artist was tough, mainly because I had to find a way to make a living from my art while dealing with rejections and financial ups and downs. Balancing the creative and business sides of my work added to the challenge. Despite these hurdles, pushing through them has been fulfilling, and each setback has spurred my growth.
Were there any significant events during your art career that influenced your artistic development?
Throughout my career, several key events have significantly influenced my artistic development. Participating in over 40 solo and 100 group exhibitions worldwide has been particularly impactful. These opportunities have allowed me to present my work to varied audiences and gain valuable feedback, which has been instrumental in refining my approach and technique. The latest significant milestone in my journey is undoubtedly the solo show I am having at Miart Gallery in London, which opens on May 10th and will run until June 6th. This exhibition is a pivotal moment for me, as it provides a platform to showcase my latest works and engage with both new and familiar audiences.
How long did it take you to achieve financial success as an artist, and what lessons did you learn along the way?
Achieving financial success as an artist required time and perseverance. I diversified my artistic projects, sharpened my business skills, built solid relationships, and stayed current with trends. Continuous learning and development were essential for my growth. Overall, it took talent, hard work, resilience, and a strategic approach to business and marketing.
How do you come up with innovative art ideas?
Innovation in my art comes from my varied experiences, insights into society and human emotions, and observations. I draw inspiration from literature, music, nature, and daily life. Experimenting with different mediums and techniques helps me discover new artistic possibilities and push creative boundaries. Collaborating with other artists and professionals also brings in fresh perspectives and ideas.
Part 2 is Coming Soon!
Interview organized by AAMI Corporation. The World Art News (WAN) is not liable for the content of this publication. All statements and views expressed herein are opinions only. Act at your own risk. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. © The World Art News
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