June 2024 The Art We’re Obsessed with

“Art We’re Obsessed with” is a monthly series highlighting the art that Artsy staff can’t stop thinking about and why. From little-known artists our editors stumbled across at local shows to viral art on our platform, these are the art we’re obsessed with this month.

Abdul Salam, And remember the day when we will roll up the universe like a scroll (21:104)2024

One of the largest paintings currently available on Artsy, this ink-on-canvas work by emerging South African artist Abdus Salaam is stunning in its sheer scale. The painting’s radiating, symmetrical forms bring a sense of tranquility and wonder to me, reminding me of the blooms of light I “see” with my eyes closed in meditation. This landmark work was created over a six-week period, partly coinciding with the month-long fasting of Ramadan, during which the artist completed a residency at the Nirokos Foundation, Niroko The Si Foundation is a non-profit space in the lush countryside outside Johannesburg.

—Jordan Huelskamp, ​​Curatorial Director

Ivana Basic, I also have thousands of cilia flickering, and in my belly, new, ground-friendly ones are being reborn | Position 1 (#3)2018–21

In her first institutional exhibition “Reincarnation” at Berlin’s Schinkel Pavillon, Serbian artist Ivana Bašić explores the trauma affected by her turbulent childhood during the breakup of Yugoslavia and its impact on the body Impact. The centerpiece of the show is a piece of alabaster rock that is slowly broken into dust with a breathy rhythm by gentle, tinkling pneumatic drills. I was completely mesmerized by the pale, fragile sculptures that accompanied this show: silvery metal, wax, and veined rock folded into globular, bizarre shapes. From similar series, I also have thousands of shimmering cilia… (2018-21), which was previously exhibited in the group exhibition “SIGNALS” at One Day Gallery, added long glass drops protruding from the mouth-shaped bronze opening. The result is organic, tender, and pristine.

—Josie Thaddeus Johns, Editor

My ritual for sparking creativity usually starts with collecting a curated collection of art, which is a surefire way to deal with the nagging writer’s block. Recently, a 2020 polyptych by Ugandan artist Sanaa Gateja broke my brain fog and fueled this daily routine. path. The 64-year-old artist, whose work is on display at the Uganda pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, creates multimedia textiles from paper beads, often threaded with raffia, banana fiber, tree bark and various repurposed man-made materials.

Aptly dubbed the “King of Beads,” Gateja uses his signature medium to meticulously create swirling patterns throughout the object. path. Moving from one tapestry to another, I am drawn to flowing forms that resemble loosely defined figures or groups of people. Gateja’s coalesced beadwork inspired me to combine different materials and memories to tell a story.

—Maxwell Raab, staff writer

Sophie Jen Bretz, Time is the vast time of the ocean in which everything is, in its womb – full sunlight2024

Every year around this time, I make myself a summer mood board, which is really just a bunch of phrases and images in my Notes app (example entries: “Ice Cream for Dinner,” “New York Ferry”). Works by Sophie-Yen Bretez, a painter born in Vietnam and now living in Paris Time is the vast time of the ocean in which everything is, in its womb – full sunlight (2024) adds energy to my annual gathering. I love the contrast between soft color gradients and sharp lines; the stylish Poul Henningsen lamps in the foreground contrasting with the sunset behind; and the stark indifference and vividness of Bretz’s characters. Taking a closer look, the book on the table opened to a passage by Rainer Maria Rilke, in which he compared summer to a period of abundant creativity – rewarding those who patiently endure the “storms of spring.” This scene evokes the leisure I’m looking for this season. Now, who’s going to teach me how to play poker?

—Olivia Horn, Deputy Managing Editor

claude lalan, pair of crocodile armchairs2015

Last week, when I was wandering around the Art Fair in Basel, I visited DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL in Messe, which allowed me to escape the hustle and bustle around me and enjoy the pleasant pace of life. At the Galerie Mitterrand booth, the pair of “crocodile chairs” designed by the late French designer Claude Lalanne, among a series of extremely comfortable-looking sofas, immediately became the focus of the show. These rusty bronze pieces are part of a famous series in the surrealist designer’s extensive oeuvre, whose origins date back to 1972, when Lalanne acquired the remains of a recently deceased crocodile. The beautifully articulated, ornate and bizarre nature of these chairs gave me reason to pause. My question: Do they provide adequate back support?

—Arun Kakkar, Art Market Editor