A Rheumatoid Descent into Villainy
From 19th-century fairy tale illustrations to Disney’s global empire, rheumatoid arthritis has evolved into a visual shorthand for evil—a medical condition transmuted into moral metaphor that resonates today.
Visual Arts
‘The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey’ Is Spectacular
Creator of the iconic PBS Masterpiece Mystery! title sequence, Edward Gorey’s artistic sensibility and wicked humor continuously inspires creators across many mediums.
Jukebox Gallery: A Michael Goldberg Rock Photo Essay
Michael Goldberg shot his first photo of the Doors’ Jim Morrison at the first US rock fest in 1967. Enjoy this photo essay spanning his career as a photographer and critic.
‘Five Years Old Memories’ and Naïve Art in Video Games
Japanese visual artist, Komitsu’s newest work “Five Years Old Memories” is a colorful interactive documentary. It reimagines old CD-ROM software for the digital era.
Language Is a Virus, and People Could Die
The COVID pandemic seemed to accelerate the spread of new viral media, but viruses mutate, pop culture replicates, and everything’s a cover song.
Dualism in Photographer John Divola’s LAX NAZ Series
Photographer John Divola’s LAX NAZ series exterior and interior views ooze with useful, fun, and satiating dualism. However, dualism gets messy.
Yoko Ono’s Controversial Work at Tate Modern
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind at Tate Modern is an engaging overview of the polarizing artist’s career, but her career didn’t end post-John Lennon and Fluxus.
Teju Cole’s ‘Tremor’ Records a Post-COVID Landscape of Art and Rage
If there is any consolation to be had in Teju Cole’s slippery and sinuous Tremor, it’s not found in art or literature but in the music that permeates its pages.
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Bob Dylan’s Art Is Best Served Naked
As Bob Dylan learned, only through baring of one’s soul does one show the way forward, providing both a glimpse into the other and perhaps the shape of things to come.
Patrick Bringley’s Exquisitely Rendered ‘All the Beauty in the World’
As there is an art to memoir writing, there is an artfulness to describing the power of the visual arts. Patrick Bringley’s ‘All the Beauty in the World’ is exquisitely rendered.
‘Conflict Graffiti’ and the Artists That Use Public Spaces for Public Discourse
Situating his study at sites of conflict and interviewing artists, scholar John Lennon’s Conflict Graffiti gives readers new perspectives for interpreting the graffiti and street art they encounter.
Nicholas O’Brien on Video Games and the Work of Game Play
Video game designer Nicholas O’Brien creates and curates in a medium starving for critical conversation.