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Daily Newsletter
William Kentridge and Lapis Blue
Plus, why is Trump meddling in the Venice Architecture Biennale?
By his own admission, William Kentridge’s studio is a “safe space for stupidity.” This principle has served the indefatigable South African artist well — over the course of six decades, he has developed a style all his own spanning printmaking, drawing, animation, and sculpture. Now, he’s sharing insights into his dendritic process in a new book based on a 2024 lecture he delivered at Oxford. Read one such chapter on lapis blue and creativity exclusively on Hyperallergic.
Also today: a guide to Upstate Art Weekend, Trump’s meddling with the Venice Biennale of Architecture, and an interview with painter Richard Tsao.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
A Natural History of William Kentridge’s Studio
Some years ago, two friends gave me a block of watercolour, pure lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. Lapis lazuli is a precious pigment used sparingly in Renaissance painting, now more generally replaced by French ultramarine. But there is an intense blueness in lapis, a colour coming off the paper towards you that is unmatched by any synthetic colour. In projections and photography and printing, this blue always loses its power.
I don’t use colour in my drawings. But I painted some squares and circles to see the colour I was given. I was caught, wanting to devour the blue and not knowing how to bring it into anything I was drawing. While waiting to solve what I should do with the blue, I started painting texts and phrases with it | William Kentridge
Read More
A $90,000 Graduate Fellowship for Immigrants & Children of Immigrants in the Visual Arts
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports immigrants & children of immigrants in MFA, MA, PhD & other graduate programs.
Learn more
Queer Elders
Richard Tsao’s “Sanuk” Art
In an interview with Hyperallergic, the artist known for his “Flood Room” paintings compares his decades-long practice to “the need for food.” | AX Mina
Read More
Guide
What You Can’t Miss at Upstate Art Weekend
The art extravaganza in New York’s Hudson Valley and Catskills is back with a retrospective of Betty Parsons, a tailgate-style exhibition, living sculptures, and more.
Read More
Community
Art Movements
Trump is coming for the Architecture Biennale, Modigliani’s “indecent” nude fetches $63.9M, the National Gallery of Art gets a major contemporary art gift, and more industry news.
Read More
Required Reading
This week: Scott Burton’s last sculpture, remembering Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, AI slop in art journalism, NYC’s rollerskating queer icon, and more.
Read More
Member Comment
Laura L Smith on “James Wagner, Insatiable Art Collector, Dies at 85”
From the Archive
William Kentridge Sees the Universe in a Pot of Coffee
The artist tells Hyperallergic about how the isolation of COVID-19 led to a streaming series set wholly within the bounds of his studio. | Debra Brehmer
Read More
Daily Newsletter
William Kentridge and Lapis Blue
Plus, why is Trump meddling in the Venice Architecture Biennale?
By his own admission, William Kentridge’s studio is a “safe space for stupidity.” This principle has served the indefatigable South African artist well — over the course of six decades, he has developed a style all his own spanning printmaking, drawing, animation, and sculpture. Now, he’s sharing insights into his dendritic process in a new book based on a 2024 lecture he delivered at Oxford. Read one such chapter on lapis blue and creativity exclusively on Hyperallergic.
Also today: a guide to Upstate Art Weekend, Trump’s meddling with the Venice Biennale of Architecture, and an interview with painter Richard Tsao.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
A Natural History of William Kentridge’s Studio
Some years ago, two friends gave me a block of watercolour, pure lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. Lapis lazuli is a precious pigment used sparingly in Renaissance painting, now more generally replaced by French ultramarine. But there is an intense blueness in lapis, a colour coming off the paper towards you that is unmatched by any synthetic colour. In projections and photography and printing, this blue always loses its power.
I don’t use colour in my drawings. But I painted some squares and circles to see the colour I was given. I was caught, wanting to devour the blue and not knowing how to bring it into anything I was drawing. While waiting to solve what I should do with the blue, I started painting texts and phrases with it | William Kentridge
Read More
A $90,000 Graduate Fellowship for Immigrants & Children of Immigrants in the Visual Arts
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports immigrants & children of immigrants in MFA, MA, PhD & other graduate programs.
Learn more
Queer Elders
Richard Tsao’s “Sanuk” Art
In an interview with Hyperallergic, the artist known for his “Flood Room” paintings compares his decades-long practice to “the need for food.” | AX Mina
Read More
Guide
What You Can’t Miss at Upstate Art Weekend
The art extravaganza in New York’s Hudson Valley and Catskills is back with a retrospective of Betty Parsons, a tailgate-style exhibition, living sculptures, and more.
Read More
Community
Art Movements
Trump is coming for the Architecture Biennale, Modigliani’s “indecent” nude fetches $63.9M, the National Gallery of Art gets a major contemporary art gift, and more industry news.
Read More
Required Reading
This week: Scott Burton’s last sculpture, remembering Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, AI slop in art journalism, NYC’s rollerskating queer icon, and more.
Read More
Member Comment
Laura L Smith on “James Wagner, Insatiable Art Collector, Dies at 85”
From the Archive
William Kentridge Sees the Universe in a Pot of Coffee
The artist tells Hyperallergic about how the isolation of COVID-19 led to a streaming series set wholly within the bounds of his studio. | Debra Brehmer
Read More
By his own admission, William Kentridge’s studio is a “safe space for stupidity.” This principle has served the indefatigable South African artist well — over the course of six decades, he has developed a style all his own spanning printmaking, drawing, animation, and sculpture. Now, he’s sharing insights into his dendritic process in a new book based on a 2024 lecture he delivered at Oxford. Read one such chapter on lapis blue and creativity exclusively on Hyperallergic.
Also today: a guide to Upstate Art Weekend, Trump’s meddling with the Venice Biennale of Architecture, and an interview with painter Richard Tsao.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
A Natural History of William Kentridge’s Studio
Some years ago, two friends gave me a block of watercolour, pure lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. Lapis lazuli is a precious pigment used sparingly in Renaissance painting, now more generally replaced by French ultramarine. But there is an intense blueness in lapis, a colour coming off the paper towards you that is unmatched by any synthetic colour. In projections and photography and printing, this blue always loses its power.
I don’t use colour in my drawings. But I painted some squares and circles to see the colour I was given. I was caught, wanting to devour the blue and not knowing how to bring it into anything I was drawing. While waiting to solve what I should do with the blue, I started painting texts and phrases with it | William Kentridge
Read More
A $90,000 Graduate Fellowship for Immigrants & Children of Immigrants in the Visual Arts
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports immigrants & children of immigrants in MFA, MA, PhD & other graduate programs.
Learn more
Queer Elders
Richard Tsao’s “Sanuk” Art
In an interview with Hyperallergic, the artist known for his “Flood Room” paintings compares his decades-long practice to “the need for food.” | AX Mina
Read More
Guide
What You Can’t Miss at Upstate Art Weekend
The art extravaganza in New York’s Hudson Valley and Catskills is back with a retrospective of Betty Parsons, a tailgate-style exhibition, living sculptures, and more.
Read More
Community
Art Movements
Trump is coming for the Architecture Biennale, Modigliani’s “indecent” nude fetches $63.9M, the National Gallery of Art gets a major contemporary art gift, and more industry news.
Read More
Required Reading
This week: Scott Burton’s last sculpture, remembering Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, AI slop in art journalism, NYC’s rollerskating queer icon, and more.
Read More
Member Comment
Laura L Smith on “James Wagner, Insatiable Art Collector, Dies at 85”
From the Archive
William Kentridge Sees the Universe in a Pot of Coffee
The artist tells Hyperallergic about how the isolation of COVID-19 led to a streaming series set wholly within the bounds of his studio. | Debra Brehmer
Read More
A $90,000 Graduate Fellowship for Immigrants & Children of Immigrants in the Visual Arts
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports immigrants & children of immigrants in MFA, MA, PhD & other graduate programs.
Pratt Manhattan Gallery Moves “Beyond Digital” in New Exhibition
Exhibition of Pratt Digital Arts alumni explores technology, ecology, and emerging forms of intelligence.
Cranbrook Academy of Art Reopens Applications for Fall 2026
The art institution is accepting applications from June 22 through August 15 for artists and designers considering graduate study.
How the GW Corcoran Is Rethinking Interaction Design Education
The Interaction Design program at the George Washington University Corcoran School of Arts and Design is utilizing partnerships across DC to encourage its students to develop more inclusive design practices.
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