Art
Artsy Editorial
“The Art We’re Obsessed With” is a new monthly series honoring the works of art that the Artsy staff can’t stop thinking about, and why. From unknown artists our editors encounter at local shows to artwork that goes viral on our platform, these are the artworks we’re obsessing over this month.
Sonia Jia, The echo of the melody2023
Every time I come across one of Sonia Jia’s intriguing paintings—which are popping up all over my feed—it feels like stepping into an archaeological site. Rendered in dark pinks, purples and beiges, her canvases appear to be soaked in sediment, like cave drawings eroded with echoes of their age-old selves.
Coral colored The echo of the melody (2023) is a little brighter, if not in color: like Jia’s other works, it deals with themes of sexual violence. The weather patterns of the painting suggest a row of seated girls, a composition inspired by a scene from the 2016 South Korean film. Spirits’ Homecoming, which is based on the so-called “comfort women” enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Army in the 1930s and 40s. Trauma may fade, Jia’s painting suggests, but it never completely disappears.
—Olivia Horn, Associate Managing Editor
Sam Francis Untitled (SF74-789)1974–76
This unusual watercolor and graphite work by American abstract expressionist artist Sam Francis immediately captured my attention with its vivid chartreuse hue and enigmatic symbolic imagery—a mystery I immediately began to decode.
While Francis is best remembered for his splashy canvases and prints that make sharp use of negative space, the artist also occasionally created self-portraits that explored his inner worlds. Francis’ continuing interest in Jungian psychology (which unites the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind) is evident. Untitled (SF74-789)whose subject sees through seven inner eyes three sketched figures: a hare, a bird, and perhaps the artist himself, looking back.
—Jordan Huelskamp, commissioner manager
I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of digital media art and the internet, so this NFT video by Cinthia Sifa Mulanga stood out to me. The Congolese artist’s signature elements—beautiful interiors, fashionable clothing, and luxurious decorative objects—were seamlessly woven into this multimedia piece. A movement sequence brings the playful diptych to life as honey flows from a jar, a fire flickers in the corner and greedy hands grab objects in the room.
In an age of micro-trends, from “clean girl” to “mafia wife” chic, Mulanga explores themes of pleasure, highlighting the changing dynamic between consumer and product. Mulanga evokes the image of taking a bite through a silver spoon immersed in a bathtub, deftly revealing the spectacle of contemporary consumerism.
—Adeola Gay, curator’s manager
Samantha Thomas There is always light in the darkness2023–24
During a visit to Samantha Thomas’ studio in Los Angeles last month, I got a look at her new work, a series of delightfully cheerful paintings. Indeed, the refreshingly wondrous works trump any concerns about the conceptual depth of happy art.
Thomas intends to read these works, which can currently be seen in his solo exhibition “Chromoception” at Anat Ebgi, as paintings, but in fact they are made by carefully weaving embroidery thread onto a canvas. Thomas invented this method by turning his canvases into looms. She has a longstanding passion for Arte Povera, although the pieces also recall the work of Anni Albers and the textile traditions of the ancient Andes. The works resemble detailed sunsets or otherworldly landscapes: the rainbow mountains of Vinicunca in Peru were an inspiration. This particular work is a great example, reveling in the calmness of bold colors and crisp canvases.
—Casey Lesser, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer
Henri Jean Guillaume Martin, Northwest arboretum in Marquayrol Park (La Pergola), approx. 1925
It may be because the weather is still drizzling at the moment, but this delicious scene by French post-impressionist artist Henri Jean Guillaume Martin stopped me in my tracks amid the bustling halls of TEFAF Maastricht earlier this month. This hillside scene, exhibited by MS Rau Gallery in New Orleans, is the artist’s 17th century painting. It depicts a 19th-century estate in the south-west of France (you can still visit the gardens today) and exudes an opulent peace. From the tame flowers to the golden bowl of fruit, it made me pine for sunny times.
—Arun Kakar, Market Editor
Kyungah Ham, Stories with fillers, colorful lies 1, SMS series details 062017
Kyungah Ham’s abstract embroidery works are aesthetically fascinating, but they’re even more interesting when you learn the story behind them. The artist sends a blueprint of the fabric from South Korea, where he is based, to North Korean artisans, who occasionally have to change his instructions due to their nation’s censorship. This process includes some additional items in the accompanying official materials list Stories with fillers, colorful lies 1, SMS series details 06 (2017) – along with the silken threads, the work is said to be about the “middle man” and the “secret code” as well as “anxiety, tension, ideology”.
Abstract textile works have had an important international museum moment, and this kaleidoscopic and dizzying work reminds me The Magic Eye images, only the pattern behind the chaos is at hand.
—Josie Thaddeus-Johns, editor
Artsy Editorial
