IF I WERE GUARDING the gates of heaven, Id let in all the cinematographers, no questions asked. They toil for such piddling rewards here on Earth. No matter how transcendent their efforts, they

Yayoi Kusamas Dreamy Polka-Dot Exhibition Opens in Miami

Yayoi Kusama, LOVE IS CALLING, 2013. Acquired through the generosity of Barbara Lee | The Barbara Lee Collection of Art by Women, Fotene Demoulas and Tom Cot, Hilary and Geoffrey Grove, Vivien and Alan Hassenfeld, Jodi and Hal Hess, Barbara H. Lloyd, and an anonymous donor. Photo by Mel Taing. YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York; Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo | Singapor | Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London | Venice

If you've never had a chance to walk through one of Yayoi Kusamas immersive installations, a new opportunity has opened up in Florida. Titled Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING, this new exhibition at the Prez Art Museum Miami features a dreamscape of large inflatable tentacles in a range of colors. Visitors can walk through a series of darkened rooms and experience Kusama's signature polka dots amidst mirrors and poetry.

We are thrilled to showcase LOVE IS CALLING at Prez Art Museum Miami, a perfect home for a work that connects people from all walks of life, Franklin Sirmans, PAMM director, says. As part of Kusama's series of Infinity Mirror Rooms, these massive sculptural pieces are placed on the floors and ceilings of mirrored rooms, creating the illusion of limitless space through endless reflections. Adding to the visual experience is a recording of Kusama's voice. She reads a poem that she wrote titled Residing in a Castle of Shed Tears in Japanese, which expresses a universal message of love. The recording is played on a loop, merging with...

All images Lisa Stubbs, shared with permission

Artist Lisa Stubbs is in the midst of a 100-day project that both explores unusual printmaking materials and recalls the topographical allure of her hometown. Working from her studio in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, Stubbs began the series as a way to experiment with utilizing cleaned and flattened Tetra Pak cartons in place of wood or metal plates. She layers ink onto the plastic-coated cardboard and uses a type of gauze known as a scrim to wipe away the excess pigment. For me, this is the playful part of the process as the scrim creates beautiful gestural marks on the Tetra Pak surface, she says. Its very organic and intuitive, making each print unique despite using the same plate.

Set on vintage and hand-painted papers, the resulting works feature a recurring house with a small door on the bottom right, a chimney, and an oversized bird perched on the roof. While the ink colors and images change, the central structure remains constant and evokes the homes of Stubbs native Holmfirth, a small town nestled in the Holme Valley. The lands steep elevation means that many houses are built on angles, with their backyards at window-level rather than ground. The beauty of this is when youre sitting in your back garden, you enjoy breathtaking views over your rooftop, the artist says, sharing:

Ova tops, to be said in broad Yorkshire tones, you can see a birds eye view of the Holme Valley and Black Hill, part of the Peak District and the rough fringe of Saddleworth Moor, a view thats become a comforting touchstone and one I never tire of. I wanted my printmaking to illustrate the character...

Quirky Bunny Night Light Can Be Hung From Its Ears to Light Up Your Closet

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

We all know that sluggish feelingwhether at the end of the day, after a heavy meal, or just as you get up, your eyes become heavy and you do your best to fight off the sleepiness. This quirky bunny night lamp by MUID captures that exact mood, making it the perfect addition to your night stand. On top of glowing and making you smile with that adorable face, its unique shape makes it a versatile and helpful companion.

While you can keep the glowing rabbit by your bed as you would with any night lamp, its ingeniously designed chunky body doubles as a phone stand. Whether you want to watch some videos before you fall asleep or keep your phone at hand, the bunny will hold your device with its belly and face.

As helpful as the face and belly are, the ears are what make the bunny lamp unique. Besides being an incredibly cute addition, the ears are also add another of functionality due to their flexibility. You can shape them into different positions, but you can also wrap the ears around a closet rod for additional lighting when sorting your things or getting ready. The extra benefit of this feature is glancing up to see a chubby rabbit hanging from its ears looking as thought its thinking, This is my life now.

And if its rotund body makes you want to squish it, you'll be happy to know that that's exactly what youre meant to do to turn it on and off. The lamp also has a timer function. After a long day, when you and this bunny lamp are ready for bed, you can set a timer for it to shut its light and go to sleep.

The sleepy bunny night lamp is currently available for wholesale purchases on Alibaba, but you can...

Discover Your Photographic Style: Which Genre of Photography Suits You Best? [Quiz]

This quiz was generated with the help of ChatGPT. Content was then revised and fact-checked by My Modern Met.

Looking to take up photography or perhaps shake up your image-capturing pursuits? With so many genres and styles of photography to choose from, you might find yourself wondering where you should start or what you should try next. Either way, we've created a quick, fun quiz to help you discover the genre of photography that matches your personality.

Make sure you spend your time photographing what you love by answering 10 simple questions. We'll then match you with a genre of photography and set you up to start shooting. As always, if you decide to enter your email address, we'll send you a personalized message with your results along with some informative articles about the genre that works for you.

You'll also get information about creative camera gear and online photography classes to help you on your way. But don't worry; even if you don't want the email, you can still see your results. So dive in and see what creative adventure awaits you.

Related Articles:

Discover Your Inner Artist: Which Famous Artist Are You? [Quiz]

Test Your Art Knowledge: How Much Do You Know About Impressionism? [Quiz]

Discover Your Next Craft: Take This Quiz to Find Your Perfect Creative Hobby [Quiz]

...

In the nineteen-seventies and eighties, the name of David Byrnes band was Talking Heads as the title of their 1982 live album perpetually reminds us. But their overall artistic project arguably had less to do with the head than the body, a proposition memorably underscored in Stop Making Sense, the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film that came out two years later. Music is very physical and often the body understands it before the head, Byrne says in a bizarre contemporary self-interview previously featured here on Open Culture. To make that fact visible onstage, I wanted my head to appear smaller, and the easiest way to do that was to make my body bigger.

Hence costume designer Gail Blackers creation of what Talking Heads fans have long referred to as the big suit. Byrne has always been willing discuss its origins, which he traces back to a trip to Japan. There, as he put it to Entertainment Weekly in 2012, hed seen a lot of traditional Japanese theater, and I realized that yes, that kind of front-facing outline, a suit, a businessmans suit, looked like one of those things, a rectangle with just a head on top.

Theres no doubt about it, getting an Uber ride at the airport can be a nightmare.

And a woman shared a video on TikTok and told viewers about how you can save a bunch of cash by not getting picked up directly at the airport when you need a ride.

A TikToker says she saved over $30 dollars on an Uber by walking to the hotel near the airport, warning other travelers not to get ripped off in a now-viral video.

Check out what this woman said and pay close attention, okay/

@olivia.engstrom @uber Im on to you #travelhack #travelhacks #savemoney #uber #airports #travel #fyp #foryou...

Let me quote myself: From 2010 to 2012, filmmaker Kirby Ferguson released Everything is a Remix, a four-part series that explored art and creativity, and particularly how artists inevitably borrow from one another, draw on past ideas and conventions, and then turn these materials into something beautiful and new. In the initial series, Ferguson focused on musicians, filmmakers, writers and even video game makers. Now, a little more than a decade later, Ferguson has resurfaced and released a fifth and final chapter in his series, with this episode focusing on a different kind of artist: artificial intelligence. Above, you can watch the complete edition of Everything is a Remix, with all parts combined into a single, hour-long video. A transcript of the entire production can be found here. Watch. Ponder. Create.

If you would like to sign up for Open Cultures free email newsletter, please find it here.

If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. Its hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, Venmo (@openculture) and Crypto. Thanks!

Related Content 

The Long Game of Creativity: If You Havent Created a Masterpiece at 30, Youre Not a Failure

David Lynch Explains How Meditation Enhances Our Creativity

Malcolm McLaren: The Quest for Authentic Creativity

...

Some people need to be reminded once in a while that they should be grateful for what they have

Even if you know its going to cause some hard feelings.

And that, my friends, is the question were looking at today: was this guy an a**hole for what he said to his mom?

Lets see what happened

AITA for telling my mum to be grateful for the scraps I got her for her birthday?

My fiancee, Diane, and I have been together for almost a decade. I met her in my second year of uni and its been fantastic ever since. Shes lovely and I cannot wait to marry her.

For most of our relationship, my mum h**ed Diane for no reason. My mum would harass my fiancee, call her the most disgusting names, and act like a teenage bully. It got so bad that I stopped speaking to my mum for years because of it.

About two years ago, my mum apologised for treating Diane poorly and wanted to welcome her into the family. It was rather unexpected. My mum never explained herself, only apologised for her past actions.

Diane and I have accepted her apology, but my relationship with my mum has never quite been the same. I still keep her at a distance because even if she did apologise, she did cause me a lot of pain.

Diane and my mum share a birthday. Its not a big deal, but my mum acts as if it is the biggest deal on Earth. She used to turn her birthday into a competition of who gets the better gift. It was exhausting and was one of the reasons I stopped talking to her.

Since her apology, her behaviour surrounding her birthday has not been as extreme but still a little passive-agressive.

My mum and Dianes birthday was a few months ago. We couldnt celebrate my mums birthday the...

If you live in a cold climate and dont have the luxury of covered or indoor parking theres a good chance you prefer to warm up you car before hopping in and taking off.

It turns out that you might be letting your car run a bit too long, though, because according to experts, one minute is long enough.

Image Credit: iStock

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, warming newer cars for more than 30 seconds is a waste of time and gasoline and...

A heads up for Open Culture readers: This spring, Stanford Continuing Studies has a rich lineup of online courses, and theyre offering a special 15% discount to our readers. Just use the promo code CULTURE during checkout.

Serving lifelong learners everywhere, Stanford Continuing Studies will launch its spring curriculum next week (the week of April 3), letting you choose from over 100 courses. Among the courses, you will find some notable mentions:

Defending Democracy at Home and Abroad features three Stanford scholars (including the former US ambassador to Russia Mike McFaul) who will examine the uncertain state of democracy at home and abroad. Together, they will explore 1) the merits of democracy compared with the alternatives, 2) challenges to democracy both in the US and across the globe, and 3) solutions for protecting and advancing democracy everywhere.

With Stanford Monday University: 2023, five Stanford scholars will focus on important trends currently shaping our society, especially after the pandemic. Whats the future of working from home, and how will remote work affect the economy of the United States? Why have addictionsincluding to devices and screensskyrocketed in the US, and how can a dopamine fast help bring them under control? Why has the modern economy left behind so many working-class communities in America, and how can investment in these communities help address the wealth inequalities in our country? These, and other questions, will be explored in the course.

Pussy Riot co-founder, activist, and conceptual artist Nadya Tolokonnikova has been placed on Russias Wanted List for criminal activity after news of her latest Vladimir Putin-related performance work began circulating earlier this year. Tolokonnikova filmed her collaborative performance Putins Ashes (2022) last August, showing herself and 11 other women clad in balaclavas setting fire to a 10-foot effigy portrait of the Russian president in the desert.

After she and the group collectively cast spells to chase Putin away from his post, Tolokonnikova bottled the ashes from his burnt portrait and showcased them with the short film during her first sol...

Indian contemporary artist Vivan Sundaram has died at age 79 following complications of a hemorrhagic stroke that occurred earlier this month. Sundaram, who created work for nearly six decades, is best remembered for his multidisciplinary studio practice steeped in activism and political consciousness. Reports indicate that the artist had been ailing for the past few months leading up to his passing. The news of his death was confirmed by Gallery Chemould in Mumbai.

To say Vivan took risks is an understatement, Gallery Chermoulds creative director Shireen Gandhy told Hyperallergic. If you look at his practice, there is a huge allegiance to art history, but at the same time feels unburdened where he addresses his issues with acute directness.

Sundaram was born in the northern Indian city of Shimla in 1943 to Kalyan Sundaram, Indias first post-Partition law secretary and second chief election commissioner, and Indira Sher-Gil, younger sister of Hungarian-Indian modern artist Amrita Sher-Gil. Sundaram pursued a bachelors degree in painting at the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara, Gujarat, between 1961 and 1965, followed by a post-graduate degree as a Commonwealth scholar at the Slade School of Fine Art in London f...

The World Press Photo Foundation has announced the regional winners and honorable mentions for the 66th edition of its annual photography contest. The single shots, stories, and long-term and multimedia projects feature not only those news items that dominated headlines in 2022, but also lesser-known and intimate stories that explore equally pressing issues. Photos of war-torn Ukraine, the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, and an Iranian woman defying the mandatory hijab law in a busy Tehran street are among the contenders for four global prizes, to be announced on April 20. But peeks into LGBTQ+ communities in the Philippines, New York drill music aesthetics, and a community of women living with dementia in Ghana also stood out.   

...

Governor Kathy Hochuls proposed executive budget for fiscal year 2024 slashes New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) funding by $61.7 million from last year to a total of $48 million $42.8 million in grantmaking allocations and a little over $5 million for operating costs. The governors office attributes the suggested 56.2% cut to the expiration of pandemic recovery assistance for arts and culture organizations in the state.

In 2023, NYSCA distributed over $90 million worth of grants to more than 1,600 organizations. The governors proposed budget, which must be approved by the state legislature by April 1, eliminates $1 million in NYSCA grants for small to mid-size arts organizations and cuts the $50 million Recovery Grant Program, which allowed NYSCA to allocate in...

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has apologized to British-Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist Heather Agyepong after security asked her to leave an exhibition. The artist posted about her experience visiting the installation Black Power Naps on Twitter on Saturday, March 25, calling out the irony that she was asked to leave an installation created to encourage Black people to rest. 

According to Agyepongs post, the conflict began when she noticed a White woman loudly laughing in the MoMA Education Departments second-floor Creativity Lab. Agyepong says she approached the woman and said, I think this space is centered around Black People. The woman reportedly started screaming that Agyepong was aggressive and should be kicked out before complaining to a security guard who forced Agyepong to leave. (Agyepong has not yet responded to Hyperallergics request for comment.)...

Jeremy Renner Thanks 10-Year-Old Daughter for Healing Him

 

View this post on Instagram

...

New Directors/New Films is one of the most venerable film festivals in the United States. For more than half a century it has brought attention to fresh cinematic talent from around the world. This years edition is no exception, and while its slate is a bit lighter on the nonfiction front than its been in the past, some extremely promising documentaries are still in the mix, with many of the features looking at African and/or Indigenous milieus.

In Coconut Head Generation, Alain Kassanda follows students at the University of Ibadan, Nigerias oldest operating college. In a meta touch, its also a film about film, as the characters are part of a cinema club, where they watch classics by anti-imperialist directors and discuss how they can apply the lessons of such films to their own efforts to decolonize their university. A dialectical work, it enmeshes its audience with engaged young people, undercutting the titular insult which is often thrown their way.

Milisuthando Bongelas Milisuthando is a memoirist essay about growing up in South Africa under Apartheid, within a unique circumstance: Her family was based in the q...