Today we’re returning to a dark comedy classic that, although released in 2017, rings just as true in 2024. Directed by Swedish animator Niki Lindroth von Bahr, “The Burden” is a wildly wry musical that skewers loneliness, greed, beauty myths, and the existential woes of modern life through a lively cast of animal characters. The award-winning short...

All images courtesy of Phaidon, shared with permission First published in 1997, Phaidon’s The Art Book has long been a go-to source for introductions to some of the most influential artists. Spanning medieval to modern times, the volume contains more than 600 works and is available in 20 languages. About two decades ago, the iconic title received another...

“Peas In A Pod” 10 x 10 inches. All images © Jason Limon, shared with permission Reaching toward universal experiences unclouded by specific identities, Jason Limon strips his recurring characters to the bare bones. The San Antonio-based artist (previously) continues his uncanny paintings of skeletons, who find themselves in precarious, startling,...

“Rideau” (2020), in situ installation at Théâtre Graslin, Nantes, France, water, pumps, pond installation in situ. Photo © Martin Argyroglo, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Aline Vidal. All images shared with permission Paris-based artist Stéphane Thidet invites viewers into wondrous worlds that skew perceptions and distort the laws of physics:...

“EVERYTHING SPIRITS” (2023), basketball, plaster, gesso, glass beads, 25 centimeters diameter. All images © Jorge Mañes Rubio, courtesy of the artist and Rademakers Gallery, shared with permission Beginning with an iconic yet common spherical form, Jorge Mañes Rubio reimagines basketballs as powerful entities in his series New Prophets. Ornamented...

“Arctic Sea Travel Diary.” All images © Elsa Guillaume, shared with permission Whether capturing the sights of a dive in the remote Mexican village of Xcalak or the internal mechanisms of a sailing ship, Elsa Guillaume’s stylized sketchbooks record her adventures. Glimpses of masts, a kitchen quaking from shaky seas, and a hand gutting a fish create...