Welcome to This Week in Culture, a weekly agenda of show openings and events in major cities across the globe. From galleries to institutions and one-of-a-kind happenings, our ongoing survey highlights the best of contemporary culture, for those willing to make the journey.
“Pussy Riot: Putin’s Ashes”
Jeffrey Deitch Los Angeles
In August of 2022, Pussy Riot burned a 10 by 10 foot portrait of President Vladimir Putin. To participate in the act, women were only required to feel acute hatred and resentment towards the Russian president. Now in Pussy Riot's first showing in a Los Angeles gallery, founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova welcomes all to join in a continuation of the group’s protest against the ongoing war in Ukraine, offering a short film and art objects containing the ashes of Putin's portrait. “Putin’s Ashes” will be on view from January 27 to February 3, 2023 at Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles.
“The Fury” by Shirin Neshat
Gladstone Gallery New York
Gladstone Gallery is exhibiting new works by Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat, namely a double-channel video installation alongside a series of black and white photographs and calligraphic renditions of poetry by the Iranian writer Forough Farrokhzad. The film centers on the story of a young Iranian woman recalling sexual abuse that took place while she was in prison, echoing the human abuses happening within the Islamic Republic's prison system today. “The Fury” will be on view from January 26 to March 3, 2023 at Gladstone Gallery in New York.
“The Seventh Winter” by Jem Southam
Huxley-Parlour London
For seven years, British photographer Jem Southam has been returning to the same stretch of floodplain just before daybreak, capturing the natural landscape at its most liminal moments. Now, the culmination of this project is on display in London. The River Exe's moods trail through Southam's photographs featuring the delicate ecosystem and "theater" of the body of water as winter slowly approaches. “The Seventh Winter” will be on view from January 25 to April 3, 2023 at Huxley-Parlour in London.
“A simple prophecy” by Berlinde De Bruyckere
Hauser & Wirth Zurich
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s upcoming exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in Zurich features a selection of bronze, wood, and paper works from her "Arcangelo" series. With De Bruyckere’s knack for reconciling the sensual and profane with the holy, the exhibition's hybrid sculptures toe the line between the human and the divine, with the artist’s signature animal hides and sharp, angular joints appearing prominently. “A simple prophecy” will be on view from January 26 to May 13, 2023 at Hauser & Wirth in Zurich.
“La boussole indique le nord” by Georg Baselitz
Thaddeus Ropac Paris
German artist Georg Baselitz is heading to Paris for his 85th birthday with a show comprised of five distinct series. The pieces on display range from splashdash florals in colorful palettes, to carefully painted portraits of the artist’s wife, to more muted ink drawings. The work, created between 2020 and 2021, show the development of the artist's style, now more abstract than ever. “La boussole indique le nord” will be on display from January 22 to May 7, 2023 at Thaddeus Ropac in Paris.
“The Wind Rises” by Charlie Alston
M+B Los Angeles
Charlie Alston’s second solo show with M+B features abstract, Pop Art canvases, utilizing well-known images from LIFE, Ebony Jr., and Jet Magazine to start a dialogue about the ideals they promote, as well as the nature of Pop Art itself. Rendered in flashes of colorful paint and instantly-recognizable brand iconography, Alston’s works invites an open-ended conversation without any concrete answers. “The Wind Rises” will be on view from January 21 to February 8, 2023 at M+B in Los Angeles.
“Prints 2” by Jonas Wood
Gagosian New York
With over 30 pieces, Jonas Woods’s "Prints 2" serves as a companion show to "Prints," the artist’s debut printmaking exhibition. Featuring Woods’s trademark themes, ranging from plants to basketball, the pieces are united by a vivid color palette and irregular, geometric shapes. The artist's range of techniques, including hard-ground etching, lithography, screen printing, and more, transform the show into an investigation of the printmaking medium itself. "Prints 2” will be on view from January 25 to February 26, 2023 at the Gagosian in New York.
“Zodiac” by Ai Weiwei
Vito Schnabel St. Moritz
Vito Schnabel’s first collaboration with Portugal-based, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei features works in a wide range of materials, from his highly provocative photography Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 2015, to his "Zodiac (2018) LEGO" portraits, and the bronze sculpture series "Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold," 2010. Weiwei’s Pop Art takes on his cultural history invite a breath of air into his complex, sociocultural commentaries. “Zodiac” will be on view from January 27 to March 25, 2023 at Vito Schnabel in St. Moritz.
