SEVEN DAYS – THE STILL LIFES OF CHUCK RAMIREZ

Posted on 2025-12-08

Seven Days: The Still Lifes of Chuck Ramirez brings to light a vivid and heartfelt exploration of community, memory, and cultural identity through the lens of one of Texas’s most beloved contemporary artists. Centered on Ramirez’s celebrated series Seven Days, the exhibition gathers seven large-scale photographs that transform scenes of everyday life into poignant meditations on time, celebration, and transience. Each image captures the remnants of a meal, a cup, a plate, a bottle, objects left behind after gatherings that speak to shared moments of joy and remembrance.

Opposite – Birthday Party, 2003

Exhibition runs through to January 4th, 2026

Amon Carter Museum of American Art
3501 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth
TX 76107

www.cartermuseum.org

  

FENDER X TOM MORELLO

Posted on 2025-12-08

Fender presents Tom Morello’s “Arm The Homeless” guitar, an instrument that faithfully recreates one of the most distinctive and influential guitars in rock history. This limited-edition launch serves as a deeply personal project for Morello, with Fender providing the craftsmanship, platform, and expertise to realize his vision.

Through Tom Morello’s “Arm The Homeless” guitar, fans can experience the guitar that powered anthems from Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage, celebrating Morello’s individuality and decades-long dedication to his craft.

“The ‘Arm the Homeless’ guitar has been my comrade for life in the sonic sphere. It allowed me to find myself as an artist,” said Tom Morello. “Over 22 albums and in countless collaborations ‘Arm the Homeless’ has been an indispensable ally. I know that there’s a lot of magic that this very special ‘island of misfit toys’ guitar has brought into my life and hopefully some of that can be brought into yours.”

The story of the original “Arm The Homeless” guitar is one of grit, experimentation, and relentless ‘DIY’ creativity. What began as a one-of-a-kind, heavily customized build assembled from mismatched parts became an extension of Morello’s voice and vision. The guitar’s hand-drawn hippos, bold “Arm The Homeless” lettering, and unconventional hardware reflected his refusal to conform, both visually and sonically. Its eccentric design channeled everything from delicate jazz passages to blistering rock riffs, becoming an essential companion in shaping the sound of a generation of boundary-pushing music.

To recreate this legendary instrument, Fender worked side-by-side with Morello to faithfully reproduce every nuance of the original, from its distinctive body shape and color scheme to its custom electronics and untrimmed strings on the headstock. Fender’s product team approached each element with the same precision and passion that has defined Morello’s playing style throughout the years. The result is a guitar that perfectly balances modern craftsmanship, offering the same expressive range and tonal versatility that have made the original “Arm The Homeless” guitar a cornerstone of Morello’s artistry.

A portion of proceeds will benefit Midnight Mission and Covenant House, two local Los Angeles organizations hand-picked by Morello for their dedication to providing shelter and dignity to people experiencing homelessness. The project embodies Morello’s lifelong activism, championing the power of creativity and connection to uplift communities.

fender.com

  

DAWOUD BEY – ELEGY

Posted on 2025-12-08

Elegy brings together three powerful photographic series—Stony the Road (2023), In This Here Place (2019), and Night Coming Tenderly, Black (2017)—to explore how the landscapes of Virginia, Louisiana, and Ohio continue to hold the echoes of America’s past. Through these deeply reflective works, Bey reconsiders sites marked by slavery and resistance, transforming them into spaces where memory, imagination, and history converge. The exhibition also features two films, Evergreen (2019) and 350,000 (2023), expanding the dialogue between still and moving images while delving into the emotional resonance of these charged locations.

Opposite – Untitled (James River Through the Opening), 2023

Exhibition runs through to January 4th, 2026

NOMA – New Orleans Museum of Art
One Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park
New Orleans
LA 70124

noma.org/

  

MICHEL KAMENI – PORTRAITS OF AN INDEPENDENT AFRICA

Posted on 2025-12-08

This exhibition brings renewed attention to the remarkable portraits created by Cameroonian studio photographer Michel Kameni, whose work at Studio KM in Yaoundé captured a young nation in the midst of defining itself. The fifty-five photographs on view were made during the 1960s and 1970s, a period when Cameroon, newly independent, witnessed an energetic reshaping of cultural identity, social mobility, and personal expression. Within this setting, Kameni’s studio became both a meeting point and a stage—a place where individuals could present themselves as they wished to be seen.

Founded in 1963, Studio KM quickly drew visitors from across social backgrounds. Kameni possessed a rare ability to read the desires and personalities of the people who stepped before his camera. Each portrait was a collaboration, resulting in what were often called nyanga photographs: images carefully crafted to convey pride, confidence, and aspiration. People came to mark life’s milestones, to share pictures with loved ones, or simply to show the world who they were becoming in a time of change.

Opposite – Untitled (three women, hand dresses), 1970s

Exhibition runs through to January 4th, 2026

SCMA – Smith College Museum of Art
20 Elm Street at Bedford Terrace
Northampton
MA 01063

scma.smith.edu

  

MARK RYDEN – THE MEAT MAGI

Posted on 2025-12-08

Mark Ryden is a prominent contemporary artist known for his unique and captivating style that blends elements of pop culture with surreal and often dark imagery. His work, frequently referred to as “Pop Surrealism” or sometimes “lowbrow art,” typically features characters that evoke a sense of childhood nostalgia mixed with a slightly unsettling, melancholic atmosphere.
Ryden’s artistic universe is populated by a recurring cast of characters: wide-eyed girls with pale skin, historical figures like Abraham Lincoln (often depicted in unusual contexts), bees, meat, and various adorable-yet-creepy stuffed animals. These elements are meticulously rendered with a technique that recalls classical painting styles, giving his modern, bizarre subjects a timeless quality.

• Material: Tin & Mixed Media
• Dimension: H202 x W138 x D254mm
• Edition of 500
• Signed and numbered

ddtstore.com

  

Μ-ZIQ – YEMAS

Posted on 2025-12-08

Since Mike Paradinas stripped back the dance elements of his tracks on 1977 in favour of building up their melodic and textural cores, he’s been drifting between a variety of vigorous rave and light ambience, and 1979 sees him returning to Balmat to dive back into this slower, smoother, more contemplative mode. 1979 feels smokier than its predecessor, as revolving vocal loops blur and fuzz with glassy drones, sent out to sea in blissful washes or blossoming into something more ethereal with unfolding synth petals, lifting with zips and gushing slowmo breakbeats but always breathing a sigh in its downtempo fashion.

Yemas is from the album 1979, out on Balmat.

mikeparadinas.bandcamp.com