The first New York art fair week of 2023 is upon us. 

Some may be anticipating a shift toward abstraction in the contemporary art market at large, but figuration is still front and centre at the Independent art fair this year.

The much-anticipated 14th iteration of Independent New York, a cutting-edge art fair, is on view from May 11-14 at Spring Studios.

This Women’s History Month, CULTURED delves into the magazine’s archives to highlight 10 female artists who confront gender inequities by redefining the erotic, quashing the idea of women’s work, and refusing to go quietly.

“Spread,” Stoller’s recent exhibition, was introduced by a group of sculptures with profiles resembling ordinary vases or urns. The bodies of these vessels, however, morph into tasseled breasts or buttocks surrounded by delicate lace, their forms further embellished by such incongruous features as a base with four gilded feet ending in long, painted nails, lids ornamented with butterflies and writhing snakes, and handles that double as ears with large, dangling earrings. In addition to slyly reworking the traditional vase, Stoller’s often grotesque revisions upend the patronizing view of women as decorative accessories; instead, they celebrate the allure of the non-canonical, extravagant female body.

Artist Jessica Stoller speaks with Cultured about her labor-intensive, highly detailed porcelain sculptures that present a corporeal, witty feminism.

From piano-playing nipples to ceramics with body hair, these are the rising art stars the Elephant team thinks you should check out.

The new decade is shaping up to be quite the global spectacle already with corona-virus in China, protests in Hong Kong, impeachments and election dramas in the US, and the seemingly never-ending Brexit withdrawal unfolding in the UK. In uncertain times artists have always been tried-and-true soothsayers of the way forward, and in 2020 that proves no exception. If you’re ready to see the work of a few interesting, and perhaps unfamiliar artists, here are 6 contemporary talents (and one little-known, historical artist) with shows you can see around the world this February.

Close-up renderings of bodies covered in sheer fabric and delicate porcelain vases depicting bums, breasts and skin account for some of the best (and most challenging) art on view in Chelsea.

Jessica Stoller’s porcelain sculptures both examine art-historical notions of the material and how the female body has been depicted. Her current show at PPOW Gallery in New York City, titled “Spread,” offers new pieces from the artist. The show runs through Feb. 15 at the space.

We live in such a fascinating era of sculpture art, with a collection of emerging artists working with ceramics and porcelain in exciting ways.

This summer in Limoges, France, the Fondation Bernardaud presents a feast of cakes, pies, ice cream, and other life-like treats made by a group of 14 ceramic sculptors from around the world. Titled Céramiques Gourmandes and curated by Olivier Castaing, the exhibition explores the sometimes unsavory topics of mass consumption, desire, and cultural identity.

Let these 24 artists show you what a gender-fluid future looks like.

The Woman Destroyed, currently on view at PPOW Gallery, takes as its organizing theme the 1967 Simone de Beauvoir book of the same title, comprised of three stories that explore the personal crises of middle-aged and aging women.

Stoller’s PPOW show has distinct connections and resonances with Allison Schulnik’s solo exhibition not too far away in Chelsea, at ZieherSmith.

Jessica Stoller’s sensual ceramic works illustrate how harmony can be found through opposing extremes, pairing saccharine gluttony with the sadomasochistic tug of bondage and allusions to death’s possibility.