Issue 350: Image Arena

For well over a year, we’ve immersed ourselves in the evolving landscape of contemporary imagery. As we shaped this issue of Flash Art, global events forced us—like the rest of the world—to continuously reassess themes, content, and our editorial approach. This journey led us to explore a more grounded visual language, moving away (even though not entirely) from heavily manipulated digital aesthetics in favor of imagery that feels raw, immediate, and non-indexical.

At the heart of the spring issue of Flash Art are artists who have forged profound connections with photography and filmmaking. With each one of our publications—and through our daily presence on social media—we search for the ideal image: one that captures a state of mind, resonates with readers, lends itself to being ossified, or politicizes a concept when necessary. The artists featured in his issue redefine photographic and cinematic narratives, offering fresh perspectives on how we perceive and construct reality. 

Our point of departure was to locate a distinct visual language, and we sought a pioneer to embody that essence. Enter Sophie Calle. Her diaristic approach to storytelling guided our editorial vision toward greater authenticity. Joshua Woods photographed Calle in her home and studio in the Parisian suburb of Malakoff, capturing her wearing Chanel for our cover—a deeply intimate portrayal. In an expansive conversation with Flash Art editor-in-chief Gea Politi, Calle reflects on her career from its inception to the present, leading up to her exhibition “Séance de rattrapage” at Perrotin, Paris. 

As an extreme counterpoint, Jon Rafman was invited to share insights on his latest video, Main Stream Media Network (2025), in which he revisits the golden age of unidirectional broadcast media—MTV, VH1, and their like—refracted though the lens of today’s post-digital, post-AI mass culture. Rafman also designed a special cover for Flash Art, pushing the boundaries of digital aesthetics even further. 

Another cover star, Christine Sun Kim, was captured by Joseph Kadow in her studio in Berlin, wearing Bottega Veneta and Kuboraum eyewear. Ahead of the major institutional survey “All Day All Night” at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Kim sat down with Olivia Parkes to discuss her multidisciplinary practice, which spans performance, drawing, video, sculpture, and site-specific murals, all deeply rooted in the dimensionality of ASL and music. 

Nat Faulkner also takes the cover, photographed in his London studio by Oscar Foster-Kane wearing Stone Island. Anya Harrison writes about his practice, exploring his ability to “sculpt with images and give materiality to perception, embracing its inherent fluidity and malleability.” 

Also in this issue: Ebun Sodipo, profiled by Taylor Le Melle, delves into themes of identity and belonging; filmmaker Lucy Beech, in conversation with Filipa Ramos, investigates the intersection of documentary and fiction; Peng Zuqiang, in dialogue with Ela Bittencourt, presents a nuanced approach to visual storytelling; Tiffany Sia, introduced by Delaney Chieyen Holton, engages with history and resistance through moving images; Nana Wolke, in conversation with Michela Ceruti, challenges perceptions of space and intimacy; Hardy Hill, featured by Daniel Merritt, adds another compelling layer to this issue’s dialogue on photographic realism and constructed imagery. Betsy Johnson was invited to create a special visual project for this edition. 

The issue’s ARCHIVE section is dedicated to Shirin Neshat, and features the republication of “Eastern Values,” her conversation with Lina Bertucci published in Flash Art International in 1997. In her Critic Dispatch, Uzoamaka Maduka offers a fresh perspective on the destruction caused by California’s wildfires. For The Curist, Ellena Savage met Maria-Thalia Carras, founder and director of Tavros, Athens. This edition’s Focus On is Madrid, brought to life through the words of Manga Ngcobo, who guides us through its streets, monuments, and major urban projects. 

Looking ahead to 2025, Unpack / Reveal / Unleash comes under the curation of Margaret Kross. The first episode features Kelsey Isaacs and her “mise-en-scène of ebullient junk-drawer décor miscellany.” Meanwhile, the second installment of Studio Scene spotlights Zazou Roddam, with Ben Broome exploring her fascination with historical debris. 

Finally, we bid farewell to Letter from the City with Jasleen Kaur’s contribution from London. Fresh from winning the 2024 Turner Prize, Kaur closes this chapter with a question that speaks to all of us: “How do we repair?”

Reviews 
Julius Eastman and Glenn Ligon “Evil Nigger” 52 Walker, New York, by Nina Chkareuli-Mdivani / Pan Daijing “Sudden Places” Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, by Sheila Regan / Alex Margo Arden “Safety Curtain” Auto Italia, London, by Isabelle Bucklow / Rineke Dijkstra “Beach Portraits” Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, by Katharina Cichosch / Cerith Wyn Evans “Borrowed Light Through Metz” Centre Pompidou-Metz, by Marie de Brugerolle / Amy Feldman “Good Fortune” Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Vienna, by Vanessa Joan Müller / Julie Mehretu “A Transcore of the Radical Imaginary” Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, by Emily Grant.

The issue will be available at ARCOmadrid; Art Basel Hong Kong; Art Brussels; and Miart, Milan.