Lucas Art Talks

1. Arearea no Varua Ino. The Amusement of the Evil Spirit , 1894, Paul Gauguin, MIN 1832 © Glyptoteket       The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen is known for its important collection of 19th-century French art. One of its major strengths is its group of works by Paul Gauguin, one of the most well-known and controversial artists of that time. In the exhibition “Gauguin & Kihara – First Impressions”, the museum is presenting these works in a new dialogue.        Instead of showing Gauguin’s art as a finished story, the Glyptotek opens a conversation. This is made possible by a new acquisition: a video by Yuki Kihara, a Japanese-Sāmoan contemporary artist who is part of the fa’afafine community in Sāmoa. Through her artwork, she responds to Gauguin’s images from her own point of view and background. Her video allows visitors to hear from people who are often left out of the history of Western art.        This exhibition i...

1.  Julie Mehretu, KAIROS / Hauntological Variations, Exhibition view, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Photo: Achim  Kukulies Julie Mehretu: layers of fire, memory, and resistance        The exhibition presented at K21 in Düsseldorf, titled KAIROS / Hauntological Variations, offers a dense and complete journey through the works of Julie Mehretu. This Ethiopian American artist, born in Addis Ababa in 1970, has over the past two decades developed a complex body of painting haunted by political narratives, geopolitical shifts, contemporary violence, and the possibilities of reinvention through abstraction.         Following an initial presentation at the Pinault Collection in Venice, under the title Julie Mehretu. Ensemble, the project arrives in Germany with a more introspective and expanded approach.  2.  Julie Mehretu, KAIROS / Hauntological Variations, Exhibition view, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2025, Pho...