Piercing the Supernatural with Laurent Grasso

FRONTRUNNER is proud to present a discussion of the supernatural, and how an artist might somehow pierce its veil, with the Paris-based, internationally celebrated artist and filmmaker Laurent Grasso.

Director Oliver Murray on ‘RONNIE’S’

In his latest documentary film, RONNIE’S, writer-director Oliver Murray chronicles the life story of Ronnie Scott, the legendary founder of his eponymous jazz club in London.


Maria Cristina Didero and the Golden Age of Design: Design Miami/ 2022

The art and design storm that looms over Miami for the first full weekend in December wrapped up, ushering out a big crowd and millions of dollars with it. Under her guidance, curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero’s Design Miami/ fairs had an overarching theme of The Golden Age.

Fin Simonetti’s Magical Thinking

Fin Simonetti works in sculpture and stained glass. She received her BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design and has exhibited internationally at Matthew Brown (Los Angeles), Cooper Cole (Toronto), and MoMA PS1.

Belters Only: It Was Inevitable

Belters Only, whose name needs no explanation, is made up of Bissett and RobbieG. They stem from the same club in Dublin, and both have been in the house music scene for over a decade.

ART

From the YBA’s to Today: Mat Collishaw

Matthew, or simply “Mat”, Collishaw, is among the group of artists known as the Young British Artists (or YBAs) who studied at Goldsmiths’ College in London in the late 1980s. FRONTRUNNER is pleased to present a dialogue with one of the contemporary art worlds’ first mavericks.

FRONTRUNNER Meets Okuda San Miguel

His Pop Surrealist works are monumental, eccentric and emanate positive vibrations with a strong emotional impact thanks to colour and harmonic shapes. Meet Óscar San Miguel Erice, aka Okuda San Miguel.

The Collision and Fusion of East and West: Hannah Lim

As a person of mixed Singaporean and British heritage, Hannah Lim creates furniture-like sculptures with a combination of both the East and the West elements in response to her cultural identity and experience.

Healing The Soul with Marinella Senatore

FRONTRUNNER meets distinguished Italian artist Marinella Senatore. Among her accolades are the MAXXI Prize (Rome), the Castello di Rivoli Fellowship (Torino), The American Academy in Rome Fellowship, The New York Prize and the Dena Foundation Fellowship.

An Uncomfortable Truth Spoken Out Loud: Maurizio Cattelan

FRONTRUNNER is proud to present a one-on-one discussion with Maurizio Cattelan, who describes art as “A provocation is nothing more than an uncomfortable truth spoken aloud, and art sometimes succeeds where words cannot reach.”

Sanford Biggers: The FRONTRUNNER Interview

Between symbolism and history, Sanford Biggers’ practice is a mix of elements ranging from marble to fabrics, which reinterpret facts of the past through a contemporary lens in paintings, sculptures, installations, videos, films and performances.

From Tuscany to the International Scene: Massimo Bartolini

Massimo Bartolini (b. Cecina, 1962) trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and his artistic experimentation took shape through multiple mediums in relation to space and its perception. Works made of lights and shadows, of static and dynamic elements.

Alexi Marshall: Female Bodies and Folklore

Alexi Marshall celebrates womanhood in her practice, emphasising unapologetic female bodies. Drawing on print, fabric, and mosaics, she subverts gendered stereotypes through her work.

Digital Empathy: Miltos Manetas

Before the Metaverse, before you heard of NFTs or digital art, something was brewing for Greek artist Miltos Manetas. He was there right at the beginning of it all, searching for digital empathy.

FILM

Jean-Jacques Annaud: The FRONTRUNNER Interview

Acclaimed director Jean-Jacques Annaud speaks to FRONTRUNNER about history, the admiration of faith, the magic of cinema, and his newest film, Notre Dame on Fire.

Jessica Kingdon on her Debut Documentary: Ascension

When someone says “The American Dream”, we think of a white picket fence. But the expression “Chinese Dream”? We won’t know where to begin. ASCENSION is director Jessica Kingdon’s debut documentary feature.

Alex Hassell on Joel Coen’s ‘Tragedy of Macbeth’

Alex Hassell’s resumé is admirable. With so many performances to discuss, we settle on Joel Coen’s ‘Tragedy of Macbeth’, where he plays alongside a few recognisable names such as Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington.

FRONTRUNNER Meets Director Julia Ducournau

FRONTRUNNER meets director Julia Ducournau and finds out more about her latest film, Titane, winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes.

A FRONTRUNNER Exclusive: Director Alexander Nanau

Our FALL 2021 Cover Story: An interview with Romanian director Alexander Nanau on his double-Academy Award-nominated documentary feature, COLLECTIVE, and how national scandals can – and should – inspire public activism.

FRONTRUNNER Meets Artist & Filmmaker Shen Xin

Shen Xin’s work examines and fabricates techniques and effects of how emotion, politics, identity, gender and ethics circulate through individual and collective subjects.

MUSIC

Loose Buttons: Just Guys Being Dudes

Loose Buttons released their debut album, Something Better, right before COVID-19. With the world unraveling, the band used lockdown to learn and grow.

Music That Heals: Ensemble Mik Nawooj

The world can be full of so much pain and suffering that we can’t control. Maybe music can be a cure. That’s what hip-hop orchestra Ensemble Mik Nawooj aims to do: alleviate suffering with music.

FRONTRUNNER Gets to Know…Yuno

While he works on his debut album, FRONTRUNNER spoke with Yuno about his latest single, “January’s Somebody”, self-production, how he took music from his bedroom to the stage, and more.

Better Days with The Night Café

Whilst beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, Vincent Van Gogh himself described his piece The Night Café as his ugliest painting ever.

No Place Like Home: Aquilo

Originally from the quaint village of Silverdale in the North of England, the duo Aquilo stumbled upon fame after years of playing in rivalling rock bands. With the release of their debut single, “Calling Me”, people started to really listen.

FRONTRUNNER exclusive: The Magic Gang

From their student house in Brighton to some of the UK’s biggest stages, including the likes of Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds, The Magic Gang

Good Conversation(s) with Zein Gowie

This interview, much like Zein’s music, brims with a humble energy that comes hand in hand with being true to oneself. Zein Gowie is a

CULTURE

Silva Cunningham: The Sketchbooks of Growing Up

Silva Cunningham created a youth culture magazine called Plates Of Meat one year ago. In her words, “The entire thing is about the process of growing up and figuring itself out”.

Enrico Caruso Centenary: A Tenor for All Time

Even today, his voice is among the most important in the history of world music and the first voice of Italian music to cross the ocean. We speak of tenor Enrico Caruso.

Jazmyn W: A Rising Comedic Force

Leaving a six-figure corporate job for the world of standup comedy is brave. But, if your name is Jazmyn W, that gambit has already paid off.

An Interview with Curator Taras Matla

Taras W. Matla is the Associate Director of the University of Maryland (UMD) Art Gallery. He’s worked for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Trust.

Good Press: A Glaswegian Gem

Founded in Glasgow in 2011, Good Press is a volunteer-run organisation promoting and distributing independently-published printed matter.

Octavia Yearwood and The Tranz Form

A new docuseries from artist, author, and motivational speaker Octavia Yearwood delves into the lives of trans people of colour. The first season of The

DESIGN

Where Design Meets High Fashion: Carl Gerges

As an architect, photographer, composer, and member of the giant Lebanese rock band Mashrou’ Leila, Carl Gerges can be deemed a true multi-hyphenate. His latest venture tests the waters of high fashion.

Eco-Sustainable Techno-Poetry: Daan Roosegaarde

Daan Roosegaarde’s projects are aimed at the future and the sustainability of the individual. Thanks to technology, every work Roosegaarde creates is visual and immersive poetry.

Calen Knauf’s Case for Specialization

Industrial designer Calen Knauf won the Rising Star Award at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2017 and has collaborated with companies including Stüssy and Tetra.

Careful Curation with Éditions 8888

Born in Montréal, a city notorious for its counterculture, Éditions 8888 nestles itself between the disciplines of postmodernism, brutalism, punk, sci-fi … we could go

Disco Daydreaming at Lland Studio

Rachel Shillander wants to explore her architectural ambitions – which she says are here for the long haul – through functional and decorative furniture, objects,

Shrouding Light with Stamatios Fragos

The power of the internet purveys in the case of Stamatios Fragos, a designer whose lamps, which combine traditional elements of design with a concept of concealed illumination.

Intuitive Creation with Yasmin Bawa

Experimentation, in terms of both medium and process, delineates Yasmin Bawa’s Berlin-based practice where she designs various objects, furniture and spaces. Evidently, instinctive trial and error pays off.

TRAVEL

SAN FRANCISCO

Arguably the dominant force of the West Coast art scene, take a dive into what makes San Francisco such a draw. Bookstore – City Lights

CHICAGO

Navigating the Windy City – a bustling metropolis with a vibe all of its own. Here are some things to check out among the skyscrapers.

BARI

The capital of southern Italy’s Puglia region, Bari is where East meets West. Here’s how to explore it. Shop: Corderia 1995 Corderia 1995 is an

COMO

How to chill out in Como, Italy’s tranquil city by the lake. Hotel: Palazzo Albricci Pellegrini Ever get homesick when you travel? Don’t worry, you’ll

LEEDS

The cultural hub of West Yorkshire is rapidly growing and changing. Often neglected in favour of it’s Northern neighbours, here’s our case for a trip

MILAN

Have a taste of La Dolce Vita in the most fashionable, and evolving, city in Italy. Gallery: Fondazione Prada Keen to explore the culture beyond

LECCE

Our recommendations for Lecce, the “Florence of the South”. Museum: Museo Storico Citta’ di Lecce (MUST) Visiting MUST is a must. A former monastery founded

AMSTERDAM

Famous for its winding canals and liberal policy (towards almost everything), Amsterdam is a must-visit for those seeking an intoxicating and surprising city trip. Street

BARCELONA

Welcome to the head and heart of Catalonia; here’s where we suggest you start. Hotel: Hotel Brummell A short distance from Montjuïc, in Poble Sec,

Community Highlights

Finding Peace and Beauty with Farida Bustani

The seaside town resort of El Gouna, near Hurghada is a picturesque town built along the Red Sea shore. It has distinct architectural styles, adjoining

Ziyang Wu: Cutting Through The Noise

Born and raised in Xuzhou (Jiangsu Province, China), Ziyang Wu is a contemporary artist teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

The Art of Life and Death with Vern Rattapoom

Thai artist Rattapoom Piwpantamit (Vern) moved from a small village in Thailand to the city (Bangkok) to pursue his art career. He talks of heart-wrenching

Profile of the Week: Carla Timoc

Romanian artist Carla Timoc, recently graduated from the University of Art and Design receiving a MA degree in Photography. Her work experiments with film format

YngSpc: A space nurturing the future of art

Imagine: an independent, online/offline platform for contemporary art that emphasizes artists early in their careers. Kate Mothes never imagined her blog would turn into a

Profile of the Week: Pocket of Lollipops

Miami based band, Pocket of Lollipops has been playing together for 11 years. Composed of Maite and Tony, the duo formed their band in high

Profile of the Week: Wendy Fetzer Mazza

Artist and printmaker Wendy Fetzer Mazza’s resolute vision for her work and her methodical creative process set her apart as an artist. Wendy is based

Profile of the Week: Daria Ivanova

Possessing a myriad of creative outlets, French-Russian queer feminist artist Daria Ivanova explores trauma and sexuality with a focus on LGBTQ representation. Daria finds inspiration

Voice of the People

Sierra Cortner, Social Media Marketing

So, I’m guessing purple is your favorite color? What significance does the color purple have to you? It’s not my favorite color but I recently

Dana Nehdaran, Painter

What’s something you consider “cool” and how would you classify what cool is? Someone who’s outgoing, laid back, and a smooth talker Would you call

Rameet Chawla, Farmer

Can you tell me a little bit about your role as a farmer. What exactly do you do? Do you own land or animals? I

Amy van Doran, Matchmaker

So as a matchmaker, how would you say one finds compatibility in someone else? I think it’s good to start with having a shared value

Nima Veiseh, Painter

How does your fashion and style reflect who you are as an artist? I’m the founder of a clothing company called “Dress Abstract”, which is

Pajtim Osmanaj, Artist

What colors do you like to wear? I go to both extremes. I’m either super shiny like I’m dressed today. A lot of the times

Blair Quinn, Dancer/Artist/Designer

How would you categorize your style and how does it reflect who you are? My style is very “real”. It represents my feelings and my

Dennis Carroll, Photographer and Painter

What do you photograph? I go to a lot of state sales and flea markets and I take pictures of people’s stuff that they’ve been

Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, Curator

As a curator, what kind of artists do you try to find? At art fairs you can get pretty overwhelmed. So I’m looking for something