Proof

A miniature giant by legendary photographer, JR. In his ongoing Giants series, JR takes over buildings and monuments worldwide with enormous black and white portraits. The project began in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics – championing determined world class athletes who didn’t quite make the cut. Mohamed, a Sudanese high-jumper, took his place on the roof of a foreclosed apartment building overlooking the ocean. A first-of-its-kind sculpture archives the moment at a domestic scale. The figure, printed on acrylic, can be affixed to a scaffold made from welded steel rods and displayed in isolation, or placed on top of a bespoke plinth which doubles up as an edition box. “All my works are ephemeral. If you go back to Rio it’s not there, but it’s there in people’s minds. For the people who haven’t seen it, here is the proof that it at some point existed.”Watch the accompanying film to hear JR’s reflections on scale, scaffolding and the importance of protecting his naivety.

For a time-limited print edition, José Parlá spins memories of a life in art into abstract calligraphy.Seeing in Phosphene sees Parlá draw on ocular phenomena as a source of inspiration. Caused by light, sound or pressure, ‘phosphene’ describes illusory colours and shapes that come from inside the eye. Rubbing closed eyes and seeing stars are common examples. By looking at the sun through the skylight of his Brooklyn studio and blinking, Parlá finds forms – spots, lines, riding colours – for his energetic paintings. In turn, these forms summon moments – the city, my family and friends, places I’ve been – from his storied past.Available for 24 hours only, the edition of signed, varnish-sealed prints faithfully recreate an original painting. Set against a vibrant gradient of red, orange and yellow, densely-layered strokes become illegible and evade specificity. Instead, Parlá encourages his viewer to read the surface for themselves – to find their own meaning, and draw their own conclusions. Free shipping is included on all orders. For more on sensory inspirations, read the accompanying journal.

To benefit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, silkscreen print Too Darn Hot combines a landmark moment for Tom Sachs’ practice with his continued investigations of the past, present and future of authentication.“The thing about faith is that it's for the faithful. It only works if you believe in it.”The acquisition of Too Darn Hot – a ‘frankenrocket’ from Sachs’ trailblazing Rocket Factory project – by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) underscored the museum’s position as one of the most progressive in the world with regard to the intersections of art and technology. To support the future of this position, 40% of proceeds from the Sachs’ first Avant Arte edition will be donated to LACMA.Each 13-colour silkscreen print includes a group of mechanisms conceived by the artist to establish its authenticity, and as integral parts of the artwork. A debossed design includes information from the launch of Sachs’ physical Too Darn Hot rocket at LACMA in 2021. A rubber stamp in its centre denotes the print’s specific number within the overall edition. A QR code printed in UV ink connects each print with the original Too Darn Hot NFT metadata on the blockchain. On the print’s reverse is a tamper-proof holographic sticker, placed alongside a QR code sticker that links to a unique token on the blockchain – an NFT – which serves as a certificate of authenticity for the print it connects with. A second, printed certificate of authenticity shipped with each print also links directly to this NFT. The exact edition size will be determined by the number of prints ordered in the 24 hour release window. When this window ends, artworks will be printed, authenticated and shipped worldwide free of charge.

In tender collaged canvases, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami abstracts the contexts of her friends and family – an allegory for identities displaced, or otherwise fragmented.Kudzi started as a digital collage of the artist’s cousin. Printed, painted on and then faithfully recreated in 17 silkscreen layers.  Glossy swathes of colour obscure a halftone-modulated, monochromatic underprint. These innovative techniques – born of close collaboration with artisan printmakers in London – echo the rich, multimedia surfaces of Hwami’s original paintings.“Here stands a shy, joyous Zimbabwean young man free from realities facing LGBTQ people in Southern Africa.”The artwork encompasses a collaboration between Hwami, Avant Arte and Queercircle. From September 15, Kudzi will be installed in Queercircle’s reading room alongside a curated selection of queer literature. Visit the accompanying journal to learn more, and for the chance win an artist’s proof!

In tender collaged canvases, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami abstracts the contexts of her friends and family – an allegory for identities displaced, or otherwise fragmented.Kudzi started as a digital collage of the artist’s cousin. Printed, painted on and then faithfully recreated in 17 silkscreen layers.  Glossy swathes of colour obscure a halftone-modulated, monochromatic underprint. These innovative techniques – born of close collaboration with artisan printmakers in London – echo the rich, multimedia surfaces of Hwami’s original paintings.As a final step in this experimental process, 15 prints returned to the artist’s studio in London for unique hand-finishing in oil paint and charcoal. “Here stands a shy, joyous Zimbabwean young man free from realities facing LGBTQ people in Southern Africa.”The artwork encompasses a collaboration between Hwami, Avant Arte and Queercircle. From September 15, Kudzi will be installed in Queercircle’s reading room alongside a curated selection of literature. Visit the accompanying journal to learn more, and for the chance win an artist’s proof!