Lee Ufan Installs 20,000 Steel Rods in Sand at Dia:Beacon

An exploration of the Mono-ha movement through the work of one of its pioneers

Unbound and spellbinding, “Relatum (Iron Field)” (1969/1994/2018) is one of five large-scale Lee Ufan works currently on display at Dia:Beacon. To see it—a sandy spill of a sculpture, pierced by 20,000 reed-like steel rods—means understanding the values of Ufan and the Mono-ha movement he pioneered. Active from 1968-74, the loosely affiliated Mono-ha artists set basic materials (manmade and natural) in opposition to one another, in …

Jonah Yano + BADBADNOTGOOD: Nervous

Japan-born, Toronto-based Jonah Yano connects with BADBADNOTGOOD on a track that’s a delightful and seamless combination of their styles. Yano’s raw and relatable lyrics float comfortably atop BBNG’s rainy instrumental—one that employs acid jazz and blues. “Cigarettes make me nervous,” Yano proclaims. And it all burns smoothly until the track slips into a psychedelic spiral around the two-minute mark. Afterward, it picks up right where …

Kassav’: Love and Ka Dance

Best known for popularizing zouk, Kassav’ gets their first album, Love and Ka Dance, reissued with both the original and the rare US version inside the set. This version (out 10 May, on Heavenly Sweetness) also dons new album art—a photograph taken by the late Rudy Jabbour. The title track is a lively summation of the group’s sound which blends cadence rampa, calypso, funk, merengue …