Throughout his career, Robert Mapplethorpe archived his extensive output—from his student work to photography, sculptures and jewelry to commercial—and the the resulting collection is quite remarkable. Challenging ideas surrounding censorship, sexuality, gender, Mapplethorpe’s oftentimes provocative works are published in the scrapbook-style book—which opens with an essay by his collaborator, friend and soulmate, Patti Smith.
For his ongoing project “The Imaginarium of Tears,” Dutch artist Maurice Mikkers photographs microscopic prints created by dried teardrops collected from friends, family members and even complete strangers. Like fingerprints, each tear forms a completely unique crystalline pattern—subtle differences that Mikkers hopes to research further. His works will be on display in Kuwait City beginning 29 March. Head to Quartz to learn more about his …
1. Banksy’s True Identity Using a technique called “geographic profiling”—which is mostly used to catch serial criminals—scientists at Queen Mary University of London claim to have discovered the true identity of the infamous street artist Banksy. After building a geoprofile from the locations of 140 of Bansky’s suspected artworks, the team was able to pinpoint different “hot spots” all strongly linked to one individual: Robin …