ARTICLES

In an extensive interview, Spanish sculptor Verónica Mar discusses UNIVERSO in Madrid, her evolution from sculptural furniture to monumental portals, and the relationship between form, space and the invisible.

Three years after ARTCOLLECTORNEWS first spoke with Maxwell Stevens about Last Days of Summer, the New York painter has returned to the beach. But in Surfside, the setting has become less a backdrop than a social and psychological stage. The new paintings bring swimmers, surfers, couples, families and groups of friends into close proximity along the North Atlantic coast of Long Island. Stevens renders these figures with an almost portrait-like concentration before disrupting them with broad smears, calligraphic strokes, impasto and flashes of cobalt, turquoise and aqua.

Following her selection as the latest ARTCOLLECTORNEWS Open Call winner, Sophie-Yen Bretez discusses the ideas that underpin her practice, the relationship between material and memory, and the importance of creating work that invites sustained reflection. Rather than following trends, Bretez's work unfolds through careful observation and a nuanced engagement with contemporary experience. This exclusive interview offers collectors an opportunity to discover the artist behind the work and the thinking that continues to shape her evolving practice.

Austyn Taylor, open call winning artist and her many characters spreading optimism across the world one gallery at a time: "My work is vivid, colorful, innocent, courageous and absurd. I make characters in hand sculpted clay based on animals and people I have encountered. The work acts as a signal- "everything will be ok" like a safe place to wonder about how we even exist as humans in the first place." Taylor is internationally recognized for her hand-built ceramic sculptures—playful yet deeply philosophical characters inspired by animals, human behavior, and the shared experiences that connect people across cultures. Influenced by ancient clay traditions from Mesopotamia, Japan, Europe, Africa, and Central America, she sees clay as one of humanity's most universal artistic languages: fragile yet enduring, humble yet capable of carrying profound meaning across generations.

Giusy Amoroso, also known as Marigoldff, winner of the fifth Open Call, constructs speculative ecosystems where biology and industry converge. Working across digital and physical realms, her practice examines how organisms adapt within environments shaped by contamination, technological intervention, and ecological instability. Rooted in her upbringing in Southern Italy’s “Land of Fires,” Amoroso’s work moves beyond narratives of destruction to focus on transformation as a condition of survival. Through hybrid anatomies—where metal, synthetic matter, and organic tissue coexist—she proposes new models of life that are both resilient and dependent. This conversation traces the conceptual, technical, and experiential layers that define her evolving practice.

Danish artist Laust Højgaard explores the tension between strength, vulnerability, and identity through paintings and sculptures populated by symbolic characters and surreal situations. Drawing inspiration from classical mythology, architecture, and contemporary pop culture, his work investigates how individuals navigate societal structures while negotiating their own instincts and inner conflicts. Based on the small island of Thurø near Svendborg in southern Denmark, Højgaard works across painting and sculpture, often combining expressive figuration with raw, intuitive processes. His work frequently reflects on humanity’s relationship with nature, control, and the systems that shape modern life.