The Alchemist Sanctuary

15/10/2025

Beyond Chinese tradition
©Kiki Xue photographer

15/10/2025

Discover the world of Argentinean painter Alejo Palacios () in this intimate short documentary. Step into his humble countryside home, a s**ce he’s been building slowly, piece by piece, reflecting his simple yet profound approach to life. Just like his home, Alejo’s art is a celebration of simplicity and raw beauty, using only primary colors and organic materials to bring his vision to life.

This film was created to accompany his debut solo exhibition at Alzueta Gallery in Barcelona — a unique look into the soul of an artist who finds greatness in the modest and magic in the minimal.

Watch now to get inspired by his creative journey and the serene charm of his lifestyle.

Directed by Daniela López ()
Cinematography & Edit: Tiago Almança ()
Art Direction: Fidel Arias () & Francisca Ceballos () from Objectifs Studio ()
Color Grading: Guillem Birba (.rgb)
Sound Design: Rodrigo Fernandez ()
Music: Alma by Gustavo Santaolalla (Courtesy of Masterworks)
Subtitles: Cristian Lewkow ()

Shot in Tarragona on Kodak 250D 16mm film with a Krasnogorsk 3 camera. Developed & scanned by ANDEC Cinegrell Filmtechnik in Berlin.

Discover the world of Argentinean painter Alejo Palacios () in this intimate short documentary. Step into his humble countryside home, a s**c...

15/10/2025

Tree of Life – Hand painted Kalamkari Motif from Gujarat, India.

15/10/2025

Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American author, poet, and professor. Born in Vietnam, Ocean Vuong came to America aged two and was raised in Hartford, Connecticut, working in his mother’s nail salon from an early age. He received his BA in Nineteenth Century American Literature from Brooklyn College, and an MFA in Poetry from NYU, where he is now a Professor of Creative Writing. Vuong became an international literary sensation with his 2019 debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, which was based in part on his familial history. His second novel, The Emperor of Gladness, was published this year to further acclaim. Vuong is known for his distinctive elegiac prose and his heart and mind-expanding interrogation of the English language through his poems, essays, and novels. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Book Award, the Mark Twain Award, the T.S. Eliot Prize and the MacArthur “Genius” Grant.

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Ocean Vuong discuss the obsession of style as a brand, how self adornment can be a medicine, and the dopamine effect of a good sentence.

00:00:00​ Intro
00:00:21​ What are you wearing today?
00:01:31​ Jewellery
04:24​ Ocean’s Stepfather
00:08:21​ The difference of writing novels and poetry
00:16:48​ Style in writing
00:20:06​ Importance of beauty in childhood
00:24:34​ Sentence structures
00:28:41​ Conversations at the nail salon
00:32:57​ How do you choose what you wear?
00:38:07​ Addiction and sobriety
00:50:20​ The Emperor of Gladness
01:01:57​ Fast food
01:08:02​ Style icon
01:10:55​ If you fancy someone…
01:17:22​ Writing only eight books
01:24:30​ Outro

Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American author, poet, and professor. Born in Vietnam, Ocean Vuong came to America aged two and was raised in Hartford, Connectic...

15/10/2025

Join Musubi Academy in a heartfelt conversation with Kikuno Hyodo, a dedicated tea ceremony practitioner and Shinto apprentice. Born in Kanagawa and raised in Yokohama, Kikuno shares her journey of reconnecting with Japanese traditions and the profound impact of living mindfully.​

In this interview, Kikuno discusses how practices like the Way of Tea and Shinto rituals encourage us to cherish the present moment. She reflects on the significance of daily offerings, seasonal festivals, and the concept of Naka Ima — living fully in the "middle now."​

Discover how embracing simplicity, nature's transitions and intentional rituals can bring clarity and depth to our modern lives. This conversation is an invitation to pause, reflect and reconnect with the here and now.​

Read more by visiting www.musubi.academy
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Musubi Academy is an online educational platform designed to uncover the essential wisdom, creativity and beauty underlying Japanese culture.

Our mission is to bridge cultures and empower individuals to better navigate their lives and our planet.

We do this by sharing carefully curated stories, interviews and essays featuring contemporary voices from Japan and beyond. Giving you a chance to learn directly from modern day Zen priests, craftspeople, designers, business innovators and more.

Join Musubi Academy in a heartfelt conversation with Kikuno Hyodo, a dedicated tea ceremony practitioner and Shinto apprentice. Born in Kanagawa and raised i...

15/10/2025

Carmen Cicero was born on August 14, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey. Cicero's early work combined the gestures of Abstract Expressionism with the artist's interest in Surrealist automatism. In 1971, the contents of Cicero's Englewood, New Jersey, studio, which included the entire body of work still in the artist's possession, were lost in a fire. From that point forward, his painting took a personal turn, combining figuration, landscape, and compositions with Surrealist overtones. Cicero's paintings are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum and Whitney Museum of American Art.

To see more of his work: http://www.carmencicer...

For further inquiries: https://carmencicero.c...

https://youtu.be/KRxLw_ZZLfQ?si=JoAygyTromyJKEvs

PRE-ORDER MY NEW PHOTO BOOK, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: https://www.joshuacharow.com/books/airContact me: [email protected] me on instagram: https://www...

14/10/2025

'Autumn Geisha' (秋の芸者) by Tsuruta Ichiro (鶴田一郎, born 1954), a contemporary Japanese Nihonga painter from Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県), who is best known for his bijinga (美人画) portraits (of beautiful Japanese women).

J in 日本

14/10/2025