top of page
POINT PLEASANT PUBLISHING
All contemporary art discourse.
POINT PLEASANT JOURNAL
Lost Wax : Video Art by Diambe
Written by Joas Nebe. Diambe, from São Paulo, Brazil, presents at Kunsthalle Basel. Diambe explores the dynamics of collectives (like a swarm of bees), the resistances which arises from human interventions, and their controllability. All three aspects come together in his video work Cera perdida (Lost wax) , 2025, presented in Basel. A swarm of bees is exposed to a wax cast made from various tropical and non-tropical fruits and their remnants over several hours. The work Cera
2 min read
The Wealthy Should Invest More in Experimental Art Outside the Mainstream
artwork by Joseph Farbrook The most experimental, alternative, and avant-garde art out there is mainly being financed and supported by specialized institutions and platforms (such as Point Pleasant Publishing). We all know about the cuts which have been made to public funding of the arts, which leaves visual art more reliant on private investment. However, even without these cuts, many of these publicly funded venues and platforms are not willing to reach out beyond their imm
3 min read
Perception of Power in Contemporary Art
artwork by Van O (Ivan Isaev) Much of the contemporary art world is based on illusory aspects of power. There are of course the supposed gatekeepers, but who are these people and do they really determine the threshold of access? They are the museum / gallery director, the curator, the art critic (and critical art publications), the academic scholar, and the financier. These various roles and individuals have been granted the collective power of determining what is art. But wh
3 min read
Luc Delahaye: The Detail in Conflict
Written by Joas Nebe. Luc Delahaye (born 1962) worked as a war photographer in the 1990s. War photographers are at the heart of the action. They require highly automated and lightweight equipment that can be quickly moved from one location to another. The images captured with these small (digital) cameras have a certain resolution, dictated by the medium, film or later, the chip in the camera, which is sufficient to be published in newspapers or magazines. Often, the lack of
3 min read
How to Get the Public Engaged with Contemporary Art
In the age of artificial intelligence, there is no greater currency than the ability to draw people’s attention. With the endless amount of AI slop in the form of automated texts and images filling our personal and professional spaces, how does the artist thrive amidst a sea of crap? Well first of all, the artist should not be too hard on themselves because historically what draws the attention of the masses rarely turns out to be great art. Being able to click-bait mass atte
4 min read
Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses Exhibition
Written by Joas Nebe Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses 3 December 2025 - 10 May 2026 Museum Tinguely Paul Sacher-Anlage 1
4058 Basel
Museum: +41 61 681 93 20
Shop: +41 61 688 94 42
Bistro: +41 61 688 94 58 Opening hours Tuesday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
Open until 9 pm on Thursdays
Monday closed https://www.tinguely.ch/en.html The Tinguely Museum in Basel is showcasing an exhibition by the American artist Carl Cheng (*1942). This exhibition focuses not only on his works relating
4 min read
The Artistic Philosophy & Origins of Masha Luch: An Autobiographical Essay
My name is Masha Luch. I am a contemporary interdisciplinary artist. In my practice, I explore different forms of communication, the theme of memory, the perception of time and space, and the search for one’s place within that space. A central aspect of my work is the aesthetic of absence: situations in which removal, exclusion, or reduction allows attention to focus on a thought or a sensation. I am drawn to ciphers and riddles, to motifs of observation and quiet looking, to
5 min read
Why Conceptual Art Matters: Featuring Van O (Ivan Isaev)
When I was a senior in high school, I grew a specific fascination with conceptual art. One of my art teachers at the time, Mr. Murphy, corrected me when I was discussing with him about conceptual art. He stated: “All art is conceptual. There is no such thing as conceptual art”. At the time, I believed him because I was young. However, today as a critical writer with experience, I strongly disagree with such a notion. There is clearly a difference between conceptual art and no
4 min read
Performance: La Niña De La Casa by Fina Ferrara
La Niña De La Casa , or The Girl in the House when translated to English, is a performance by Fina Ferrara which begins with a prelude to another performance titled Heartwork broadcasted to the audience. Heartwork entails Fina seated on the grass in a white gown stitching red thread through animal hearts in the mists of an ominous forest to spell the word ‘trust’. The theme of certainty in others becomes followed by Fina Ferrara being broadcasted to the audience live on a s
4 min read
Why Low-Brow Collectors / 'Experts' Don't Matter
This article is a sequel to the essay Painting is Deader than Dead . According to Saatchi Art, the world’s leading online gallery, finding the “perfect work” depends on the size of your wall space, orientation, placement, and if you decide to have salon walls. But Saatchi Art is not the villain, they are merely following the market. The art market has no distinct head, in today’s art market we are all followers without a leader and we generally follow the tastes of the low-br
5 min read
Painting is Deader than Dead
Everyone knows the Marylin Manson song Rock is Dead , right? Well, the idea for the title of this article derives from Manson’s song, but I do not believe rock is literally dead…however, painting certainly is. This article serves to inform our readers, Volume 14 of the Hardcover Catalogue is the final volume which contains articles about paintings. We do not regret writing about all the painters we have written about over the years, we have just evolved. No doubt, many of the
5 min read
Why Performance Art Matters V. 2: Featuring Fina Ferrara
Performance and performance-based art is meant to be enjoyed and appreciated in the moment. When a performance is over however, the piece can still be savored in the form of video and photography. This sense of mindfulness brings us to one of the most celebrated performance artists of our time: Fina Ferrara. Ms. Ferrara’s performance work is usually conceptual-based rather than conveying a narrative. Concepts such as overcoming and purging personal suffering, emotional releas
3 min read
Art Basel Paris 2025: Reminiscence
Written by Joas Nebe. A good tradition of the Art Basel brand is to curate a publicly accessible program alongside the fair. In Paris, this includes works by Alex Da Corte, a performance featuring a balloon figure and four performers at Place Vendôme, as well as two kinetic sculptures by Julius von Bismarck at the Petit Palais. Alex Da Corte's performance "Kermit The Frog" (Sadie Cole HQ, London) features a three-quarters inflated balloon figure floating over the pavement at
4 min read
The Value of Human-Created Critical Writing
artwork by Masha Luch There is no secret Titan Contemporary Publishing frowns upon any attempts to apply artificial intelligence to writing and the visual arts. In regard to writing, particularly critical writing, we will try to explain the deep and impactful human-connection created when a writer studies and interprets works of art by a notable artist. Anyone who is a genuine critical writer with extensive experience knows there is absolutely no way to truly build connection
4 min read
The Value of Human Creativity
artwork by Rachel Clites No matter what anyone will claim, machines will not replace the value of genuine human creativity. Artists are sometimes lectured by the tech-bros to ‘evolve or be replaced’, ‘embrace AI’, ‘work with AI, not against AI’. However, what these tech-bros fail to understand is how the art world operates. Virtually every established gallery you will find has sidelined artificial intelligence content. Same with art fairs. Why? Because no collector wants to p
3 min read
Greetings from Belmar, New Jersey: A Vibrant Art Scene in the Jersey Shore
exterior of Belmar Arts Center, New Jersey After living in the South for the past 7 years, I became disillusioned with living in a landlocked area for so much time, a six hour drive from any coastline. There were many reasons why I left the South, but one of them was the lack of an inspiring or welcoming arts community. I came back home to New Jersey, but instead of my native Jersey City and Northern New Jersey, I settled on the Jersey Shore where several of my family members
3 min read
The Power of Illusion & Perception
artwork by Amelia Bisbardis Illusory and perceptive qualities in contemporary art can come in many forms. Sometimes just cropping an...
4 min read
Parasitó: an Exhibition by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery
performance by Fina Ferrara Written by Joas Nebe Parasitó: an exhibition by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery. In collaboration with the...
4 min read
Finest of the FEIN Collections
artwork by Gareth Lloyd FEIN Collections [made in new york city] is a contemporary gallery based in Bruton located within Somerset county, England. The Gallery Director, Danielle Fein, is a renaissance woman with a background in screenwriting, classical ballet, art history, and law. Danielle has been collecting art since her early twenties before becoming a dedicated gallerist. At a little under 1,000 sq. ft. containing an office and two gallery rooms, FEIN Collections curren
4 min read
Philosophy, Criticism, & Depth: The Insight of Carolyn Schlam
artwork by Lola del Fresno Carolyn Schlam’s More Joy of Art: Keys to Appreciating Art is an art history, art philosophy, and art...
4 min read
Corrupted Content: Why A.I. Should Not be Used in Critical Writing
Artificial intelligence should not be used in any form of writing and especially in critical writing because nobody wants to be written about by a machine. At Titan Contemporary Publishing, we had unfortunate incidents where a couple of our writers had submitted writing produced by artificial intelligence. As a result, these individuals were fired and partnerships were terminated. Their essays have been deleted from our books and online platforms. We intend to never allow wri
3 min read
Telephone - The Global Artist Game
artwork by Cate Wnek Written by Joas Nebe Telephone, the old children’s game which perhaps exists all over the world. One child whispers...
3 min read
Contemporary Aesthetics
artwork by Nancy Staub Laughlin When we think of contemporary aesthetics or beauty, there remains a distinction between what has a...
3 min read
The Gallery Director of Old New York
Brooklyn remains a microcosm of all 5 boroughs of New York. Manhattan is known for luxury and the prestige of the city with the Chelsea...
4 min read
Analogue Versus Digital Photography
artwork by Stefanie Schneider This article will be discussing the technical, aesthetical, and conceptual differences between analogue...
3 min read
Midnight Zone & Scream Machines
Written by Joas Nebe Julian Charrière: Midnight Zone 11 June - 2 November 2025 Museum Tingluely Paul Sacher-Anlage 1 4058 Basel Opening...
3 min read
Figurative Versus Non-Figurative
artwork by Peter Horvath The age old debate of figurative versus non-figurative comes down to a question of aesthetics and concepts. Some...
5 min read
The Artistic Philosophy & Origins of Jaina Cipriano: An Autobiographical Essay
Introduction by Michael Athanasius Hanna, Editor & Curator of Titan Contemporary Publishing. I asked Jaina Cipriano, who might be my most...
6 min read
Fantastical, Ethereal, & Enchanted Elements in Contemporary Art
artwork by Paige Young Historically - fantasy, ethereal, and enchanted qualities in art have been regulated as kitsch or illustration....
3 min read
The Impact of Film, Video Art, & Photography
photography by Patricia Fortlage Each artform of film, video art, as well as photography could easily be discussed by themselves in a...
6 min read
Mystery, the Macabre, & Suspense in Contemporary Art
artwork by Richard Gibson Action and reaction in contemporary art does not always need to be literal. If one were to read many...
5 min read
The Power of Installation
artwork by Amy Landesberg Few artforms have as much impact on an open space as installation. Unlike sculpture, installation has both...
3 min read
Subject Matter, Motif, & Narrative in Contemporary Art
artwork by Olga S. Ortiz The old adage of the ‘how’ remains more important than the ‘what’ in fine arts no longer applies. Subject matter...
4 min read
Performance Art is Refined Conceptual Art
artwork by Jaina Cipriano When we discuss notions of conceptual art, some may say all art can be described as conceptual, however, how...
4 min read
Why Performance Art Matters
artwork by Jaina Cipriano In order to understand performance art, we must identify what differentiates the artform from straight...
4 min read
Point Pleasant Journal (formerly known as Titan Contemporary Journal) is an essay-based publication which contains 'all contemporary art discourse'. In the journal, the Editor and contributing writers discuss relevant philosophies and theories revolving around current active contemporary artists. In addition, Point Pleasant Journal also publishes in-depth articles about the latest and some of the finest contemporary art exhibitions occurring around the world, biographical profiles on notable individuals in the arts as well as insightful book reviews on contemporary art books and profiles on galleries. Point Pleasant Journal is completely devoted and focused on the identity of contemporary art as well as educating our audience on avant-garde practices, achievements, and principles.
Also, Point Pleasant Publishing accepts solicitations pertaining to contemporary art books for us to conduct book reviews at no charge, as long as a free copy of the book is mailed to us by the publisher or author. Contemporary galleries can also send us information regarding inquiries about Point Pleasant Journal writing a profile on the gallery. We offer this service at no charge as long as the Gallery Director or official representative of the gallery can answer a custom questionnaire of about a dozen questions. Point Pleasant Publishing can also write articles about current contemporary exhibitions as long as the exhibition fits the theme of Point Pleasant Journal. A press release, detailed information, and images of the exhibition are required for an essay to be published.
bottom of page