Installation view of The Roof Garden Commission: Petrit Halilaj, Abetare, (2024). Photo: Hyla Skopitz; Courtesy of the artist; Chert Lüdde, Berlin; kurimanzutto, Mexico City / New York; Mennour, Paris
Installation view of The Roof Garden Commission: Petrit Halilaj, Abetare, (2024). Photo: Hyla Skopitz; Courtesy of the artist; Chert Lüdde, Berlin; kurimanzutto, Mexico City / New York; Mennour, Paris
Just in time for New York City’s first warm day of the summer season, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has officially unveiled its annual artist commission atop the The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. The museum tapped Kosovo-born installation artist Petrit Halilaj to craft a series of large-scale metal sculptures, titled Abetare, which were inspired by childhood drawings across the Balkan region. For the project, Halilaj researched past schools from his home country of Kosovo as well as in Albania and former Yugoslavia, where he recreated doodles and drawings found on desks as a way to bring attention to sociopolitical change happening in the regions and the scarcity of education in the Balkans in the 1990s due to war. The installation is open through October 27. —Shelby Black
Interior of the new Hermès boutique in Princeton, New Jersey. Photo: William Jess Laird
Interior of the new Hermès boutique in Princeton, New Jersey. Photo: William Jess Laird
Without question, Princeton, New Jersey is most famous for its Ivy League university (and come next year, the Adjaye Associates–designed Princeton University Art Museum), but the quaint town’s charms are not to be missed. Visitors should make a beeline to picturesque Palmer Square, where Hermès just unveiled a soigné new boutique. For the maison’s only store opening in the U.S. this year, Hermès once again called upon Paris architects RDAI, who crafted locations for the brand in Vienna, New York, Tokyo, Milan, and more. In Princeton, Diane Mahady, President of Hermès USA, welcomed a chic crowd into the beautiful new space that features design details that pay homage to its academic neighbor, such as linear millwork and color-blocked rugs that conjure stocked library shelves. However, most unifying is the palette, that saturated orange hue which looks just as stunning on curated collections of Hermès clothing and handbags as it does on the collegiate caps punctuating the quad nearby. —Jill Sieracki
Han Chiao’s latest works. Photo: Martin Wilder
Han Chiao, Round Vessel from the Thorn series. Photo: Courtesy of RWGG
In its continued support of artists and artisans from around the world with a focus materiality, Guild Gallery presents the first solo exhibition of Paris-based artist Han Chiao, opening May 2 and running through July 27. Entitled “Sans Titre,” the show spotlights works in clay by the talent who initially trained as a fashion photographer. Her vessels are each an elegant study in balancing opposites. Rough black clay is covered in thin washes of white glazes; sophisticated shapes are rendered in crude materials. That juxtaposition results in sculptures that convey a refined beauty but with a raw edge. The work of Han Chiao perfectly resides within the highly curated world Roman + Williams founders Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch have carved out out in the southernmost part of SoHo—but the works are just as to imagine lending a commanding presence on a bookshelf, table, or plinth in one’s own home. —Jacqueline Terrebonne
Roland Mikhail, Eclipse, Photo: courtesy of abc stone
Stone carving is one of the most ancient art forms, dating back some 29,500 years. ABC Stone, the leading natural stone supplier, is doing its part to ensure the future of the medium with the Carrara Residency, offered through the New York Academy of Art (NYAA), which aims to foster the use of stone in contemporary practices through mentorship between emerging artists and master sculptors. Now in its 11th year, the program will be celebrated with a selling exhibition called “Wander,” which opens May 7 and will be on view through September 4 at ABC Stone’s newly enlarged gallery space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. On display both indoors and out will be more than two dozen transfixing pieces by NYAA students who were part of the residency as well as established artists, among them Nazareno Biondo, Barbara Segal, Oriano Galloni, and Stephen Shaheen. —Geoffrey Montes
Dior Spa at the Lana. Photo: Pierre Mouton/Courtesy of Dior
Dior Spa at the Lana. Photo: Pierre Mouton/Courtesy of Dior
Nestled on the 29th floor of the The Lana hotel in Dubai, the latest addition to the Dorchester Collection, the Dior Spa is now welcoming guests to its sophisticated space complete with an Iyashi Dome and beauty room. Designed by Foster + Partners with Gilles & Boissier, the serene spa is flooded with natural light and boasts panoramic views of the city, including the Burj Khalifa, through floor-to-ceiling windows. Dior’s signature Toile de Jouy print stands out among the pale wood finishes in each of the five single cabins and one double suite. The brand has designed three signature treatments specifically for property, incorporating state-of-the-art technology such as Icoone Therapy. Be sure to stop at the boutique after a treatment to shop the Dior beauty line and accessories. —Stefanie Li
