The Architecture of Sound and Power

Dead God Flow marks Oyiri’s first installation in Berlin. Here, she created an environment that merges video, sound, and spatial design—with prominent light placements and fog effects used as an accessory to inform the visual narrative. At its core is an 8-minute short film titled Hauntology of an OG, developed in collaboration with Ghanaian-Canadian photographer Neva Wireko during a research trip to Memphis, Tennessee. With a narration by rapper and poet Darius Phatmak Clayton overlaying the visuals, the film reflects on resilience, surveillance, rap culture in the South, and the construction of identity.

“I really wanted to craft an environment that reflected the symbolism of the video,” Oyiri explains. To watch the Hauntology of an OG, viewers were invited to sit on a pyramid-shaped structure directly facing the projected screen. As the film unfolds, the backdrop of Memphis is revealed—a city whose name has links to ancient Egypt—subtly connecting it to Memphis’ own pyramid, a former monument now repurposed into a shopping centre along the Mississippi River.

The film reflects on resilience, surveillance, rap culture in the South, and the construction of identity.

The fate of the pyramid in Memphis offered an interesting metaphor for American capitalist motivation, which intrigued Oyiri .“The pyramid generally symbolises death, continuity and hierarchy. If you mess up the base of the pyramid, everything falls down,” she shares. This structural symbolism resonated with Oyiri’s own meditations on contemporary society and the endurance of certain power dynamics that persist over time.

The film also highlights the city’s significance as the place where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his final public speech. His assassination echoed the destined end of a shared dream for an alternative future. Within this historical backdrop, Memphis’s rap scene emerges as an architecture of sound—a moulding force and arching narrative for the film at large.

Growing up in Paris, Oyiri developed an appreciation for rap music but was geographically removed from the realities of the US scene. In travelling to Memphis, she was exposed firsthand to the differing infrastructure. “I wanted to really understand the essence of the music that I listened to and the art that I consumed. A lot of artists that I love have black southern roots,” she says.

Her visit drew her nearer to that reality—and also emphasised another line of thought. What she discovered was the passivity of individuals who consume black culture to the point of numbness, specifically regarding the gruesome deaths of black rappers and how frequently they occur. It’s a reality that her friends, who are fans of other music genres, can't relate to, she explains.

She also drew parallels between how much audiences invest in the lives of celebrities and streamers, and, by contrast, the flaunting of wealth that sometimes leads to their demise. “My idea was to reflect on the idea of destiny, predictability, and probability,” she says.

My idea was to reflect on the idea of destiny, predictability, and probability.

Across her mediums, Oyiri is dedicated to exploring the under-the-surface stories about contemporary culture, media, and identity. “A lot of my work is centred on the dynamic between obscurity and light,” she says. But she adds that there is also a reflection on spirituality present. The name Dead God Flow is born from her teenage angsty love for Nietzsche and its nihilistic undertones.

Her installation serves as both a gateway and a mirror, encouraging reflection on the structures we currently inhabit and those we are futuring. This impulse is echoed by the LAS Art Foundation, which similarly urges exploration of the present as a way to envision and craft more expansive futures—particularly through the transformative powers of art.

Dead God Flow by Christelle Oyiri will be on display at CANK Berlin until October 19th, 2025, courtesy of LAS Art Foundation.

Karl-Marx-Straße 95, 12043 Berlin, Germany

A lot of my work is centered on the dynamic between obscurity and light.

Portraits:

Christelle Oyiri © Gil Anselmi

Video Stills:

Christelle Oyiri and Neva Wireko, Hauntology of an OG, video still, 2025. Courtesy the artist, LAS Art Foundation, Amant and Pinault Collection. © Christelle Oyiri and Neva Wireko.

Christelle Oyiri und Neva Wireko, Hauntology of an OG, video still, 2025. Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Künstler:innen, LAS Art Foundation, Amant und Pinault Collection. © Christelle Oyiri and Neva Wireko.

Installation Views:

Christelle Oyiri, Dead God Flow, 2025. Installation view at Cank, Berlin. Presented by LAS Art Foundation. Courtesy the artist, LAS Art Foundation, Amant and Pinault Collection. © 2025 Christelle Oyiri.

Christelle Oyiri, Dead God Flow, 2025. Installationsansicht im Cank, Berlin. Präsentiert von LAS Art Foundation. Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Künstler:innen, LAS Art Foundation, Amant und Pinault Collection. © 2025 Christelle Oyiri.

Art

Paul McCarthy: Power in the Provocative

I do what I want—what I believe in. We’re living in a pretty extreme time, and when people say my work is getting more extreme, I think that just reflects the world around us. I’m simply moving with the current.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, McCarthy’s beginning in the art world stems from proximal radicalization. After moving from Salt Lake City to study in San Francisco, McCarthy's work as an artist has always embodied this radicalization. Street-wise, known for being one of the most

“dangerous” artists in Los Angeles, this exhibit encapsulates that at its forefront. The artworks present provocative, scattered drawings and paintings that promote freedom from systematic censorship in the exchange between creator and receiver. His art style is distinctive in its intention of visibility over technicality, as seen in his limited color palette and intentionally imperfect techniques, but radical imagery.

McCarthy speaks about his artistic process as though the outcomes are inevitable and incredibly natural to him, given the current state of the world. Living in times of constant uncertainty has blurred the lines of media censorship; almost everything we consume is shaped by it, raising questions such as: Why was this said? Why was this created? Who is this for? Paul McCarthy’s work deconstructs this. His drive to create authentically and follow what feels natural to him results in art that inhabits the visual extremes of human experience, with the spirit of contestation serving as an added layer to the experience.

Art

The Wedding Written In Stone

April 27, 2026

Sten Studio walks down the aisle to couple with Alcova for Milan Design Week. Set within an abandoned cathedral where vows once echoed, The Wedding is a sculptural installation hosting a symbolic marriage between feminine and masculine, soft and stone, fluidity and structure. Rocks are fossilized fusions of their own ancient surroundings, built from eons of crashing waves or explosive magma. Love is based on divine circumstances, built through trials and tribulations. Love is much like stone in the way it takes form through time and pressure, relying on the invisible higher powers forcing the gravity of unity. The Wedding reflects on this permanence. The space materializes elements that are usually fleeting - light, flowers, ceremonies, romance. Registry gifts include a custom carpet courtesy of Verdi, floral arrangements from Hamish Powell, and scents brewed by Penhaligon’s, all coming together to build the intimate world.

Photos Courtesy of Ramona Balaban

Sten Studio specializes in stones and crystals as decorative interiors, expanding on natural, Earthly beauty in man-made environments. Alcova temporarily transforms raw, abandoned, and unique urban spaces into immersive hubs of design, innovation, and heritage. The featured collection revitalizes the cathedral for a final reception celebrating life and all its momentary yet abundant bursts of joy.

Art

All Silk Roads Lead to Gucci

April 23, 2026

The silk road once dominated the Asia-pacific and cultivated economical prosperity with the purest textiles, a contrast to the modern, oversaturated market of cheap goods. Gucci has never been a cheap name, and their craftsmanship could be mistaken for that of another century. The Art of Silk, curated by Demna from the Gucci Archive in Florence, pays homage to the house’s journey with silk. Ten scarves reimagine archival designs of flora, animalia, and nautical prints - motifs of the primordial garden of Gucci. These limited-edition pieces were birthed in Calabria in collaboration with Nido di Seta and Ongetta. The fine Italian silk encapsulates more than Gucci’s reputation, but the tradition of mulberry cultivation. The project revives a once-thriving silk supply chain, recovering abandoned land, fostering employment in communities, supporting small farmers, and powered by renewable energy. It’s a production that innovates how tradition, community, and sustainability can stay preserved in the contemporary world.

In addition to this heritage preservation, the campaign represents Gucci’s contribution to the world of art and education. Two exclusive flora scarves were created for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, celebrating its opening of the new David Geffen Galleries. Available exclusively at the LACMA Store and the Gucci Beverly Hills flagship store, the designs pull inspiration from Vittorio Accornero’s 1966 illustrations. In partnership with the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze, selected student paintings of each scarf will be displayed at the Gucci Rodeo Drive store in LA. Gucci supports these participating students through scholarships, reinforcing the house’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of creative talent. The Art of Silk bridges the old and new world, breathing life into past traditions and future endeavors.