2023 has proven to be a dynamic year for Kumkum Fernando. In April, the talented Sri Lankan artist earned a distinctive position among a select group tasked with crafting monumental sculptures for Coachella's triumphant return to Indio, California. More recently, Fernando embarked on a creative journey with Jonathan LeVine Projects, resulting in a captivating series titled "Post Colonial Rainbow Punks," featuring a diverse array of intergalactic adventurers.       In collaboration with ArtPrize, Fernando is presently unveiling his newest collection of robotic sculptures within a solo exhibition aptly named "The Lost Mystics." True to his artistic essence, narrative storytelling remains a fundamental element in his work. In his own words, Fernando explains, "The melancholic personas of the Lost Mystics are in pursuit of significance, traversing time and space, adrift...

The pavilion "Black – Still," conceived by the local design studio enFOLD Collective and located at Craft Contemporary in Los Angeles, draws upon the imagery of the city's tar pits and emphasizes community well-being.

Grape leather is a vegan material made using discarded grape skins and stems, taking a zero-waste approach toward fashion. It is becoming increasingly popular due to its sustainability, durability, and long-lasting properties. The process of making grape leather involves extracting the skins and stems from grapes and then combining them with a binding agent to create a leather-like material. The finished product is not only vegan but also eschews the petrochemicals used to make most standard synthetic leathers.