Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/730395
contributors 54 culturedmag.com PAUL LASTER is a writer, editor, independent curator, artist and lecturer. He is a New York desk editor at ArtAsiaPacific and a contributing editor at Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art and artBahrain. He was the founding editor of Artkrush.com, Artspace.com and TheDailyBeast.com's art section. He also worked as a photojournalist for Artnet.com and Art in America. Laster is a frequent contributor to the New York Observer, Modern Painters and ArtInfo.com. For his first contribution to Cultured, he previews the Salvatore Scarpitta show at Luxembourg & Dayan. This month's Cultured Commission, Amethyst Baseball, was created by New York-based artist DANIEL ARSHAM. Trained at Cooper Union, he has collaborated with Merce Cunningham, Robert Wilson and Pharrell Williams, and continues to work with choreographer Jonah Bokaer. He also co-founded the firm Snarkitecture and the production company Film the Future. As he prepares for his first New York solo show at Galerie Perrotin, we asked him to list his current influences and inspirations: "Virgil Abloh, 070 Shake, Dev Hynes, Kyoto, Jefferson Hack, JJJJound.com, the Roden Crater and Peloton." LILY KWONG's love for sustainable design started at Columbia University, where she received a degree in Urban Studies in 2012. She worked as a project director at the Miami Design District after graduating, and today is creating large-scale landscape installations in New York. She's equally passionate about bringing more sustainable practices to the fashion industry, where she freelances as a brand consultant and ambassador to luxury fashion companies. She lives and works in New York and just launched askthemmore.com, a podcast featuring thought-provoking interviews with inspiring women. In this issue, she interviews designer Marc Dizon, with whom she collaborated on the Brooklyn Mirage. Raised in the Bay Area, NATHAN ELLIS PERKEL was exposed to photography at a young age via his passions for music and skateboarding. He has continued to keep a youthful perspective while shooting for Esquire, Louis Vuitton, Vanity Fair, Nike and BMW, among others. Perkel lives and works in New York City, where he captured design dealer Suzanne Demisch as she prepared for the opening of her gallery's new West Village home.