What’s Happening: The tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston is drawing mixed reviews—including comparisons to a penis—despite its intention to convey a powerful message of communal strength.

The Download: On a wintry afternoon in 1952, Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King strolled in the Boston Common on their fateful first date. Little did the lovebirds know they would return to the Common more than a decade later to lead one of New England’s first civil rights marches, in which tens of thousands of people chanted freedom songs en route from the Roxbury, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Boston. This past Friday, more than 70 years after that initial stroll, the city unveiled a 22-foot-tall sculpture at the park honoring the couple’s legacy.

The monument is designed by Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group, who were chosen by the city and nonprofit organization Embrace Boston from a pool of 126 entries. (The creative team previously collaborated on a traveling memorial to mass shootings.) Unlike most statues that present their subjects as a singular hero, The Embrace instead pays tribute to collective action by replicating the hug shared by the couple after Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. More than 600 bronze pieces were welded together in Washington by the Walla Walla Foundry and transported to Boston Common as the centerpiece of a newly unveiled plaza commemorating civil rights activists, whose diamond-shaped stone pavers mimic patterns used in African American quilting traditions.

While it may at first resemble the scores of humdrum “plop art” sculptures looming over public plazas, The Embrace carries a resonant message of peace and fortitude. When the proposal was named a finalist, in 2018, Willis Thomas noted how a physical embrace offers a sense of emotional protection. The gesture evokes love and support—qualities seldom associated with towering statues of historic men, even King’s own memorial in Washington, D.C.—and stands as an antidote to statues dedicated to war. “There are very few peace monuments,” Willis Thomas told Artsy, “and there are even fewer love monuments.”

Reactions to the sculpture, however, have been less than kind. In a lengthy Twitter takedown, Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah scorned Willis Thomas for “dismembering” the Kings and “reducing” them to body parts while “ignoring his radicalism.” Others less tactfully likened the work to a “turd” or “phallus.” Perhaps the most biting critique came from Seneca Scott, a cousin of Scott King, who savaged the sculpture in a recent op-ed for Compact. In his eyes, the “masturbatory metal homage” more closely resembles “a pair of hands hugging a beefy penis” than a moment of intimacy. Scott argues the $10 million sculpture affords few benefits to struggling Black families.

Willis Thomas seems unfazed by the backlash. In an interview, he reiterated his goal of capturing “the feeling of love” that dominated the Kings’ relationship. He also pointed out that none of the thousands of people who worked on The Embrace flagged it as perverse, likening the critical onslaught to that experienced by other monuments like Surface cover star Maya Lin’s once-decried, now-beloved Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Martin Luther King III, the couple’s eldest son, echoed that sentiment, expressing thanks that a statue can represent his parent’s love story. “[Willis Thomas] did a great job,” he told CNN. "In this time, day, and age, when there’s so much division, we need symbols that talk about bringing us together.”

In Their Own Words: “There are so many monuments that are memorials, but this is intended to really celebrate not only the Kings, but also their legacy and how their legacy plays out in our lives,” Willis Thomas said in a statement. “I really wanted to make the work a call to action. A reminder that each of us has in us the capacity to be either of those two people or actually something inspired by and more influential. Through embracing another person, our opportunities grow.”

Surface Says: Looks like Anish Kapoor’s “giant vagina” and Paul McCarthy’s infamous “butt plug” have some company.

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At Cigno, a new boutique hotel in the heart of Mérida’s cobblestoned La Ermita neighborhood, the White City’s past and present collide. Emphasizing the original features of a 19th-century mansion (neoclassical-eclectic façade, mosaic-tiled floors, Corinthian-style columns), local architect Roger González handled the restoration with meticulous care.

In order to maintain the historic structure’s integrity, he turned to chukum, an ancient Mayan technique for working with stucco that was used in the construction of Mexico’s ancient pyramids. One wall in the outdoor communal space is adorned with a ceramic mural depicting La Ermita de Santa Isabel, an 18th-century church nearby. The 10 rooms and suites reflect the aesthetics of the region’s haciendas with four-poster beds handcrafted by local artisans, terracotta hues, and blue-tiled floors adorned in a geometric motif.

Whether exploring the colonial city’s cultural treasures or lounging at the intimate courtyard pool fringed by palms, the place to end the day is the Cocina restaurant. Helmed by Puebla-born chef Ángel Peláez, the menu spotlights a diversity of Yucatecan flavors and is served on a patio appointed with custom tropical-wood furniture by Mex&Co Studio. If a nightcap is in order, the rooftop bar’s mezcal cocktails and open-sky views await.

Angie West and Alberto Vélez were already well-versed in infusing artistic sensibility into experimental objects and furniture (previous gigs include fabricating large-scale works for the likes of Theaster Gates and Studio Sofield) when they co-founded Chicago-based collectible design studio Refractory. Seeking to rekindle a renaissance of American artisanship, the duo’s debut collection encompasses dozens of frontier-inspired pieces rigorously crafted in cast bronze and solid black walnut, all paying homage to the sublime beauty of the resilient natural formations that inspired the studio’s name.

Interior designer and stylist Bea Mombaers is well-known in the design and art worlds thanks to an impeccable sense of aesthetics and an ability to create an atmosphere with thoughtful, poetic interiors. Her renowned store, Items, in Knokke, Belgium, has earned the kind of reputation that only comes with innate talent combined with decades of pristine work. Bea’s creativity extends beyond the shop—she opened a bed and breakfast, Knokke Zoute, and launched Furniture by Bea Mombaers in 2018—and her inimitable interiors are oft-imitated.

Her home in Brussels, which she uses as a kind of evolving gallery of favorite pieces, includes a number of items from Fritz Hansen. Despite the ever-changing nature of her surroundings, she notes that “the pieces in my homes change regularly, but my style DNA never changes.”

With a focus on materiality, organic shapes, and quiet luxury, Mombaers has created a soft minimalism that is both artistic and functional. Her spaces consistently bring out the elements of Fritz Hansen that are most pertinent: timeless design and exemplary quality that create a dialogue with the architecture and interior elements.

When: Until Jan. 21

Where: Project for Empty Space, Newark

What: Five large-scale, mixed media portraits of South Asian women and girls gaze unyielding at the viewer, representing the hundreds of thousands of women who traversed the ocean into servitude in the Caribbean during the 19th and 20th centuries. Maharaj draws from extensive historical research, photographic archives, and her own family history to give these women visibility; their portrayal, with gold and silver jewelry and an abundance of silk adornments, confers a sense of autonomic power. This multifaceted exhibition transcends mediums to command visibility and begin the process of ancestral healing for the unknown women depicted—and the countless others who shared their journey.

Raf Simons shocked the industry when he announced, in November, plans to shutter his label after 27 years. The Belgian designer, who launched his brand in 1995, proved a vitalizing force in menswear, crafting youth-oriented collections by distilling underground influences into minimalist silhouettes that achieved cult status. Some speculated Simons made the move in anticipation of taking creative control of Italian stalwart Prada, which appointed him co-creative director alongside Miuccia Prada in 2020.

The surprise move capped a dynamic year of musical chairs for the industry, which continues to weather a maelstrom of departures and appointments. Alessandro Michele exited Gucci after eight years. Riccardo Tisci left Burberry after less than one year and was replaced by Daniel Lee, whose most recent tenure at Bottega Veneta involved deleting social media and launching an online magazine. Marco Gobbetti, CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo, announced a sweeping rebrand and appointed Maximilian Davis as creative director. On the acquisitions front, Tom Ford sold his brand to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion, the luxury industry’s biggest deal of the year. Executive transitions at Chanel, McQueen, and Versace also made waves.

Flavor Paper is a Brooklyn-based wallpaper company that specializes in hand-screened and digitally printed designs. Flavor Paper is eco-friendly, using water-based inks and PVC-free materials when possible. All products are print-to-order for easy customization. Residential, commercial, and specialty products are available.

Surface Says: This studio’s colorful creations are a feast for the eyes, and sometimes even the nose. Their range of clever and often humorous designs includes Pop Art–inspired scratch-and-sniff options.

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