What’s Happening: In a new book, Anthology Editions collects the extraordinary, extraterrestrial-obsessed paintings of Ken Grimes.

The Download: Like God, aliens exist (or don’t) regardless of whether you believe in them. But belief is transformative: it can bring purpose, empathy, and meaning to a world that privileges certainty and predicates survival on selfishness. Ken Grimes is convinced aliens not only exist, but have been among us for decades. This faith has found facts in the slippery ephemera of UFO literature, military doublespeak, and Hollywood sci-fi. And it has flowered on 35 years’ worth of his canvases, mostly supergraphic black-and-white, often text-based, each effective in its communication that his conviction is a vibrant, visionary power.

Evidence for Contact moves briskly through Grimes’s voluminous output of 21st-century work. A few themes emerge: grids, which he fills with black gesso for landscapes that recall a crossword puzzle’s prompt for answers, the fiddly formations of Tetris, and early digital animation; binary code, whose zeroes and ones form both ominous data fields and friendly living figures; and an interest in portraiture that appears less about capturing some “truth” of the subject and more about amassing a community of fellow travelers. Asserting the presence of believers in his paintings is also urgent.

Grimes’s paintings trade in arcana, to be sure, and a working knowledge of SETI or the 1961 abduction of Barney and Betty Hill might offer context for the lengthy narratives of his own research that often fill the canvases. Those encounters are the sum, more or less, of the biographical content of his work. Some facts are these: Born in 1947, he was drawn to sci-fi movies as a kid, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his early 20s, spent much the 1970s hospitalized, was included in the landmark American Folk Art Museum show “Self-Taught Artists of the 20th Century,” and now lives and works at Fellowship Place in New Haven. One may find answers to his questions—why these obsessions, and why these forms for them—in those facts. Evidence for Contact offers an alternative framework: alien life forms have already connected with humans because connection is what life is all about.

In Their Own Words: As the text of one of his paintings declares: “I believe it is very disturbing to think that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.”

Surface Says: Proof of our intelligence feels increasingly fleeting, but Grimes might at least make you believe in belief.

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Functionality is top of mind when designing an office, but the Surface and Dorsia teams didn’t want to sacrifice beauty as a result. We turned to ROOM to help outfit our new hybrid workspace in the Miami Design District. ROOM’s sleek, soundproof cybertecture pods provide a salve for clamorous open-plan offices and unlock a world of possibilities for the post-pandemic office. Catie Case, senior director of special projects, chatted with ROOM about the design process.

The Grade II–listed Edwardian Old War Office in London’s Whitehall has long been among the city’s most storied buildings, home to Winston Churchill and John Profumo and an inspiration for novelist Ian Fleming when creating James Bond. This fall, the building is reborn as Raffles London at The OWO, a massive undertaking comprising the city’s first Raffles hotel, a spa, and a dozen new food and beverage destinations. What’s more, The OWO also contains the first Raffles residences in Europe: 85 homes with amenities including a garden, private dining room, lounges, a gym, and cinema.

The late Thierry Despont lent his flair for sensitively refreshing landmark properties to the five floors of guest rooms with 39 suites tucked into turrets with views of Whitehall, every last one named after a famous (or, in the case of several spies, infamous) historical woman. Goddard Littlefield conceived the Guerlain Spa, with nine treatment suites and a 66-foot-long indoor pool, and Pillar Wellbeing nutrition and recovery program spaces.

Historic features including hand-laid mosaic floors and a monumental marble staircase have been restored. Triple Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco has whipped up a trio of restaurants: an eponymous local and seasonal produce-focused destination; Mauro’s Table, offering private dining with a view of the kitchen; and the more casual Salon. A pair of bars keeps things lubricated, including the intoxicating Spy Bar in an underground former interrogation room.

As the story goes, a sixth-century volcano blasted the skies of what’s now El Salvador and thrust the Mayan civilization into a yearlong winter. Its ashes blanketed the globe, drifting from the Americas to Antarctica. The L.A.-based artist Beatriz Cortez thinks of this ash as a sacred connection to the Mayan underworld—and pays tribute to it with a performative sculpture Ilopango, the Volcano that Left.

The steel volcano was welded in Saché, France, then shipped across the Atlantic to her studio for completion. On Oct. 27, the work will sail up the Hudson River from Storm King to the Troy campus of EMPAC-Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, with viewing points on both shores of the river and a livestream tracking the movement in an exploration of what sculptures carry with them as they change locations, and what they leave behind.

Our weekly scoop on industry players moving onwards and upwards.

Moschino has appointed Davide Renne as creative director. The Tuscan-born designer spent more than two decades at Gucci, where he served as the label’s head of womenswear and worked under both Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele. He succeeds Jeremy Scott, who exited the brand in March after more than a decade at the helm. Renne will present his first collection during Milan Fashion Week in February. In other fashion news, Eva Vidal Dans was named chief product officer of Calvin Klein.

Ann Philbin, the transformational director of the Hammer Museum, recently announced she will retire from the institution after 25 years of leadership that included overseeing a sweeping renovation by Michael Maltzan Architecture. She’ll continue leading the museum for the next year, until the fall 2024 exhibition “Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice.” A committee led by the board of directors will kick off a search for her successor in early 2024.

Last week, Ziwe hosted a party at The Standard, East Village, to celebrate the release of “Black Friend,” the comedian’s debut collection of personal essays. Joined by an intimate group of friends, peers, and press, the evening was a toast to Ziwe, best known for her late-night comedy show on Showtime, as she steps into a new lane as an author. Around 50 guests gathered at the hotel’s penthouse balcony to celebrate the launch, enjoy cocktails and conversation, and snap pictures overlooking Manhattan.

When was it? Oct. 17

Where was it? The Standard, East Village

Who was there? Emily Ratajkowski, Jaboukie, Peyton Dix, Jen Goma, Jo Firestone, Rob Franklin, Tynan Sinks, Jesse Smiley, and more

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Tyler Ellis, the daughter of revered fashion designer Perry Ellis, channels her fascination for traveling into an endless current of inspiration. Her accessories line is defined by luxe materials and thoughtful details that embody her worldly palette. Brought to life in a family-owned and operated atelier in Le Sieci, Italy, Tyler Ellis represents an ardent commitment to couture and quality craftsmanship.

Surface Says: Thanks to their sleek silhouettes, Italian hand-craftsmanship, and Ellis’s own keen eye, these expertly made handbags are well-poised to become a new classic in the competitive accessories space.

A student uses AI to read a scroll buried after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Toys ‘R’ Us’s rebound looks less like strip malls and far more like cruise ships.

New research reveals that Europeans ate seaweed for thousands of years.

A Dutch throne goes on display as the monarchy tries to win back the public.