Christeene knows how to take up space. For almost 15 years, the filth hero has developed a sticky body of work that chafes at the limits of rock music (she’s released a trio of fine records, including the 2022 stomper Midnight Fukk Train), the bounds of performance art (she stole the show at longtime collaborator Rick Owens’ “art orgy” at the Centre Pompidou), and any use as muse (her charismatic rough edges often puncture the puffery of photographers like Juergen Teller and Wolfgang Tillmans.)

You might not know what to expect when Cristeene takes the stage, whether she’s filling big rooms on tour with Fever Ray or doling out wisdom at your local dive bar. What’s for sure, though, is that if you show up, she’ll show what can happen between people in a room, and what usually happens is spirits soar higher than the helium balloons anchored to a butt plug she, let’s say, releases into the air as a curtain-raiser.

Five years ago, Christeene (also known as Paul Soileau) turned from her own work towards that of the iconic Sinéad O’Connor, performing her debut album The Lion and the Cobra in full at London’s Barbican Centre with a clutch of fellow travelers like Peaches and John Grant. This spring, Christeene returns to the record—and a very different world. Since then, O’Connor died and the world seems to only have grown darker. But Christeene and Peaches and a band full of their longtime friends and collaborators haven’t given up the fight. They play the album in full, if not exactly in imitation, in Los Angeles with Light Asylum’s Shannon Fuchness—and, on March 25–26 at City Winery in New York, joined by the legendary Justin Vivian Bond.

Christeene recently took a moment from rehearsals with her band to sit down with Surface, and her cat Tickles Pickles, for a chat about the legacy of O’Connor, the importance of the theatrical, and why this isn’t a memorial.

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Once upon a time, Downtown style was all rough and tough and black-on-black. But those days are long gone—just witness the buzz around Kit Kemp’s third city spot, a new Tribeca boutique whose every inch offers up yet another color and pattern, each expertly (and ambitiously) riding the crest of a clash. The Warren is Kemp’s first project with daughters Minnie and Willow, and there’s a familiar whimsy to the almost 70 bedrooms, suites, and residences. Each is unique, but trends emerge: Large-scale headboards boast even larger-scale fabric botanical or Art Deco patterns; custom upholstery might take on patchwork, dog portraits, ancient kilim patterns, or everything at once. The floors get a turn, carpeted in Kemp’s bespoke batik. And while the focus on fabrics is a staple of Kemp and her Firmdale hospitality group, it feels quite at home here, as the area was once, even longer ago than its industrial heyday, a thriving textile hub.

The Warren is a gesamtkunstwerk for Kemp. The wide-ranging collections of art largely comes from the fruits of her travels, and she designed everything from the lampshades to the pink pepper-and-patchouli products in the marble bathrooms. Even the offerings from the Warren Street Restaurant—agnolotti with smoked sweet potato and hazelnut gremolata, chocolate mousse with passion fruit curd and pistachio—are dished up on her fine bone china tableware, either in the main room or the eye-popping, private Orangerie, whose chandeliers illuminate ceramic pots she’s gathered from the studios of artists across Britain. After dining on them, have a drink at the bar, or a quieter digestif in the cozy living room accessible only to guests.

For its French debut, Bisa Studio—the Franco-Spanish design house founded by Heaps & Woods’ Marta Jurado Chagnaud and Louis Chagnaud after years living and working in Indonesia—set up shop at the Left Bank’s famed, circa-1900s stained glass workshop Atelier Lardeur. There, they unveiled an initial collection of six pieces by Marta herself, each one a light sculpture with gleaming brass hooks. Organic, ceramic pieces by Moisés Tibau joined them, as did a teak armchair by Franck Pellegrino and Garance Vallée, the latter also contributing a shelving unit of hand-woven rattan. The pieces exemplify the slow ethos of Bisa, named for the optimistic Indonesian verb meaning “can”—and signifies that the brand will.

We initially billed 2023 as fashion’s year of succession, but it seems that energy is spilling into 2024, too. Last week, Dries Van Noten sent shockwaves through the industry when he announced plans to retire in June after nearly four decades in fashion. The Belgian designer, who favored rapturous colors and staged unforgettable runway shows, didn’t immediately name a successor. Pierpaolo Piccioli likewise announced his departure from Valentino after 25 years at the maison, eight as the sole creative director following Maria Grazia Chiuri’s 2016 departure to join Dior. He was credited for injecting youthful spirit into a house with daring volumes and colors, and even dabbling in streetwear. A successor wasn’t named either, but rumors are swirling that owner Mayhoola is eyeing Alessandro Michele or even Chiuri.

In other people news, Nicole Berry will depart her role as executive director of the Armory Show and soon join the Hammer Museum as senior director for donor engagement. It’s the first major leadership shakeup since Frieze acquired the art fair and EXPO Chicago this past July. Adjaye Associates announced a shift in how the firm will run: Kofi Bio, Lucy Tilley, and Pascale Sablan have been named CEOs overseeing offices in Accra, London, and New York, respectively. David Adjaye, who was accused of sexual misconduct by three former female employees last year, was named Executive Chair of the Group and will continue overseeing the firm’s design direction. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has hired Lucian Simmons as its first head of provenance research, a result of more aggressive restitution efforts.

Is it possible to go “overboard” on fundraising? Earlier this month, the public art nonprofit teamed up with Saks to present a nautical-themed benefit devoted to expanding public art in New York City and beyond. Highlights included its setting at the Seagram building as well as a Champagne Lallier installation by Laila Gohar. Attendees were also treated to a performance of “Visiting Hours” by Philadelphian filmmaker and artist Shikeith. An auction led by Sara Friedlander, Christie’s deputy chairman of Post-War and Contemporary art, with additional support from Uovo, played a pivotal role in the evening’s philanthropic success.

When was it? March 14

Where was it? The Grill, New York

Who was there? Yvonne Force Villareal, Doreen Remen, Olivia Wilde, Dianna Agron, Huma Abedin, Paul Arnhold, Wes Gordon, Diana Louise Bartlett, Stacey Bendet, Isolde Brielmaier, Hank Willis Thomas, Jennifer Fisher, Hannah Traore, and more.

When: Until July 7

Where: Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore

What: Throughout the spring and early summer, the art and design university will stage four exhibitions to show off the works of its celebrated programs across the disciplines of studio art, graphic design, illustration, sculpture, and more. Each exhibition—four in total—mirrors an industry opening, complete with a celebratory reception and guides to the works on view. Highlights include the graphic design work of Soham Patil, a graduate student whose work has been selected for exhibition multiple times over by the university, as well as multidisciplinary artist Sanah Brown-Bowers, who has similarly been asked to exhibit work multiple times.

The detail-driven minds behind F05 Studio seek to instill architecture with meaning, achieving harmony and functionality in the built environment. An ever-evolving practice, F05 works in the pursuit of creating timeless spaces that emphasize seamless interactions between people and their surroundings.

Surface Says: As a full-service interior and architecture studio, F05 approaches spaces with a nimble and fresh point of view, with the versatility of experience and perspective necessary to execute anything from modern minimalism to Brutalist-inflected futurism.

Dirk Schönberger and Aspesi are debuting furniture at Milan Design Week.

This viral TikTok device purports to help animals communicate with humans.

More and more industries are adopting surge pricing—to consumer dismay.

Step inside the Ark, which is often the first stop for animals arriving at JFK.