We live in turbulent political times, where the Trump administration is seeking to censor and silence people they don’t agree with – from public television, to universities, and women making history in NASA. But the collective response to this political suppression has been encouraging. We are seeing resistance come in many forms, and one area where resistance has always been present is the art world.
Our friends at The Untitled Space gallery in NYC have just released a new edition of The Untitled Magazine, and the message is resoundingly clear from them – art is resistance!
Following in the footsteps of its bold, culture-defining collector’s editions, ‘The Untitled Magazine’ launched a brand-new chapter in print with the debut of its ART EDITION—a biannual publication dedicated exclusively to contemporary art.
“The Art of Resistance,” launched in May 2025, brings together an extraordinary group of contemporary artists whose practices center on themes of identity, empowerment, and social justice. The title somewhat feels like a direct and provocative response to Trump’s “The Art of the Deal” book title, also…
Presented in celebration of The Untitled Space gallery’s 10th anniversary and its landmark exhibition UPRISE 2025: The Art of Resistance the debut ART EDITION is dedicated to the artists on the front lines of cultural change.
With its dynamic energy and unflinching focus, the issue expands the magazine’s commitment to fearless storytelling, with insight into the artwork and practice of nearly 100 contemporary artists, along with exclusive interviews and photo shoots.
“The Art of Resistance” is an exploration of how artists are using their voices and platforms to respond to the social and political challenges of our time.
Feminist icon Rose McGowan opens up from Mexico about her latest chapter as a visual artist in conversation with UNTITLED’s founder Indira Cesarine. Artist and actress Jemima Kirke reflects on reproductive rights and the politics of female creativity while sharing insight into her artistic practice. Anna Delvey discusses her evolving narrative post-house arrest and how her artwork engages themes of freedom and existential resistance.
Best known for her role as Jessa on HBO’s ‘Girls’, and more recently as Headmistress Hope Hadden in Netflix teen hit ‘Sex Education’, Jemima talks about how feminism and politics have always been a part of her creativity, in an interview with Indira Cesarine. Her painting “Girl in a Pink Room” carries layers of socio-political messaging that Jemima envisions to be provocative and confronting.
This artwork, along with her others featured in the magazine, were created a number of years ago, but Jemima says they felt very timely today, given the state of our culture and politics. “Girl in a Pink Room” is a painting of Jemima’s younger sister mostly nude, holding a cigarette, in a room that has bright red and pink walls.
“She had these big, doe-like eyes—very innocent, that baby doll kind of look. It probably wasn’t necessary to put a cigarette in her hand, but I supposed I was having fun pushing the degeneracy of it,” she says in the interview.
This is the first time her painting is being published in the magazine, having previously been featured in the “UPRISE 2025: The Art Of Resistance” 10th Anniversary Exhibition, and Jemima goes on to explain the contemporary meaning it holds right now, beyond its original message.
“It’s distasteful. Which is really what makes it radical. The figure alone is clearly a nude child. But the style of the painting is what makes it vulgar. The cigarette tells the story of a precocious or degenerate child who is complicit in her own objectification. But she’s a child. So then the question becomes, ‘Who is the depraved one in this relationship?’ Her? Me? or the viewer? It’s interesting how the ones who would be most outraged by this painting are the same ones most dangerous to the young girls in our society,” she said, adding that the provocative nature of the painting functions as a means to call out hypocrisy in culture today.
”I’ll tell you one thing, Jeffrey Epstein would probably not appreciate it at all. But neither would the majority of the Senate or the Supreme Court.”
As a passionate advocate for reproductive freedom, who has been open and candid about her own abortions, Jemima does not hold back when talking about the regression we are seeing today under Trump, especially in light of the rightly-criticized new White House agenda announced right before Mother’s Day to “encourage” more women to have babies.
“These Lawmakers claim they’re ‘pro-life…The Trump administration wants us to have lots of babies, but with no consideration for the quality of life they’re forcing people and their children, entire families, to live!” she said, underscoring the gaping problem in the United States with regard to maternal care and policies that support and prioritize families.
“You’re gonna tell people they have to carry this baby to term but not allow them to make enough money to care for it, nor give them any time to enjoy it. And along with all of that, no mental health care to be a good parent? No. Fuck you,” she added.
As an artist, curator, and photographer, Indira Cesarine shares her own perspective on art and activism in a feature in the magazine.
Her work has been exhibited at major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hudson Valley MOCA, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, as well as at art fairs including Art Basel Miami and SCOPE. But Indira is not content with accolades—her drive is transformational. She founded not only The Untitled Space but also Art4Equality, a nonprofit initiative supporting gender equality through the arts. As editor-in-chief of The Untitled Magazine, she has shaped the publication into a dynamic platform for inspirational voices across art, culture, fashion, and entertainment.
“I always envisioned a gallery where the work on display could be a vehicle for activism, dialogue, and social change. The gallery’s name, ‘Untitled,’ reflects that idea—art doesn’t have to be boxed into a specific title or category, it’s about the power of expression and the message it conveys,” she said in the feature.
She, too, shares a passion for bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom, and issues a call to more artists and creatives to seize this political moment as a time to rise up.
“I feel like this is a very urgent time in this country. It’s a time for everyone to respond, and for artists in particular to get out there and make artwork that challenges what is going on in this country with the current administration’s political agenda.”
Indira’s work encompasses a mindset that reminds us of the importance of art at a time like this: “art is not a luxury or distraction—it is a powerful tool for change.”
You can purchase a copy of The Untitled Magazine “Art As Resistance” edition HERE, and read about more of the artists and artwork featured by heading to the website.
