Meer | English edition

Sunday, April 26, 2026

The Urfa Statue, the oldest known life-sized human sculpture to have survived intact, was unearthed in the mid-1990s beneath the Old City of Urfa, just north of Balıklıgöl. It was discovered within a large Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement, evidenced by the presence of distinctive "terrazzo floors" from Neolithic houses and characteristic flint tools typical of that era, Türkiye

Unearthed in the mid-1990s just north of Balıklıgöl, beneath the Old City of Urfa, the Urfa Statue is the earliest known life-sized human sculpture to survive intact. Its discovery occurred within a significant Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement, as indicated by terrazzo flooring and flint tools typical of the period, Türkiye

The Şanlıurfa Museum, which includes both the Archaeology and Mosaic Museums, is located in the southeastern Turkish city of Şanlıurfa (historically known as Edessa). The museum houses important archaeological remains from Şanlıurfa itself, as well as from nearby ancient sites such as Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, and Harran, Türkiye

The Urfa Statue—considered the oldest intact life-sized human figure—was unearthed in the mid-1990s beneath the Old City of Urfa, near Balıklıgöl. Its discovery was part of a broader Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement, as evidenced by characteristic flint tools and the remains of terrazzo flooring from early dwellings, Türkiye

The Urfa Statue, dating back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period and considered the oldest intact life-sized human sculpture, was discovered in the mid-1990s under the Old City of Urfa, just north of Balıklıgöl. Its context was confirmed by the presence of terrazzo house floors and typical flint tools from that time, Türkiye

Urfa man: sentinel of the sacred past

Spiritual power of ancient art in the gaze of humanity’s oldest watcher

Fallingwater is a house museum in Stewart Township in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Architecture & Design

Biophilic design and the brain

Why we thrive in nature-inspired spaces

Discom team (Vanja and Luka) at International Label Market Brussels, 2018

Vanja and the art of rediscovering Yugoslav music

The Discom founder talks about vinyl reissues, archival research, and bringing forgotten sounds from Belgrade and beyond back to life

World leaders gathered in Barcelona for the Global Progressive Mobilization that started last Friday (17). Photo by © AFP-JIJI

Economy & Politics

Barcelona: the hope of global progressivism

An icon for the global left

On the Street

Pintxos at tavern. Ph Genevieve Northup

Pintxos of Bilbao

Cheap Eats Day and Night

Transition #4, watercolour, 12 x 10cm, Mark Weighton, 2020

Rest is radical

Gemini Full Moon

Several rolls of yarn made from plant-based fibers resting on a wooden cart, showcasing natural materials used in sustainable fashion

From food packaging to fashion

How edible and biodegradable materials are shaping the future of clothing

Kosi River valley near Almora, Uttarakhand, India

Walking Kumaon’s military trail

From regimental legends to border villages, tracing courage, culture, and continuity in the Himalayas

The journey from mind to heart in spiritual formation and embodied presence

Science & Technology

The myth of left brain vs right brain

The holistic view: unifying mind, body, and the neuroendocrine immune system

Faces covered in a dark, glossy substance and partially bound by chains, powerfully evoke the historical and ongoing struggles against enslavement and betrayal

The enduring shadow of betrayal

Examining the historical echoes of "African Blood Betrayers" and their continued impact on the struggle for African unity and independence

Architecture & Design

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai among dense urban towers at night, highlighting how engineering mastery supports vertical expansion

When architecture meets geotechnics for sustainable design

Looking into the role of soil, water, and terrain in shaping high-performance built environments

The interior of the main entrance hall at the Acropolis Museum in Athens

Architecture as curatorial instrument: the Acropolis museum

Reuniting the Parthenon’s sculptures and monuments through architecture

Art

Digital art by Kerwin Williamson

The art of Kendell Kerwin in a distracted age

A New York artist reclaiming attention, humanity, and depth in a world where images disappear in seconds

An artist paints a wall while working on the street

Art as placing, displacing, transforming

Process, perception, and the artist within the relational field

Culture

Two exchange language students in white T-shirts working in an office in front of a world map

What language do you dream in?

Fluency in a foreign language isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being understood

General Dwight Eisenhower visits the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in 1946

Did Eisenhower meet aliens?

The president's secret UFO meeting

Economy & Politics

Who would have thought? A Howard Chandler Christy scene updated by AI

Loudspeakers for Trump

On the adventure of American presidential elections and the billionaires’ chance to determine the winner

A group of students raise their hands to signal that they have come in peace

Weaponising “woke”

The politics behind the global backlash

Entertainment

Set in a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles devastated by nuclear fallout, Fallout follows citizens forced to live in underground bunkers to survive radiation, mutants, and roaming bandits

Laughing through the apocalypse

The rise of existential comedy

The National Museum of Indian Cinema was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on 19th January, 2019 at the Films Division Complex, Pedder Road, Mumbai, India

The great Indian cinematic universe

From larger-than-life storytelling to post-pandemic struggles in Indian cinema

Fashion

Women dressed in traditional Japanese attire: elegant kimonos with vibrant colors and intricate floral patterns are present in Japan's streets even nowadays

Traditional Japanese fashion up to the 20th century

From ancestral ritual to modern aesthetic identity

A fashion designer stands at her workspace, arranging and examining fabrics

Zero-waste design: rethinking fashion from the first cut

How a radical approach to pattern-making, creativity, and resource respect could reshape the future of clothing

Feature

Better to let go, start fresh somewhere new

I just can’t say goodbye, not on my own

A decaying street shadows the preserved façade of Edgar Allan Poe’s former home, where memory, myth, and neglect blur into one uneasy landscape

The house that madness built

Wandering through poe’s legacy in a landscape of ruin and hallucination

Food & Wine

Members of the Newar community perform a traditional dance at Patan Durbar Square during the Lalit Carnival, celebrating World Tourism Day

Newari cuisine: the living heritage of Nepal’s culinary art

From ritual feasts to daily meals, Newari cuisine reflects centuries of tradition, spirituality, and cultural harmony

Japan, women participating in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony

Tea: from ancient traditions to modern cups

Exploring the history, types, benefits, and drawbacks of the World’s Favorite Brew

Science & Technology

Human judgment at the center of intelligent systems: experts and algorithms working side by side to guide decisions that demand context, ethics, and accountability

Keeping humans in the equation

Designing AI systems that remain accountable, ethical, and resilient

Brain development isn’t just about growth: it’s about refining connections based on experience

The five stages of human brain development

Recent research identified five distinct, non-linear structural phases over a lifetime

Sport

A man in a green sweater holding a soccer ball

The silent stories of the academy system

Understanding the craft, sacrifice, and casualties behind football’s talent pipeline

A young girl practicing on the court, representing the foundation of sport built on love for the game

Why Norway doesn’t count children in youth sports

Why reducing competition in childhood leads to stronger athletes in the long run

Travel

The Grootrivier lagoon at sunset, Nature’s Valley, photographed by Obie Oberholzer.

A letter from Nature’s Valley

Ancient trees, a hidden hamlet, and the sacred land of Khoinania along the Garden Route of South Africa

Camps Bay, an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, as seen from Table Mountain

What no one tells you before visiting Cape Town

Here’s what I learned after spending time there

Wellness

A magnifying glass revealing a map of Spanish cities

The mental battles and struggles of reinventing myself

Embracing change, confronting uncertainty, and finding resilience through life's toughest transitions

A Renaissance portrait depicts a woman embodying the essence of the sun goddess, symbolizing the transformative power of feminine energy

Embracing feminine energy: unlocking intuition and empathy

Discover how feminine energy cultivates compassion and sustainability

Discover our authors

Calosha Gomes

Rose Morrison

Susanna Chabara

Susanna Chabara

Brigitta Pásztor

Brigitta Pásztor

Ghulam Jaffer

Iren Yıldız

Akona Matyila

Sidrah Hakim

Hamreen Khan

Sudeep Neupane

Explore the Calendar

Worldwide Vienna Bern San Francisco Antwerp Los Angeles Washington Basel Rome New York Sidney Leipzig Montreal Santiago Luxembourg Sao Paulo Ottawa Hamburg Berlin Hong Kong Curitiba Denver Sydney

Ron Arad, Good ping pong dining table, 2023. Courtesy of Opera Gallery

Ron Arad, from 1992 to 2026

27 Apr — 28 May 2026 at the Opera Gallery in Monaco, Monaco

Liz Trapp, Tea and oranges (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Contemporary Art Matters

1 — 31 May 2026 at the Contemporary Art Matters in Columbus, United States

Francisco de Zurbarán, Christ and the virgin in the house at Nazareth (detail), about 1640. Courtesy of the National Gallery © The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

2 May — 23 Aug 2026 at The National Gallery in London, United Kingdom

Darren Waterston, Variation no. 3 (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Berggruen Gallery

A tiny radiance in a dark place

7 May — 25 Jun 2026 at the Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, United States

Michael Gregory, Blush (detail). Courtesy of Berggruen Gallery

Far side of town

7 May — 25 Jun 2026 at the Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, United States

Judy Chicago, Bigamy hood (detail), 2022, Mixed media on stamped aluminum form, 13.25 x 15.25 x 0.75 in, 33.66 x 38.74 x 1.91 cm, © Chicago Woodman LLC, Judy Chicago/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo © Chicago Woodman LLC; Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society, New York

The materiality of Judy Chicago

8 May — 22 Nov 2026 at the Alberta Pane Gallery in Venice, Italy

Patrick Puckett, Watermelon (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Wally Workman Gallery

Daze of our lives

9 — 31 May 2026 at the Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, United States

Amy Metier, Real and imagined (detail). Courtesy of William Havu Gallery

15 May — 3 Jul 2026 at the William Havu Gallery in Denver, United States

Henry Jackson, Ava (detail), 2026. Courtesy of LewAllen Galleries

Primal field. Interval

15 May — 20 Jun 2026 at the LewAllen Galleries in Santa Fe, United States

Spatial poems. Courtesy of MASS MoCA

23 May 2026 — 27 Apr 2027 at the MASS MoCA in North Adams, United States

Joana Vasconcelos, Gestalt, 2017. Courtesy of Museo Picasso Málaga

Joana Vasconcelos. Transfiguration

28 May — 26 Sep 2026 at the Museo Picasso Málaga in Málaga, Spain

Alfredo Jaar, The end (GSL_a) (detail), 2025. Courtesy of MoCP

Prix pictet storm

29 May — 22 Aug 2026 at the MoCP in Chicago, United States

Wendy McMurdo, Young Girl (iv) (detail), 2016. Courtesy of National Galleries of Scotland

The digital mirror

30 May — 25 Oct 2026 at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Aesthetics of Change. Courtesy of MAK

Aesthetics of Change

15 Dec 2107 — 15 Apr 2018 at the MAK in Vienna, Austria

Kathy Prendergast, Stasis field, exhibition view. Courtesy of Kerlin Gallery

25 Apr — 30 May 2026 at the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin, Ireland

Alex Webb, Philadelphia, Rock ministries boxing club, 2016. Courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art

Rising up: Rocky and the making of monuments

25 Apr — 2 Aug 2026 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, United States

William Shepherd, In bedroom (detail), n.d. Courtesy of LewAllen Galleries

Western reliquaries

24 Apr — 23 May 2026 at the LewAllen Galleries in Santa Fe, United States

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