Flagship

Sherman on show

Cindy Sherman has been taking photos of herself for decades. Some funny, some grotesque, some scary — even by the artist’s own admission. But none, she claims, can be considered self-portraits. Rather, they’re images of models and characters she only fleetingly embodies. Her latest work, on show at Zurich’s Hauser & Wirth gallery, is a series of collages that have been in the works for years. Sherman has “never really exposed anything” about herself, she said. “I think it’s always been the opposite,” Sherman told the Financial Times: “I’ve been hiding.” The show is on until September 16.

New documentary about game designer

Millions have fawned over, raged at, and binged on video games such as Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding. Few, however, know the man behind them. A new documentary, Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds, will provide a behind-the-scenes look at how Kojima, one of the most lauded video game designers in history, goes about his work. The film will feature “shots from the early days of our independent studio, memories from my childhood and my creative journey,” Kojima wrote on Twitter. It will also feature some of his friends and collaborators, including film director Guillermo del Toro and actor Norman Reedus. The documentary will debut at the Tribeca Festival this month.

Under the table visits

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to stand below a giant portobello, this year’s Serpentine pavilion provides the answer. À Table, by architect Lina Ghotmeh, is a “symphony of timber” that “floats like a paper parasol” in London’s Hyde Park. “We wanted to be in harmony with the park,” Ghotmeh told The Guardian. The latest installment in a series of pavilions by world-renowned architects that started in 2000 with the late Zaha Hadid, À Table is planned around food and the idea of sharing a table with strangers. In collaboration with local restaurant chain Benugo, visitors will be able to lunch at a Serpentine pavilion for the first time.

A trailblazing Indian cookbook

When Madhur Jaffrey first moved to the United States in 1958, few Americans had tasted Indian food, and she had no intention of popularizing it. Jaffrey wanted to be an actress, but when a film of her’s was reviewed in The New York Times under the headline, “Indian Actress Is a Star in the Kitchen, Too,” publishers became interested in the potential for a cookbook. And lo, An Invitation to Indian Cooking was born. The book sought to “lure” readers into an unfamiliar cuisine, dismantling common myths while offering a sense of humor and charisma that helped put curious readers and aspiring Indian-food chefs at ease, Aimee Levitt noted in Eater. A 50th anniversary edition is being released this year.

A legendary composer dies

Trailblazing Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho passed away this week at the age of 70. The first female composer to have an opera staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Saariaho “opened pathways for many composers” Liza Lim, a professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, wrote. “You know, half of humanity has something to say,” Saariaho told NPR. Best remembered for two operas — L’amour de loin, based on a libretto by writer Amin Maalouf, and Innocence, a plea against gun violence hailed as a masterpiece by The New Yorker — Saariaho’s work had “a kind of soul-listening and deep connection to nature,” Lim wrote.

Sara Bader is the author of The Book of Pet Love and Loss, which is out on Tuesday, June 13.

• AI models are being pitched as a way for singers to live forever. It’s the latest tech dilemma for a music industry that was last upended with the advent of streaming, Louise Matsakis reported.
• Mt. Everest has seen a record number of climbers this year — and plenty of drama. The latest incident involved a feud over payment after a daring rescue near the summit.
• China rejected nuclear talks with the U.S. as it looks to strengthen its own arsenal, Jay Solomon scooped.