SALMANTOOR37 • Subverting
expectationsIn his painting The Star,
Salman Toor uses classical
techniques—deploying brush-
strokes and lighting reminiscent
of the 1800s—to render a thor-
oughly modern scene: a young
South Asian man sits backstage
in front of a mirror, wearing a
furry pink jacket, as a makeup
artist and a hairstylist fuss
over him. That these contrasts
might seem unexpected is ex-
actly the point. Toor, who was
born in Lahore, Pakistan, and
lives in New York City, has made
his career subverting the styles
of old paintings by centering
openly queer men of South
Asian descent in an attempt to,
as he says in the audio guide for
The Star, “play with the idea” of
societal norms. Now more peo-
ple than ever are paying atten-
tion: the artist recently secured
his first solo show at the Whit-
ney Museum of American Art in
New York City, which will be on
display through April 2021.
—Suyin HaynesCHLOE X HALLE: AUGUST; TOOR: STEFAN RUIZ; RUFFIN: LLOYD BISHOP—PEACOCK/NBCU/GETTY IMAGES
AmberRuffin42 • The future
of funnyBY SETH MEYERSAmber Ruffin combines a
boundless optimism for the best
humanity has to offer with a wary
eye for when it lets us down. She
pulls no punches, but with each
knockout she extends a friendly
hand to lift you off the mat. She
won’t tell you things are O.K. to
make you feel better. She’ll tell
you how to be better so things
are O.K. Amber Ruffin has been
ready for this moment for a long
time, but there’s never been a
moment we have needed her
more. She’s a hilarious writer,
gifted sketch performer, talented
singer, so-so dancer (Don’t be
mad, Amber! TIME fact-checked
it!) and loving truth teller. People
have correctly noted that 2020
was not the finest of years, but
it did give us The Amber Ruffin
Show, and for that we should look
back fondly and smile. It’s what
Amber would do!Meyers is the host of Late Night
With Seth Meyers87