"Juan Tamariz has been a professional magician for 52 years, ... becoming both a household name in his home country and a living legend in magic everywhere. … In Spain, Tamariz is an icon, less like David Copperfield and more like Kermit the Frog." - The New York Times Magazine
"Inis Mór (Inishmore) and Achill Island, the islands where Martin McDonagh's black comedy was filmed, are marketing the locations, and a Tourism Ireland video about the making of the film has drawn more than 6m views." - The Guardian
"The move helps to draw a line under the 'culture wars' raging in Brazil that have led to increased censorship, with some artists facing a backlash from conservative political groups." - The Art Newspaper
"I still think about how I could do more for my country. I think about this every day, but while my friends and family fight for Ukraine, for now my contribution is to dance for Ukraine." - BBC
In a culture that has commodified art to the degree ours has, it was probably inevitable that so many would conclude art is nothing more or less than its aesthetic appeal. However, the truth is that art is a process. It begins with the human imagination. - Medium
"After a stabilization project, begun in 1990, reduced the quirky monument's dangerous lean by a full 15 inches, the tower has straightened itself out by an additional 1.6 inches since 2001. It still oscillates 0.02 inches over the course of each year, though, the latest results revealed." - Artnet
The run of performances was called off by the Arcimboldi Theater as "an act of 'political and moral responsibility,' given 'a climate of tensions and threats.'" Polunin, who was born and raised in Kherson, is a prominent supporter of both Putin and his war on Ukraine. - Reuters
Many writers and other figures are calling for Bulgakov's home in Kiev, a museum since Soviet days, to be closed, arguing that he was very much against Ukrainian independence and insulted Ukrainians in his novel The White Guard. Ukraine's culture minister is resisting the demands. - The Observer (UK)
"Artists who have been charged or convicted of sexual crimes can still be nominated for a César, and can still win the award. But they will not be allowed to attend the gala ceremony and, if they win, 'no one will be allowed to speak on their behalf.'" - The Hollywood Reporter
A specially developed device, the Endpoint Cylinder and Dictabelt Machine, has enabled the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to retrieve and digitize the Mapleson Cylinders, made by an archivist at the Met in the first years of the 20th century. - The New York Times
High water surged through the rock-hewn city in southern Jordan around Christmas Day and tourists had to be evacuated, though they had returned by December 27. Authorities report no damage. - The Art Newspaper
"Theatres, museums, castles and other heritage sites are making staff redundant, turning down the heating, shutting rooms to the public and closing early. The findings come from research that shows nine in 10 such sites across the UK now fear for their future." - The Guardian
"She carries the pink baby over to a garden hose and sprays it with water. Suddenly the dull, matte rock transforms into a luminous, fleshy mass crisscrossed with thick, white, tendon-like bands." - Los Angeles Times
Press On Vinyl got its pressing machine on Christmas Eve of 2021- and by the end of 2022, were pressing more than 3000 vinyl albums a day, heading for double than in the coming year - and fans are still waiting 6-12 months for albums. - The Guardian (UK)
