ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

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Miniatures Started Going Viral During The Early Days Of The Pandemic

And now they’re hotter than ever, with miniature artists-in-residence at museums, TikToks going viral, and more. Why? “In our distraction-filled world, … getting to watch someone painstakingly craft the scenes is mesmerizing." - NPR

The Los Angeles Book Fair Provides A Treasure Trove Of Art Prints, If You’re Looking

“More than 300 exhibitors from around the world use letterpress, risograph, or Xerox machines to produce an array of printed matter running the gamut from the personal to the political, from limited edition art books to mass-produced pamphlets.” - Hyperallergic

Police Arrest Artist For Climbing Empire State Building At His Gallery Opening

"The evidence was on the wall: A vertigo-inducing photo from that climb hung in the gallery.” The gallery owner, other climber-photographers, and the rest of the crowd were left in shock by the arrest. - The New York Times

Art Critic Renounces Her NYU Degrees After School Punishes Graduating Student

Aruna D’Souza, author of Whitewalling and Imperfect Solidarities, “earned a Master’s in Arts from NYU in 1993 and a PhD in Art History in 1999. Those degrees, the critic wrote, … are ‘valueless’ in the wake of university-sanctioned crackdowns on pro-Palestinian expression.” - Hyperallergic

Arts Criticism Is Not In Crisis, Actually

“It’s taking on new forms, shedding old skin, and adapting to novel venues. It’s as alive and relevant as ever, still generating conversation and controversy. Instead of fizzling out, … it’s a buzzing genre that attracts readers of all ages, from septum-pierced college students to cigar-puffing art collectors.” - Hyperallergic

Gauguin’s Final Self-Portrait May Not Be A Selfie After All

“The Kunstmuseum Basel …, which has housed Self-Portrait with Glasses (1903) since 1945, is re-examining the work following claims that it may have been painted not by Gauguin, but by a Vietnamese revolutionary and close acquaintance after the artist’s death.” - Artnet

Major Restoration Project At Hagia Sophia In Istanbul

“The imposing structure ... is visibly uneven in places, particularly the grand dome, which for hundreds of years has sat atop four columns of different dimensions. … The team will remove the lead covering the main dome and look for ways to strengthen the fragile joints between the semi-domes and the main cupola.” - The Guardian

Pussy Riot’s Founder Goes Back Into A Prison Cell — This Time At L.A. MoCA

Nadya Tolokonnikova, who spent almost two years in a Russian penal colony as punishment for a notorious performance at Moscow’s Orthodox cathedral, will spend nine days inside a replica prison cell installed at the museum. Visitors can watch her eat, sleep, and so on through peep holes and a security camera feed. - The New York Times

As The 300+-Year-Old Hudson Bay Company Dissolves, What Should Be Done With Its Art And Artifacts?

Some HBC records have provided a window into Canada’s climate history and ecology, offering valuable long-term data to environmental researchers. Others show evidence of Indigenous trade, land occupation and cultural presence relevant to genealogical research, band membership documentation and land claims. - The Conversation

Yum! Espresso Made From Venice Canal Water Wins Architecture Biennale’s Top Prize

The project — “Canal Café” by Diller Scofidio + Renfro — filters water from Venice’s notoriously polluted canals and lagoon through a series of filters that mimic the natural cleansing effect of a tidal wetland. Once the water is made drinkable, it’s used to make a classic shot of espresso. - Artnet

How The Ancient Greeks Filled The Parthenon With Light

It was long thought the giant reflective pool in front of the statue of Athena acted as a mirror, sending light shimmering across its golden surface. The 3D model, however, showed the light barely reached her shins. - Artnet

Putz Paints Penis On Ancient Peruvian Ruin

“The man was filmed while spraying the graffiti on one of the original walls of Chan Chan, a pre-Columbian city 500km (300 miles) north of Lima that is visited by thousands of people a month. … Some Peruvians questioned how he was able to damage the wall unchallenged.” - BBC

Budget Cuts In Los Angeles Threaten Frank Lloyd Wright Landmark

“Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s eclectic Los Angeles masterpiece, is under threat of closure and losing its UNESCO World Heritage Site status amid drastic budget cuts proposed by the city’s mayor Karen Bass.” - Artnet

Billionaire Collector Fight Pulls Back Curtain On Shadowy Art Market

The Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun and the American entertainment executive David Geffen are slinging written accusations at each other in federal court in New York, each claiming to be the rightful owner of Alberto Giacometti’s “Le Nez” (“The Nose”). - The New York Times

A Year Spent Photographing The Dying Changed This Artist’s Life

“What stays with him is the courage of the people who allowed him into their lives, sometimes in their last moments.” - The Guardian (UK)

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