Front Page of the Art World: What’s Hot & What’s Not — 21 April 2022
The Venice Biennale starts tomorrow!
Returning from a brief hiatus for Passover, Easter and my father’s birthday, the big story this week is the Venice Biennale. While my father turned 95, the Venice Biennale turns 59 this year (although this is Biennale years; do not be deceived!).
The first Venice Biennale was opened on 30th April 1895 by the Italian King and Queen, Umberto I and Margherita di Savoia, and was seen by 224,000 visitors. Originally devised to exhibit Italian art, the exhibition began showing international works at the turn of the 20th century, with several countries installing national pavilions from 1907.
Now, the national pavilions are housed across the Biennale’s various sites including the central site Giardini, and the Arsenale, a cluster of renovated shipyards, sheds and warehouses. The pavilions are the property of the individual countries and are managed by their ministries of culture.
The theme of the 59th edition, curated by Cecilia Alemani, is "The Milk of Dreams" after a book by surrealist Leonora Carrington. Alemani spoke with Artforum’s Editor-in-Chief David Velasco to unpack what dreams may come.
Discover the must-see exhibitions in the Giardini and in the Arsenale. Freestanding exhibitions to look out for are Unity by New Zealand sculptor Gill Gatfield, and Leaping into the Metaverse by Ai-Da, the world’s first humanoid artist robot.
Venice Biennale special
Powerful photo by Pacific Indigenous artist reveals truth about 1899 painting. Yuki Kihara, representing New Zealand in the Venice Biennale, uncovers the deep research which led her to paint her own take on Gauguin’s “Two Tahitian Women.” Read the story from CNN.
Ai-Da, the robot artist powered by AI, is heading to Venice for a show during the Biennale—and she’s bringing her new painting arm. For its Venice debut, the robot will explore—what else?—the metaverse. Read the story from Artnet.
Megan Dunn: is the future of art a Femmebot? Author Megan Dunn looks at Ai-Da, the first ‘humanoid’ robot artist and her forthcoming exhibition in Venice. Leading to the question, does art belong exclusively to human consciousness? Listen to the episode from Radio New Zealand.
24 Shows to See in Venice Beyond the Biennale, From Stanley Whitney’s Italian Paintings to a Major Survey of Marlene Dumas. Discover the list from Artnet.
What I’m following
What’s on
Find me at Techweek next month! Techweek is a nationwide series of events showcasing and celebrating New Zealand innovation. They provide a platform for everyone to meet, share ideas and create connections to enhance our future world. At last year's Techweek, I moderated a roundtable discussion with a focus on curating face-to-face encounters between industry leaders to discuss the role that technology can play in better serving humankind.
Screening Room: ‘William Kentridge: Sibyl.’ In celebration of the exhibition ‘William Kentridge. Weigh All Tears’ at our Hong Kong gallery, we are thrilled to present an online screening of ‘Sibyl’ (2020) by William Kentridge. The film is free to watch on hauserwirth.com from Friday, 15 April – Monday, 18 April 2022.
Editors’ Picks: 14 events for your art calendar this week, from Joan Jonas in Times Square to art inspired by courtroom dramas. Discover these picks from the Editor of Artnet.
News & opinions
Border Story: Russia-Ukraine War. Stuart Franklin from Magnum’s Newsroom reports the stories of fleeing civilians at Ukraine’s borders with Romania and Moldova. Read the story here.
Art Market Eye: a good time to sell art, despite the war? It seems obscene to write about the May auctions in New York while the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine dominate the headlines. And yet the art market powers on, racking up ever higher prices and seemingly impervious to Putin’s cruel destruction of a sovereign country, accompanied by rape, murder and pillage. Read the story from The Art Newspaper.
Immersive exhibitions: the future of art or overpriced theme parks? You can see Van Gogh’s brush strokes being applied or watch aliens dancing. But true immersion should mean more than just access to the latest tech. Read the story from the Guardian.
The Turner Prize jury has shortlisted a group of women and non-binary artists for the prestigious art award. Exhibition for the award returns to Tate Liverpool this October after a 15-year hiatus. Read the story from Artnet and The Art Newspaper.
Why The Andy Warhol Diaries recreated the Artist’s Voice With AI. “Machines have less problems,” Warhol once said. “I’d like to be a machine, wouldn’t you?” The filmmakers had under four minutes of audio to work with. And yes, they considered the ethical concerns. Read the story from Wired.
‘They’ve created perceived value out of thin air’: the whole Bored Ape Yacht Club phenomenon, explained. Crypto journalist Amy Castor joins executive editor Julia Halperin to discuss the wild story of the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club. Read the story from Artnet.
Jack Dorsey’s $2.9 M. NFT dropped 99 percent in value. Is the NFT market crumbling? Read the story from ARTnews.
V&A East Museum launches contest for galleries fit-out. The V&A Storehouse, something of an ‘inside out’ museum, will open in 2024 as part of East Bank. It promises a new powerhouse of culture, education, innovation and growth taking shape in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the London 2012 Olympic legacy. Discover the Storehouse.
‘The Whitney Biennial Falters On.’ Jerry Saltz thought the show was the best Whitney Biennial in some time, but had two major flaws. Read his opinion piece for New York Magazine.
How Jean-Michel Basquiat’s sisters organised a blockbuster exhibition of their brother’s life and legacy, full of unseen artworks. Read the story from ARTnews and Artnet.
Yours for $200m: why Warhol is now worth more than Picasso. One of his portraits of Marilyn Monroe is expected to shatter records at auction next month. But was Andy Warhol just an ‘affectless hero’ of the media age? Or was he the greatest and most profound artist of his era? Read the story from the Guardian.
In memory of Hermann Nitsch, 1938-2022
It was with great sadness that I learnt Hermann Nitsch had passed away last week at the age of 83. Nitsch was a groundbreaking artist known for pushing boundaries.
In 2011, Hermann Nitsch went to Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg, to install a site-specific exhibition of approximately 50 of his works dating from the mid-1960s. The show included large-scale installations, paintings, sculptures, photographs, film and sheet music. Nitsch’s death coincided with the first day of the 59th Venice Biennale, where his 20th painting action, a series of poured paintings done in Vienna 35 years ago, are on display. The show marks the first time that all components of 20th painting action have been displayed since they were created in 1987.
It was a privilege to be invited by Christine and Andy Hall to document his permanent installation at Schloss Derneburg, Hall Art Foundation in Germany.
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Absolutely beautiful photo of Hemann Nitsche.