Category: visual

There’s a lot of plastic in the ocean – and a lot of demand for the nonprofit group Washed Ashore’s large-scale art, including at the Oregon Zoo, the Florida Aquarium, and the Oakland Zoo. The collective has taken “26 tons of garbage, all debris that washed up on the Oregon coast (the majority within 100 miles of Bandon), and built 70 large-scale sculptures and counting, including Octavia the Octopus, Edward the Leatherback Turtle and Daisy the Polar Bear.” – The New York Times

That’s partly because of a craze for exploring abandoned buildings – and partly because the buildings were abandoned in the first place, attracting people who have done everything from kick down walls to set massive fires. “Buildings under threat need strong security. … They need maintenance. They need alarms and lighting. Most of all they need concerted imagination and help to be brought back into the community quickly.” – The Observer (UK)

The Djoser pyramid (built under the famous ancient architect Imhotep) was damaged in an earthquake in the 1990s, but restoration didn’t begin until the early 2000s. Interrupted by the “Arab Spring” and the removal of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the repairs also hit a crisis when Egyptian media revealed that the original façade was damaged and altered during renovation work. – France 24

Why is Leeds University a hotbed for feminist art and artists? Well, it’s down to one woman: “Griselda Pollock, professor of social and critical histories of art at Leeds University. With a world reputation and 22 books to her name, she has just been awarded the 2020 Holberg prize for arts and humanities, worth £500,000. … She has been key over the past four decades to the region’s emergence as the UK’s leading feminist art hub. She now hopes the prize – of 6 million kroner, funded by the Norwegian government – means she has an international platform from which to continue her work, and consolidate her legacy. ‘I was afraid that once I retired, the waters would close over,’ she says.” – The Observer (UK)

Artists who fled the 1979 revolution with their families – especially if they were young – are seeing a renewed interest in their work from British and US buyers. But there’s “a growing gap between artists of the diaspora and those living in Iran, where economic hardship, sanctions and a collapsing currency mean that artists are unable to buy colors or canvases, or to have their work exhibited by Tehran-based gallerists at international fairs.” – The New York Times

As everyone who’s glanced at anything Guerrilla Girls-related knows, collections across the U.S. are less than welcoming to women and nonbinary artists. A new initiative seeks to change that. One curator says, “It’s diving into our history and examining who was and wasn’t collected. … It’s taking a critical lens to our own collecting practices.” – The New York Times

The neighborhood response is not going well for the museum. “Preservationists and community members called the proposed changes ‘cultural vandalism.’ ‘Why buy a church if you don’t like the windows, when you knew that they were landmarked when you purchased it?'” – Hyperallergic

The exhibitor’s email to the curator: “Your presence on the stand would unfortunately create hesitation on the part of the audience to enter the exhibition space.” When it came to light, the art fair told the exhibitor she wasn’t welcome.- The Guardian (UK)

An exhibition that covers 1000 years is going to have some unknown artists, but in addition, “native women’s art was usually anonymized and identified by tribal affiliation when exhibited in museums, says co-curator Jill Ahlberg Yohe. ‘This was a Nez Perce object, or an Apache dress,’ she explains by way of example.” But the names of contemporary Native artists will live on. – NPR

Sure, the Armory Show is a big one, but every fair needs its gimmick. “As fairs proliferate, to about 300 worldwide, their organizers introduce new features, like panel discussions and concerts, meant to add intellectual heft and to cultivate and entertain broader audiences.” (This one isn’t perfect.) – The New York Times