“Milan Knizak, the director of the country’s National Gallery, refused to accept the decision of an independent selection committee.” (He has veto power ex officio.) “In this case, however, Jiri Besser, the minister of culture, stepped in to overrule Knizak, declaring … that the committee’s choice, installation artist Dominik Lang, would represent the country in Venice.”
Tag: 01.12.11
Hungarian Artists Take Anger at New Media Law to EU
“Hungarian writers and musicians have descended on Brussels to add their voices to a fast-growing chorus of criticism aimed at measures being introduced by their Prime Minister Victor Orban. The outcry centres on a new media law that opponents say will muzzle press freedom and endanger independent media.”
Dance Critics: ‘To Some Extent, We’re All Body Fascists’
Judith Mackrell: “Critics scrutinise dancers’ appearances all the time. It’s as automatic for us to register weak feet, a stiff back, a short neck as it is to cherish the elegance of Sylvie Guillem’s proportions … [Yet some] of the greatest dancers have been far from perfect, and their ‘flaws’ have arguably been crucial ingredients in their art.”
Gabriel Orozco: Conversation in the Studio of a ‘Post-Studio’ Artist
“I come from a country where a lot of art is labelled surrealist. I grew up with it and I hate that kind of dreamlike, evasive, easy, poetic, sexual, cheesy surrealist practice. I try to be a realist. There is humour in my work but I’m not playing cynical games or flirting with the art world or engaging with the frivolity of the market.”
All in the Family, Still Relevant After 40 Years
“The historical specifics have changed since 1971, and the language we use to describe them has changed, too. But the cultural fault lines and hot-button topics all have modern equivalents. … (In a 1972 episode, Archie delivered a pro-gun TV editorial that sounded eerily like actual proposals made after 9/11.)”
How ‘Near-Death Experiences’ Happen in the Brain
Neurologist Kevin Nelson: “But what generally happens is the pleasure system of the brain is engaged. This happens with spiritual experiences in general. … The dopamine reward system seems to be activated when a person believes they are near death, and the REM system, counterintuitively, is also activated.”
You’d Be Surprised Who’s Felt the Impulse to Censor Huck Finn
Michael Chabon: “Hey, remember the guy in the university town who thought it was a good idea to go through Huckleberry Finn and replace the word ‘nigger’ with something less offensive? Not the dude at Auburn. The other one. The one writing this sentence.”
Why Can’t Italy Take Care Of Its Cultural Treasures?
“A continuing study by the preservationist group Our Italy has already identified more than 80 major monuments and archaeological sites nationwide at grave risk of collapse, including Bologna’s two great medieval towers, the ancient Aurelian walls around Rome, and Capua’s Roman amphitheater, second in size only to the Colosseum.”
Brisbane Cultural Institutions Prepare For Flooding
“Waters are rising close to the city’s major cultural institutions, including the Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Queensland Museum and the State Library.”
Why Aren’t Historians More Involved In Public Policies?
“Historians’ relative silence about today’s policies stems not from agreement, but from trends in their field that have discouraged their scholarly peers from becoming actively involved in public debates.”