“This time, the Luxembourg artist [Deborah De Robertis] sat in front of an exhibition by Araki, a Japanese photographer known for his images of bound naked women, in a transparent kimono. … Between her thighs was a watermelon, which she ate while moaning loudly. Visitors, far from being shocked, applauded her before security officers put an end to her show.” (In case you don’t recall the previous incident, here’s a refresher.)
Tag: 09.06.16
Emoji Is The World’s Fastest-Growing Language – But Who Are The Keepers Of Its OED?
“It started with 176 icons. Now it’s grown to 1,800. But who decides what becomes an emoji? We lift the lid on the California coders who live and breathe smiling cats and banned aubergines.” (Note to Americans: aubergine is British for eggplant.)
Helsinki Guggenheim Construction Blocked By Finnish Nationalist Party
“A plan to build a Guggenheim museum on the Helsinki waterfront – joining the likes of those that grace New York, Bilbao and Venice – appears close to collapse because of a political row. It’s all about money and austerity. The co-ruling nationalist Finns party has blocked state aid for its construction.”
BBC2 Television To Change Saturday Night Schedule To Arts Programming
“The channel said from autumn it would replace the jumble of repeats normally shown at that time with programmes dedicated to arts and culture. Patrick Holland, the editor of BBC2, said arts were central to the channel’s mission. ‘I want BBC2 to be the most creative channel on TV,’ he said.”
Even At 75, Curious George Is Still Great, Says Michael Dirda
“It’s really little wonder that these boisterous yet gently soothing books endure. Consider, for instance, the over-the-top masterpiece of the series, Curious George Gets a Medal. It begins quietly when the little monkey receives a letter. He puts it aside and – like Chekhov’s gun – that letter remains in the background for many pages, nearly forgotten, until it reappears at a dramatic turning point. Before that, though, George …”
Did Shakespeare Really Invent All Those Phrases The OED Says He Did? Nope
“Shakespeare did not coin phrases such as ‘it’s Greek to me’ and ‘a wild goose chase’, according to an Australian academic. In an article for the University of Melbourne, Dr David McInnis, a Shakespeare lecturer at the institution, accuses the Oxford English Dictionary of ‘bias’ over its citation of Shakespeare as the originator of hundreds of words in English.”
Art Handlers And Auctioneers Sentenced For Thefts From Paris’s Leading Auction House; Union Ordered To Disband
“In March, 49 people were put on trial charged with organised theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and handling stolen goods. … Their scam was rumbled following an anonymous tipoff, which led to a police operation that recovered thousands of paintings, sculptures and other objects stolen from auctioneers Hôtel Drouot.”
Cities Don’t Have Gates Anymore. But What If They Did?
In a time of urbanization, refugee and “arrival cities,“ as well as metropolitan regions with multiple urban centers, could a city provide an entry differentiating itself from its barrios, suburbs and exurbs? If so, what form would this entry take, or would it have any form at all?
Our Modern Workspaces Have Been Designed To Look As If You Don’t Exist
“Across these diverse spaces, the two most consistent design principles are openness and a banishment of personal clutter. The new office presents itself as the interior design equivalent of everyone’s friend. It is comfortable and always available, a temporary platform onto which workers alight for meetings and some deskwork before fluttering off to another meeting, the home office, another job. But importantly, leave no trace behind. Remember: You have never been here.”
What Uncertainty? This Year’s ARTnews List Of Top 100 Art Collectors
“Some market observers were saying that collectors had recently gotten “cautious,” and that the air was thinner than usual for artworks priced in excess of $10 million. But one thing was for sure: the stalwarts—those collectors on our list—were there, their checkbooks at the ready and their keen eyes out for quality.”