Vandalism On 18 November 2022 two environmental activists from the French movement known as “Dernière Rénovation” (Last Renovation) poured orange acrylic paint over a massive stainless steel sculpture, an equestrian self-portrait by American...
Abu Dhabi: a creative fair in collaboration with the Louvre AD and the future Guggenheim
Supported by the state It’s the only fair of its kind: a commercial show that’s entirely supported by the state, as a cultural event in its own right. Abu Dhabi Art, which features 80 exhibitors from 33 countries, is an event that has existed...
The new natural illusions of Olafur Eliasson
https://youtu.be/ohJSf3ag_9Q A new vocabulary There are certain artists – and they are rare – who are capable of inventing an entire vocabulary. This is true of the Icelandic-Danish artist who lives in Berlin, Olafur Eliasson (born in 1967),...
Tribute to Rodney Graham (1949-2022)
The Canadian artist Rodney Graham, born in 1949, has just died of cancer. I met him in 2016 at the Dijon Consortium where he had staged an extraordinary exhibition. He invented exceptional stories through his videos and installations...
Frieze week: the London art scene is hyperactive despite the post-Brexit crisis
London is resilient If Great Britain has been hit by a social and economic crisis, the largest art fair in the country seems to be faring well. On 12 October Frieze opened in Regent’s Park, with its two components, Frieze Masters (128...
Fondazione Prada in Venice: Taryn Simon’s conversation piece is a journey through the human brain
https://youtu.be/JweHtN8cZqg Large amount of data The American artist Taryn Simon (born in 1975) has a singular visual oeuvre which always finds unique ways of addressing serious phenomena. She is adept at compiling large amounts of data to...
Contemporary art market: a trajectory in overdrive
Michael Armitage On 21 September one of the most highly anticipated exhibitions on the global contemporary art scene opened at the White Cube gallery in London, showcasing the work of British-Kenyan artist Michael Armitage (born in 1984)....
Biennale de Lyon: an impressive journey through the ruins of contemporary society
Beirut https://youtu.be/wAV6ENMD32Y People never forget Beirut. Take Sam Bardaouil. Born in Lebanon, this world-class art historian is curating the sixteenth Lyon Biennale together with Till Fellrath, on show until 31 December. The duo, who...
Wolfgang Tillmans at Moma in New York: an opening of total art
https://youtu.be/qtk20JhAhbg The experience For a long time photography was considered to be a secondary mode of expression. But we might say that in the early 21st century not only is this kind of consideration obsolete, but also that the...
Hydra: one of the most beautiful artworks Jeff Koons has ever made will be destroyed after 31 October
https://youtu.be/EylV6niUHss Guilty There is an old slaughterhouse on one of the chicest Greek islands. On this small landmass with no cars, where donkeys still carry the heaviest loads, the American painter Brice Marden regularly stays...
The Armory Show: In New York the art market is in between resilience and effervescence
Covid Crisis Since the Covid crisis New York has lost some of its glamour. There are higher rates of urban violence. Scores of professionals are fleeing the city… The ultra-dynamic metropolis continues, nonetheless, to be the leading city in...
Docent Art, the Tinder for art: an app to find the artworks you’re going to fall in love with
https://youtu.be/RmM1xioajZg Many fairs Between the end of August and the beginning of September there are fairs of a good standard taking place in Marseille (Artorama), Copenhagen (Chart), Monopoli in Puglia in Italy (Italics), New York...