Author: Ann Williams

Since its inception in the 19th century, the Venice Biennale has invited artists to represent their countries in national pavilions. But art’s power to transcend and transcend national — and other — borders is a driving force at the 60th Venice Biennale (April 20-November 24), which focuses on marginalized identities and the Global South. The curator Adriano Pedrosa describes his subject, Foreigners everywhere, as a “call to action” as the number of forcibly displaced people around the world has reached a record high. Many Asian artists participating in this year’s pavilions seem to have heeded the call. Here’s a guide…

Now, Yang Fudong’s new film will be screened on the 110 m wide facade of the M+ museum every evening until June. Sparrow in the Sea He depicts Hongkongers as “brave little birds” among the city’s pockets of urban beauty and unexpected serenity. Starting last September, Yang and his team spent nine days filming in locations in Hong Kong that were new to the Shanghai artist, such as local beaches and old towns. The artist’s first site-specific urban project was commissioned by M+ and Art Basel, with support from UBS.Shanghai-based artist Yang Fudong Courtesy of the artistYang’s films and photographs…

Toronto filmmakers, artists and writers are campaigning to divest arts funder Scotiabank from Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. Today, March 26, a coalition of activists announced the launch of “No Arms in the Arts,” an effort targeting programs sponsored by Canada’s financial institutions, including the Hot Docs Film Festival, Contact Photography Festival, Scotiabank Giller Prize. , and the Toronto Art Biennial. The campaign was launched by members of Film Workers for Palestine, Writers Against the War on Gaza, Artists Against Artwashing and CanLit Responds. today Around the corner from the Hot Docs cinema. As organizers of the Hot Docs festival…

The Goodman Gallery has announced a representation of the legacy of the late Ghanaian painter Atta Kwami, in collaboration with the Beardsmore Gallery in London. Kwami lived and worked between the UK and her native Ghana until her death in 2021, the same year she was posthumously awarded the Maria Lassnig Award. This May a new solo exhibition of the artist’s work will be held at London’s Goodman Gallery in Cork Street.Born in 1956, Kwami was a prolific creator whose work has been the subject of major public art commissions and solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian…

One of London’s most famous plants has been replicated in the Para Site contemporary art center by Hong Kong artist Trevor Yeung. His new solo show, Soft breath, recreates an episode of the so-called “fuck tree” that lives in a secluded part of Hampstead Heath. The oak’s roots grow at an angle that places its trunk close to the ground, allowing one, two or more people to lean over it. Human intervention has also shaped the tree: the heather lovers rub it so often that parts of the bark are smoothed.”This tree is the physical embodiment of desire, the most…

The famous Guangdong Times Museum has re-opened in Guangzhou, China, 18 months after suspending exhibitions in October 2022. The suspension was due to the financial struggles of the museum’s sponsor, the Times China real estate developer. The gallery opened in the 2010 exhibition space, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Alain Fouraux, following a successful auction in January of works donated by 65 artists, mostly from or living in the Pearl River Delta region.Marge Monko’s Flawless (2016), on display at the Guangdong Times Museum Photo: Martin PolákAssociate director and chief curator Nikita Yingqian Cai, who has been on staff throughout the…

Forget Disneyland, with its endless lines and over-the-top characters: a new attraction is coming to town, and it’s so compelling you’ll be planning a second coming. The New Testament Experience, presented by the controversial Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, opens to the public tomorrow, March 29, offering guests the most exciting three-part experience since Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The so-called “immersive experience” doesn’t appear to involve virtual reality (VR) or other immersive elements, at least according to an online customer representative who clarified via chat that it’s “like watching a movie.” According to information shared by the…

Hauser & Wirth will inaugurate its new gallery space in Basel on June 1 with a historical survey of Vilhelm Hammershøi. “Vilhelm Hammershøi. Silence”, marks the first solo exhibition of the 19th-20th century Danish artist in Switzerland. The new gallery is located at Luftgässlein 4 in Basel’s old town, just minutes from the city’s major art institutions Kunsthalle Basel and Kunstmuseum Basel.Focusing on Hammershøi is a somewhat surprising choice to inaugurate the new breakthrough, given the gallery’s star-studded roster of artists on the market and the lead-up to Art Basel. That said, Hauser & Wirth is well known for its…

As high-value collectors descend on Hong Kong for the VIP opening of Asia’s largest art fair, a new fringe event is floating the idea that the art market can balance commerce with open, relaxed experiences.Taking place at Central’s Fringe Club, Supper Club (until March 30) is a pop-up initiative by Hong Kong gallerists Alex Chan (owner of The Shophouse), Ysabelle Cheung and Willem Molesworth (founders of PHD Group). The 22 local and international galleries are exhibiting together with panel discussions and artist performances over six evenings from 4pm to 1am. The event is facilitated by curator Anqi Li and art…

This is a year of disruption for Hong Kong’s art world, with Art Basel returning to its pre-pandemic scale in the city, Art Central in its waterfront tents, new pop-up sales shows and an impressive onslaught of exhibitions. and events. However, political and economic headwinds are testing Hong Kong’s reputation as a global hub for art businesses as it prepares to welcome crowds of international collectors and art professionals.The rise of Hong Kong’s art market has been fueled by mainland China’s collector class and their private museums. But the mainland’s current economic slowdown is having an impact on art buying,…