Weekly

April 16, 2022 • View in browser

This week, artist Pepx Romero licked and kissed works at a museum to draw attention to the auctioning off of historical Mexican objects at international auction houses, artist Kalup Linzy bought a house in Tulsa and invited a bunch of artists, and reviews of Lynn Hershman Leeson, Dorothea Tanning, Marina Abramović, Elliott Green, and much more.

Also, be sure to check out the article by Lee Francis, the owner of Red Planet, which is the only Native American comic book shop in the world, about some must-read Native American literary works.

And in response to Seph Rodney’s powerful essay reflecting on six years at Hyperallergic has been incredible. We’ve organized a chat with Seph about art criticism on Twitter Spaces on Monday, April 18 at 3 pm EDT. Please join us!

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief 

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Dread Scott, “Seph Rodney (Number 41)” (2019) (photo courtesy the artist)

Art Criticism as a Way to Live
Seph Rodney reflects on providing insightful criticism in his time at Hyperallergic and the power of writing out loud.

The last six years have taught me this: to be willing to say the unpopular thing, to hold to the truth so that we can find a way to live in it. And I’ve learned to speak publicly about the issues that some would rather keep private or doom to silence. I won’t do that. I know that’s no way to live.

NEWS THIS WEEK

A video shows Pepx Romero licking and kissing works across several galleries at the Mexico City museum. (screenshots via Instagram)

• Artist Pepx Romero kisses and licks 30 pre-Hispanic works to draw attention to the auctions of objects held in France over the last few years.

• Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, injuring over 150 Palestinians and smashing its historical stained-glass windows.

• The British Museum rebuffed the Institute for Digital Archaeology’s request to 3D scan the Parthenon marbles.

• The MoMA and the Whitney Museum in NYC will no longer require visitors and staff to wear masks or show proof of vaccination for COVID-19.

• A Sydney art dealer buys a “priceless” stolen portrait of Josephine Bonaparte for $250 on eBay.

• Four newly released playlists celebrate the musicians who inspired (and were inspired by) Jean-Michel Basquiat.

LATEST IN ART

Queen Rose Art House, Kalup Linzy poses as Katonya from As Da Art World Might Turn (likenesses of Katonya and other characters from the show appear on the side of the house) (photo by Sam Gottsch)

Kalup Linzy Bought a House and He’s Sharing it with Artists
Lyndsay Knecht highlights the Queen Rose Art House in Tulsa’s historic Kendall Whittier neighborhood.

When Linzy completed two years of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and was eligible for the new Arts Integration Award, he saw an opportunity to create a spot between the two coasts where he could take emerging artists under his wing in a meaningful way.

Lynn Hershman Leeson, “Transgenic Cyborg” (2000), digital print, 49 x 48 3/4 inches

Lynn Hershman Leeson Thinks It’s Time That Her Work Is Recognized
Emily Wilson on Lynn Hershman Leeson: About Face at Altman Siegel.

Now, after years of feeling ignored, Lynn Hershman Leeson is finally receiving attention from the art world, with her practice combining art, technology, and performance often called ahead of its time.

Transformation and Dreams in Dorothea Tanning’s Later Work
Tim Keane on Dorothea Tanning: Doesn’t the Paint Say It All? at Kasmin.

Marina Abramović Is Suspended Between Self-Sacrifice and Spectacle
Ela Bittencourt on Marina Abramović: Performative at Sean Kelly Gallery.

Elliott Green, “Shout” (2021), oil on linen, 76 x 92 inches

Is It an Artificial Paradise or an Artificial Hell or Both?
John Yau on Elliott Green at Miles McEnery Gallery.

He seems to be espousing that landscapes are living forms governed by rules we cannot fathom — they appear to be welcoming us, but we might be wrong. They are going through relentless cataclysmic transformation. Whatever its culmination, the change is beautiful, even seductive, like a green and pink sunset shot through with poison. 

A Renaissance of Mexican Cumbia, Through the Eyes of a Fan
Isabella Parmalis on Pioneros Vallenatos y Tropicales; The Story of Toño Estrada at LaPau Gallery.

Is Touching Sculpture Sexier After Zoom Fatigue?
Daniel Larkin on Next Day Soup, Yale’s 2022 MFA Sculpture Thesis Exhibition.

ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC

Red Planet Books and Comics (photo Nancy Zastudil/Hyperallergic)

Don’t Fear a Red Planet, Selections From the World’s Only Native American Comic Shop
Lee Francis of Red Planet Books and Comics rounds up a must-read list of Native American literary works.

Years After its Release, a Film about Ukraine’s Donbass Region Seems Relevant Again
Dan Schindel takes a closer look at Sergei Loznitsa’s Donbass, which is finally getting a proper theatrical run in the US.

Dora García Documents Networks of Feminist Survival in Mexico City
Billy Anania examines how Nora García’s recent films foster dialogue between Alexandra Kollontai’s work and communism in Mexico.

Why the Columbus Monument in Santo Domingo Still Stands
Jennifer Baez: “Toppling a monument will achieve little if authorities or the culture around it are invested in supporting what it stands for.”

Pissing on Faces or When Women Behave Badly
Betsy Huete asks, “Is it reductive and unhelpful to critically center womanhood in women’s work? Or is it critically unethical to not center it?”

Required Reading
This week, national participation in the Venice Biennale, the "pity me" personal essay, reimagining borders, and more.

IN OUR STORE

The Boating Party Socks

One of her most ambitious and well-known paintings, Mary Cassatt’s “The Boating Party”(1893/1894) was the main attraction at her first solo exhibition in the United States. Now that it’s been adapted as footwear, we think it deserves just as prominent a place in your spring wardrobe. 

Shop more art-inspired socks!