Weekly

March 19, 2022 • View in browser

This week, the war in Ukraine continues and we reported on the bombing of a theater in Mariupol, a new stamp featuring an FU to a Russian warship, and a second comic from artists in Ukraine, among other news.

We also reported on the Museum of Modern Art’s decision to renew a previous contract it has with the New York Police Department, which it has canceled during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, indicating a strong turn away from social justice issues.

We also published reviews of Robert Ryman, Wesley Tongson, Jule Korneffel, a group show at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, and much more.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief 

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The War in Our Country and on Our Phones

Ukrainian artists Anya Ivanenko and Jenya Polosina depict how communicating with friends and relatives in Russia feels like “living in parallel worlds.”

NEWS THIS WEEK

• A new Ukrainian stamp features a panoramic view of a soldier giving an approaching Russian warship the middle finger.

• A theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, was brutally bombed on March 16, where at least 1,000 civilians were sheltering from the Russian attack.

• The MoMA ramps up police presence, renewing a contract it had with NYPD before the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

• The man suspected of stabbing two employees at the MoMA was apprehended today in Philadelphia.

• A centuries-old sarcophagus, ancient tombs, and other sculptures are found buried beneath the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

• The Museo della Cucina, opening in Rome this May, will be dedicated to Italy’s long and delicious history of cuisine.

LATEST IN ART

Robert Ryman, “Untitled” (2010) (© 2022 Robert Ryman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Bill Jacobson Studio)

Robert Ryman’s Joyful Last Paintings
John Yau on Robert Ryman: The Last Paintings at David Zwirner.

There is a joy to these paintings, as well as a playfulness, all arising from the artist’s sensitivity to tone, contrast, placement, and natural light, which is how he would have wanted them to be seen. 

Fragmentation as a Queer Artistic Strategy
Cassie Packard on Not Me, Not That, Not Nothing Either at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art.

Street Photography That Highlights the Female Gaze
Julia Curl on A Female Gaze: Seven Decades of Women Street Photographers at Howard Greenberg Gallery.

Wesley Tongson, "Untitled," from the Mountains of Heaven series (2000), ink and color on board, 28 3/8 x 38 3/8 inches (all images courtesy BAMPFA, gift of Lilia and Kenneth Tongson)

Hong Kong Painter Wesley Tongson and the Lineage of Chinese Landscape Art
Emily Wilson on Spiritual Mountains: The Art of Wesley Tongson at BAMPFA.

Tongson was bold and prolific, drawing on techniques of masters of Chinese painting to make his large-scale landscapes and intricate examinations of nature his own.

Mexican Modernism Was More Than Frida Kahlo and Diego River
Rosa Boshier on Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism at the Portland Art Museum.

The Pleasures of Slow Looking
John Yau on Jule Korneffel: Here comes the night at Spencer Brownstone Gallery.

Studio submission by Tommy Fitzpatrick, New Braunfels, Texas

A View From the Easel

This is the 199th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists send in a photo and a description of their workspace. This week's edition features artist studios from Texas, Virginia, New York, and Michigan.

Want to take part? Please submit your studio! Just check out the submission guidelines.

MORE FROM HYPERALLERGIC

Senga Nengudi, "Black and Red Ensemble" (1971; reconstructed 2021), black polyethylene, red walls and floor (photo by Isabella Segalovich)

15 Things Museums Do That Piss Me Off
Isabella Segalovich lists both personal and systemic issues that impact her (and most of our) experiences at institutions. 

I love museums. Pick any weekend and you can find me wandering some echoey gallery around Philadelphia. They’re more than a pastime for me — I’m that lady in the museum who’s almost too into it, who takes pictures of every painting, leans in super close to study the details, and scribbles down notes for some reason.

Museums are critical to how we interact with the vast majority of art. But I have to ask myself: if I love museums so much, why do I often leave feeling … well, kinda pissed off?

Luigi Ghirri’s Affectionate Photos of Puglia’s Calm, Hushed Spaces
By the time of his death, Luigi Ghirri had taken some 2,000 pictures in Puglia. This new book is a thoughtful tribute to his years-long project.

Photographs as Passageways to the Profound
John Seed reviews Running Falling Flying Floating Crawling and its unexpected juxtapositions.

An AI-Generated Andy Warhol Confides In Us
The extensive Netflix docuseries won’t fully satisfy either casual viewers or fans of the Pop icon.

What We Have to Say About the 2022 Academy Award Nominees
We've gathered a must-read list of director interviews and critic reviews of this year’s nominated films.

Required Reading
This week, an ancient animal is named after President Biden, sportwashing, blood art in museums, almost the world’s biggest potato, and more.

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