They call Donald Trump’s second term in the White House the dawn of a new era, but with the dizzying pace of his executive orders, it feels like it’s already noon. Welcome to a new America where the world’s richest man-child performs a Nazi salute in broad daylight and the president makes billions overnight from a fishy memecoin, while the National Archives scramble to find cursive readers. The MAGA horror show is just beginning. And while many are prostrating before the new king, others choose to resist. Among them is a group of artists led by Coco Fusco, Pablo Helguera, and Noah Fischer, who released a new satirical publication called The Siren on Inauguration Day. Check out their first issue below. I also recommend reading Sarah E. Bond and Stephanie Wong’s brilliant piece about the fiction of the “Roman salute,” used by right-wingers (including the Israeli prime minister) to absolve Elon Musk of his Sieg Heil moment at a Trump victory rally. Meanwhile, in modern-day Germany, a Munich exhibition salutes Surrealist artists and their contribution to the fight against fascism. Isn’t history but an unending cycle of irony, suffering, and perseverance? I
don’t know. Have a great weekend, everyone! — Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
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Elon Musk’s defenders were quick to claim that his hand motion was actually an ancient “Roman salute” — but that gesture never existed. | Sarah E. Bond and Stephanie Wong
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IN THE NEWS
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Artists asked the Brooklyn Museum to alter their displays with keffiyehs after the institution failed to take a “clear public moral stance” on Gaza.
US National Archives is calling on all cursive readers to help decipher and transcribe countless handwritten government documents.
Harmony Holiday, Rashaad Newsome, Morehshin Allahyari, and Ilana Savdie are among this year’s Creative Capital grant awardees.
Painter Jo Baer, whose artistic path journeyed from hard-edged minimalism to self-described “radical figuration,” has died at the age of 95.
Aaron De Groft, the former Orlando Museum of Art director accused of showing fake Basquiats, has died at 59
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UPCOMING EVENT
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Activist Tamara Lanier will join Hrag Vartanian to discuss her new book about her battle with Harvard University for ownership of her enslaved ancestors’ images.
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FROM OUR CRITICS |
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It is refreshing to see a group show that hews to its curatorial statement, and includes both old friends and unexpected twists. | John Yau
A show at Munich’s Lenbachhaus museum is an urgent study in the meaningful art-political networks that stressed solidarity and unity over isolation. | Ela Bittencourt
An exhibition animates new scripts for both art-making and sport, positing their languages of rhythmic choreography as sites of possibility and reclamation. | Lucy Sternbach
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In the mid-20th century, the Norwegian painter plumbed the tensions, envies, frustrations, and tender bonds among feminine subjects. | Eileen G’Sell
The artist’s multi-disciplinary practice challenges colonial and anti-Black art distinctions between representation and abstraction. | C.C. McKee
He was one of the first American artists to grapple with the many parts of an individual’s identity, and seek to unify them. | John Yau
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IN NEW YORK |
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While Time & Space Limited expand the artistic quality of life in its community, Mussmann remains steadfast at the helm of this mighty mothership. | Taliesin Thomas
Kamari Carter’s political art, visionary Shaker art, and Esther Mahlangu’s colorful geometries, along with many other in-person and online shows will beat your winter blues. | Hrag Vartanian, Natalie Haddad, Hakim Bishara, Lisa Yin Zhang, and Julie Schneider
An exhibition at The Met, a Chinatown bookstore highlighting local stories, an independent arts market, and much more for your Lunar New Year plans. | Rhea Nayyar
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ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC
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MAGA is coming for our rights. The Siren is here to fight back. | Coco Fusco
Octavia’s Bookshelf, which survived the Eaton Fire, has become a haven and a hub for mutual aid resources and support. | Joelle E. Mendoza (JEM)
Artists have long faced censorship on the company’s platforms, but new guidelines limiting content moderation are far from a boon to free speech. | Emma Shapiro
Several nonfiction works playing at the festival are timely, whether in their current subject matter or relevant reflections on the past. | Dan Schindel
This week: female directors dominate Indian film, fiber arts as therapy, the chilling influence of conservative YouTubers, Bad Bunny’s new album, rodent cinematography, and much more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin
Residencies, fellowships, grants, open calls, and jobs from NXTHVN, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
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THIS MONTH'S MINI |
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Lorraine O’Grady meets Downton Abbey jargon in the first tiny puzzle of the year! | Natan Last
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