January 4, 2023
Good morning. ☁️ Once there was an idea to use innovative blockchain technology to democratize the art market and it was given the uninviting name NFTs (non-fungible tokens). But when the market’s big dogs smelled the cash, they used their resources to co-opt this utopian idea and eventually destroyed it with their greed. And as always, it’s the average person who suffers the most. Now, amidst an ongoing “crypto winter,” we ask: Where are NFTs headed in 2023? Read what experts have to say about that in our report today.
And if you’re tired of the mainstream art media’s fluff “journalism” and PR pieces, do read Erin Thompson’s scathing review of a new book on Tibetan art, printed by a private Swiss museum. Thompson, aka the “art crime professor,” minces no words.
There’s more, but I’d like to end with a recommendation to check out Dan Schindel’s review of a new film that looks at suffering through the eyes of a donkey (echoing Robert Bresson’s 1966 classic Au Hasard Balthazar). I’ll take a donkey over a “Bored Ape” any day.
— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
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Sex Tourism With Statues
Buddhist Art of Tibet: In Milarepa’s Footsteps is a cringe-worthy display of “spiritual colonialism.” | Erin L. Thompson
SPONSORED
Catch the Final Days of 1-800 Happy Birthday at WORTHLESSSTUDIOS
As the exhibition honoring Black and Brown lives killed by police comes to a close, the Brooklyn art space presents a series of performances and community programs. Learn more.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The Leonard Peltier Statue by Rigo 23 at the San Francisco Art Institute (2020) (photo by Alex Peterson)
- Artist Rigo 23’s statue of Native American activist Leonard Peltier was mysteriously lost — then found — in Oakland.
- As NFTs continue to decline in value, we take a look at what’s in store for the once-buzzy art medium in 2023.
SPONSORED
Julianknxx’s In A Dream We Are At Once Beautiful Goes Beneath the Surface of Swiss Cities
Shot in Zürich, Geneva, Basel, and Lausanne, the visual artist and poet’s new film asks: Whose dreams are we attempting to live? Learn more.
MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC
Film Looks at Suffering Through the Eyes of a Donkey
EO’s universe seems a godless one; there’s no philosophical reason for the pain that human and nonhuman animals endure. | Dan Schindel
SPONSORED
The University of Arkansas Launches MA in Arts of the Americas
Presented in partnership with Crystal Bridges, this new art history program includes full tuition waivers, generous funding, and a theme-driven curriculum. Learn more.
Why You Should Fill Out ArtTable’s Survey on Working in the Arts
To close the gender pay gap in the field, we must first gain a better understanding of how systems of inequality shape the compensation and career experiences of art professionals. | Jessica L. Porter
Opportunities in January 2023
From residencies, fellowships, and workshops to grants, open calls, and commissions, our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
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