**Exploring a Tapestry of Community Connections** The concept of community acts as a connective tissue that binds individuals across oceans of time and space, bringing shared experiences and histories into a palpable reality. This exploration into the diverse narrative threads offers a glimpse into the various facets of community–from art and activism to history and memory. **The Schomburg Qur’an and […]
This spring, El Salvador makes history by presenting a pavilion at the Venice Biennale for the first time during the festival’s 61st iteration from May 9 to November 22. J. Oscar Molina, a Salvadoran painter and sculptor born in 1971 and now based in Southampton, New York, is chosen as the country’s inaugural pavilion artist. His solo exhibition, “Cartographies of […]
In an unprecedented move, the Smithsonian Institution has handed over documents and exhibition materials to the Trump administration as part of a federal inquiry. This development follows the administration’s long-standing demand for compliance under its campaign to promote “American exceptionalism” within museum narratives, particularly targeting contents deemed “divisive.” The recent release of digital photographs and texts from Smithsonian exhibits marks […]
Welcome to the 320th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists find sanctuary in a studio blanketed with yarn and use their bodies as a canvas. For one artist, the studio has been their refuge for a year. They describe a non-linear routine, as their days can vary […]
Title: South Africa’s Cultural Controversy and Its Impact on Global Art In recent developments in the world of art and culture, the decision by South Africa’s right-wing Arts and Culture Minister, Gayton McKenzie, to cancel artist Gabrielle Goliath’s piece “Elegy” from the national pavilion at the upcoming Venice Biennale has sparked significant outrage and debate. This move is seen as […]
#### Genocide and the Struggle for Witness: A South African Perspective On December 29, 2023, South Africa launched an unprecedented legal challenge at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. This bold move places South Africa in a unique position on the global stage, both challenging the actions of a powerful nation and risking […]
The closure of the California College of the Arts (CCA), an iconic institution in the San Francisco Bay Area, marks a significant shift in the region’s cultural landscape. As the last standing private art and design school in the area, its impending closure by the 2026–2027 academic year signals the end of an era. The announcement, a collaboration agreement with […]
The exhibition “Unbound: Art, Blackness, & the Universe” at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco intricately explores the interplay between African and African diasporic perspectives on the cosmos. The exhibit spans the entire museum, spotlighting a dynamic range of artworks that prompt both historical reflection and futuristic imagination. Upon entering, visitors encounter mid-20th-century wooden sculptures from […]
In 2022, two documentaries surfaced that detail the fascinating lives of French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft. These films, created from the couple’s remarkable volcanic footage, deliver differing narratives of the same tale. One is helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog and is entitled “The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft.” The alternative, “Fire of Love,” is […]
Sculptor Mehdi Salahshour and filmmaker Javad Ganji are among the members of Iran’s creative community reportedly killed during anti-government protests. As accounts emerge from Iran’s deadly crackdown on dissent this month, reports that government forces have shot and killed artists, including sculptor Mehdi Salahshour and filmmaker Javad Ganji, have added to growing international outrage. Amid an ongoing state-initiated internet blackout […]