Having finished out the final days of the Vancouver Film Festival this past week, I have been thinking a great deal about artist documentaries and bio-pics-- those made about other artists, and projects that artists have made about their own work or the work of fellow creatives. It seems that there are many more of these kinds of films being made today, and this speaks not only to the important megaphone artists have to bring attention to critical issues (such as Ai Weiwei's searing documentary Human Flow), but also to the many conflicting aspects of the art world and the art market that come into collision when artists attempt to manifest their visions on their own terms. The result is an important mirror reflecting the larger world of social, political, and economic relations as objects and projects considered "art" begin to raise uncomfortable questions around relations of capital expansion, individual autonomy and freedom, together with the role of the media in carrying and shaping messages to the masses. As I look at the links I am sharing this week, I see so much of this being played out in the kinds of art stories that seem to be shaping the art world landscape-- tales of abuse of power, shifting influence, exposing difficult subject matter, and the spectacle of celebrity and taste-making via art influencers. The culture wars appear more real and relevant than ever.