Happy December! What better way to welcome the Christmas season than via breakdancing Jesus, courtesy of Cosmo Sarson

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

December 03, 2017

After many weeks of rain, we finally had a dry day and I got out on our motorbike. Feeling the warmth of the sun and enjoying the view of the mountains, sea, and forest as we wound our way around Vancouver and beyond, I thought about how important it is this time of year, as academic deadlines and the holidays descend, to take time out for reflection, relaxation, and the great outdoors. I have long designated Sundays as "sacred" in this regard. This habit dates back to the most stressful moments of grad school when I had to draw a firm boundary around one day each week that would remain guarded from work, research, writing, and outside obligations. Leaving all tasks aside, Sunday was the one day each week I would commit to reading for pleasure, walking and relaxing in nature, cooking and baking to relax, and spending time with my partner without too much planning or pressure. In the years since, I have been mostly successful in protecting that day, but if there was one month where it mostly fell apart, it came in the hectic weeks of December when the convergence of final grading and holiday commitments pushed Sunday back into the grind of life. This year I am mindful to close out 2017 with my Sundays intact. Enjoy the links, and make sure to guard some time for yourself as well this holiday season!

"Are Smartphones Keeping Us from Appreciating Art?"

artsy.net

"8 US Colleges Lending Their Art Collections to Students"

hyperallergic.com

"John Baldessari on his giant emoji paintings"

theguardian.com

"What Is Post-Cyberfeminism? Here’s a Primer on the Latest Big Idea to Storm Contemporary Art"

artnet.com

"A Conversation Between Bourdain and Francis Ford Coppola (VIDEO)"

explorepartsunknown.com

"Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting"

nytimes.com

"The impossibility of intelligence explosion"

medium.com

"Guggenheim Museum to Collaborate With Rem Koolhaas on ‘Nonurban Areas’ Initiative"

artnews.com

"The Disaster Artist Is a Hilarious Tribute to a Singular Work of Art"

theatlantic.com

"The Culture Gabfest “Do I Dare to Eat a Peach” Edition (PODCAST)"

slate.com

Contemporary painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist, and film-maker Kara Walker was born on this day in 1969. Image: The Emancipation Approximation (Scene #18) (1999) — Contemporary painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist, and film-maker Kara Walker was born on this day in 1969. Image: *The Emancipation Approximation (Scene #18) (*1999)

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

November 26, 2017

I was asked a very compelling question this week that I cannot stop thinking about. Which famous or well known male artist or politician would you be most disappointed to find out was a sexual abuser? It is a question that opens the door to a very uncomfortable conversation-- one that I have found myself having with more and more people in my life, inside and outside academia, and one that is forcing me to make judgements and decisions even as far as what I will include and exclude from my teaching and research. Perhaps even more striking than the question is the growing awareness that we are at what appears to be a watershed moment when it comes to open discussion about sexual exploitation in the world of art, entertainment, and politics. How this will affect how we collectively judge the creative and intellectual legacy and output of exposed abusers is a very tough topic to navigate. In the past, especially in film studies courses, I have attempted wherever possible to discuss the artistic vision and biographic elements of controversial individuals (such as Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and Leni Riefenstahl for example) separately, analyzing the legacy of of important filmmakers without allowing psychobiography to override the broader influence of their creative vision. Admittedly, this is becoming tougher and tougher to do, and I am not quite sure yet how the more difficult conversations will evolve in my teaching. Check out one of the links below from the New York Times that takes a stab at the problem. Happy Sunday, and for the record, I think I would be crushed if Martin Scorsese, Gerhard Richter, Ai Weiwei, or Barack Obama were on that list of men!

"How One Philanthropist Is Making Studio Space More Affordable for New York Artists"

artsy.net

"To Hell With the Witch-Hunt Debate"

theatlantic.com

"Charlie Rose, Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey: Rebuked. Now What Do We Do With Their Work?"

nytimes.com

"The Rise and fall of Art Startups"

artmediaangency.com

"Universities must be places of intellectual discomfort"

timeshighereducation.com

"Putin backed culture forum in St Petersburg sparks debate over artistic freedoms in Russia"

artnewspaper.com

"6 Questions for an Art Historian About Leonardo’s “Salvator Mundi”"

hyperallergic.com

"Michael Yahgulanaas is telling Indigenous stories through the combined art form of Haida Manga (PODCAST)"

cbc.ca

"Goddamnit, Fine, Let’s Talk About Jordan Peterson (PODCAST)"

canadalandshow.com

"Hwigyeong by Juree Kim (VIDEO)"

victoriaandalbertmuseum

Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Suzy Parker in Dior Hat, Tuileries, Paris (1950). Dahl-Wolfe, artist turned influential fashion photographer pioneer, was born on this day in 1895. — Louise Dahl-Wolfe, *Suzy Parker in Dior Hat, Tuileries, Paris* (1950). Dahl-Wolfe, artist turned influential fashion photographer pioneer, was born on this day in 1895.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

November 19, 2017

Without doubt, the biggest art story this week was the Christie's auction of the "last Da Vinci," an event that not only resulted in the record-breaking $450 million dollar sale, but also in one of the biggest art world spectacles in recent memory. Spilling out into the mainstream press, all of the predictable shock and awe about the price paid along with the hype surrounding every nuance of the painting and its mystery buyer once again reinforces all of the worst stereotypes and misconceptions about the art world. But undeniably, the sale also exposes many of its ugly realities.

Not surprisingly, the perceived historical, social, and art historical value of a work of art is once again being conflated with the value of a work of art paid at auction. Looking at the way art functions as a commodity, and how the art market can often skew perceptions of value inside and outside the art world, I am reminded again how such an important subject is often misunderstood, ignored, or not addressed at all in the education and training that many artists and art historians receive in art school and/or university. This week's links open with one of the more illuminating commentaries on what went down this week, and then ends with the raw photage of the event. I will be processing and gathering my own thoughts about the Da Vinci sale and perhpas make a longer post in the near future. Have a great week and happy reading/viewing!

"They Say It’s by Leonardo. I Have Doubts. Big Doubts."

vulture.com

"New York Gallerists Counter Art-World Elitism by Showing Every Work They’re Sent"

arsty.net

"The Feminist Pioneers Making Provocative Art About Sex"

nytimes.com

"Mark Bradford: the artist and ex-hairdresser forcing America to face ugly truths about itself"

theguardian.com

"How Will the Oscars Reflect This Moment in Hollywood?"

theatlantic.com

"Frank Stella’s Favorite Cities for Art"

nytimes.com

"Your correspondent goes Inside Pussy Riot—and gets a wake up call"

theartnewspaper.com

"Lewd and Ludic: the Stampography of Vincent Sardon"

nybooks.com

"Meet Poland's Banksy: This Warsaw street artist is fighting back against hate crimes (VIDEO)"

cbc.ca

"Da Vinci painting sells for $450mn in NY: Christie's (VIDEO)"

AFPNews

Gordon Smith, Winter Pond II (2002). Canadian painter Smith, 98 years old, was profiled by the CBC on Remembrance Day to reflect on his time serving as a WWII military officer. — Gordon Smith, *Winter Pond II* (2002). Canadian painter Smith, 98 years old, was profiled by the CBC on Remembrance Day to reflect on his time serving as a WWII military officer.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

November 13, 2017

The last few days we have been enjoying a mini getaway to Whistler, BC, a trip that has included much snow, fireside treats, dips in thermal spa waters, and a planned visit to the recently opened Audain Art Museum (I posted several images on my Instagram to give a sense of the space and collection). As an international travel destination, Whistler attracts tourists from around the globe, and the new art space has been created to house the private art collection of Michael Audain and his wife Yoshiko Karasawa. What struck me most as we moved through the building was careful attention to how the contemporary and very MoMA-inspired architecture interacted with the natural environment surrounding it. Considering that the collection mostly consists of modern and contemporary Canadian and First Nations art (heavy on Emily Carr and early twentieth century First Nations carvers, together with a who's who of BC art stars of the past several decades), the juxtaposition between visual art objects and the Canadian "wilderness" has to be carefully considered. I am still pondering how successfully this museum navigates the terrain (there are many problematic dimensions to any art collection) but I do think it would be great to see more art museums built and supported outside of urban centres. Enjoy the links and enjoy the remainder of the long weekend!

"Boris Groys,Towards a New Universalism"

e-flux.com

"Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘Write What You Know’ is the Stupidest Thing I’ve Ever Heard"

lithub.com

"How the Myth of the Artistic Genius Excuses the Abuse of Women"

nytimes.com

"Inside the Underground World of Legal Art Forgery"

architecturaldigest.com

"Facetime with Cindy Sherman: The Artist on Her "Selfie" Project for W"

wmagazine.com

"Everything you need to know about the MET Exhibition 2018"

en.vogue.fr

"Britney Spears, Artist, Sells Her First Painting for $10,000"

vanityfair.com

"Alias Grace Is True Crime Through the Female Gaze"

theatlantic.com

"Pipilotti Rist: Sip my Ocean / Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney (VIDEO)"

VernissageTV

"Is the Art Market Irrational? (PODCAST)"

artsy.podcast

Richard Hambleton, Stop Sign (c. 1980s). Hambleton, the subject of the recent film Shadowman (that I recommended during VIFF) sadly passed away this past week at the age of 65. Hambleton was a contemporary of 1980s street and celebrity NYC artists J… — Richard Hambleton, *Stop Sign* (c. 1980s). Hambleton, the subject of the recent film *Shadowman* (that I recommended during VIFF) sadly passed away this past week at the age of 65. Hambleton was a contemporary of 1980s street and celebrity NYC artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, and was recently being rediscovered by the art world after spending decades off the radar.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

November 05, 2017

As the snow (yes SNOW) began to fall around the city this weekend, I spent some time catching up on the list of film and television shows that I have had on my radar or PVR. First, I have been a huge fan of HBOs drama series The Deuce telling the story of the rise of NYC's porn industry-- especially as I was sad to see the cancellation of its other 1970s-setting series Vinyl last year-- and have enjoyed watching the multiple and complex narrative unfold over its first eight episodes. I have blogged a lot (too much!) about James Franco and his art world ambitions in the past, but I must say that he does a fantastic and very convincing job playing two roles in the series (as twins Vincent and Frankie Martino), and Maggie Gyllenhaal is incredible playing street prostitute turned early pornography director/entrepreneur Candy Merrell. The finale episode just aired, and if you have not yet seen this very path-breaking series, I highly recommend binge watching immediately.

Second, I was able to catch a screening of Blade Runner 2049 in theatre, and all I can say is WOW!! I was not at all expecting to enjoy the sequel to one of my very favourite films of the futurist action genre as much as I did, but director Denis Villeneuve essentially channels the best of Ridley Scott's vision, and the pace, look, feel, and even sound design of the movie is kept true to the original. Rarely if ever do sequels measure up in this way, and so again, I highly recommend experiencing this film on the big screen. And finally, I am about halfway through Alias Grace, the CBC-Netflix adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel by the same name. Not only am I enjoying the plot and narrative of the series in terms of how it is adapted from the novel, but it is impossible not to see the critical parallels of the series' themes concerning women's struggles and socio-economic systems that shape their lives past, present, and fututre (as with The Handmaid's Tale). I cannot wait to finish it up tonight! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening-- I hope you get to enjoy some of your screen favourites too-- and enjoy the links!