NEED-TO-READ
Art Basel Hong Kong’s New Director Speaks Out – Angelle Siyang-Le, the newly appointed director of the fair, which opens to VIPs on March 21, noted that she was confident about the highly-anticipated show despite the pressure to bounce back strongly after the pandemic and amid the changed political environment in Hong Kong. This edition will be the biggest since the pandemic, though the number of 177 exhibitors is still down as compared with previous years. ()
Band Once Paid With a Banksy Sells Artwork – An artwork that Banksy had once given a band when asking them to change their name to avoid copyright issues with the street artist’s 2019 documentary, , is going up for sale. The band—formerly called Exit Through the Gift Shop, but now named Brace Yourself! (after the Banksy work they were given)—is selling the work at Julien’s Auctions on March 29. The piece, which features an image of a grim reaper, is expected to fetch $600,000 to $800,000. It’s on view at the Hard Rock Cafe in London’s Piccadilly Circus until March 15. ()
Geumhyung Jeong Collabs With Miu Miu – The South Korean artist made an enigmatic video work for the brand’s fall 2023 runway show, which was unveiled on Tuesday in Paris. The artist, who is known for her sensual performances where she interacts with mechanical objects, is the newest rising star artist to work with the fashion house on a runway show, following in the footsteps of Meriem Bennani and Shuang Li. ()
Exposing the Art-Washing Enablers – Western arts organizations, auction houses, galleries, and art fairs have no trouble continuing to do business in authoritarian regions, such as Saudi Arabia, which is accused of the uptick in state-administered violence, and Hong Kong, where activists and journalists are arrested and jailed without bail amid Beijing’s crackdown of the city’s freedoms. While the west might consider art as a “soft power” that can change the way people see the world, it often becomes “a useful sheen to authoritarian regimes.” ()
MOVERS & SHAKERS
LACMA Adds New Board Members – New board members of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art include Boojin Lee, a collector and former Samsung Group and Hotel Shilla executive; Jim Tananbaum, a collector and venture capitalist; and private equity executive Jeff Yabuki. ()
Carrie Mae Weems Wins Hasselblad Prize – The photographer has made history as the first Black woman to win the august prize, which comes with a cash award of nearly $190,000. Weems joins the ranks of Cindy Sherman, Walid Raad, Wolfgang Tillmans, and, most recently, Dayanita Singh, to win the honor. ()
Adrian Piper Awarded Harvard Arts Medal – In other award news, the conceptual artist, philosopher, and Burns-Halperin Report contributor has won the annual prize, presented by the Office for the Arts at Harvard and the Department of art, film, and visual studies. “Piper has questioned value systems and challenged us to think more critically about the worlds we inhabit” director of the OFA said in a statement. ()
Cooper Hewitt Establishes Digital Curatorial Department – The Smithsonian Design Museum has set up a dedicated arm focusing on collecting and caring for born-digital artwork. It will be overseen by Andrea Lipps. ()
FOR ARTS SAKE
New Harriet Tubman Memorial Unveiled in Newark – by artist Nina Cooke John, a native of New Jersey, has been installed in Harriet Tubman Square. The memorial pays homage to Tubman and the city’s contribution to the Underground Railroad. () ()
The day before Harriet Tubmans birthday, citizens unveiled a new Harriet Tubman memorial in downtown Newark, New Jersey. The monument is in a park that used to be called Washington Park but has been renamed Harriet Tubman Square. (Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
