Giving the World the Finger

March 17, 2023

Good morning. ⛅ You might be familiar with Ai Weiwei’s photograph of his middle finger against the backdrop of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the site of the horrific murders of student protesters by Chinese government troops in 1989. It’s one of the artist’s most recognizable symbols of resistance against state violence and oppression, and now, you can make your own version on a new interactive website. Below, read about the project and some spots we’d give the one-finger salute to (f-you, Ron DeSantis). 🖕

I also recommend Staff Writer Taylor Michael’s write-up of the Poster House’s new exhibition centered on the Black Panther Party’s graphic identity and Jennifer Remenchik’s review of Foad Satterfield’s latest show. The artist’s rich, semi-abstract landscapes were inspired by the life of Albert Woodfox, who was held in solitary confinement for over four decades.

Finally, get a peek at Rona Conti’s Japanese calligraphy studio in the latest installment of A View From the Easel and don’t miss this week’s Required Reading, and much more. Happy Friday!

— Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor

In the Studio With Amos Kennedy

As part of Hyperallergic’s Emily Hall Tremaine Journalism Fellowship for Curators, Angelina Lippert presents an exhibition to offer insight into her curatorial process.

Lippert will expand on her curatorial project in a virtual conversation with Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian on Monday, March 20, at 6pm EDT. Register here.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING

Flipping the bird at the largest Confederate monument, Stone Mountain in Georgia (edit Valentina Di Liscia/Hyperallergic)

A new collaboration between Ai Weiwei and Avant Arte invites users to flip the bird anywhere on Google Maps.

The Mississippi Museum of Art acquires 131 quilts assembled by Roland Freeman, a prominent documentarian of 20th-century Black culture.

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IDSVA Offers a Non-Studio PhD in Visual Arts: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory

With no campus, the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts is a truly nomadic institution, existing everywhere our students and faculty are. Learn more.

LATEST IN ART

Designing a Black Panther Revolution

A new exhibition at New York’s Poster House explores the civil rights militant group's ingenious branding strategies. | Taylor Michael

After Earthquakes, Art in Istanbul Takes on New Resonance

Four exhibitions planned prior to the devastating earthquakes grapple with presciently timely themes of loss, healing and transformation. | Jennifer Hattam

The Art of Home in Times of Isolation

In the wake of COVID-19's house-bound isolation, art materials and motifs derived from the home seem charged with new meaning and a searching sense of reinvention. | Julie Schneider

The Story of Incarceration That Inspired a Nature Painter

The beauty of the natural world coupled with the tragedy of racial oppression led to Foad Satterfield’s painting series inspired by Albert Woodfox’s incarceration. | Jennifer Remenchik

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MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

A View From the Easel

This week, studios in New York, California, Indiana, and Massachusetts. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin

Required Reading

This week, gifted DeSantis a "fascist" snowflake, NASA's Webb telescope captures a supernova, corporatizing London's creativity, and much more. | Hrag Vartanian

IN OUR STORE

Self-Portrait Socks

Step into a work of art with these seamless combed cotton socks featuring Egon Schiele’s “Self-Portrait with Peacock Waistcoat, Standing” (1911).
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TRANSITIONS

Aindrea Emelife was appointed curator of modern and contemporary art at the Edo Museum of West African Art. Chika Okeke-Agulu was appointed senior advisor of modern and contemporary art.

Rasu Jilani was named executive director at the Brooklyn Arts Council.

Brooke A. Minto was appointed executive director at the Columbus Museum of Art.

Caitlin Murray was appointed executive director of the Chinati Foundation.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Angela Brown, Lynne Lee, Jasmine Magaña, and Emma Oslé were named recipients of the ISLAA Research Grant.

Mattie Boom and Hans Rooseboom, curators of photography at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, are the recipients of the annual Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) Award.

Right of Return USA announced its 2023 fellows: Adamu Chan, Jaiquan Fayson, Michael Fischer, Gary Harrell, Jeremy Lee MacKenzie, and Beverly Price.

Carrie Mae Weems was named the winner of the 2023 Hasselblad Award.

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