| It’s a big week for public art: public sculptures, public commissions, and public discourse (read: outcry) about certain mayoral candidates, waged not only online and via fundraising but via city infrastructure itself. Take, for instance, Thomas J Price’s new way-larger-than-life sculpture of a Black woman in the center of Times Square. Staff Reporter Rhea Nayyar took a rainy trip there to see how the people feel about it (spoiler: strongly). Artist Damien Davis argues that the backlash is symptomatic of a strategic campaign of Black erasure. Meanwhile, the Whitney Museum canceled a performance about Palestinian mourning, and Eric Adams is taking commissions for a new gateway to Chinatown. Activist collective Artist Rapid Response Team has some thoughts on both Adams and another mayoral hopeful, disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo. The message is simple: Do not rank either of them. The collective has launched a guerrilla ad campaign that you might’ve already seen on bus stops around Brooklyn. Our feelings, it seems, can’t be contained by the white cube and in the pages of art magazines (though I think we do a pretty good job). Everyone’s a critic, and we love it. — Lisa Yin Zhang, Associate Editor | | |
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 | | Hyperallergic set out to hear from people seeing the artwork onsite, and their thoughts were considerably different from the online discourse. | Rhea Nayyar | | Behind the declining demand for Black portraiture, and the backlash against Thomas J Price’s Times Square sculpture, lurks a strategic campaign of erasure. | Damien Davis |
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SPONSORED |  | | | | This year’s show features art by MFA, MA, and BFA students working across a variety of disciplines. On view May 17–28 in the Bronx. Learn more |
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FROM OUR CRITICS |  | | | | 15 at the Hessel Museum of Art | | “The 15 shows-within-a-show are a lot to see — and even more to process — but all I can think about is going back to see more in the hours that remain.” |
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WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? |  | -
The Whitney Museum canceled a performance on Palestinian mourning, and fellows in the museum’s Independent Study Program have withdrawn their works from its accompanying exhibition in protest. -
Poster House is shining a light on the mock newspaper The Subway Sun, produced between 1936 and 1965, in a new exhibition. -
Anti-Cuomo and -Eric Adams ads are popping up across Brooklyn. -
Speaking of which, Adams calls for artists to “beautify” Chinatown with a $2.5-million “Welcome Gateway.” Think!Chinatown will be hosting an info session this Thursday, May 22. -
Think!Chinatown’s also hosting an opening party and conversation between artist Jia Sung and writer Vivian Hu on invasive species and collaboration. (Tues May 20) [thinkchinatown.org] -
Artist and writer Tourmaline has two New York tour stops for her book on Marsha P. Johnson this week. (Thurs May 22 and Tues May 27) [instagram.com] -
Geumhyung Jeong will be performing in collaboration with her mechanical sculptures at Canal Projects. (Fri May 23–Sat May 24) [canalprojects.org] -
The Asia Society’s hosting a conversation on ethics related to the collecting of Indigenous Australian art. (Tues May 27) [asiasociety.org] -
If you missed yesterday’s screening of Out of the Picture, a new doc on art criticism featuring Hyper Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian, there’ll be another screening at Parsons. (Wed May 21) [urbandesignforum.org]
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