Here we are with our Sunday Art Brunch appointment, featuring the most recent and noteworthy happenings in the art world. Each week, we'll cover everything from fresh exhibits and artist discussions to market trends and industry perspectives. Get ready to enjoy a carefully selected assortment of art news to kick off your Sunday with style.
Transforming NFT trading into a fun game of art heist: how a web3 platform is harnessing gamification
Stealcam is a small online NFT trading game where users upload images or videos that instantly become NFTs. Users are encouraged to steal NFTs from one another, and the price increases 10% at each forced handover. As artnet reports the victim of NFT theft is repaid the price they paid and the surplus amount is divided between the image creator and the previous owner. Stealcam plans to expand further by offering workarounds to crypto wallets so any artist can join. They also plan to launch adjacent projects that tie in text, audio, or social media profiles with similar dynamics.
Dastan Gallery showcases at Frieze, a different exhibition of Iranian female artists across multiple generations, spanning a century
An intergenerational group of five Iranian female artists showcased their work at Frieze New York to highlight the social contribution of feminism and women's rights. Tehran-based Dastan Gallery brought paintings by Behjat Sadr, Farideh Lashai, and Farah Ossouli. ARTnews reports that the booth was inspired by Germano Celant, who curated Lashai's exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in 2015. Ossouli brought a painting titled David and I (2), which focuses on the bravery and courage of women who are suppressed in society and is particularly relevant during the recent protests in Iran. The installation aimed to move the focus back to the contribution of generations of artists.
Pompeii's ancient ruins transformed into Italy's latest venue for contemporary art, bypassing high-end museum architecture
The historic site of Pompeii near Naples, Italy has become the latest venue for contemporary art. Launching in late 2020, cultural heritage institution Pompeii Commitment is funding and exhibiting new work that contextualises the ruins of Pompeii. The programme is meant to centre Pompeii as a rich source of inspiration for contemporary art. Anthology director Andrea Viliani is one of the co-curators of the project. Acclaimed Egyptian artist Wael Shawky's film, I Am Hymns of the New Temples, premiered on 12 May at the park's small amphitheater. The approximately one-hour-long film features theatrics, mythological creatures and real-life actors wearing ceramic masks designed by Shawky. Enjoy more on art net.
The appeal of Andy Warhol's trial proofs for the collectors
The trial proofs of Andy Warhol's "Endangered Species" portfolio have been attracting strong prices at auction. The portfolio of 10 vibrantly colored screen prints was commissioned by Ronald Feldman in 1983, after conversations with Warhol about ecological and environmental issues. Artsy reports that the trial proofs, unique prints that were used as experiments in the process of developing final prints, showcase Warhol's ideas that would eventually become his final prints and works on canvas. Recent auction results for trial proofs from the "Endangered Species" series have fetched strong, estimate-beating prices, with an example of Siberian Tiger (1983) selling for $403,200 at Phillips New York in April 2022 and a Black Rhinoceros (1982 trial proof) selling for $252,000 at Christie's in April 2023.
Retro is the New Black: 1970s Revival
An exhibition titled That '70s Show, is celebrating art from the decade in an expansive exhibition in Lower Manhattan. Featuring work from 21 galleries, including Michael Rosenfeld Gallery and Ryan Lee Gallery, pre-1970s consumer culture, patterns and processed food are among the present-day echoes found in the show, according to Hyperallergic. The exhibition also includes "Plants and Fish" by Jane Freilicher and a commanding abstract expressionist painting, "M Street – Rosetta Williams" by Sylvia Snowden. Enjoy more on Hyperallergic.
