Join us every Sunday for our Sunday Art Brunch series, where we share the latest news and developments of the art world. From upcoming exhibitions to market trends and industry insights, we have everything you need to stay informed. So come and enjoy a curated selection of art news to kick off your Sunday in style.
A highly clever and unique display of artificial intelligence art by Refik Anadol at MoMA, enjoyable but best not analyzed deeply
Refik Anadol's "Unsupervised" installation is a representation of Artificial Intelligence's role in the art world, currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art. The installation features a high-resolution screen displaying constantly changing abstract images that simulate a fluid-like movement using colors from the MoMA's collection. The artist, based in Los Angeles, has a team of over a dozen people and has collaborations and support from companies such as Microsoft, NVIDIA and Google. His work combines elements of immersive installation, NFTs, and generative AI, reflecting current trends in the art conversation.
Refik Anadol uses machine learning to interpret publicly available data of MoMA's collection. The installation features different types of animations, one of which is visually memorable but has the least clear connection to the main idea of the show.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has been trying to move away from the traditional ideas of art that it inherited from its founder, Alfred H. Barr Jr. and his concept of Modernism as a series of styles that developed from one another. Contemporary art historians typically focus on understanding art in the context of culture and history. Abstraction, for example, has different meanings in different contexts, such as Gee's Bend Quilts, Abstract Expressionism, Tibetan sand painting, and AI-generated art. It is notable that MoMA is now embracing a new, high-tech form of formalism that is less rooted in history than Barr's concept, as if the curators were so excited by the possibilities of AI that they didn't consider the implications. This exhibition, "Unsupervised," implies that art history is just a collection of random visual elements to be manipulated, rather than a collection of symbol-making practices with social meanings.
Other curiosity on artnet.
Schiaparelli's Spring 2023 collection revisits Surrealism, sparking controversy
The French fashion house Schiaparelli recently showcased its Spring 2023 collection in Paris, taking inspiration from Dante's Inferno. The collection's creative director, Daniel Roseberry, drew specifically from the 14th-century Italian author's depictions of Hell, featuring designs of the lion, leopard, and she-wolf from the epic poem. The show featured models such as Kylie Jenner and Naomi Campbell wearing outfits with realistic animal heads attached, as well as gold-painted torsos and metallic sculptural heads paying tribute to the fashion house's Surrealist roots and its founder, Elsa Schiaparelli. As Artnews telling, the use of faux animal heads caused controversy among some onlookers who criticized the show for glorifying hunting. However, it was not the intended message and the use of such imagery is in keeping with the brand's tradition of shocking audiences with strange garments.
Academy Award Nomination for documentary highlighting Nan Goldin's fight against the Sackler Family
Artlyst writes about All the Beauty and the Bloodshed has been nominated for the best documentary category at the Academy Awards. The film, directed by Laura Poitras, examines the life and work of photographer Nan Goldin, including their personal struggle with OxyContin and her activism against the Sackler family and their role in the opioid crisis. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion award, and was also featured at the New York Film Festival.
Online exhibition showcasing anonymous submissions by Iranian artists in response to death of Mahsa Amini goes live
An online 3D exhibition called "Woman, Life, Freedom" has been launched to support protestors in Iran, featuring works by over 50 artists, with more than half of them based in Iran. The virtual project is organized by Mozaik Philanthropy, a Los Angeles-based foundation, as part of its Future Arts Awards program. The images reflect and draw on the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September. The Art Newspaper telling that all the artworks is anonymous out of sensitivity for the severe security concerns for the artists inside Iran and in solidarity with all those who have and continue to risk their lives for freedom. The exhibition was curated by a jury of artists and arts professionals and 50 artists were selected to receive Future Art Awards, each receiving $1,000 honorariums. Over 80% of the winning artists are women.
2023 Calendar Art Fairs
The art fair calendar was disrupted by the pandemic last year, but events gradually resumed and some even changed their dates. Two new fairs were also introduced. Artnews telling us that, this year, two significant fairs in Asia are debuting: ART SG started last week in Singapore, and Tokyo Gendai is launching in Yokohama in July.
