The New World Looks Like the Old One: DYOR at Kunsthalle Zürich
A few years ago, I saw the same graffiti tag in Berlin and later in Athens: “Take acid, buy crypto,” it read, as if…
Read MoreBen Davis
Reviewing the Reviews: Documenta 15
The coverage and criticism of Documenta 15 was an experience in itself, whether or not you made it to Kassel this year. This edition…
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“Proudly Broken and Refusing to ‘Fit'”: Legacy Russell on “Glitch Feminism”
Legacy Russell doesn’t do things IRL. Throughout her writing, you’ll find instead the term “AFK” (Away From Keyboard). As the mobile internet became ubiquitous in…
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With Sharper Tools: Defending the National Endowment for the Arts
The Heritage Foundation and conservative groups like it have been trying to kill the National Endowment for the Arts for decades. Last month, the Trump…
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How Protest Works Now: Understanding “The Tear Gas Biennial” and its Historic Effect
In the pantheon of texts about art, there are very, very few that have had the impact of “The Tear Gas Biennial.” Published online…
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Where Do We Go From Here? Dubious Wealth and Ethical Funding
In the popular imagination, calling someone a “modern Medici” is a synonym for “visionary patron of the arts.” That association itself shows how much…
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“Velvet Buzzsaw” Should Terrify the Artworld
Velvet Buzzsaw, launching on Netflix tomorrow, had me hooked from the first line uttered by its protagonist. In the opening scene, we see Jake Gyllenhaal’s…
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Bad Faith in MOCA Toronto’s Inaugural Show, “Believe”
I’ve spent the better part of five months trying to write a review of a show that’s now closed: MOCA Toronto’s inaugural exhibition, Believe….
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An Always Fractured Order: Hal Foster’s Unromantic Avant-Garde
There is a small historical irony in the topic of Hal Foster’s lecture for the 67th A.W. Mellon Lectures at the National Gallery of…
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From Artworld Punchline to Real-World Parable: Ruben Östlund’s “The Square”
The degree to which contemporary culture understands (or fails to understand) “The Art World” can be measured in how it gets portrayed in film…
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