- On the rewards and challenges of being the face behind (or starring in) a viral meme: [VICE]
- Rohan Silva, one of David Cameron’s former policy advisors, warns that London should see New York as “a cautionary tale.” He’s referring to both cities’ exorbitant living costs that could push out artists. According to Silva, artists are decamping en masse from New York to Los Angeles. Which is funny, because London is massively more expensive than New York and, as we mentioned last week, New York’s creative sector is thriving. This seems like Silva stirring the rivalry pot to generate publicity for his latest venture: coworking space in Los Angeles based out of the transported-and-rebuilt 2015 Serpentine Pavilion. [Dezeen]
- The Smithsonian is defending its decision to display Bill Cosby’s art collection: “it’s not about the life and career of Bill Cosby. It’s about the artists.” Uh, okay… just don’t accept any potable gifts? [ABC News]
- Post Office Arts Journal hosted a panel discussion Arts Criticism and The Arts Outpost “about the complications of criticality in non-capital arts communities” at Baltimore’s Publications and Multiples Fair. A recording of that conversation is available online. My (Michael) two cents? I can’t complain. [Post Office Arts Journal]
- Here’s one way to improve police/public relations: Kiev is hiring hot cops. So many jokes to make related to Arrested Development. Apparently the sexy new recruits have been instructed to pose for selfies with civilians. And pose they have. It’s a far more successful PR move than certain American police forces’ attempts at social media. [Hyperallergic]
- Battery Park City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage is hosting an exhibition about LGBT individuals in the Holocaust. One story in particular stands out: gay Dutch painter Willem Arondeus destroyed a Nazi records office with firebombs and disguise mastery. When executed, his last words were “Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards.” His accomplice, lesbian artist Frieda Belinfante, managed to escape to Switzerland by hiding in drag. [The Villager]
- Anyone else obsessively reading the Grexit, now dubbed the Agreekment? What a fucking disaster. The exact agreement has not been published, but the document Germany proposed over the weekend outlined CRAZY conditions; in addition to accepting a new set of demands from its creditors, Greece would need to hand over some unidentified national assets (airports? ports? the Parthenon?) to a foreign agency, which would auction them off to the highest bidder. Anyway, that’s from the New Yorker. Also read: an interview with former Finance Minister for Greece, Yanis Varoufakis at New Statesmen and the argument that the Eurozone is now demolished (which it almost certainly is) at the Financial Times. And of course, there’s Fusion’s Felix Salmon, who asks whether the trending twitter hashtag, #thisisacoup is accurate. Short answer, yes. Shiver.
- Uh… what? Indian critic/curator Alka Raghuvanshi is pretty adamant that conceptual art isn’t “high art” or “real art.” He really hates Tracey Emin’s bed. And feels vindicated that collectors are shunning contemporary artists….which is totally untrue. The contemporary art market is doing just fine, thank you. [Asian Age]
- Speaking of Tracey Emin, the artist has leant her image to a T shirt designed by Vivian Westwood as part of a celebrity-led campaign to stop Shell from drilling in the Arctic. The “Save the Arctic” shirts are made by a sweatshop-free collective in Peru and are a fundraiser for Greenpeace’s anti-Arctic drilling campaign. The coalition has also put on an Andy Gotts photography exhibition in a Tube station beneath Shell’s London offices. [The Sunday Times]
- Ben Davis’s 10 Must Read Essays from June 2015. [artnet News]
Monday Links: It’s Not Easy Being Meme
by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on July 13, 2015 Massive Links
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