- Looks like the New York is poised to ram through the streetcar line that nobody needs but the development company Two Trees. The line serves all of their major development projects, and was a conceived of by a non-profit they founded to conduct studies the city could use to bolster their case for it. It’s supposed to be appealing because it will cost a fraction of the amount it would cost to build a subway—they estimate 2.5 billion—but the city plans to pay for it by increasing property tax. So gentrification is baked into this shitty, shitty project. [The New York Times]
- A six million dollar lawsuit against David Zwirner and his gallery will go forward. Italian art dealer Fabrizio Moretti claims that Zwirner violated New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, when they allegedly changed the dimensions of a $2m Jeff Koons Gazing Ball sculpture after the dealer purchased a version in 2013. They also changed the way it editioned the works. The judges ruling does not look good for Zwirner. [The Art Newspaper]
- Martha Rosler discusses the social pressures of being nice in the art world’s workplace. The new 24 hour a day work week demands it. All her points are valid, but there’s no mention of the flip side—the Facebook threads of artists on politics where your friends stop talking to you like they even like you, the endless trolling, and general combativeness that seems to be given for anyone who choses to use social media. [e-flux]
- Who wants a portrait of Angelina Jolie, bleeding. It’ll be available at Art Miami this December. [artnet News]
- Subway delays were up 21 percent in August as compared to last year. No shit. Apparently the number one reason for this is overcrowding and the only fix—a modernized signal system—is super costly and an incredibly long range project. Great. [Curbed]
- A fascinating read. Here’s Marnie Weber on monsters. [Culture: High & Low]
