Emma Thompson in Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America”
- Last night, the New Yorker hosted a panel discussion moderated by editor-in-chief David Remnick and panelists playwright Tony Kushner, poet, essayist, and playwright Claudia Rankine and author Salman Rushdie. The subject was today’s American politics and how artists respond. What a letdown. Salman Rushdie is still a misogynist (he blames Susan Sarandon for Bernie bros not giving his loss a rest). Tony Kushner oddly avoided the subject of race when Claudia Rankine brought it up, and Rankine was the only one willing to take potentially contentious positions. Even she didn’t have much to say, though, perhaps because the entire panel was ill-conceived. Nobody thought their art would be influenced by politics—which was its subject. Rushdie pushed the cliched theory that art only gets good when times are tough. All in all a stinker, (but you can watch the video and decide for yourself). [Public Theatre]
- Speaking of how the arts are influenced by politics, Matthew Rose discusses this very subject in his piece “Trump World—Signs of Protest”. I’m quoted in Rose’s piece more than once, but this sentiment closes out the piece. “Functioning democracies require the engagement and work of citizens,” says Paddy Johnson of Art F City. “It doesn’t require an excess of formalist abstract painting. I’m not interested in the work of right-leaning artists. We have Neo-Nazis shutting down anti-Trump statements at museums. This is not a curiosity. It is a battle and we need to be prepared for it because it’s not going to be pretty.” [Art Blog]
- Need to escape Trump’s world? Mark Farid is going to spend a month alone in a room wearing virtual reality headgear. The piece is basically a bunch of sane professionals expressing concern over the idea. Add me to this list. I’ve never been able to go more than 15 minutes wearing the goggles without getting nauseous and I’m told that’s better than average. He’s Farid going to do days of this? [VICE]
- A Google doc listing all the galleries that show only white artists, those with no black artists, and those with only one non-white artist. [google docs]
- A Golden Girls inspired cafe has opened up at 4394 Broadway in New York. Michael Anthony Farley says this is the only news that has made him excited to return to the United States—and since it’s an all white show, I can’t imagine it’s going to land on President Donald Trump’s hit list for any reason. [WQAD]
