Starchitect Jacques Herzog Says Creating Spectacular Buildings Is ‘Boring’ and ‘Stupid’ + Other Stories
Art Industry News is a daily summary of the most momentous developments in the art world and the art market. You need to know that this Monday, November 1st.
MUST READ
Can Afghan Art Survive the Taliban? – “It is not possible for the Taliban to live with art,” said Omaid Sharifi, an Afghan artist and activist among hundreds of artists who fled the country after the Taliban came to power in August. Although the Taliban have not officially banned art, they have sought to eliminate it in order to make society more Islamic. As music schools’ shutters and public murals are being painted over, many fear the extinction of the two decades of living culture that emerged after the collapse of the last Taliban regime in 2001. (New York Times)
Meet the grassroots activists pushing for restitution – Behind the federal agencies orchestrating the return of looted items are ordinary people who have become advocates who are passionate about regaining their legacy. The Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign, a citizen-run organization founded by artists and cultural experts to seek the return of looted Nepalese artifacts, successfully helped bring home sculptures from the Dallas Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (NYT)
Herzog & de Meuron Mute the sound – In the run-up to the opening of their long-awaited Hong Kong Museum M +, the architects Herzog & de Meuron gave the Guardian an extensive interview. Jacques Herzog, the most talkative partner of the office, said that he did not feel connected to the “Starchitect” label, although his company had done a lot to shape the era of star architecture. Herzog described the creation of spectacular icons as “boring” and “stupid”: “I always ask what can you contribute to it?” He said. “It’s easy to do something iconic, but doing it in a more subtle and sustainable way is more important.” (Wächter)
Stanley Whitney’s Long Journey – The 74-year-old artist is preparing for what may be the greatest year of his career. This month he opens a solo exhibition at the Lisson Gallery in New York and presents his very first museum assignment at the new Matisse Center of the Baltimore Museum of Art. On the occasion of the 2022 Venice Biennale, the Palazzo Tiepolo Passi will host an exhibition of paintings he has created in Italy since the early 1990s, followed by his first retrospective at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in 2023, “said the artist . “You want to see if you can hang out with the big boys.” (NYT)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Inhotim appoints new artistic director – Julieta González, who previously served as senior curator at the Museo Jumex and Museo Tamayo in Mexico City, has been appointed artistic director of Inhotim in Brazil. She joins the sprawling museum and sculpture park as part of a major restructuring that also includes the appointment of Lucas Pessôa and Paula Azevedo to management positions. (ARTnews)
New art space opened in Luanda – The Nesr Art Foundation, an institution dedicated to Angolan art, opens in Luanda, the capital of Angola, with a residency program that hosts up to eight artists annually, and a presentation of the private collection of Wissam Nesr and his wife Hiba Nesr, the sponsors of the foundation . The couple belong to the family of the Webcor Group, one of the largest companies in Angola. (The art newspaper)
Gallery owner Greg Kucera leaves Seattle – Almost 38 years after the Greg Kucera Gallery opened its first exhibition, the eponymous dealer – a driving force in Seattle’s art world – decided to leave the city and move to a castle in the south of France. The 65-year-old sold the gallery to longtime associate Jim Wilcox and Wilcox’s wife, Carol Clifford. The gallery will continue to operate under Kucera’s name and he will remain on board as co-director, but his commitment is expected to wane over time. (Seattle times)
TO BECOME THE ART
KAWS: HOLIDAY Off to Singapore – The world-famous, Instagram-famous public sculpture heads to Singapore this month after stopping in Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and in space (yes, really). The presentation, which will take place in Marina Bay from November 13-21, is being jointly organized by Hong Kong-based agency AllRightsReserved and the Singapore Tourism Board. (Instagram)
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