weekend links: Confederate statues, Austin electronica, Expedition Batikback
Viron Erol Vert, Long Live Your Balls (2017). Image courtesy Lucia Hinojosa/Hyperallergic.
Yesterday, 16 of the 17 members of the White House Committee of the Arts, including Chuck Close, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kal Penn, and Ken Solomon, resigned from their positions. In their resignation letter, they listed a slew of offenses the President has perpetrated toward people of color, the humanities, and the press. They stated that their silence would be a sign of their complicity in his actions, and that “art is about inclusion.” The first letter of each paragraph spelled out one word: RESIST. [Art News]
We’re happy to see a trend in the removal of Confederate statues from commemorative public spaces over the past two years. Many have been put into storage to await their destiny, while others have been donated to museums for educational purposes. With so many more to be torn down, the question remains: what will happen to these pieces of art that embody the ugly and hateful ideals of our nation's past? [Artsy]
James Draney explores the centuries-long debate of what medium is best for communication, expression, and narration: The throat? The pen? The screen? Draney moves from Plato's fear that replacing oration with writing would kill the inner spirit of man to Heidegger's hatred for the clerical and diddling typewriter. Have the media in which we have used to translate our thoughts transformed us at the same time? What are our spell checkers and language predictors doing to the way we think? [Lit Hub]
Catch up on Turkish political history through this gorgeous walk-through of Viron Erol Vert's Born in the Purple, an exhibit currently on display in Berlin. Turkey's political crises bear disturbing parallels to our own, and Vert's exploration of power structures and how they manifest through cultural paradigms is worth exploring. Also, it's gorgeous. [Hyperallergic]
Surrealist and mystical filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky's latest film, Endless Poetry, has been showing at the Gene Siskel Film Center this past week. Based on the auteur's childhood in the poetically revolutionized Chilé of Pablo Neruda, I'm sure we can expect the essence of meter and rhythm found in every shot and edit. Christopher Doyle directs the cinematography of the film in a style that emphasizes Jodorowsky's genius. [Chicago Reader]
The Picasso, as it is known ubiquitously throughout Chicago—the 162-ton untitled, monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso located in Daley Plaza—turned 50 on August 18th. Last week, the sculpture was restaged by the city to commemorate not only the anniversary but to also promote the “Year of Public Art” that is taking place through Chicago in 2017. Here's to 50 more years to the city's most famous skate spot and jungle gym. [Chicago Gallery News]
Austin’s electronic scene is having a renaissance, and thanks to the growing stature of artists such as S U R V I V E, who penned the Stranger Things soundtrack, people are starting to take note. If you’ve been wondering what the fuss is about, here’s a primer from Austin’s hottest artists and DJs discussing their favorite fellow performers and venues. [Noisey]
If you haven’t seen Expedition Batikback at Co-Lab Projects’ Demo Gallery, you should get down there. Featuring work from fields favorites Manik Raj Nakra (who designed our awesome new T-shirts and tote bags), Ryan Davis, and upcoming interviewee Drew Liverman alongside a mix of great artists from Austin and The Netherlands, the show is a playful exploration of batik, an Indonesian method of dyeing. The large cloth paintings are sure to add some much-needed joy to your day. [Glasstire]
And here’s a fun 62-minute documentary celebrating touring life with Xetas, produced by the band’s Kana Harris. We’ve been fans since at least our third issue, and we’re stoked to see them continue to grow and gain recognition for their melodic brand of punk. Cheers! [Austin 360]
—I. Feigle and Sean Redmond