weekend links: Black Lives Matter, PEN boycott, Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya, detail from Wicked Woman (1819-1823)
Manifest: Justice—an L.A.-based pop-up exhibition of social justice art—has teamed up with Black Lives Matter for I Imagine, an audio project featuring contributors’ visions of “a world where black life is valued by everyone.” The project launches online and in L.A. today. [Black Lives Matter]
Karl Ove Knausgaard, ever true to form, wrote over 2,000 words about how much he loves the 12-line story of Cain and Abel. Consider it a warmup for Tuesday’s English-language release of Book Four of My Struggle. [The Atlantic]
And, true to his form, Salman Rushdie called the six writers who chose to boycott the PEN Literary Gala “pussies.” I can’t dissect the levels of irony involved in attacking people for expressing their views on an award honoring freedom of expression. Je suis Carey, Cole, Kushner, et al. [Vulture]
In his defense of PEN’s decision, Adam Gopnik wisely elides Rushdie’s slur. But he also badly misconstrues the opposition’s point—no one’s threatening PEN’s right to award whomever they want—and concludes that the writers in question just don’t get Charlie Hebdo. Straw men for all! [New Yorker]
This week in “I can’t stop looking at horrifying art”: a selection of private drawings by Francisco Goya are on display at London’s Courtauld Gallery. The 22 images form The Witches and Old Women Album, one of eight “albums” of brush and ink drawings from late in the artist’s life. [NYR Blog]
Conflict of Interest is a new website covering Austin’s literary and visual art scenes. Check out interviews, reading lists, and more at their website, and head to the Longbranch Inn for their launch party tonight at eight. [Conflict of Interest]
Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday! [Austin Chronicle]
—Alyssa G. Ramirez