On April 3, the West African nation of Senegal has officially unveiled one of the strangest statues in the history of Africa. Costing $28 million and built by North Korean labourers, the 160-foot “African Renaissance” statue is made of copper and has been embroiled in controversy since it was announced in 2006.
News
Droog Design Invites Designers to Re-interpret Corporate Refuse
Sure the economy is still crappy, but Netherlands-based Droog design has found another way to be creative. In the past several months they have been bidding on liquidation auction items from bankrupt companies and they have invited 14 designers to re-interpret them.
The Destroyed Bamiyan Buddha Inspires An Exhibition
While it became a worldwide symbol of the cruel Taliban regime and its intolerance towards difference, the destroyed colossal Buddha of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan valley has inspired a small exhibition which opened last Saturday at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum.
Australian Museum Rejects Bequest With Strings Attached
According to The Australian, the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia has rejected a $400,000 bequest because it came with strings attached. The Murdoch-owned newspaper also used the opportunity to point out that the donors are communists.
Police in Zimbabwe Shut Down Art Exhibit Exploring Violence
Last Friday, artist Owen Maseko was arrested by police for an exhibition at the National Gallery in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. This is the second exhibition closed by Zimbabwean authorities. Earlier that same week, a photo exhibition in Harare by Okay Machisa was shut down.
Protesters Hijack Paris Metro Billboards
The French went to the polls on Sunday, March 21, and photographer Sean Hicks captured images of posters by leftist protesters, who hijacked the illuminated billboards of the Strasbourg Saint-Denis Metro station in Paris just before election day.
Frank Gehry Designs the New Eisenhower Memorial
View of Gehry’s Eisenhower Memorial (via Culture Monster) Culture Monster has the specifics on this new landmark in central Washington, DC by starchitect Frank Gehry: The memorial to the 34th president will be built on a four-acre site along Independence Avenue, close to but not directly on the National Mall and backing up to the […]
Green Day Sued By Artist Over Copyright
Artist Dereck Seltzer alleges that an image he created and copyrighted was illegally used by the band Green Day on their website, music video and concerts in 2009.
Shepard Fairey Is Shopping For New York Wall Space
The OBEY crew is looking for wall space. So, if you want a “genuine Shepard Fairey/OBEY mural” for free join the “OBEY phenomenon” and help contribute to the “enhancement of the urban landscape.”
New Orleans Museum Gloats Over Super Bowl Bet with Indianapolis
“This painting is on loan to the New Orleans Museum of Art for three months from the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which has the largest collection of Turner’s work outside Great Britain. The loan is a result of a Super Bowl wager between the directors of the two art museums …
Oldest Graphic Design Found, Islamic in Detroit, Mexican in LA
… P.S.1’s Brooklyn is Burning event gets out of control last weekend … #class gets invited to Pulse … a HUGE statue of Amenhotep III is discovered in Luxor, Egypt … Milan Fashion Week includes protestors peeved at Anna Wintour’s quick ditch.
Oldest Temple Found, State of Arts Funding, Detroit Police Terrorize Art Patrons
… winning design of new U.S. embassy in London announced … Vienna’s famed Secession hall is turning gallery space into a sex hall as part of an art project … the 2010 Whitney Biennial has opened and the reviews have started to roll in.