That Portrait of a Certain Lady: a bargain for Albertans at $12,000? Or not?
Is this what Alison Redford’s official portrait is going to look like? Below: Ms. Redford as she might have been seen by Pablo Picasso or Gustav Klimt. We can do…
Public art
Banksy in NYC: highlights from the first two weeks
New Yorkers have spent the past two weeks tripping over themselves as they attempt to locate new Banksy works as they pop up each morning. The British artist is currently…
Canadian gov’t approves filming immigration raid, deportation process for reality TV
The Canadian government has approved what appears to be the crass exploitation of human suffering for entertainment. In a new low, Safety Minister Vic Toews approved the filming of an…
Art Seen: The Sleepers
Who: Sergio Clavijo What: Les dormeurs / The Sleepers Where: Montreal, Quebec, as part of Art SouTerrain (a literally underground city festival of art) When: Friday, March 1, 2013 Why:…
The DNA of a public space: The place, history and activism of a public square – Artists invite Montreals to share 9 day cultural festival
This is an event for everyone intended to give the homeless and other Montrealers the opportunity to get involved as on-site volunteers and participants in "an incomparable atmosphere of mutual…
An art exhibition hidden in plain sight
Street artist JR’s pasted eye watches the corner of Berry St and South 5 in Williamsburg, NY. If you happen to be walking around Williamsburg this month, you’ll likely pass…
Blasphemous maggot artist erects new illegal billboards
Provocative Polish artist Peter Fuss is back with a new pair of guerrilla billboards. Each monochrome board is wallpapered with 36 depictions of an US one-dollar bill, with the text…
Blu mural tackles Italy’s Chernobyl
Italian street artist Blu has created a towering critique of the militarization of Sardinia. His latest mural depicts the devastating impact that industrialization and military bases have had on the…
Brandalism – Taking back public space for public debate
Twenty-four artists, 37 spots, 5 cities, 8 months. While millions of eyes look to London this week, these small numbers come together for a big purpose. Brandalism, a ‘crew’ and…
Banksy the Olympian
Bansky posted a couple new pieces to his site that comment on the Olympics. It also gives me a great excuse to share my favourite quote of his with you:…
Representing Eisenhower – The ongoing dialogue around the design of the Eisenhower Memorial
I caught wind of a different kind of political art and politics of art this past weekend while reading the latest issue of Vanity Fair. As anyone who’s done any…
Walking as art to avoid global catastrophe – Review: The Robinson Institute by Patrick Keiller at Tate Britain
Portrait of Patrick Keiller. (Photo: Samuel Drake) It is not always the case that definitive moments in art history can be precisely located. Certainly not the first act of artistic…
7th Berlin Binennale highlights political art – Curator Artus Zmijewski creates exhibition of activist art
When you go to the website for Berlin’s 7th Binennale, you encounter a stream of changing photographs from occupy and protest movements from around the world — Venezia, Toronto, Florence,…
Art for social justice: 12 remarkable women – Roots to Resistance project shares stories of courage
Natalia Estemirova Twelve women. Twelve stories of political courage. Twelve portraits. The Roots to Resistance project is spreading word about the groundbreaking work of twelve women who have dedicated their…
Managing Public Art – An interview with the Bryan Newson of Vancouver’s Public Art Program
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas ‘Abundance Fenced’ Bryan Newson is the Manager of the City of Vancouver’s Public Art Program. He and his staff have been responsible for bringing you everything from…
Ai Wei Wei installs live webcams in home – Artists winks at Chinese authorities with a Big Brother flourish
Artist Ai Wei Wei has installed live webcams in his home so that authorities – and worried supporters – can keep track of his day-to-day whereabouts and welfare. Feeling hemmed…
News Remix: Mar 23 – April1, 2012 – A bricolage of (some of) last weeks news stories
Nairobi graffiti by artists Uhuru B, Swift, Smokilah and Bankslave Kenyan graffiti artists are painting the walls of Nairobi with reminders of government corruption. Executions are up in the Middle…
Le 22, on ferme! – Artist-run centres across Québec support the student movement
Over the last month and a half, students across Québec have been mobilising against the dramatic tuition hikes being imposed by the Charest government and education minister Line Beauchamp. Emerging…
Big Bang Big Boom: Animated graffiti – An endlessly fascinating warning against the temptation of war
BIG BANG BIG BOOM – the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo. For those who haven’t seen it, Big Bang Big Boom (2010) is yet another fabulous…