New York
May 20, 2020
Letter from the editor:
You know those people who somehow always manage to twist the narrative? Whether it’s your manipulative sibling, your nosey neighbor, or perhaps everyone’s (least) favorite president, we all know at least one person whose penchant for warping the facts can prompt some whiplash. Enter Neal Sher, a New York attorney who has filed a complaint with the IRS in an attempt to revoke the Whitney Museum’s non-profit status. His spurious accusation alleges that the museum participated in a “concerted smear campaign” against its former vice chairman, Warren B. Kanders. Our staff writer Hakim Bishara shares the full, and frankly bizarre, story here.
On a more pleasant and delightfully strange note, this afternoon (May 20), Rhizome will present a special virtual screening and conversation with Meriem Bennani, the Brooklyn-based artist known for her humorous, immersive video installations that combine the futuristic with the mundane. (You might be familiar with her latest series, 2 Lizards, co-created with filmmaker Orian Barki. Their wise-cracking reptilian protagonists have become the quarantine heroes many of us probably didn’t realize we needed.) Our documentary editor Dan Schindel also writes of The Wolf House, a masterful, yet terrifying animated film that dredges the horrors of Chile’s Pinochet regime.
Last but not least, we’re so, so close to reaching our membership goal! If you haven’t signed up already and have the means, know that your support helps us bring you stories just like these, as well as big projects like our upcoming series focused on queer art workers, in honor of Pride Month. Click here to learn more about how you can participate in the series and many thanks in advance for becoming a member!
Art Critic John Yau Talks About Four Decades of Writing in New York
The words of John Yau continue to be read by those who want to know what is going on in contemporary art in New York and beyond.
Hrag Vartanian
Event Pick
Enter Meriem Bennani’s World, Where Sly Humor Meets Dystopia
This week, Rhizome presents an earlier, satisfyingly bizarre film from one of the artists behind the recent Two Lizards sensation.
Dessane Lopez Cassell | May 20, 3–5pm EST
News
In IRS Complaint, Attorney Accuses Whitney Museum of “Smear Campaign” Against Warren Kanders
Neal Sher accuses the Whitney’s leadership of being complicit in “unlawful conduct, harassment, threats and intimidation” against Kanders. He was disbarred by the District of Columbia in 2003 but practices in New York after a period of disciplinary suspension.
Hauser & Wirth’s New Online Exhibition Celebrates the Artists Among Its Staff
All proceeds for Homegrown will go directly to the artists; an additional 10% of gross profits will benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.
Transform the World Around You Into Famous Artworks With This App
In a new collaboration with the Getty, the Google Arts & Culture app lets you remake any photo as a work by van Gogh, Cézanne, Kahlo, Kusama, and other renowned artists.
Raging in the Pandemic’s Grip
Sanja Latinović’s “Abandoned” pierces our self-protective veil with a glimpse of COVID’s raw truth.
Thomas Micchelli
An Animated Horror Film Dredges a Disturbing Chilean History
The Wolf House is thick with layered references to Chile’s repression under Pinochet, but it’s not necessary to understand any of them to get the full brunt of its terrifying, intricately animated imagery.
Dan Schindel
What the Art World Is Cooking
This week’s recipes include artist Lisa Blas’s special Italian spaghetti, and artist Hakan Topal walks us through making pizza dough in a New York City kitchen (“absolutely no pineapple”).
Valentina Di Liscia
A View From the Easel During Times of Quarantine
This week, artists reflect on quarantining from their studios in Joshua Tree, New York City, Seattle, and Naples, Florida.
Elisa Wouk Almino
Call for Submissions! Reflections From Queer Art Workers
LGBTQ Pride Month starts next month, cancellations and postponements aside. Every day in June, we will celebrate the community by featuring one queer art worker and asking them to reflect on what this time means to them.
Dessane Lopez Cassell
Frieze Online Brings New Price Transparency and AR Tools To Take the Art “Home”
Frieze is offering free browsing for the first time and an app that allows you to imagine artworks inside your home. The director of Frieze New York, Loring Randolph, elaborates on these features and more in an interview with Hyperallergic.
Valentina Di Liscia
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