The Metaverse Is Empty, Lol

October 14, 2022 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌤️ Did you know that the US government refuses to let prisoners at Guantánamo keep the artworks they made there? Former and current detainees penned an open letter to President Biden asking for their art to be freed.

Here's an example of a cool public art project: Two Toronto-based artists installed museum labels on crumbling bridges and sidewalks to urge authorities to do something about the city's decaying infrastructure. And guess what: The much-hyped Metaverse is near-empty most of the time, according to a report (lol).

Finally, tomorrow is the last day to apply to Hyperallergic’s Journalism Fellowship for Curators, supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Five curators will receive $5,000 grants to support their research and writing and will get to publish their work on Hyperallergic. If you're a curator, I encourage you to apply.

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

Guantánamo Detainees Ask Biden to Free Their Art

Eight former and current detainees are petitioning the president to end a Trump-era restriction that bars artwork from leaving the military prison. | Jasmine Liu

SPONSORED

Teresa Margolles, On View at James Cohan’s 52 Walker Street Gallery

In her ongoing investigation of the social and aesthetic dimensions of conflict, Teresa Margolles visualizes the enduring weight of violence. By infusing artwork with material traces of loss, she shares the stories of the disenfranchised in ways that are acutely visceral, confronting viewers physically and emotionally.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING

The artists placed labels next to 14 pieces of failing infrastructure. (courtesy James McCleod/AusterityTO)

Satirical guerrilla art labels highlight the shortcomings of Toronto’s current mayor John Tory, who is seeking a third term.

Decentraland and Meta Horizons are mocked on social media for their low visitor numbers and awkward head-and-torso figures, respectively.

SPONSORED

LA ESCUELA___ Launches New Programs on Ecological Rights and Activist Participation

With geographic decentralization as a premise, the artist-run platform’s second semester will unfold online and on-site through formative projects across Latin America. Learn more.

LATEST IN ART

Processing the Trauma of Wildfires Through Art

Fire Transforms at the Palo Alto Art Center convenes artists to commemorate loss, survival, and growth in light of climate change’s exponential severity. | Rhea Nayyar

SPONSORED

Harvard Art Museums Presents Dare to Know: Prints and Drawings in the Age of Enlightenment

This exhibition in Cambridge, Massachusetts, shows how the graphic arts inspired, shaped, and gave immediacy to new ideas during the Enlightenment era. Learn more.

Art That Animates the Body in Space

Real Corporeal makes visitors aware of their own embodiment and addresses how bodies are in constant dialogue with the politics of their environments. | Anna Cahn

Making Art as a Form of Resistance

The Discomfort of Evening demonstrates that in the face of unprecedented local and global turmoil young Polish artists see hope and opportunities for art. | Viktor Witkowski

SPONSORED

Apply to SVA’s MA in Curatorial Practice

The New York-based, globally linked, and practice-focused curatorial program for professionals at the School of Visual Arts offers the opportunity to create three funded exhibitions. Learn more.

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

The Thriving Art Community of San Diego

Forget commercial galleries and multi-million dollar museum renovations; San Diego’s art scene is rooted in community. | Jordan Karney Chaim

Required Reading

This week, new Amtrak trains, the cult of wellness, a picture-hanging hack, asylum-seekers navigate NYC, and more. | Hrag Vartanian and Lakshmi Rivera Amin

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TRANSITIONS

Eric Booker was appointed associate curator at the Storm King Art Center.

Lizan Highland was named director of People and Culture at the Noguchi Museum.

Constanza Schaffner is now represented by Luhring Augustine and Central Fine galleries.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Paul Chan, Sky Hopinka, Tavares Strachan, and Amanda Williams are the four visual artists named MacArthur “Genius” Fellows this year.

Davóne Tines was named the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2023 artist-in-residence.

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