Kyle Chayka is a former writer for Hyperallergic. He has worked as English Editor for LEAP contemporary art magazine in Beijing, contributing columns and articles, and has also been published in The Atlantic, Globalpost, and The Beijinger.
For the past 9 months, I’ve had an amazing time with you all at Hyperallergic. As staff writer, I’ve posted day in and day out, attempting to provide a guide to what’s actually interesting in the art world. It’s been an incredible experience, to say the least. I’ll be leaving Hyperallergic today.
New England Journal of Aesthetic Research reports that Brandeis University in suburban Boston is pledging not to sell any art from its renowned Brandeis Rose Art Museum, after ex-president Jehuda Reinharz attempted to close the museum and sell its collection in 2009.
The New York Times reports that the lawyer representing Ai Weiwei’s studio is fighting the $2 million USD fines that Ai’s studio faces for charges of “tax evasion.” Liu Zhenggang and Hu Mingfen have technically been released, as has reporter Wen Tao, but none of them have yet been seen in person. Statements by Chinese authorities say that Liu suffered a heart attack while under interrogation and was transported to a hospital.
![Post image for Is Holland Going Through a Cultural Meltdown? [UPDATED]](http://hyperallergic.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dutchmeltdown_HOME.jpg)
You may have seen it in the New York Times: a half-page ad warning readers “Do not enter the Netherlands. Cultural meltdown in progress.” The ad (which apparently cost $26,000) was bought by a group called Dutch Artists 2011 to protest the catastrophic funding cuts proposed by Holland’s Geert Wilders, the far-right leader of the Party for Freedom (the third largest political party in the country). Wilders would cut arts funding from €800 million to €200 million, decimating Dutch cultural organizations. Where does the situation stand now?
Ever wondered what New York City looks like through the eyes of a great artist? In a newly opened exhibition at Asia Society, viewers get the chance to see how recently released Chinese artist Ai Weiwei saw New York City in a series of diaristic photos taken between 1983 and 1993.
Checking out the Chelsea gallery scene last week, my results were surprisingly mixed — from overly offbeat summer shows to nonsensical group exhibitions, the galleries just didn’t seem to have it together. But one thread did emerge in my wanderings. I discovered that Chelsea was having a brief love affair with big abstraction, wall-size pieces that dominated their respective art spaces. Works by Sol Lewitt, Keith Haring, Li Songsong and Garth Weiser all packed a refreshing amount of visual punch, brightening a hazy summer day.
According to Ai Weiwei’s lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan, Ai’s FAKE studio has been accused (and seemingly convicted) of evading over 5 million RMB ($770,000 USD) and is to pay 7 million RMB ($1 million USD) in fines, together totaling around $2 million USD. Ai’s mother Gao Ying speaks on her son’s arrest, release and current condition. In the meantime, the Chinese art scene continues business as usual, with the exception of some ripples — a well-known artist-run cafe has been closed by the authorities.
If you’ve walked around New York, odds are you’ve seen Joseph Waldo’s work. The artist “defaced” city advertising by adding not the traditional scribbled pen mustache … but now the comedic artist has been arrested on charges including felony criminal mischief and possession of a graffiti instrument.
The artistic avant garde is often a pretty insular group — when you’re doing something new, odds are that few people besides your immediate friends and collaborators know what’s up. A jewel box of an exhibition at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts proves just how small the art world is with Modernist Photography 1910-1950, a show that’s just as much about the aesthetic (and physical) interrelationships between artists as it is about the advent of modernist photography in the United States.
Ai Weiwei assistant Duyan Pili broke the news that Ai’s FAKE studio architect Liu Zhenggang and accountant Hu Mingfen have also been released from custody following the artist’s release two days ago. Ai’s cousin and driver Zhang Jinsong was released yesterday. Reporter Wen Tao is still detained, but hopes run high for his release.
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