The public is finally realizing what antifascists have warned for years: these symbols are rooted in American culture. Amid increased threats of violence, we need to get better at detecting them.
Author Archives: Billy Anania
Billy Anania is an art critic, editor, and journalist in Brooklyn whose work has appeared in Gothamist, The Art Newspaper, Observer, Pinko Magazine, and elsewhere.
The Swirling, Sensual Dystopias of TARWUK
At Martos Gallery, the collaborative duo imparts the solace of companionship among the cracks and crags of their mythical wasteland.
In Large-Scale Quilts, Jesse Krimes Memorializes Those Subsumed by Incarceration
American Rendition interweaves materials cherished by current and formerly incarcerated people into contemplative scenes.
Clyfford Still’s Questionable Attempts at “Preserving” Indigenous Culture
In the 1930s, Still co-founded the Nespelem Art Colony, through which he and other faculty and students observed a precarious Indigenous community in Washington.
Etel Adnan Reflects on Aging With Gentle Hues
A sense of longing pervades Seasons, which opened at Galerie Lelong just as New York City reached peak autumn foliage.
Where Does Protest Art Fit in the “Canon” of Contemporary Art?
We Fight to Build a Free World prompts the question of whether political artworks can truly convey their own radicalism within the halls of an Upper East Side museum.
Frank Gehry’s Grand Monolith for a Bleak Future
The Grand — a complex including a luxury residential tower, movie theater, and upscale retailers — is a billion-dollar gamble at a time when in-person business is in steep decline.
The Story Behind a Misunderstood Satanic Monument
When Confederate memorials began to be toppled in June, far-right organizations called for the destruction of the Satanic Temple’s bronze statue of Baphomet. Here’s why that doesn’t make sense.
What Would It Look Like to Decolonize Cartography? A Volunteer Group Has Ideas
Founded by Jordan Engel in 2014, Decolonial Atlas is working to undo settler colonialism, one map at a time.
One Million-Square-Foot AIDS Memorial Quilt Is Now Entirely Online
The 48,000 panels share stories of care and craftsmanship, memorializing 125,000-plus victims of HIV and AIDS since 1980.
How Black Cats Went From Bad Luck to Symbols of Defiance
Icons like the Black Panther Party logo, the “Sabo-Tabby,” and innumerable pieces of protest art go against the traditional Western taboo around the felines.
The Los Angeles Paper That Documented Police Brutality in the 1960s and ’70s
For years, only the Los Angeles Free Press chronicled the many incidents of police violence in Los Angeles, making crucial connections between racial disenfranchisement and mass unrest.