Elizabeth Holmes, But Make It Art
Turns out the art world is primed for “Why would I deceive you?” memes. Also: NYC museum workers authorize a strike.
Say what you want about the Gen-Z stare, but nothing tops the Silicon Valley villain stare — as evidenced by Elizabeth Holmes’s unblinking, dead-eyed interview with Nathan Fielder and the question that launched a thousand memes: “Why would I deceive you?” If you’ve spent any time in art museums and galleries, you’ve heard that one before. Our brilliant team gave the format an art-world twist below.
Also in this edition, workers at three major New York museums prepare to strike, The Met breaks ground on its forthcoming wing, and critic Aruna D’Souza considers the art of archipelagic thinking at a show in Maine.
And if you’re in New York City this month, don’t miss our evening of studio visits and conversations with artists on September 30 at the beloved International Studio & Curatorial Program. Join us as a Hyperallergic Member to reserve your spot!
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
Why Would the Art World Deceive You?
“Why would I deceive you?”
The words uttered by disgraced Theranos founder and convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes have been ringing in our heads since Nathan Fielder teased his unsettling new documentary. But why is Holmes’s dopey-eyed face of duplicity so eerily familiar? Could it be because it resembles the expressions of two-timing art dealers and suspicious museum board members who use their power and wealth to steamroll over artists and art workers?
... Hm, it must be a coincidence. Either way, we took the viral meme and gave it the ol’ Hyperallergic spin. Just for funsies. | Valentina Di Liscia
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Rhythmic Abstractions Made of Pure Pigment
Opening September 17, NORR COHAN is pleased to present Memory of the Surface, an exhibition of new paintings by Vicky Colombet (b. 1953). Working between New York, the Hudson Valley, and Paris, Colombet has spent decades making paintings that do not depict landscape so much as behave like one.
News
- Unionized workers at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Folk Art Museum vote to authorize a strike action if they don’t receive fair offers for union contracts with their respective institutions.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art officially breaks ground on its forthcoming Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art, designed by Frida Escobedo.
From Our Critics
The Many Islands of “America”
A show on art from Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and their diasporas touches on themes of colonization, enslavement, migration, and more. | Aruna D’Souza
Read MoreMildred Howard Enters History Through the Everyday
In her first museum survey, the Bay Area artist’s vibrant, musical, and poetic world is on display, reflecting her own memory with collective histories in America. | Max Blue
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This October, Experience Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience
Seattle’s glass festival returns with milestone anniversaries, fresh art, parties, demos, exhibits, and open studios with the vibrant theme Year of Celebration.
Guides
10 Art Shows to See in DC This Fall
Carlotta Corpron photographs light, Ahn Chang-Hong unmasks Korean history, Black women reimagine Shakespeare, three mid-century New York artists paint by the sea, and more. | Emma Cieslik
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Applications Open: IDSVA Low-Residency PhD Program for Artists and Creative Thinkers
Begin your PhD journey in summer 2027 with residencies in Rome, Spannocchia Castle, Arezzo, and Siena.
Member Comment
—Susan Simon on "LA’s Lucas Museum Displays “Narrative Art” for the Few, Not the People"
ICYMI
15 Fall Art -Ennials, From St. Louis to Dakar
A photography show dedicated to NYC in the nighttime, an Indigenous-led arts festival honoring the Mississippi River, the first-ever Bienal de Yucatán, and more biennials and triennials to visit across the world. | Phillip Pyle, Anna Lee, and Rhea Nayyar
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