Josh Kline Misses the Mark
Plus Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s first retrospective in 25 years, Larissa Pham’s debut novel about an artist and her predatory mentor, and the art collective reclaiming spirituality in art history.
Last week, Josh Kline went viral for an inflammatory essay on the impossibility of making ends meet as an artist in New York City — a truth universally acknowledged yet rarely taken seriously. But as critic Aruna D’Souza opines today, his conclusion that artists should leave the city altogether is not a long-term solution to the affordability crisis. “We’re long past knowing where the problem lies,” she writes. “What we need to do now is figure out what to do about it.”
Meanwhile, Claudia Ross probes another open secret in the art world, predatory student-teacher relationships, in critic and former painter Larissa Pham’s new novel on the subject. Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar also reports on Donald Trump's horrific, genocidal proclamation of his plan to annihilate the entire Iranian "civilization" following weeks of bombings that have already killed thousands of civilians and destroyed around 50 cultural heritage sites.
Read on for more, including Tom Burckhardt’s subversive abstractions in our latest Beer With a Painter and the feminist collective working to reclaim spirituality in art history.
Lastly, don't forget to mark your calendars for the inimitable Senior Editor Valentina Di Liscia's talk with artist Tonika Lewis Johnson, whose social practice challenges the ongoing structures of racial segregation in the United States, on April 15 at 3pm (ET). Join us as a Hyperallergic Member to tune into their conversation!
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
Unlike Josh Kline, I Choose New York
His new article taps into deep frustrations about affordability, but I throw my lot in with those making change, rather than moving out. | Aruna D'Souza
News
Trump Threatens to Wipe Out Iranian Civilization
The president’s threats to destroy the Islamic regime have escalated to include the entire population of Iran and the millennia of history and culture preceding it.
From Our Critics
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Made Human Again
Learning about Cha was like a secret revelation handed down among Asian American artists and poets. This show helped me appreciate her more clearly. | Alex Paik
In “Discipline,” Larissa Pham Explores Predatory Art-World Mentorship
The art critic and former painter reinvents the genre’s well-trod territory in her debut novel, which makes heartbreakingly acute the consequences of teacher-student relationships. | Claudia Ross
Artists Up Close
Elucidating the Esoteric with Hilma’s Ghost
Through research and collaboration, a feminist art collective reclaims the place of alternative spiritualities in art history. | Rhea Nayyar
Community
Beer With a Painter: Tom Burckhardt
“My favorite phrase lately is ‘mouthfeel,’ which is used in relation to food and drink,” said the East Village artist. “I’m thinking about that textural quality as a parallel to the paintings.” | Jennifer Samet
The Vilcek Foundation – 2026 Open Call for Grants
US-based nonprofits that celebrate immigrants in the arts, sciences, education, or through the provision of social services are invited to apply for grants of $5,000 to $20,000.
Deadline: April 30, 2026 | vilcek.org/grants
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
Member Comment
Doria Hughes on Nathan Gelgud's "Frank O’Hara’s Curatorial Eye":
From the Archive
Women and Spiritualism in Art
In her new book The Other Side, Jennifer Higgie pays tribute to celebrated and lesser-known women artists whose work intersected with the occult. | AX Mina
