This week, Lorna Simpson’s Rihanna collages, a fascism historian gives us some perspective, unlocking Bitcoins, Lou Stovall, archived Parler videos from the DC insurrection, and more.
Poems in the Language of Death
Paul Celan’s truest homeland, paradoxically, was the German language — the language of the Nazis who imprisoned him in a forced labor camp and murdered his parents.
The Independent Spirit of Herbert Gentry
Gentry was one of a number of Black artists who had to navigate the art world’s demand to emphasize their racial identity in the “right” way.
Rudy Burckhardt’s Innocent Eye
Burckhardt was never surreptitious; he did not hide his camera, and his subjects often knew they were being photographed.
Trump’s Last Act
The most incandescent of invectives now feel like simple statements of fact.
Rachel Eulena Williams’s Threads of Abstraction
The strength of Williams’s new work lies in its transgression of aesthetic and, by extension, social and political lines, which are drawn more sharply in these fraught times.
How to Recognize Right-wing Dog Whistles and Symbols, From Viking Hats to Flags
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.
Are Trump Staffers Taking Home White House Artworks That Belong to the Public?
A stuffed bird, a framed photograph of Trump with the Chinese president, and a bust of Abraham Lincoln were some of the items that were seen carried out of the White House after the president’s second impeachment.
A Collection of Experimental Kinetic Art, Featuring Marcel Duchamp and Jenny Holzer
The Butler Institute of American Art received 98 works from the kinetic art collection of developer David Bermant, who acquired work that explored movement through the use of video, electronics, robotics, holography, magnetism, and light.
How We Can Hold Art Galleries Accountable
Let’s be real: galleries are feudal systems for hoarding wealth, property, and people that cannot be reformed with momentary or incremental adjustments.
Antibodies and Oppositions: Artwork That Addresses Our New Normal
At the Palais de Tokyo, mounting an exhibition loosely about infection, during a pandemic, presents its challenges.
Week in Review: Jewish Heritage Museum Vandalized With Confederate Flag; UK Rejects Antiquity Regulations
Also, an Ohio Arts Council leader resigned after incendiary comments on the 2020 election came to light, and more.