After years of planning and controversy, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is officially opening on September 20 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
human rights
Posted inIn Brief
Bahrain Tortures Award-Winning Photojournalist
Ammar Abdul-Rasool, a Bahraini photographer arrested in July, has been tortured during his continuing detention, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) reported.
Posted inNews
Pussy Riot Members Sue Russia for Violation of Human Rights
Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the two former members of punk feminist group Pussy Riot whose trial and imprisonment in Russia drew major attention from the West, are suing Russia in the international European Court of Human Rights.
Posted inNews
Gulf Labor Monitoring Report Finds Ongoing Violations at Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
A report released this morning by Gulf Labor, a coalition of international artists, confirms the ongoing violation of local and international labor laws at the site of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Zayed National Museum, among other institutions.
Posted inOpinion
Knowing Where Your Gadgets Come From
OAKLAND, Calif. — As I type out this post, I am ever more aware of those who piece together the keyboard, circuits and processors that brought this computer to life.
Posted inNews
An Ancient Symbol of Tolerance Goes on Its First American Tour
Back in the ancient world, whole clusters of ceremonial objects would be buried at a specific points in temple foundations, with a theorized reason being that these ritualistic items were believed to keep the buildings from ruin. While this didn’t quite work in the longterm, as temples are as structurally fragile as everything else over the centuries, they did turn into inadvertent time capsules. One particular foundation deposit in Babylon contained an artifact that has become as significant symbolically as it is as a relic of the ancient world. And it’s now on its first American tour.
Posted inNews
Museum at FIT Refuses to Comment on Controversial Relationship with Israeli Settlement Developer
The Museum of FIT refuses to comment on their controversial sponsorship deal with Israeli settlement-developer and (possible blood) diamond magnate Lev Leviev.
Posted inNews
Guggenheim Leaders Respond to Artist Protest of Abu Dhabi Outpost
Last week, we reported on the growing concern in the visual art and human rights communities about the treatment of workers at the Abu Dhabi Guggenheim project, and this week two Guggenheim leaders have written directly to two prominent artists who signed the petition.
Posted inOpinion
Rosa Parks as Performance Artist?
Rob Maguire, who is the founder and editor of Art Threat, a Canadian blog devoted to exploring political art and showcasing artists whose work inspires social change, hurled out this nugget during a recent online “water cooler” hosted by The National Post newspaper about art and ethics:
… artists may break the law to draw attention to such injustice and oppression. Sure, it’ll make some people uncomfortable, especially those people in power whose authority is being challenged, as well as those unfairly privileged by the current set of rules. But artists play an important role in pushing society forward, and progress can be messy. Pardon the crude analogy, but if Rosa Parks were a performance artist, would she not still be a hero?
Read the whole post here.
Posted inNews
Chalk Artist Ellis G Suing City For $1 Million
“The only way to stop the city’s blatant and illegal activity is by going for the pocketbook.” — 3x arrested Brooklyn artist Ellis Gallagher for drawing on the sidewalk with chalk [Gothamist via Brooklyn Paper]
Posted inNews
Breaking: Great News For “Watercolor Graffiti” Artist
MY BOGUS ‘GRAFFITI’ CASE, IN WHICH I WAS ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED FOR 23 HOURS FOR PAINTING ON MY OWN WATERCOLOR PAPER- WAS DISMISSED TODAY!!
julie torres
julieannetorres
You will probably remember the wrongful arrest of watercolor artist Julie Torres on a ridiculous charge of graffiti. We last reported on her court appearance last month, but now this great news. Congratulations, Julie!
Posted inNews
Ai Weiwei Attends “Little Ai” Trial, Wu Yuren’s Fate Still Uncertain
RT @markmackinnon: Dissident artist @aiww, freed from own house arrest, argues with police outside Wu Yuren trial http://twitpic.com/37i26l
Ai Weiwei Film
AWWNeverSorry
