Interview
Artists Quarantine With Their Art Collections
“Something in this painting seemed to change over the course of 2020.”
Ken Johnson
Opinion
On Ken Johnson and the Question of Sexism
Two weeks ago, when critic Ken Johnson reviewed Michelle Grabner's current solo exhibition in the New York Times, he fell into a trap. Johnson didn't like Grabner's work, which is fine, but rather than breaking it down to understand why he didn't like it, he resorted to half-baked biographical stere
Art
Are We Post–Black Art?
There are so many fault lines between art and politics, navigating them can feel dizzying and often futile. Conversations about identity politics, economics, heritage, corrective curating, and the broader issues of inclusion and exclusion are important but can be a drag on art itself, to the point w
Opinion
Critical Problems: The New York Times, Race, and Gender
Is it just me, or has art writing hit a little bit of a rough patch lately? Some verbal missteps by New York Times art critic Ken Johnson have triggered accusations of buried racism and sexism.
Art
What Is the Labor of Art Writing? (Part 2)
At one point, Arts & Labor member Blithe Riley, who was in the audience at the round table, made a comment about “freaking out a little.” This highlighted the disconnect between the political and social aspirations of Arts & Labor and the general role of art critics for me.
Art
What Is the Labor of Art Writing? (Part 1)
Last Thursday night at Housing Works Bookstore, Occupy Wall Street affinity group Arts & Labor organized a panel of New York art writers to discuss the labor of art criticism. Village Voice and New York Times critic Martha Schwendener opened the round table with the question, “What is the labor of w
Opinion
Required Reading
This week's Required Reading has Serra at the Met, pole dancing's relationship to art, tech's relationship to whiteness, mud stenciling, sound art, ruminations on the art world by a bigwig at Christie's and the art of getting high.
Art
Walking Into the Matrix on Park Avenue
Entering Japanese artist/composer Ryoji Ikeda’s new installation "the transfinite," which is currently showing at the Park Avenue Armory, feels like sitting inside of a computer.