Last Friday, Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha won both the popular and juried vote at ArtPrize for her installation “Intersections.” It was the first time in the history of the Grand Rapids-based competition that an artist reaped top honors in both categories.
Religion
Posted inNews
No False I-Dolls: Religious Barbie Show Ken’t Go On
Two Argentinian artists are facing vehement criticism for creating Barbie dolls inspired by religious figures, and the Buenos Aires gallery planning to exhibit them has cancelled the show ahead of its opening.
Posted inNews
Satanist Group Proposes 19th C Horned-Goat Monument for Oklahoma Capitol
The Satanic Temple of New York unveiled on Monday designs for a Satanic monument on the steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol. The edifice, featuring plenty of occult symbolism and smiling children, is proposed for the site adjacent to the capitol’s controversial Ten Commandments statue.
Posted inOpinion
Jews in a Box
As anyone who’s ever been expected to represent their entire religion/race/ethnicity/gender/world view knows, it’s a pretty difficult task. And yet this is what it seems random volunteers are being asked to do for an exhibition that opened at Berlin’s Jewish Museum a week and a half ago. The show, titled The Whole Truth … everything you always wanted to know about Jews, features a three-sided glass box with a bench inside, on which Jews will sit, one at a time, for the duration of the exhibition (through Sept. 1), answering visitors’ questions and responding to their comments.
Posted inOpinion
Satirical Magazine French Kisses Mohammad
Last week, the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published an image of Mohammad on its cover saying, “100 lashes if you don’t die of laughter!” Sadly, some right-wing muslim zealots firebombed the headquarters of the magazine, but don’t think that shut up the publication. No siree, this week the magazine has upped the ante and published a cartoon of the publisher making out with Mohammad under the banner, “Love is stronger than hate.” That’s right, baby. Fuck the fundamentalists.
Posted inNews
Smithsonian Caves to GOP Pressure, Removes Ant-Covered Jesus Video
The National Portrait Gallery has caved under Republican political pressure and removed a potentially “offensive” video work by David Wojnarowicz, a multi-media artist who was felled by AIDS in 1992, from its Hide/Seek exhibition. The exhibition, deemed brave and important by critics, uncovers previously-veiled LGBT influences in the history of art. Yet threats and demands that the exhibition be canceled from Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have caused the NPG to remove Wojnarowicz’ “A Fire In My Belly,” a video that features a brief clip of ants crawling over a crucifixion Jesus figure.