South Africa's Fiasco in Venice
South Africa withdraws from the Venice Biennale, Glenn Ligon and the color blue, and your guide to art in DC this spring.
"Read, ponder, and rise up before it’s too late!" urge artists Coco Fusco and Noah Fischer, back with the fourth edition of The Siren. Yes, we're exhausted — and so are they. But their antidote comes in the form of this razor-sharp satirical publication, a steady source of humor and strength. The latest edition pokes fun at the absurdist cruelty of MAGA and rallies artists and writers, including Pamela Sneed and Pablo Helguera, to envision what resistance can look like right now, from Orwellian comic strips to the whistle you carry in your pocket.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
The US Department of Hate
Stop the doomscrolling and get your dopamine rush of the day with satirical comics, Orwellian quotes, and political screeds in The Siren instead. As the editors reminded us in their first edition, "Nothing irks those who believe in their absolute power more than being laughed at." Isn't that the truth?
Mitchell Johnson’s Personal Color at Galerie Mercier in Paris
Intimate paintings spanning nearly four decades of the artist’s career are on view at the gallery from February 28 to March 21.
News
- Weeks after canceling a pavilion proposal over its mention of the genocide in Gaza, South Africa has withdrawn from the Venice Biennale altogether.
- We're long overdue for a global baby animal phenomenon. A baby macaque and his stuffed orangutan at a Japanese zoo, which have inspired fan art worldwide, are here to save the day.
From Our Critics
Squeak Carnwath Paints Her Own Path
This artist rejects the notion that paint as a medium inevitably becomes exhausted, incapable of making something, however broken it may be. | John Yau
A Cold Plunge Into Glenn Ligon’s Blue
New works exemplify a line of inquiry central to the artist’s practice: How might language and color merge to birth figuration? | Daria Simone Harper
America Turns 250
10 Art Shows to See in DC This Spring
Nick Cave links landscapes and race, Mary Cassatt in Paris, Joan Danzinger’s sculpted universe, America through the eyes of its artists, and more. | Emma Cieslik
Member Comment
Christopher Wangro on Maya Pontone’s “Tracing Queer History Through NYC’s Public Parks”:
Wilmers Integrity Prize
This annual award honors changemakers striving to better our world across a range of fields. The winner receives $50,000, finalists $5,000. Given to transformative individuals whose leadership and execution show promise for broader influence.
Deadline: March 31, 2026 | wilmersintegrityprize.org
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
ICYMI
The South African Pavilion Is Betraying Its Own History
The same government that has held Israel accountable for its genocide in Gaza must revoke its culture minister’s decision to axe the Venice Biennale performance. | Christina Sharpe and Rinaldo Walcott
