(Event Ticker Requires JavaScript and Flash) Download the latest Flash player
Istanbul Curator Pulls Work From Auction, Sparking Censorship Debate
The chief curator at the Istanbul Modern banned an artwork from a charity auction last month, sparking debate about the rise of censorship in Turkey.
Turkish artist Bubi Hayon donated a wooden chair with a chamber pot on top of it to the fundraiser. Hayon was among several artists selected to submit works for the auction. Levent Calikoglu, the museum's chief curator, said in an email interview with A.i.A that he knew Hayon was planning to donate a chair or throne made out of waste materials, but was not aware of the addition of the chamber pot until four days before the event. Asked what was inappropriate about the chamber pot, Calikoglu replied that the nature of the artwork was fundamentally altered with the addition, and that this new character was not in line with the fundraising aims of the event. He said that Hayon told him, "The bourgeoisie should learn about art," when asked about the chamber pot, which he interpreted as another sign that Hayon was no longer cooperating with the museum's objectives.
Read More
Prescribed Acts: Q+A With Franziska Nori
As curator of the Center for Contemporary Culture Strozzina in Florence, Italy, Franziska Nori aims to reinvent the well-touristed city as a destination for contemporary art. At the Strozzina, Nori presents theme-based exhibitions often connected to political issues. "Declining Democracy," her current show [on view through Jan. 22], features works by 12 international artists, including Thomas Hirschhorn and Francis Alÿs.
Read More
New Roads at Maxxi
In its latest incarnation, at MAXXI in Rome through Jan. 29, the traveling exhibition "Indian Highways" shows how contemporary Indian art reflects frenetic national change, as well as the ways in which Indian artists are adopting European influences. Rome is the fifth stop in Europe for the exhibition, which first showed at Astrup Fearnley in Oslo. The show presents 60 works by 30 artists.
Read More
Or
Collage and acrylic on paper, thread, string, plastic lid
48 x 30 ¼ in.
