Murder, Climate Change, Tear Gas and More: A Week in the Art World

​A Variety of Interesting Happenings in the World of Art

No thanks Saudi Arabia, is what the country is being told by the art world. Ever since Saudi dissident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated, the main stakeholder of the Frieze Art Fair gave Saudi Arabia back its investment of $400 million.

​Art Bringing Climate Change to Light

An installation in Scotland by Finnish artists Timo Aho and Pekka Niityvirta highlighted climate change literally by using LED lights and sensors to show where water will rise to if the issue is not addressed. The installation is called “Lines” and was done for the Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre.

​Museums Are Under Threat

According to former Walker Art Centre Director Olga Viso, museums will have to undergo structural change if they are to survive. Old institutions are faced with the challenge of younger members demanding inclusivity as donors fight to protect the status quo.

Demonstration at Andy Warhol Show Ignored

Sage-burning protestors at the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Whitney were not featured in reviews of the show. The outrage at the event was staged in protest of Warren Kanders, who is the vice chairman of the board of the Whitney, but also the owner of Safariland, a tear-gas manufacturing company.

​Getty Images Photo Sparks Legal Threats

A man wrote to a tech publication alleging that they featured a photo of him in an article about the “hipster effect,” a phenomenon in which people who are opposed to mainstream culture end up looking alike. Despite threats of legal action, it turned out that it was a stock photo of a bearded man wearing a flannel shirt and not actually a photo of the fuming man who accused the publication of lacking “basic journalistic ethics.”