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The Artist Behind Those Airplane Bathroom Flemish Style Selfies

Nina Katchadourian and her husband fly a lot, hence the airplane bathroom selfies – but the Flemish recreations are a small part of her work. She says her work is funny partly because “it’s seriously difficult for people to reconcile humor and art co-existing, which points to an old-fashioned or romantic expectation about art that is selling humor short. Humor is sometimes the only way to speak intensely serious things.” – The Cut

Things Can Go Badly Awry When A President Inspires Satirical Art

That is to say, when the current U.S. president, and his family, are satirized or otherwise memorialized in art, it’s often not very good art. “A lot has appeared over the past few years — Mr. Trump as an animatronic fortuneteller, a portrait of Mr. Trump made from pornographic images, a presidential double locked in a jail cell (in a Trump hotel) — but little of it has been memorable. I’m grateful that artists are responding creatively to the current moment, but why do so many of their efforts miss the mark?” – The New York Times

Whither The Academy, Watchers May Wonder

Perhaps there’s a crisis in leadership, or perhaps there’s a crisis in the gap between leadership and members, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sure is providing some head-shaking moments for those who follow the business. “As the academy looks ahead to further challenges, including the opening of a long-delayed, highly anticipated $388-million museum scheduled for late this year, the group’s leadership — which will undergo a transition later this year with elections to replace [John] Bailey as well as some board members — is likely to continue to draw scrutiny.” – Los Angeles Times

How Did Las Vegas Become Such A Hot Music Town?

The town used to be known for casinos, and then for being “a musical retirement village,” but now it’s getting “residencies” from stars like Britney Spears and, suddenly, both Drake and Cardi B. That says something about Las Vegas, but “it also says they are at the forefront of the next stage of hip-hop’s total cultural dominance, with a Vegas residency the ultimate in infiltrating middle America.” – The Guardian (UK)

The Best Oscars Speeches The Public Never Got To See

That is, all of the speeches by women from parties and associated gatherings, which are often far more relaxed, and certainly longer, than the speeches at the ceremony. For instance, Regina Hall: “She paid tribute to her agents and lawyers — ‘They fight for me like I’m a 30-year-old white man,’ Hall said — and recalled years of auditioning and struggling to book roles.” – The New York Times

A Paris Art Gallery Cancels The Show Of An Artist Accused Of Plagiarizing Basquiat

Guillaume Verda, a French artist, has scrubbed his website, set his Instagram to private … and lost a prestigious gallery solo show after being accused of plagiarizing Jean-Michel Basquiat. “One thing is certain: the artist’s style bears a striking resemblance to Basquiat’s. But does that make it a tribute or a cheap knock-off?” – France24