Category: visual

“Hello from Banksy!” is a postcard that you need to shred to read. Created for the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, and designed by the Belarusian graphic designer Lesha Limonov, it looks like a miniature, framed piece of art. But pull at a tab on the bottom, and the precut postcard comes out in shreds.

Aside from cost-cutting, the museum has cast the decision to leave the Breuer as an opportunity to expand Modern and contemporary programming in its monumental Fifth Avenue home ahead of the David Chipperfield-designed expansion of the Modern and contemporary galleries, planned several years down the line.

“The shows allegedly began in April and have been held in the Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Shanghai … [and] were allegedly organized by a Chinese company that approached the individual venues.” Attorneys for both artists say they intend to pursue civil and possibly criminal charges as soon as they firmly identify the parties responsible. (Both artists have legitimate shows opening in Shanghai in November.)

The Statue of Unity, located in prime minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, depicts Indian independence leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; it’s twice the height of the State of Liberty and cost about $400 million. There are critics objecting to the cost, to the appropriation of farmland for the site, and to Chinese bronze and workers being used for the structure — not to mention the accusations that Modi is trying to appropriate Patel’s stature for himself and his party.

“Museums are reopening today after a dangerously high tide struck Venice’s picturesque canals on Sunday and Monday, leaving three quarters of the lagoon city underwater and water levels rising by more than five feet. Venice is built to sustain the rising waters that come in the fall and winter, a phenomena known as ‘acqua alta,’ but the recent surge was the worst in at least a decade.”

At a meeting of the FAMSF trustees Tuesday, the board is expected to appoint Thomas P. Campbell as director. In that role, Campbell will assume responsibility for leading two of the Bay Area’s most prominent visual arts institutions, the Legion of Honor and the de Young Museum.

The helpful folks at Fab Lab Irbid “have provided a list of materials, a free instruction guide, and an accompanying video of their success” in fabricating a picture frame that will destroy its contents on command.

“This month, UNESCO launched an emergency mission to help the museum assess the scale of the damage and guide efforts to revive the building and its collection. Cristina Menegazzi, the UNESCO officer in charge of the project, says the museum’s displays could be reassembled with similar items donated from other museums with comparable holdings. … The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the Royal British Columbia Museum, and the German, Italian, French, Swiss, Spanish, Argentine, Chinese, Portuguese and US embassies have pledged their support.” Indigenous communities have offered to make replacement items as well.

“Severely damaged during the Second World War and closed to the public for more than 70 years, the Romanesque Hall at the heart of Budapest’s Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) will be a highlight of its reopening tomorrow (31 October), following a three-year restoration. The total cost of the renovation was around €40m.”