Category: visual

More than 20 galleries “have set up in a cluster of buildings around Al Serkal Avenue in Al Quoz in the past couple of years, attracted by the large spaces available and the neighborhood’s gritty, urban feel. … [Artists] have been drawn to Dubai to escape political turbulence in countries like Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia.”

“The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has cancelled a Napalm Death concert over fears the high decibel levels could damage the ‘fabric of the building’. The grindcore band’s gig was to feature three ceramic sound systems which could disintegrate due to the sound levels.”

“Local officials aiming to transform Rio de Janeiro from a cultural backwater into an art hotspot are bolstering their campaign with this week’s opening of a museum” – Casa Daros – “built around one of the world’s premier collections of contemporary Latin American art.”

“An ancient Chinese bowl that dates from the Northern Song dynasty sold for $2.2 million on Tuesday at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. What makes the sale particularly noteworthy is that the sellers had reportedly purchased the bowl for just $3.”

Marie Rim “sets up on street corners, in parks, outside stores and offers passersby, both male and female, the chance to experience not just what they look like, but what it feels like, physically and emotionally … to put on the traditional all-black, full-body cloak and veil worn by some Muslim women.” (The kicker comes when subjects look in the mirror.)

“The board is in agreement that the best future for MOCA would be as an independent institution. The board understands that this will require a significant increase in MOCA’s endowment to ensure its strong financial standing. We are working quickly toward that goal.”

“When Mr. Gehry’s design was selected in 2010, groundbreaking was planned for August 2012. But the schedule has been repeatedly delayed while the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, which is overseeing the project, has confronted the design’s detractors.”

The term “S.O.L.” is applicable in more than one sense.

“Photographs obtained by The Independent reveal how workers with drills and mechanical diggers have started demolishing some Ottoman and Abbasid sections on the eastern side of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. … One column which is believed to have been ripped down is supposed to mark the spot where Muslims believe Muhammad began his heavenly journey on a winged horse.”

In fact, they’re not just allowing it; they’re encouraging it. And it’s basically for the same reason that extremists destroyed historic shrines in Timbuktu.