“Ai’s politically confrontational work is something of an outlier in China, where most high-profile artists steer clear of explicitly political material. But he’s not the only one who has pushed the boundaries with his work – and paid the price.”
Tag: 05.10.11
Why Do So Many People Get Into Twitter Scandals?
“Pre-Twitter, our most extreme comments tended to stay inside a private space populated by, at most, a couple of dozen friends and colleagues. But Twitter has … [made] it easy for any jerkish utterance to spread … The thing that makes tweets most vulnerable is that the Twitter interface lends itself perfectly to expressing the anger of the busybodies who take umbrage at the simplest statement.”
Kate Swift, Who Rooted Out Sexism in Language, Dead at 87
She was “a writer and editor who in two groundbreaking books – Words and Women and The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing – brought attention to the sexual discrimination embedded in ordinary English usage.”
Sotheby’s Stock Price Takes A Fall
“More than 2.6m Sotheby’s shares were traded today, following the quarterly report to shareholders in which the company announced that, while total revenue increased by 17% in the first quarter thanks to sales of high-end works, its operating costs–which were trimmed drastically during the downturn–rose 16%. This impacted the share price, which fell 6.1% today to close at $43.71.”
How Rumors Start In The Art World
“The art world never could keep a secret. Rumors are the beating heart of the tumultuous scene here, a kind of perennial self-fulfilling prophecy: Like Dorothy clicking together her red slippers and thinking of home, when some desired outcome is thought about hard and by enough people at the same time, it is willed into existence.”
Seattle Art Museum Director Abruptly Quits
Derrick Cartwright’s resignation came as a surprise to many on the board, said SAM board President Maggie Walker. “It was not something that everybody was wildly anticipating,” she said. “He sent us a letter of resignation over the weekend and here we are.”
Why Are Bollywood’s “Oscars” Taking Place In Toronto?
“The Indian film industry sees Toronto as a gateway into the North American market, on the strength of buzz generated by local Bollywood fans.”
Is It Ethical For Websites To Copy-Edit Customers’ Reviews?
Michael Agger: “If a bunch of illiterate people like to stay at a certain hotel, well, that’s information that would be useful to have. (No one likes to walk into a Jersey Shore situation without an adequate supply of tequila.) And, if someone can’t spell the word awsum, we may be inclined to devalue their opinion of trailrunning shoes.”
Where Is Ai Weiwei?
The Chinese artist was “arrested by the Chinese police on 3 April in Beijing as he was about to board a scheduled flight for Hong Kong. He has not been seen or heard from since. There is no currently no news on Ai’s condition, only rumour, including an unconfirmed and appalling graphic report, by a disaffected Xinhua journalist writing under a pseudonym, that Ai has been tortured, and has begun to confess to his supposed crimes.”
The End Of Blockbusters? (Hooray)
“The problem lies with the whole notion of the ‘blockbuster’, which is just a desperately hoped-for money-spinner for cash-strapped galleries.”