This Week in Art: 5.2-5.8

Left: Yinka Shonibare MBE. How to Blow up Two Heads at Once (Ladies), 2006. Right: Lemonade/Digital booklet.

In addition to our art news roundup, this week we’re also bringing you a selection of recent interviews with ART21 artists about their current projects and exhibitions.

  • Yinka Shonibare MBE was credited by the Boston Globe as the inspiration for Beyoncé’s ankara cloth dress in Lemonade. Beyoncé is a known fan of Shonibare, and her new album ends with a reconciliation that applies both to her marriage, and to the cultural reconciliation artists like Shonibare create through their work.
  • Lego admitted to the Wall Street Journal last week that refusing to sell Ai Weiwei bricks in bulk was a “mistake.” Ai received millions of donated Legos from around the world after sharing Lego’s refusal letter on Instagram with a photo of a toilet clogged with the toy bricks.

Interviews

Follow your gut.
  • John Baldessari shares his advice for younger artists on Huck magazine: “Follow your gut.”
  • On the occasion of his renowned solo show, Mastery at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Kerry James Marshall was interviewed both by Interview Magazine and The Art Newspaper, saying “It’s been work for me to arrive at the moment that I have…When the work started to sell at those kinds of prices, I didn’t get scared. I got busier.”
  • In Jeff Koons’ recent talk at FLAG Art Foundation, he shared what it was like collaborating with Lady Gaga on her album cover Artpop.
  • After winning the High Museum of Art’s 2016 Driskell Prize, Mark Bradford spoke with ArtsATL about the development of his career: “That was one of the tenants of Abstract Expressionism—looking in and ‘finding God’—and I’m sure he’s white and male, you know (laughter)…I just thought, I’m not going to go down that road.”

Events & exhibitions

NYC

East Coast

I didn’t get scared. I got busier.

The South

International

  • MONTREAL — Last week an exhibition of work by Joan Jonas opened at DHC/ART. Titled From Away, it’s the first retrospective in Canada dedicated to the artist, and includes work spanning over five decades.

It’s impossible to include all the incredible exhibitions and art events happening this week in a single post. If there’s something you feel should have been included in today’s roundup, leave a comment below!