Issues

Manifesta 10: A Biennial in Question

by Sergey Guskov | May 19, 2014

Manifesta 10: A Biennial in Question

by Sergey Guskov | May 19, 2014

Russian writer Sergey Guskov reports on the controversies surrounding Manifesta 10, scheduled to open next month.

Staff Pick

Jane Jin Kaisen’s “Reiterations of Dissent”

by Cristiana Baik | May 14, 2014

Staff Pick

Jane Jin Kaisen’s “Reiterations of Dissent”

by Cristiana Baik | May 14, 2014

Art21’s new development associate picks “a powerful reminder of the ways that the best art troubles and confronts seemingly given truths.”

Value in the Zone

by Pat Elifritz | May 12, 2014

Value in the Zone

by Pat Elifritz | May 12, 2014

Brian Holmes and Rozalinda Borcila’s “Foreign Trade Zone: A People’s Consultancy,” on view now at threewalls, Chicago.

Flashback

Ten Artists on Value

by Jonathan Munar | May 8, 2014

Flashback

Ten Artists on Value

by Jonathan Munar | May 8, 2014

A roundup of Art21 videos featuring artists describing their own perceptions of the value of their work.

Writer-in-Residence

Intangible Possessions

by Elizabeth Devlin | May 5, 2014

Writer-in-Residence

Intangible Possessions

by Elizabeth Devlin | May 5, 2014

Elizabeth Devlin on how “digital media redefines our perceptions of ownership.”

Creative Intervention and the Dhaka Art Summit

by Bansie Vasvani | May 5, 2014

Creative Intervention and the Dhaka Art Summit

by Bansie Vasvani | May 5, 2014

The second Dhaka Art Summit in Bangladesh presented art works with “a strong sense of pluralism that welcomes universal aspects.”

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Getting Beyond Good and Bad

by Jack Watson | Apr 28, 2014

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Getting Beyond Good and Bad

by Jack Watson | Apr 28, 2014

Art21 Educator Jack Watson on teaching students to delay judgement, and the “balancing act” involved in evaluating art.

Now Playing

Twenty-One Songs from Pinar Yolaçan

by Art21 | Apr 21, 2014

Now Playing

Twenty-One Songs from Pinar Yolaçan

by Art21 | Apr 21, 2014

In this eclectic playlist, artist Pinar Yolaçan mixes funk carioca, Turkish percussion, Afrobeat, early American R&B, and more.

Read Between the One-Liners

by Elizabeth Devlin | Apr 21, 2014

Read Between the One-Liners

by Elizabeth Devlin | Apr 21, 2014

Writer-in-residence Elizabeth Devlin profiles Boston-based artist Pat Falco who made his museum debut in the 2013 deCordova Biennial.

Graem Whyte’s Carnal Optimism

by John Corso | Apr 18, 2014

Graem Whyte’s Carnal Optimism

by John Corso | Apr 18, 2014

Guest contributor John Corso digs into the deeply playful works of Detroit-based artist Graem Whyte.

Copy That!

The Grift Economy

by Joy Garnett | Apr 14, 2014

Copy That!

The Grift Economy

by Joy Garnett | Apr 14, 2014

Columnist Joy Garnett offers a new spin on a common letter.

Occupation: Artist

by Jayna Swartzman-Brosky | Apr 7, 2014

Occupation: Artist

by Jayna Swartzman-Brosky | Apr 7, 2014

Guest writer Jayna Swartzman-Brosky surveys the myriad ways that contemporary artists monetize their practice and negotiate the value of their labor.

The Nature of Worth

by Elizabeth Devlin | Apr 3, 2014

The Nature of Worth

by Elizabeth Devlin | Apr 3, 2014

Writer-in-residence Elizabeth Devlin shares her plans for the “Value” issue.

Money: worth more than the paper it’s written on

by Kirby Gookin | Apr 1, 2014

Money: worth more than the paper it’s written on

by Kirby Gookin | Apr 1, 2014

“Like economic value, an artwork’s meaning (its aesthetic value) is derived through a critical judgment that employs comparisons…”

New Kids on the Block

BFAMFAPhD: An Imaginative School of Thought

by Jacquelyn Gleisner | Apr 1, 2014

New Kids on the Block

BFAMFAPhD: An Imaginative School of Thought

by Jacquelyn Gleisner | Apr 1, 2014

Caroline Woolard’s collaborative project, BFAMFAPhD.com, “endeavors to unite artists in order to address the problems of their rising population” in the U.S.

Mapping San Francisco

by Laura Mitchell | Apr 1, 2014

Mapping San Francisco

by Laura Mitchell | Apr 1, 2014

With its Google bus wars, start-up fever, and rapid gentrification, San Francisco has become a touchstone in conversations about money. Where do art and creativity fit into the shaping of the city?

Letter from the (Guest) Editor: Translating Translation

by Jonathan Munar | Mar 31, 2014

Letter from the (Guest) Editor: Translating Translation

by Jonathan Munar | Mar 31, 2014

Jonathan Munar, Art21 Director of Digital Media and Strategy and guest editor of the “Translation” issue, rounds up the current issue.

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Redefining Portraiture

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 31, 2014

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Redefining Portraiture

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 31, 2014

Art21 Senior Education Advisor Joe Fusaro visits the “Eye to I” exhibition at the Katonah Museum of Art with his high school class.

Autophagy: translating science through artistic expression

by Laurel Thomas Gnagey | Mar 31, 2014

Autophagy: translating science through artistic expression

by Laurel Thomas Gnagey | Mar 31, 2014

Guest contributor Laurel Thomas Gnagey looks at an art/science collaboration explaining a complex cellular function called autophagy.

Art21 Extended Play

Gabriel Orozco Teaches Spanish

by Ian Forster | Mar 21, 2014

Art21 Extended Play

Gabriel Orozco Teaches Spanish

by Ian Forster | Mar 21, 2014

Today’s Exclusive video—the 200th episode in this Art21 series—provides viewers with an intimate look at Spanish Lessons (2013), a project by Gabriel Orozco that took place at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York.

Art21 Extended Play

Janine Antoni and Stephen Petronio Blur Lines

by Ian Forster | Mar 7, 2014

Art21 Extended Play

Janine Antoni and Stephen Petronio Blur Lines

by Ian Forster | Mar 7, 2014

In today’s Exclusive, filmed in 2013, artist Janine Antoni and choreographer Stephen Petronio discuss their collaborative process.

Xu Zhen & Armory Focus: China

by Jonathan Munar | Mar 7, 2014

Xu Zhen & Armory Focus: China

by Jonathan Munar | Mar 7, 2014

“Armory Focus: China” curator Philip Tinari discusses his selections for this year’s edition at the The Armory Show, including the work of artist Xu Zhen.

Becoming South Sudan

by Alinka Echeverría | Mar 6, 2014

Becoming South Sudan

by Alinka Echeverría | Mar 6, 2014

In her second slideshow, Art21 writer-in-residence Alinka Echeverría shares her photographs from South Sudan.

Reflections on Chinese Contemporary Art: Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei, and Cai Guo-Qiang

by Jonathan Munar | Mar 5, 2014

Reflections on Chinese Contemporary Art: Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei, and Cai Guo-Qiang

by Jonathan Munar | Mar 5, 2014

“Armory Focus: China” curator Philip Tinari discusses artists Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei, and Cai Guo-Qiang.

Alchemy of Inspiration

Translating a City Back to Itself

by Jessica Lott | Feb 12, 2014

Alchemy of Inspiration

Translating a City Back to Itself

by Jessica Lott | Feb 12, 2014

Columnist Jessica Lott travels to Barcelona and observes “Making Neighborhoods,” a multidisciplinary project with the city’s African immigrant population.

Guillermo Gómez-Peña: Linguistic Resistance

by Bean Gilsdorf | Feb 12, 2014

Guillermo Gómez-Peña: Linguistic Resistance

by Bean Gilsdorf | Feb 12, 2014

“I think that misinterpretation and mistranslation are essential contemporary experiences…I feel that the artist doesn’t really give answers.”

The Tenth Day of Mourning

by Alinka Echeverría | Feb 4, 2014

The Tenth Day of Mourning

by Alinka Echeverría | Feb 4, 2014

Alinka Echeverría presents never-before-seen photographs from her recent visit to South Africa.
Susan Silton, "In everything there is the trace," 2013. Installation view at the USC Fisher Museum of Art. Photo: Alexandra Brown.

Word is a Virus

Manual Transmissions

by Carol Cheh | Feb 4, 2014

Word is a Virus

Manual Transmissions

by Carol Cheh | Feb 4, 2014

“Word is a Virus” columnist Carol Cheh looks at two recent performance projects that involved retyping iconic works of literature on typewriters.
Bill Murray, opening segment from "Lost In Translation" (2003). Directed by Sofia Coppola. Screenplay by Sofia Coppola. Produced by Ross Katz and Sofia Coppola. Studio: American Zoetrope; Tohokushinsha Film. Distributed by Focus Features.

Copy That!

Lost in Transmission

by Joy Garnett | Feb 4, 2014

Copy That!

Lost in Transmission

by Joy Garnett | Feb 4, 2014

“Copy That!” columnist Joy Garnett considers a recent lawsuit involving the painter Sarah Morris and a group of origami artists.

Misinterpreting Satire

by Sally Frater | Feb 3, 2014

Misinterpreting Satire

by Sally Frater | Feb 3, 2014

Sally Frater reflects on The Black Letter, a project by “The N***** Bankzy.”

Booked

An Interview with Sarah Lewis

by Art21 | Jan 27, 2014

Booked

An Interview with Sarah Lewis

by Art21 | Jan 27, 2014

New York–based curator, art historian, and Yale MFA Critic Sarah Lewis talks about her anticipated first book, The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery.
Robert Gober, Bag of Donuts, 1989; acid free hand cut paper, graphite, dough, synthetic resin; edition of 8 with 1 AP; 11 x 6 1/2 x 6 inches. Photo: Geoffrey Clements, Courtesy the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery

Eating Robert Gober’s Bag of Donuts

by Megan Fizell | Jan 21, 2014

Eating Robert Gober’s Bag of Donuts

by Megan Fizell | Jan 21, 2014

What happens when an art critic mistakes a sculpture for a free snack?

Flashback

Yinka Shonibare MBE: Welcome Guests

by Art21 | Jan 21, 2014

Flashback

Yinka Shonibare MBE: Welcome Guests

by Art21 | Jan 21, 2014

Yinka Shonibare MBE talks about his collaborative process, his vision for an artist’s residency and community, and the meaning of failure.

Dr. YouTube, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying (About Failure) and Love My Viral Video

by Shruti Belliappa | Jan 21, 2014

Dr. YouTube, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying (About Failure) and Love My Viral Video

by Shruti Belliappa | Jan 21, 2014

What might viral videos tell us about the current sense of failure in the art world?

The Feast of Detroit

by Erin Sweeny | Jan 13, 2014

The Feast of Detroit

by Erin Sweeny | Jan 13, 2014

Does Detroit represent a failed system or does the city defy traditional responses to notions of failure?

Wangechi Mutu on failure

by Nicole J. Caruth | Jan 13, 2014

Wangechi Mutu on failure

by Nicole J. Caruth | Jan 13, 2014

“In a sense, failure is a tail that’s chasing me. I’m running away from it, but it’s attached to me. It helps me project myself forward.”