Massive Links: Not So Massive Edition

by Art Fag City on March 14, 2008 · 8 comments Events

*Artworld Salon’s András Szántó runs down a number of statistics indicating that critics have no effect on the secondary market, and by extension, not much power. Of course, critics do have power, particularly in the primary market, (a case Szántó was not arguing against), it’s just that as Jerry Saltz indicated last year at the CAA conference not enough. In the case of artists like Damien Hirst or Banksy, it would seem no amount of negative press will derail the sale of a grossly overpriced product. Szántó also praises “Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to Today” at the Museé des Beaux-Arts. I haven’t seen it, but I can’t resist plugging my favorite Museum.

* More on the censorship of Wafaa Bilal: By the time I wrote my first post on the subject of Virtual Jihadi, a video game which casts its designer Wafaa Bilal, as a vengeful citizen seeking to kill President Bush for the loss of his family members in the Iraq war, it had already been forcibly removed from venues twice. We can thank the FBI and The Department of Public Works for this; The Sanctuary for Independant Media which provided the game’s last space, is now shut down for code violations, the worst of these being a narrow door needing expansion. Just earlier this month artists living at 475 Kent were forced out of their apartment for similar concerns, a suspect move by the city, since they had been living there for years and nobody seemed to care until the real estate became valuable to developers. It seems code violations are to artists what tax evasions are to gangsters…except you know, we’re not criminals.

Look to Martin Bromirski for a timeline of the events, and read the Troy City Paper for your morning outrage. The Sanctuary for Independent Media was shut down Tuesday, but four days later you’re still allowed to be mad about it. I know I am.

{ 8 comments }

Hrag March 14, 2008 at 2:54 pm

Ok, the most shocking thing about this post is: “Museé des Beaux-Arts…I can’t resist plugging my favorite Museum.”
What do you like about it? The fact that there are two virtually unconnected pavilions? A weak historical collection?
While the Moshe Safdie pavilion is nice I wish there was more gallery space for such a huge structure.

Hrag March 14, 2008 at 9:54 am

Ok, the most shocking thing about this post is: “Museé des Beaux-Arts…I can’t resist plugging my favorite Museum.”
What do you like about it? The fact that there are two virtually unconnected pavilions? A weak historical collection?
While the Moshe Safdie pavilion is nice I wish there was more gallery space for such a huge structure.

Art Fag City March 14, 2008 at 6:19 pm

oh those things do suck. It’s more a love for Montreal, and my experience there in undergrad looking at an Annette Messenger show, and a giant Jana Sterbak photograph…that comment is more a reflection of my own experience than a qualitative assessment — though I guess I might have mentioned that.

Art Fag City March 14, 2008 at 1:19 pm

oh those things do suck. It’s more a love for Montreal, and my experience there in undergrad looking at an Annette Messenger show, and a giant Jana Sterbak photograph…that comment is more a reflection of my own experience than a qualitative assessment — though I guess I might have mentioned that.

martin March 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

robert mirch, majority leader of the county legislature and public works commissioner, led the monday protest in front of the sanctuary… the next day they are shut down for code viloations.

robert mirch oversees city code enforcement.

it’s shocking.

martin March 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

robert mirch, majority leader of the county legislature and public works commissioner, led the monday protest in front of the sanctuary… the next day they are shut down for code viloations.

robert mirch oversees city code enforcement.

it’s shocking.

martin March 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

robert mirch, majority leader of the county legislature and public works commissioner, led the monday protest in front of the sanctuary… the next day they are shut down for code viloations.

robert mirch oversees city code enforcement.

it’s shocking.

martin March 14, 2008 at 3:29 pm

robert mirch, majority leader of the county legislature and public works commissioner, led the monday protest in front of the sanctuary… the next day they are shut down for code viloations.

robert mirch oversees city code enforcement.

it’s shocking.

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