As a rational human being, a humanist and an artist, I offer my heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones effected by the terror bombings in Amman, Jordan. It should go without saying that all forms of terrorism are heinous, and that the murder of innocent civilians for political reasons is still simply an act of homicide committed by…
In London a coalition of over 100 artists, writers, musicians, academics, and members of parliament signed a letter expressing their opposition to the war in Iraq. On September 15th, musician Brian Eno and film star Julie Christie hand delivered to the official residence of Tony Blair, the letter calling for the withdrawal of British troops. At a press conference held…
Two years after the US “liberated” Iraq, artists in that beleaguered nation are barely hanging on. Having survived the long night of Saddam and the “shock and awe” blitzkrieg of the Americans, Iraqi artists today are fighting a losing battle against occupation, terrorism, and the rising threat of Islamic fundamentalism. Back in July of 2004, the artists of Iraq were…
An anti-Bush painting in a California group show is causing a firestorm of protest, but for all the wrong reasons. The California Arts Council along with California Lawyers for the Arts and State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, have sparked controversy with a show they’ve sponsored at California’s Department of Justice in the state capital of Sacramento. The exhibit, A Creative…
In 1970 artist Sam Wiener created an artwork that addressed the slaughter then occurring in Vietnam, but his work unfortunately still has resonance in our world today. Those Who Fail to Remember the Past Are Condemned to Repeat It was originally titled 45,391… and counting, with the title changing as the numbers of U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam kept climbing….
The US State Department has crowned Pop art legend, Ed Ruscha, as America’s representative at the 2005 Venice Biennale, allowing me the perfect opportunity to bring attention to the reader the ways in which art and politics are bound together. My contention has long been that all art is political, since it is the result not just of imagination but…
Many people are familiar with the artworks of famed Colombian artist, Fernando Botero. Even those who have never paid a visit to a gallery or museum have most likely seen Botero’s paintings reproduced as poster prints and postcards. His characteristically joyful landscapes and scenes peopled with contented individuals have won the hearts of millions around the world. The 73-year-old artist…
As a working artist I read a lot of art-related news, and I recently came across some reports concerning two controversial exhibits of national treasures, one exhibit from Tibet and the other from Iraq. Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World is a traveling exhibition now showing at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. The Gold of…
