Hrag Vartanian

The money quote: "…much of the film's humor is an exaggeration of the most extreme gay stereotypes; it could be seen as satirizing panicky straight guys' most ridiculous gay clichés, much as Borat exaggerated Western stereotypes of benighted foreigners. How is this any different? Well, in America at least, there's no ongoing problem of anti-Kazakh hate crimes."

Mark gives us his view of the state of art blogging & criticism:

"Art criticism is currently in a crisis of sorts. To put it bluntly, we have drifted into ennui and egalitarianism with the pluralist vision that was launched about 25 years ago in the art world. It is difficult to find many art critics (much less art bloggers) willing to state a position that surmounts those 'judgments of taste' that prevail in today’s critical views. Therefore, I challenge you to take a stand but voice your opinions within the strength of the critical hierarchy that exists. Obviously, this will require a little outside reading and education, and should you embark upon that art history trajectory you will be well-fortified with texts of criticism and theory."

I think he has some excellent points but the sheer quantity of art blogs doesn't mean there aren't some amazing art blogs out there (many of which are better than the art mags or papers).

She breaks it down for an artist audience and mentions: "While the book's intended purpose is to help a potential dealer understand how to start and run a commercial gallery, it also provides artists with a clear look at what goes on behind the scenes…For one thing, understanding the dealer's concerns and activities will help you present yourself in a way that complements the gallery's program. For another, it underscores the idea that artists and dealers are not so different."

Backers of the Dutch starchitect are, "in arrears on over $80k in rent and fees, going back three months. That's not big money in the world of starchitecture, but this might be further proof that this one has been cantilevered into the can."

If there is any argument to be made for artists & artisans to know how to use archival materials properly than this is it. Maybe it's time to sell those pieces by Hirst, Barney & Koons before they disintegrate:

"One company, AXA Art Insurance, publishes a book with the dour title 'Plastic Art: A Precarious Success Story,' and has held numerous training sessions to teach curators the best-known methods of staving off decay (and, it hopes, to generate new ideas on how to reverse it). In a warning to museums snapping up the work of some of today's hottest artists, the AXA book states that plastic-heavy pieces by Damien Hirst, Matthew Barney, and Jeff Koons will be 'difficult, costly, and nerve-racking to preserve.'"