weekend links: Frida Kahlo, Airan Kang, West Austin Studio Tour
Frida by Ishiuchi, #34, Ishiuchi Miyako. Image appears courtesy of AnOther Magazine/Michael Hoppen Gallery.
In 2004, a collection of Frida Kahlo’s clothing was discovered in a small bathroom. Photographer Ishiuchi Miyako has documented more than 300 of these personal pieces, presenting a breathtakingly intimate and beautiful portrait of the iconic artist. [AnOther Magazine]
A mere 15.8 percent of the Seattle Art Museum’s acquisitions since 2013 have been works by female artists. Do you find that appalling? Artists Matthew Offenbacher and Jennifer Nemhauser did, too, and so, after winning a $25,000 prize, they began buying and donating works by female and queer artists. They’ve deemed it a conceptual project called Deed of Gift. We call it badass. [The Stranger]
In his new book, Culture Crash, former Los Angeles Times writer Scott Timberg claims that art and culture are the domain of the middle class. Rap music is bad, he argues, whereas indie rock is to be admired “for its middle-class ambitions.” Hot takes! Grab some popcorn and enjoy the takedown of this absurd paean to middlebrow culture. [The Nation]
South Korean artist Airan Kang’s latest exhibition, The Luminous Poem, is all the rage among readers who also happen to be ravers. Bonus points for whoever can identify the most artists and authors on these illuminated shelves. [The Paris Review]
In case you missed it: local lit mag American Short Fiction compiled a collection of Baltimore writers’ responses to the recent riots. Highly recommended. [American Short Fiction]
And Big Medium’s West Austin Studio Tour kicks off this weekend, featuring exhibitions more than 200 individual artists. Need to narrow your must-see list? Check out this series of critic’s picks. [Austin 360]
—Alyssa G. Ramirez and Sean Redmond