weekend links: women writers, the Whitney Biennial, Terrence Malick
Installation view of work by Henry Taylor and Deana Lawson at the Whitney Biennial. Image courtesy W Magazine.
How should you react if your doctor tells you he hasn’t read a book written by a woman? A: Go to a new doctor, B: Recommend Anne Frank, or C: [Signature]
Speaking of brilliant female writers: In an excerpt from her soon-to-be-published essay collection Tell Me How It Ends, Valeria Luiselli offers no answers to the constant questions posed to immigrants coming to the U.S., instead stitching together individual stories to highlight a broader narrative. [Lit Hub]
We never get tired of looking at statistical analyses of fiction, and this one proves that the gendered use of language is a problem that goes beyond coverage of our most recent Presidential election. [The Wall Street Journal]
This week, an Italian activist group left 88 pounds of dog poop outside of an exhibition space as a demonstration against Damien Hirst’s shitty art (convenient pun, sure, but it’s appropriate). Don’t be surprised if this almost performative protest is more interesting than the artwork itself. [Hyperallergic]
The Whitney Biennial opens to the public today, and it has garnered positive reviews for its sharp political commentary. Here’s a look at the curatorial process and why it’s been described as “the biennial on the brink.” [W Magazine]
Russia is adding another link to the biennial circuit this year with the first annual Garage Triennial of Contemporary Art in Moscow. The event timely coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the Russian Revolution, and in a massive curatorial survey of artists, the triennial will feature underexposed contemporary works from all across the country. [artnet]
Kerry James Marshall's exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago last fall won rave reviews, and now Los Angelenos will get a chance to enjoy his phenomenal paintings. Highly recommended. [The Guardian]
Afrobeat for many begins and ends with Fela Kuti, but a new collaboration between Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen and electronica pioneer Jeff Mills shows how the genre can move past its impressive origins and evolve into new sounds and styles. [FACT]
Terrence Malick’s new film Song by Song premiered last week at SXSW, where he made a rare appearance. Even without an interview, here is a surprisingly in-depth look at his life growing up in Texas and his involvement in the Austin film scene. [Texas Monthly]
We never expected Trump to be an arts patron, and based on his kitsch aristocratic aesthetic, he may have been weary to even see his hands near the arts. But with the proposed budget cuts to the already low-funded National Endowment for the Arts, his tiny hands are in there, scrapping for what’s left. Here’s a look at how these cuts will affect our communities. Call your reps. [The Atlantic]
—Katie Lauren Bruton and Sean Redmond