The President-Elect
Dear Ivanka, the protest group run by Alissa Bennett, Alison Gingeras, and Jamieson Webster, has published a new letter dedicated to Ivanka Trump. [Artforum]
Venice Biennale Watch
As part of the Iraqi pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale, Francis Alÿs will create a new work about the political situation in Mosul. The work is commissioned by the Baghdad-based Ruya Foundation. [The Art Newspaper]
James Wong will represent Macau at the Venice Biennale. [Macau Daily News]
The Latest Celebrity to Try Making Art
Now that season one of Westworld is over, Sir Anthony Hopkins has decided to begin a stint as a painter. He has a show of new works at Jeff Mitchum Galleries in Las Vegas. [Fox News]
Emerging Artists
Adrian Searle pens a love letter to Turner Prize winner Helen Marten, writing that “In her art, thinking is made concrete.” [The Guardian]
Pictures of Sara Cwynar’s latest show, at Cooper Cole gallery in Toronto. [Contemporary Art Daily]
Freedom of Expression
Shortly after Itay Zalait placed a golden statue of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside Tel Aviv’s city hall, it was knocked over by an onlooker. Zalait said the work was meant to test the boundaries of freedom of expression in Israel. [Reuters]
SculptureCenter curator Ruba Katrib writes about “Future Memory,” a show at a small Georgian venue that mines the social and political histories of post-Soviet peasant towns. [Affidavit]
Post-Basel Fatigue
Collector Mera Rubell, artist Hank Willis Thomas, journalist Janelle Zara, and several others discuss their experiences at this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach fair. [PBS]