new zealand 51

Janine Antoni’s hands descend over the eyes of a creamy-colored bust to the sound of water pouring from a faucet. Bubbles froth at the sculpture’s chin and twinkle from grooves between sculpted strands of hair. She caresses the immobile features, then turns the statue to face her. In this 2003 video, little of the artist herself can be seen: A sliver of bare leg presses against the white enamel of a bathtub; her quick hands studiously encircle the simulated cartilage of the bust’s outer ear as she uses the tips of her thumbs to excavate soap from the concha. Then, it cuts to Antoni seated in her studio, her features the same as those of the bust.  “For me, [this work is] about that conflict, that kind of love/hate relationship we have with our physical appearance,” she says. “And, really, the problem I have of looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘Is that who I am?’” Another cut reveals a chocolate version of the same statue.  The footage, which ...

Marama T-Pole | Presenter With Aotearoa heading to the polls in November, the economy and whether it’s delivering for our communities will be one of the big issues. Nearly 3,000 businesses went into liquidation last year, the highest number in 50 years, while many Pasifika businesses are also doing it tough. So what’s really happening on the ground, and what does the current economic climate mean for Pasifika businesses? Laura Keil-Hall from the Pacific Business Hub joins us for our talanoa.

Yayoi Kusama, who died last month , was among the world’s most famous artists, her reach extending far beyond the realm of museums and galleries, both because of the work she made and the way she saw the universe all around her. She was most beloved for her “Infinity Mirror Rooms,” jewel-box installations that dazzle the eye, extending one’s perception and immersing the viewer in an unending abyss of pure beauty and total wonderment. She made the first one, Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field , in 1965, but these installations didn’t bring her global renown until decades later, during the 2010s. Her 2012 Tate Modern retrospective was perfectly timed, since Instagram was first becoming popular when the show opened and seemingly everyone wanted to post the mind-bending photos that are possible in an “Infinity Mirror Room.” Almost overnight, Kusama became not just an art world star but a worldwide icon. People lined up then—and continue to do so now—jus...

By Kevin McCarthy 32-26. Not a score prediction for the fourth and final test of the thriller Boks v All Blacks. Though New Zealand would happily take a win of that margin. No, 32 is the average age of the Springbok starting XV, and 26 the same for the All Blacks during the series before...

Los Angeles’s Getty Center closed early on Wednesday after a fire broke out along the 405 Freeway. Per the Los Angeles Times, the fire was reported to the city’s Fire Department at 4:30 p.m.; it has already burned five acres. The Fire Department has issued an evacuation warning for an area that includes the Getty Center, a complex that includes museum buildings host to Renaissance and Old Master paintings, the Getty Research Institute, and a Robert Irwin–designed garden. According to CBS News , the Getty Center asked visitors to exit through the parking garage and closed the museum at 4:45 p.m. “The Getty Center is closed due to a nearby fire,” reads a notice on the museum’s website. It was not immediately clear whether there was any damage to the Getty Center. ARTnews has reached out to the Getty for comment. Of the zone impacted by the blaze, which is already being called the Getty Fire, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “Anyone in the ...

The D. Daskalopoulos Collection announced a donation of 51 artworks to four museums across Greece and Scotland. The majority of the works will be spread across the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOMUS), and the National Gallery of Greece, all in Greece, with three pieces heading to the National Galleries of Scotland. The donation continues the collection’s “commitment to making contemporary art accessible to wider audiences,” the announcement stated. It added, “This initiative seeks to ensure the long-term preservation of the works while sustaining an ongoing dialogue with the art of the future.” The National Gallery of Greece will receive 29 modern artworks by leading Greek artists, including Io Angeli, Konstantinos Andreou, Spyros Vikatos, George Vorres, Kostis Georgiou, Apostolos Yayannos, Giorgos Golfinos, Christos Karas, Costa Coulentianos, Yiannis Maltezos, Christos Sarakatsianos, Aristotelis Solounias, ...