Golden lion in hand, artist Cecilia Vicuña receives commission for Turbine Hall in London + other stories

Art Industry News is a daily round-up of the most momentous developments in the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know this Wednesday, March 30th.

DEFINITELY READ

Amsterdam’s Hermitage swaps Dutch for Russian art – The Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam, which broke ties with its Russian parent institution, the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. will rename itself the Dutch Heritage Museum earlier this month after 30 years. As part of the rebranding, it will shift its focus to Dutch art, with an upcoming exhibition of The milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer, on loan from the Rijksmuseum. (monopoly)

The sound artist Mira Calix has died – The South African-born, UK-based artist and composer (b. 1970) was a pioneer of experimental music, creating works that have spanned film, theater and mixed-media installations. While working primarily in the music industry, she also made music for art installations. As she once said of her challenging work, “Art isn’t just for assholes. People can handle it.” (pitchfork, Guardian)

Cecilia Vicuña will tackle the Turbine Hall – What a year for Cecilia Vicuña. Following news that she will be awarded a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the forthcoming Venice Biennale, Tate Modern has commissioned the 74-year-old Chilean artist and poet to set up the Hyundai Commission for Turbine Hall, one of the largest stages for contemporary art. Vicuña – who will also be staging a project at the Guggenheim Rotunda in New York later this year – is best known for textile sculptures that combine natural materials and traditional craftsmanship. The Tate installation opens on October 13th. (press release)

EU Parliament condemns Azerbaijan’s destruction of Armenian heritage – A resolution adopted in the European Parliament (by 635 votes in favour, two against and 42 abstentions) “strongly condemned” the “wiping out of Armenian cultural heritage” in the South Caucasus, calling it “part of a broader pattern of a systematic state”. Policies of anti-Armenianism, historical revisionism and hatred of Armenians promoted by the Azerbaijani authorities.” The Nagorno-Karabakh region has been the center of a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2020, and the cultural heritage has frequently been armed. (hyperallergic)

movers & shakers

Sotheby’s appoints new director – Sotheby’s has appointed Daniel Asmar as Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa. Asmar, who will take up his new role on April 4, comes from the financial sector and will be based in Dubai. (ARTnews)

MoMA opens Ukrainian gallery – The Museum of Modern Art in New York has repositioned its collection to accommodate Ukrainian-born artists. Dubbed In Solidarity, the gallery features works by Sonia Delaunay-Terk, Ilya Kabokov, Kazimir Malevich and Louise Nevelson. Many of the artists represented in the presentation are Jewish-Ukrainian. (ARTnews)

Kojo Marfo Announces NFT Project – Ghanaian artist Kojo Marfo will be coining a new NFT collection next month in collaboration with London’s JD Malat Gallery. The series, titled The Strangers, contains references to Pablo Picasso and traditional African masks. (press release)

FOR ART

See Canada’s LGBTQS2+ Memorial – Canada has selected the winning design for its national LGBTQS2+ memorial to be erected in Ottawa in 2025. Inspired by a thundercloud and disco balls, the $8 million work includes a stage, herb garden and healing circle. The winning team includes Liz Wreford, Peter Sampson and Taylor LaRocque of architecture firm Public City Inc.; visual artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan; and Indigenous and Two-Spirit Counselor Albert McLeod. (design boom)

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