Playful and serious at the same time, Lenka Clayton’s Object Temporarily Removed at the Fabric Workshop and Museum raises important questions about art’s audiences and its value. Inspired by Constantin Brancusi’s “Sculpture for the Blind,” Clayton asks, what if this sculpture were really made by the blind? And what makes Brancusi so special if other artists at the same time were making similar work?
Read MoreIn advance of the Philadelphia Art Book Fair coming up on May 5 and 6, we present a think-piece by Vox Populi member Matt Kalasky, who asks, is arts advocacy the same thing as artist advocacy? He argues that the creation of empathy is one of the artist’s most important productions, and that artists’ labor should be oriented more towards people than products.
Read MoreA More Perfect Union? at the Woodmere Art Museum brings together the personal and the political, exploring the most intimate images of love and tenderness between individuals. In the current political climate, Michael says, these images, which include both gay and straight relationships, as well as interracial relationships, take on an important new urgency. This is an ambitious show, not to be missed!
Read MoreChip enjoys the nuanced perspectives on queer and transgender identities in the ambitious group show, Where We Find Ourselves, at the Gershman Y. He says curator Jordan Rockford does a great job looking beyond the rainbow flag, bringing together the voices of queer and transgender artists from around the world, including Zachary Drucker, Jamil Hellu, Ryan W. Kelly, Amos Mac, and Brice Peterson.
Read MoreSpurred by seeing a recent ad in which artist Maurizio Cattelan appears, Matthew Rose reflects on the relationship between artists and advertising. He asks, why haven’t more artists appeared in or contributed to major advertising campaigns?
Read MoreDave reports from the latest meeting of the City’s Art Commission. He offers a thoughtful critique of the proposed design for the new Holocaust memorial, as well as updates on plans for the Discovery Center in Strawberry Hill and the Don Quixote statue at American and 2nd Sts.
Read MoreCurrently on view at Penn’s Arthur Ross Gallery, Willie Cole’s travelling show On Site contains the artist’s signature found-object sculpture, which transforms common domestic objects like irons, shoes, and bottles into powerful ensembles evoking ancient gods and contemporary consumer culture.
Read MoreNeil takes in the 2nd installment of the 39th annual Wind Challenge at Fleisher Art Memorial, which features work by Emily White, Amy Ritter, and Debbie Lerman. All three explore the body’s vulnerability and mutability, from the bodies of bison who used to roam the plains, to the bodies of memory explored in Amy Ritter’s sculpture and Debbie Lerman’s quilts.
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