ARTPIL / Prescription .142
White heat. A Green River.
Matthew Hong
August 2023

Today is August 12, 2023. On this day, Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the New World (1492); American inventor Thomas Alva Edison makes his discovery of the phonograph (1877); Henry Ford’s company builds the first Model T car (1908); William Somerset Maugham’s acclaimed Of Human Bondage by is published (1915 ); A dedication of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Home as a national shrine is held (1922); East Germany begins construction of the Berlin Wall serving as a symbol of the Cold War and separating East Berlin from West Berlin for 28 years (1961); Echo 1, the first communications satellite, is launched by NASA (1960); IBM introduces its first Personal Computer (1981); On this day 6 years ago, then U.S. President Donald Trump at a press conference hails the phrase “very fine people on both sides” in reference to the one-sided violence in Charlottesville, provoking widespread protests and resulting in the resignation of 16 members of the Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (Art & Politics in America).

On this day August 12 was born German artist Hans Haacke (1936), and died Jean-Michel Basquiat (1988).

Welcome to the .142nd edition of Prescriptions. Here is our review of the week in the arts.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS
  • Chris Johanson
    Sep 16 – Oct 21, 2023
    Altman Siegel
    San Francisco, USA

    In a special exhibition, Altman Siegel is pleased to present a monumental and historic work by Chris Johanson. Exhibited for the first time since 2000, this painted triptych, Untitled, offers a rare insight into Johanson’s early large-scale works.

    Known for his observant nature, Johanson was invited to participate in Glen Helfand’s 1999 exhibition, “Museum Pieces,” about the history of the de Young Museum. (more…)

  • Pretty Doomed
    Oct 12–15, 2023
    Ugly Duck
    London, UK

    Save the date for Pretty Doomed, an unconventional art fair & exhibition presented by Ugly Duck & Queer Art Projects, which seeks to challenge the sustainability of the underground and queer art worlds, from the 12th to the 15th of October. Ugly Duck is one of the few independent art venues that showcases queer and alternative art in London. (more…)