On this day May 17, 1954, in the U.S. the Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, unanimously declaring that racially segregated schools were inherently unequal.
Betsy Devos heading Education has been tirelessly trying to bypass this ruling under a new guise, pushing for her version of charter schools and draining money from districts that need it the most. Separate and Unequal. Seems a pattern with the Executive Branch and its various departments, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Social Security Administration, Department of Education, et al, all trying to undo or bypass the constitution, each department trying to dismantle their very existence (except maybe that of homeland security) where nearly every important executive order has been contested by the courts for their constitutionality. Now on a standoff with Congress over subpoenas, the executive brand of Balance – or the Standoff – of Powers in action, as surely the founders imagined. Meanwhile in Europe, likewise, just ahead of the European Parliament elections, those making the most noise trying to get elected are those wanting to dismantle it.
Yesterday passed away the legendary architect I. M. Pei at the age of 102.
Welcome to the .094th edition of Prescriptions. Here is our review of the week in the arts.
Giuseppe Chico & Barbara Matijevic
Venice Biennale / 58th Edition
This edition’s title can be interpreted as a sort of curse where “May You Live in Interesting Times” evokes the a challenging or menacing period, but it can also be an invitation to consider human events in their complexity. Artists represented include Nairy Baghramian, Danh Vo, Michael E. Smith, Shilpa Gupta, and Henry Taylor, among others. Venice Biennale through November 24, 2019.
Louise Nevelson
Louise Nevelson
As monumental as they are memorable, Louise Nevelson’s work have been aligned with many different movements, from Abstract Expressionism to Cubism and Surrealism, presented here as a glimpse into her life. On view at Galerie Gmurzynska through June 15, 2019.
Sean Scully
Sean Scully. Landline
Known for combining the geometry of European concrete art with the ethereality of American abstraction, Sean Scully’s thick, gestural brushstrokes evoke the energy and beauty of the natural world. On view through May 19, 2019 at Wadsworth Atheneum.
Alex Prager
Alex Prager / Compulsion
The highly choreographed nature of Alex Prager’s work embodies a visual vocabulary and style that has become her own, a familiar yet uncanny imagery depicting worlds synthesized of fiction and reality. Through May 24, 2019 at MAMM Multimedia Art Museum Moscow.
Qin Qi
Fragrance of the Night
The work of Qin Qi’s extensive historical backdrop and nature of sudden changes cast light on traces of human conquest, strange and mysterious distant world with old stories from the New World are visually reinterpreted. On exhibit through May 20, 2019 at Tang Contemporary Art.
Danielle van Zadelhoff
Photo London 2019
Photo London is a place to encounter the most innovative emerging artists and new works by established masters, comprised of some the field’s most esteemed curators, critics, and museum directors. Among the exhibiting artists include Ansel Adams, Vivian Maier, Alain Laboile, and Tom Wood, among many others. Produced by Candlestar, through Sunday, May 19, 2019 at Somerset House.
Tom Wood
PROFILES
Alex Prager, once again charming us with her exhibition Compulsion at MAMM Multimedia Art Museum Moscow; Qin Qi with his painting series Fragrance of the Night at Tang Contemporary Art; Louise Nevelson’s work currently on view at Galerie Gmurzynska; Zahrin Kahlo and her photographic works based on the double identity of a woman; (Re)introducing Ansel Adams, Vivian Maier, Alain Laboile, and Tom Wood, among many others presenting at Photo London 2019; and Sean Scully, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Nairy Baghramian, Danh Vo, Michael E. Smith, Shilpa Gupta, Julie Mehretu, Ulrike Müller, Tomás Saraceno, Henry Taylor, among others represented at the 58th Venice Biennale; and in memory of I. M. Pei, the legendary architect who passed away yesterday.
