Today is January 31, 2020. In current news, a state of emergency has been declared in Australia’s capital region of Canberra due to fires; the Novel coronavirus (Covid-19), with its epicenter in Wuhan, China, continues to spread as cases are diagnosed in various parts of the world; The impeachment hearings in the U.S. reach a critical point as Trump’s defense team, made up of some 53 lawyers, essentially claimed that the presidency is about princedom and that a monarch cannot be impeached. It was 3 years ago today Trump fired Attorney General Sally Yates after she instructed the Justice Department not to defend the travel ban; and precisely 3 years later, the same travel ban is to be expanded. Today, January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. Today marks the birth of sculptor Robert Clatworthy (1928), and the death of artist Dorothea Tanning (2012).
Welcome to the 110th edition of Prescriptions. Here is our review of the week in the arts.
Nikolaus Geyrhalter
EARTH / Nikolaus Geyrhalter
Several billion tons of earth are moved annually by humans – with shovels, excavators, and dynamite. Nikolaus Geyrhalter documents these massive and sometimes mind-boggling feats of engineering and manpower. Various engagements / Anthology Film Archives.
Michael Druks
London Art Fair 2020
For its 32nd edition London Art Fair brought together galleries, artists, curators, collectors, critics and enthusiasts for one week under one roof. Modern notables represented included Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, as well as the contemporary photography duo Formento & Formento, among many others.
Water and Salt / Luisa Mello
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020
One of the largest film festivals in the world, the IFFR presents over 500 feature, mid-length, and short films from over 50 countries, as well as exhibitions, performances, masterclasses and talks. The 49th Edition / International Film Festival Rotterdam, through February 2, 2020.
James Karales
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Earlier this month we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The selective memory of a nation still needs jogging in order for the dream to come true. Our feature honors Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Photography by Bruce Davidson, Yoichi Okamoto, Gordon Parks, James Karales, Marion S. Trikosko, and Bob Adelman.
Kurt Schwitters
Reading Time in Space
Reading Time in Space, Modernism at mumok 1910 to 1955 traces passages of time and artistic concepts, accounting the idea of an expanded concept of art, one that relies on connection and permeation beyond a traditional chronological order. Curated by Susanne Neuburger. Through April 13, 2020 at mumok, Vienna.
Gillian Laub
Southern Rites / Gillian Laub
This small town symbolized the archetype of pastoral American life. Yet this idyllic place was also held hostage by a dark past, manifesting in the racial tensions that scar much of American history. Gillian Laub / Southern Rites, Organized by ICP / International Center of Photography and curator Maya Benton. Various engagements, 2020.
Gillian Laub
PROFILES
László Moholy-Nagy, represented among his peers in Reading Time in Space at mumok; Gillian Laub, whose powerful series of portraits Southern Rites, organized by ICP / International Center of Photography tours various venues in 2020; Bruce Davidson and Gordon Parks, among several others honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement; Nikolaus Geyrhalter, presenting his feature documentary EARTH at Anthology Film Archives in New York; and reintroducing some of the modern majors Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, recently represented at London Art Fair 2020.
