What We're Reading: 5/21
At Wrightwood 659 in Lincoln Park, a fascinating study of Greek identity and naked men
Ever heard of the artist Yannis Tsarouchis? If the answer is yes, it’s a pretty good bet you have some connection to Greece. His work is well known there. But beyond? Crickets chirp at his name. Especially now.
But a remarkably comprehensive new exhibition in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, the first major U.S. retrospective of Tsarouchis’ work, makes the case that this artist was anything but parochial. Bluntly put, this is an experience brimming with arrestingly erotic images of beautiful, naked men, carefully observed in all the erotic complexity of that statement, and mostly bathed in the singular light of the lands that surround the Mediterranean Sea.
Via Chicago Tribune
Chicago artist Theaster Gates has been tapped to design the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion, making him the first non-architect solely commissioned for the prestigious project.
A spokesperson for Serpentine Gallery confirmed Gate’s commission for the pavilion, which was first reported byThe Architect’s Journal, but said it was “too early” to discuss the artist’s plans.
Gates’s commission will mark the 21st iteration of the pavilion, which has been awarded annually to an international—often up-and-coming—architect or firm since 2000. (The 2020 commission was delayed to this year due to the pandemic.) Those chosen are tasked with designing a temporary structure near Serpentine’s two galleries in London’s Kensington Gardens.
Via Artnet
A year after George Floyd’s death, art memorials are at a crossroads
When George Floyd was killed one year ago, protests against police violence erupted on the streets, first in Minneapolis, and soon across the country. Murals dedicated to Floyd and other Black lives lost also started to appear on the streets, a spontaneous creative act to memorise victims, call for justice and celebrate the power of community. Today, efforts to preserveand document these urgent outpourings of street art are growing, including a crowdsourced online database run by the University of St Thomas in Saint Paul.
The university’s George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art open access database now includes more than 2,000 images and descriptions of works, submitted by users from around the world.
Via The Art Newspaper
Frank Lloyd Wright house in Glenview to be auctioned
A Glenview house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is going up for auction.
The house, secluded on a wooded lane called Portage Run, came on the market in September, priced at a little under $1.7 million. Built in 1950, the house is being sold by Brian Busche, whose now-deceased parents bought it from the first owners 56 years ago.
Via Crain's