“The new city of Nusantara, on the island of Borneo, will replace Jakarta as the national capital, moving the seat of government about 800 miles away. The decades-long project covering hundreds of square miles” is far from finished - but will be inaugurated on Saturday. - The Atlantic
"Bridges across dry riverbeds in the Atacama desert are daubed with slogans demanding the equitable distribution of Chile’s water, and graffiti on rural bus stops demand the restitution of Indigenous lands from forestry companies. Every inch of the bohemian port city Valparaíso is plastered with paint and posters." - The Guardian
"Heavy rain and gale-force winds caused leakage to come through the roof of the structure. Part of the ceiling and several walls sustained water damage, and three of the paintings themselves were affected. The extent of the damage, and the cost of repairs, are still being determined." - Artnet
“The artist’s support organization, Pest Control Office, found all the theorizing about the meaning of each new image ‘way too involved’ and that the artist’s simple vision was to cheer up the public during a bleak period.” - ARTnews
“The Olympics is probably the most competitive sports photography environment on earth. It’s the best photographers who shoot sports all come together. You’ve got to bring your best ideas, your best form, and try and stand out.” - Artnet
Thousands of fans left at loose ends after Swift's Vienna show was called off (due to terrorist threats) flocked to the Austrian capital's museums. At the Albertina, the lines were 20 minutes long in 91°F heat, yet people waited patiently. And the visitors were a demographic rarely seen in such numbers there. - ARTnews
"Spanish police have arrested a man whose alleged plan to sell a fake Leonardo da Vinci painting" — purportedly a portrait of Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, an aristocrat and military commander — "in Italy for €1.3m was thwarted when the work caught the eye of French customs officers." - The Guardian
For one thing, they’re carbon sinks. “Preserving them would really be saving carbon … little nuggets of carbon that you would be saving and reusing. It’s the most environmentally friendly thing.” - NPR
"The British Museum has finished investigating its own conduct and concluded … that it was not compliant with UK legislation dictating how national treasures should be kept. … Peter Higgs, a senior curator at the museum, was fired in July 2023 after the museum accused him of stealing 1,800 items." - ARTnews
This particular jackass is a 37-year-old British man who carved his initials and those of his two daughters on a wall at the House of the Vestals. He told police that he just wanted to leave some trace of his visit. - Artnet
"The project, called 'Track(ed) Changes,' along with the related community events, jibes with the city’s promise to Chicagoans to broaden the limelight and to spread the economic impact of the convention through many of the city’s 77 neighborhoods." - The New York Times
"ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund, investment, and holding company, has entered into 'a definitive agreement' to acquire a minority interest in Sotheby’s. The deal, valued at around $1 billion, will see ADQ purchasing newly issued shares of Sotheby’s. Patrick Drahi, the current majority owner, will invest additional capital." - ARTnews
“His latest graffiti design, located on Westmoor Street in Charlton, south-east London, is situated on the side of a building and has been designed to look as though the animal is climbing on to a car parked next to the property.” - The Guardian (UK)
This is a question Portland is asking as it prepares to scrap and remake the Burnside Bridge - "its most significant multi-modal downtown bridge in more than 65 years.” - Oregon ArtsWatch
