Some of us in the business and out treat the unending eruption of apparently unconnected news stories as if they were dollar items in a restaurant we don't know. Most of the time, their topics pull me toward, their specifics push me away -- but not until I finish the meal. Repulsion has its attractions.This past week, for example, all that Maltese papal pap (left) in place of responsible action made my head spin in Exorcist fury. And speaking of volcanic vomit, there was the Philadelphia story of 21-year-old Matthew Clemmens (right), … [Read more...]
Next Round: Bill Viola Versus the Pope
Who Would Expect a Video Artist To Be a Hero? Every week's cultural and political news is actually a puzzle to be solved, a jigsaw set with antagonistic pieces. Here's one part of the puzzle that I find heartening, though others may not. Artnet.com is an auction and art-market site that also has a kind of magazine attached, Late last week the mag lifted part of a story almost verbatim from Catholic New Service. I myself will borrow the beginning of the original: Pope Benedict XVI has invited hundreds of artists to meet with him in the … [Read more...]