Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know on this Thursday, June 30.
NEED TO READ
Antwaun Sargent Gets the Profile Treatment – Ruth La Ferla goes long on Antwaun Sargent, the 33-year-old “part art nerd, part crusader” who is championing Black artists through his work as a director at Gagosian, as well as in his writing and curatorial efforts. (Yes, Madonna did ask him for advice on the art career of her son.) The former kindergarten teacher organized the Brooklyn Museum’s new presentation of “Figures of Speech,” dedicated to the output of the late Virgil Abloh. “For me, it’s about not being the director at a gallery or the curator at a museum but about figuring out ways to have companies invest in creative communities,” Sargent said. (New York Times)
Unraveling Cambodia’s Extensive Art Smuggling Ring – Bloomberg takes a deep dive into the legacy of Douglas Latchford, whose dealings in Cambodian art are at the center of one of the most complex art market investigations ever undertaken. In recent years, government officials in Phnom Penh, academics in Paris, advocates in Washington, and prosecutors in New York City have worked together to trace and recover Cambodia’s looted architectural treasures, some of which passed through Latchford’s gallery and ended up in major institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Bloomberg)
The Armory Show Will Bring Statues to the U.S. Open – From mega-collector John McEnroe to Honor Titus’s paintings, there’s plenty of overlap between the art and tennis worlds. Now, sculptures by five artists are coming to the U.S. Open as part of a collaboration between the Armory Show and the United States Tennis Association. On view from late August to early September at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the show is part of the association’s Be Open social justice campaign. All work by the participating artists—Jose Dávila, Myles Nurse, Carolyn Salas, Luzene Hill, and Gerald Chukwuma—will be for sale. (NYT)
Emilia Kabakov on the War in Ukraine – In an interview, the prominent Soviet Union-born artist says that some early works she created with her husband Ilya—like The Red Pavilion, which was on view at the 1993 Venice Biennale—anticipated current events. The miniature Soviet pavilion mounted alongside the official Russian pavilion intended to show at the Soviet Union never truly disappeared. Now, Emilia Kabakov says, “The Red Pavilion has returned.” (The Art Newspaper)
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Kohn Gallery Now Represents Alicia Adamerovich – The Brooklyn-based artist is joining Kohn Gallery alongside new additions Sophia Narrett, Chiffon Thomas, William Brickel, and Heidi Hahn. Adamerovich paints dark-hued. barren landscapes populated by biomorphic forms that recall creatures in 1980s sci-fi films. She will have a solo show at the gallery in 2023. (Press release)
LACMA 2022 Art + Technology Lab Announces Grant Recipients – The grantees for LACMA’s 2022 Art + Technology program are Kelly Akashi, Nancy Baker Cahill, Lauren Lee McCarthy, and Daniel R. Small. The grants include both monetary and in-kind support for projects focusing on the relationship between artists and research into imaging technology, artificial intelligence, and mycelium networks. (Press release)
Mellon Foundation Awards $13 Million to Postdoctoral Fellowships – A total of 30 new humanities postdoctoral fellowships at national parks across the country have been created thanks to the Mellon Foundation’s grant, in partnership with National Park Foundation. The funding expands the National Park Service Mellon Humanities Fellowship, an initiative to support humanists to uncover untold stories about the parks. (Press release)
FOR ART’S SAKE
Mario Merz Prize Returns and Is Asking People to Vote – In an unusually populist move for an august art foundation, the Fondazione Merz is inviting members of the public to pick their favorite artist from a shortlist of six—Yto Barrada, Paolo Cirio, Christina Forrer, Anne Hardy, He Xiangyu, and Koo Jeong A—who are competing for this year’s Mario Merz Prize. An exhibition of their work is on view now at the foundation’s space in Turin. The public can cast their votes online until September 25; the winner gets a solo show at the foundation. (Press release)
He Xiangyu, Mia & Elephant (2021–22). Courtesy of the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery.