Opinion & reviews

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• Whitechapel Gallery's Backyard Biennial: East review – a migraine-inducing mess opinion-review

  The Guardian's critic panned Whitechapel Gallery's new summer art festival, Backyard Biennial: East, calling the central exhibition 'East of the Aldgate Pump' a morose,…

• Digital Freedom as Internalized Oppression opinion-review

  An article in The New Atlantis argues that contemporary power no longer manifests as external oppression but as an internal compulsion to perform, blurring the line between…

• Martha Nussbaum argues opera can heal Western societies opinion-review

  Philosopher Martha Nussbaum, 79, contends that opera offers a remedy for Western societies plagued by nastiness, brutishness, and narcissism. She specifically advocates for more…

• Can Architecture Measure Democracy? An Essay by Roshini Pushparaj opinion-review

  Architectural researcher and archivist Roshini Pushparaj raises a thought-provoking question in a recent essay on architecture.live: can democracies create remarkable public…

• Museums Urged to Recruit from Commercial Art Sector as Gallery Closures Free Talent opinion-review

  A study conducted by the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) in collaboration with Sophie Macpherson Ltd. (SML) indicates that almost 75% of professionals in the commercial art sector are…

• Kritik am Merkel-Porträt: Ästhetisch und politisch misslungen opinion-review

  Der Kunsthistoriker Michael Diers kritisiert das Porträt der ehemaligen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel von Jérémie Queyras scharf. Das 140 x 110 cm große Gemälde in Mischtechnik…

• Maren Kroymann on 90s Misogyny: 'We Were Complicit' opinion-review

  In the documentary 'Was haben wir gelacht', five female comedians, including Maren Kroymann, reflect on the misogyny and power structures of 1990s German television comedy.…

• AI detection arms race misses the real problem of trust in scholarship opinion-review

  The debate over AI-generated academic writing is framed as a technological contest between AI generators and detectors, but this is misguided. The core issue is trust: if…

• Six Habits That Drive Artistic Success Beyond Talent opinion-review

  Carolyn Edlund, drawing on years of experience with artists, identifies six key habits that distinguish successful artists from those who stagnate. The most critical habit is…

• Christian Caliandro argues contemporary art has lost touch with reality opinion-review

  In an opinion piece on Artribune, Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art has become disconnected from urgent global issues, simulating engagement through performative…

• The Secret Splendor of Uncomfortable Art: Aestheticizing Ugliness opinion-review

  An opinion piece argues that ugliness in art constitutes a legitimate aesthetic category with unique power. It contrasts Goya's "Saturn Devouring His Son" and Francis Bacon's…

• Historian Henry Rousso warns of alarm signals in Occupation films opinion-review

  In a Le Monde op-ed, historian Henry Rousso argues that the recent proliferation of films about World War II and the Occupation offers insights into how democratic and republican…

• Christopher Nolan's 'L'Odyssée' Fails to Match Homer's Epic opinion-review

  Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of Homer's 'Odyssey', titled 'L'Odyssée', has been released to mixed reviews. Despite a star-studded cast and a massive budget, the director…

• The Dictate of the Inevitable: How Constraints Defame Dissenting Voices opinion-review

  A critique of the 'jargon of inevitability' argues that modernity, often associated with a multi-option society, is in practice dominated by dogmatic ideas presenting things as…

• Marine Le Pen als Märtyrerin: Verurteilung und Präsidentschaftsambitionen opinion-review

  Marine Le Pen, die wegen Veruntreuung verurteilt wurde, inszeniert sich als Märtyrerin und Präsidentschaftskandidatin, was als Perversion des demokratischen Paktes kritisiert…

• Weekly Film Reviews: 'L'Aventure rêvée', 'The Last Viking', and Nolan's 'Odyssée' opinion-review

  Every Wednesday, Le Monde's cinema journalists publish their reviews of films currently in theaters. This week's highlights include a beautiful film about an archaeologist…

• Mesut Bayraktar on Merz's Social Reforms and Working-Class Rage opinion-review

  Mesut Bayraktar, who grew up in a working-class family in Wuppertal, writes about Friedrich Merz's planned social reforms. He describes his upbringing among factory closures,…

• Rembrandt's 1629 Self-Portrait: A Study in Youthful Ambiguity opinion-review

  Federica Maria Marrella analyzes Rembrandt's 1629 self-portrait, housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, focusing on the obscured eyes as a symbol of youthful haste and mystery.…

• Trump Administration Cuts Mark Twain Archive Grant, Sparking Censorship Debate opinion-review

  The Trump administration terminated a $450,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to the Mark Twain Papers and Project at UC Berkeley in April 2025, ending one of the…

• Is Analogue Really Back? A Skeptical Look at the Trend opinion-review

  The article questions the perceived revival of analogue media, arguing that while nostalgia drives interest in vinyl, print magazines, and disposable cameras, digital consumption…

• Trump Report's Critique of Smithsonian Museum Exposed as Flawed opinion-review

  A New Republic article by Philip Kennicott dismantles the White House Domestic Policy Council's report 'Saving America's Story,' released July 4, which attacks the National Museum…

• Cliburn Expands to Conductors, Retires Amateur Competition opinion-review

  The Van Cliburn Foundation, organizer of the prestigious quadrennial piano competition in Fort Worth, Texas, announced two major changes. On January 22, 2025, it launched the…

• Silicon Valley's Science Fiction Problem opinion-review

  Steve Wozniak, Apple's co-founder, stated in 2017 that 'We are the people who make fantasies real.' This quote, from an Aeon essay, critiques Silicon Valley's selective adoption…

• Texas Regional Museums Champion Local Artists Overlooked by Major Institutions opinion-review

  A Glasstire article argues that regional museums in Texas, such as the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (AMSET) and the Galveston Arts Center (GAC), are crucial for supporting local…

• Five Strategies for Artists to Create Their Own Opportunities opinion-review

  The article, published on Contemporary Art Issue, offers five practical strategies for artists to proactively build their careers rather than waiting for the art world to discover…

• Alice Schwarzer verteidigt ihren Pazifismus im Ukraine-Krieg opinion-review

  Alice Schwarzer, Herausgeberin der Zeitschrift EMMA, bekräftigt in einem Interview mit der Freitag ihre friedenspolitische Haltung zum Ukraine-Krieg. Sie widerspricht der Kritik,…

• Herfried Münkler on Trump's Miscalculation of Iran's Strategic Capabilities opinion-review

  Herfried Münkler argues that Donald Trump has completely underestimated Iran's strategic capabilities, turning the deal into a disaster. The article discusses the emergence of…

• China vs US: Two Leadership Styles in AI Race opinion-review

  A South China Morning Post opinion piece argues that the AI rivalry between China and the United States is not just about technology but also reflects contrasting leadership…

• Kenny Schachter's Ode to Roberta Smith: A Critic Who Made Him Cry Twice opinion-review

  Kenny Schachter honors Roberta Smith, the recently retired co-chief art critic of the New York Times, drawing inspiration from Alison Chernick's documentary 'House of Criticism.'…

• Physical games' demise threatens cultural preservation opinion-review

  The video game industry's shift to digital-only distribution erodes ownership rights and cultural memory. Physical media allows resale, lending, and long-term access independent…

• Police Bias in Germany: Protecting the Far Right? opinion-review

  A new analysis by journalist Mohamed Amjahid, based on studies, chat logs, and documented incidents, suggests German police systematically protect far-right events while cracking…

• Shana Stein on Directing 'The Boys' and 'The Testaments' and Gender Disparity in Film opinion-review

  Director Shana Stein discusses her work on Amazon's 'The Boys' and Hulu's 'The Testaments', highlighting the gender disparity in film directing. A USC Annenberg Inclusion…

• Danny Elfman criticizes modern classical music as lacking melody opinion-review

  Composer Danny Elfman, known for his film scores, criticized contemporary classical music for being devoid of memorable melodies. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,…

• French cultural leaders warn against state subsidy cuts to 28 major institutions opinion-review

  A collective led by Florence Portelli, vice-president (LR) of the Île-de-France region responsible for culture, along with elected officials and heads of major cultural…

• Pricing Art Across Mediums: Debunking the Hierarchy Myth opinion-review

  A RedDot Blog article advises artists working in multiple mediums to avoid pricing based on a perceived market hierarchy that favors oils over works on paper. The author argues…

• Digital Retouching as Original Art: Blurring Lines Between Photography and Drawing opinion-review

  The article argues that digital retouching has evolved from corrective editing into a creative practice akin to drawing, challenging traditional distinctions between photography…

• Texas Museums' Accessibility Efforts Examined in Glasstire Series opinion-review

  In a piece for Glasstire's 25th anniversary series, museum educator Alli Rogers Andreen surveys accessibility at 37 Texas arts institutions, finding wide disparities. Only 5 of 37…

• Free Speech Fury: Virtue Ethics Behind the Anger opinion-review

  Anthropologist Matei Candea argues that free speech debates are not about rules but about character and virtue ethics. He identifies three archetypes of the free speaker: the…

• DDR-Reisefreiheit: Mythos und Realität im Vergleich zum Westen opinion-review

  Der Artikel hinterfragt die verbreitete Annahme, dass die Reisefreiheit im Westen stets größer war als in der DDR. Er zitiert eine überraschende Zahl: 1989 waren DDR-Bürger…

• Atlantic writer warns of post-literate era as reading declines globally opinion-review

  In a recent interview on NPR's 1A, Atlantic staff writer Rose Horowitch discussed her article 'The End of Reading Is Here,' arguing that humanity is entering a post-literate era.…