Opinion & reviews

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• Prospectiva cultural: cómo el pasado habita los futuros opinion-review

  The concept of 'prospectiva cultural' (cultural foresight) is presented by the author to imagine the future of memory institutions across Latin America, drawing on Marianne…

• Catherine Murphy's Radical Realism: Bridging Observation and Abstraction opinion-review

  In a review for Hyperallergic, critic John Yau discusses the work of painter Catherine Murphy, who launched her career with her participation in the 1972 Whitney Museum Annual…

• John Ball on 40 Years of Design, AI, and the Smithsonian's 'Inaccurate Information' Signs opinion-review

  In a conversation with Design Observer, John Ball, the co-founder of the San Diego design agency MiresBall, reflects on his four-decade-long career. The dialogue was initiated by…

• Rethinking Music Reviews: Beyond Judgment to Extra-Human Perspective opinion-review

  Collin Ziegler, writing for SF Classical Voice, reflects on the purpose of music reviews in a weekly think piece. He admits to a Pavlovian urge to find the judgment sentence in…

• US Open vs Wimbledon: Contrasting Visions of Freedom in Tennis opinion-review

  An essay marking the start of the US Open contrasts the philosophical underpinnings of two Grand Slam tournaments: Wimbledon and the US Open. Wimbledon, with its strict all-white…

• ARD Series Glamorizes Escort Work Amid Deepfake Debates opinion-review

  The German public broadcaster ARD is facing criticism for a new series that portrays escort work as a glamorous career choice, featuring attractive women, expensive champagne, and…

• Miss Piggy as Feminist Icon and Last Movie Star opinion-review

  In a recent Vulture article republished on MSN, critic Belknap examines Miss Piggy's cultural significance, positioning her as both a feminist icon and the last of a particular…

• The AI Music Controversy: Fenix Flexin's 'Rubberz' and the Authenticity Debate opinion-review

  This summer, Los Angeles rapper Fenix Flexin performed his viral hit 'Rubberz' at a small nightclub in Passaic, New Jersey, amid widespread speculation that the song was created…

• Review: Matisse's 'Woman with a Hat' Still Defies Beauty Norms opinion-review

  A review in The New Yorker revisits Henri Matisse's 'Femme au Chapeau' (Woman with a Hat), a painting that caused a scandal at the 1905 Salon d'Automne. More than a century later,…

• NZZ Criticizes 'Trapped in Hope' at Zürcher Theaterspektakel as Propaganda opinion-review

  At the Zürcher Theaterspektakel, the play 'Trapped in Hope' has been criticized by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) for presenting the Middle East conflict from a Palestinian…

• Thomas Strässle's 'Storia di una fuga' Reviewed: Love in the GDR opinion-review

  In a review published on doppiozero, Roberto Gilodi examines Thomas Strässle's novel 'Storia di una fuga' (Story of a Flight), which is set in the German Democratic Republic…

• The Killer Drone's Shot: Reflections on War Photography opinion-review

  In a piece published on doppiozero.com on August 31, 2026, authors Claudio Franzoni and Anita Romanello examine the unsettling nature of drone-captured war photographs from the…

• New York's Hustle Culture vs. Milan's Slow Pace: A Tale of Two Cities opinion-review

  Ed Stocker, Monocle's Europe editor at large, contrasts the work cultures of New York and Milan in a personal essay. Having lived in New York for six years as Monocle's US editor,…

• Op-Ed: Expanding Arts Education Could Boost New York's Economy opinion-review

  An op-ed in Crain's New York argues that to strengthen New York's economy, the city should expand arts education organizations. The piece highlights the Brooklyn Conservatory of…

• Why Artists Should Prioritize Meaningful Connections Over Large Followings opinion-review

  In a piece featured in Art Marketing News, Barney contends that visual artists can thrive without extensive subscriber bases or social media audiences. He points out that the goal…

• Ernst Moritz Arndt's Radical Answer to War: A Historical Reassessment opinion-review

  In a recent article for the German newspaper 'Freitag', Michael Jaeger explores the question of whether wars are avoidable, focusing on the historical figure Ernst Moritz Arndt,…

• AI-Generated Paul Gigot Essay Mocks AI Writing in The Atlantic opinion-review

  The Atlantic released a humorous essay crafted by Claude AI, mimicking the style of Paul Gigot, the opinion-page editor at the Wall Street Journal. This follows Gigot's recent use…

• Eugene Terekhin on Keeping the Inner Fire Alive in Art opinion-review

  Eugene Terekhin, the author of Philosophy of Language, delves into the notion of inner fire in a recent essay for The FASO Way newsletter. He references Heraclitus’s idea that the…

• Francesco Ferrini: Trees as Biological Infrastructure for Climate-Resilient Cities opinion-review

  In an August 2026 interview with Artribune, Francesco Ferrini, a professor specializing in Arboriculture at the University of Florence, emphasizes the crucial role of urban trees…

• Sachsen-Anhalt's #moderndenken vs. AfD's #deutschdenken: A Glossary opinion-review

  In the run-up to the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the state's official tourism slogan #moderndenken is contrasted with the AfD's campaign hashtag #deutschdenken. The article,…

• Carlo Ratti's 'Objectify' Series Explores the Garden Gnome's Noble Genealogy opinion-review

  In the summer series 'Objectify' by Wallpaper*, architect Carlo Ratti delves into Italy's culture through commonplace items, beginning with the garden gnome. Ratti, who leads…

• Peter Gauweiler: From CSU Hardliner to Peace Activist opinion-review

  Peter Gauweiler, a former hardliner in the Christian Social Union (CSU), has recently appeared at peace demonstrations alongside Sahra Wagenknecht and Oskar Lafontaine, and has…

• Freitag Delays Publication of Critical Essay on DDR Historian Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk opinion-review

  The German weekly newspaper 'Freitag' has finally published a critical essay by economist Erhard Weinholz targeting Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, a prominent historian of the German…

• Monocle's Tyler Brûlé praises Japanese magazine craftsmanship on Tokyo-Zürich flight opinion-review

  In a column for Monocle, editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé reflects on the superior quality of Japanese magazines compared to Western publications, based on his experience reading them…

• Artisan Decline in Italy: Nostalgia Misplaced as Craft Sector Undergoes Selection, Not Crisis opinion-review

  The Associazione Artigiani e Piccole Imprese di Mestre has published an analysis of Italy's small artisan workshops, revealing a significant decline in numbers: from 1.5 million…

• The Cult of Neil Breen: Trash Cinema as Art in the Age of Slop opinion-review

  In a New Yorker essay, critic and cinephile explores the phenomenon of 'trash movies'—films so incompetently made they become perversely captivating—and profiles Neil Breen, an…

• Khloé Kardashian's 'The Girls' Reviewed: A Hollow Reality Spin-off opinion-review

  In her critique for The New Yorker, Naomi Fry delves into 'The Girls: a Khloé Kardashian Project,' a Hulu series comprising six episodes featuring influencer-businesswomen such as…

• ParlaChatGPT: Bonaccini and the Question of Cultural Superiority opinion-review

  In a new editorial series, arts publication ArtsLife has turned to ChatGPT to explore contentious issues in the art world. The first installment addresses the recent controversy…

• The Enduring Elegance of the Wardrobe: From Medieval Garderobe to Maarten De Ceulaer's Pile of Suitcases opinion-review

  In a Wallpaper* magazine essay, design critic Hugo Macdonald explores the cultural and historical significance of the wardrobe, contrasting its dignified elegance with the modern…

• Ingo Schulze's 'Peter Holtz' Review: A Return to Origins with a Foolish Hero opinion-review

  In the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, critic Paul Jandl reviews Ingo Schulze's newest novel, 'Peter Holtz'. The book marks a return to Schulze's core themes, centering on a 'foolish lucky…

• Ryusuke Hamaguchi's New Film 'Evil Does Not Exist' Criticized for Nature Kitsch opinion-review

  Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the Japanese director known for 'Drive My Car', has released a new film titled 'Evil Does Not Exist'. The film, which premiered recently, explores the…

• Giustizia o vendetta? Il caso del gioielliere e i limiti della legittima difesa opinion-review

  Un recente episodio di cronaca, in cui un gioielliere ha sparato a dei rapinatori in fuga, ha riacceso il dibattito sui limiti della legittima difesa. L'articolo, pubblicato su…

• Ingres's Valpinçon Bather: A Hidden Beauty Beyond the Surface opinion-review

  In a recent article on Artspecialday, critic Federica Maria Marrella offers a personal reflection on Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres's painting 'La Bagnante di Valpinçon' (1808),…

• Kitsch as Political Glue: Kundera's Legacy in Prague and Beyond opinion-review

  In 1967, Milan Kundera was residing in Prague, just a year prior to the unsuccessful '68 spring. His 1984 work, 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being,' delves into the role of kitsch…

• Berliner Festspiele: Kultur als politischer Spiegel – Rede von Meron Mendel opinion-review

  Die Berliner Festspiele, eine bedeutende Kulturinstitution in Berlin, stehen im Zentrum einer Debatte über die politische Dimension von Kunst. In einer Rede, die im Rahmen der…

• UK to Ban Under-16s from Social Media by 2027, Echoing Ancient Greek Fears of Theatre opinion-review

  The UK is set to ban under-16s from social media by early 2027, following Australia's 2025 ban that intensified global debate. This move comes amid growing recognition of social…

• Edinburgh Fringe Controversy: Media Focus on Celebrity Performers opinion-review

  As mainstream media coverage of festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe has significantly diminished, a debut performance has drawn headlines primarily due to the infamy of one…

• Mexico's Frida Kahlo Legacy: A Battle Over Cultural Patrimony and Access opinion-review

  An opinion piece in The New York Times, published on August 28, 2026, argues that the ongoing dispute over the location and accessibility of Frida Kahlo's priceless works is…

• End of Summer: Beaches Empty and Art Reflects Nostalgia opinion-review

  As summer ends, Italian beaches empty out, prompting reflections on the season's conclusion. The article draws parallels between the post-vacation landscape and works by artists…

• Why Global Art Market Stats Don't Reflect Independent Artists' Reality opinion-review

  The article argues that global art market statistics, dominated by auction sales and high-end gallery surveys, have little relevance to independent artists' daily practices. It…