Opinion & reviews

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• French MP Alexis Corbière's museum security report criticized for bias opinion-review

  A report from the French parliament regarding museum security, spearheaded by La France Insoumise MP Alexis Corbière, has drawn criticism for perceived ideological slants. The…

• Le retour du « mortar » : la matérialité reprend ses droits face au numérique opinion-review

  Dans un article d'opinion du 28 mai 2026 publié dans Le Journal des Arts, Jean-Christophe Castelain examine le regain d'intérêt pour le « mortar » (physique) par rapport au «…

• Paul McCartney's New Album 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane' Reviewed opinion-review

  Paul McCartney's latest album, 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane,' is a lively homage to his early days, though it is noted for being overly polished and wrinkle-free. The review,…

• Steven Heller confesses AI guilt in open letter to Pope Leo XIV opinion-review

  In a confessional-style column for PRINT Magazine, design critic Steven Heller admits to using free online AI programs to generate images, despite warnings from colleagues and…

• Design fairs must adopt AI disclosure policies now, argues Dezeen editor opinion-review

  Rima Sabina Aouf, a contributing editor at Dezeen, argues that design fairs such as Salone del Mobile need to implement AI policies mandating disclosure of generative AI use. She…

• Venice Biennale's Moral Collapse: Spectacle, Sponsorship, and Political Theatre opinion-review

  The Venice Biennale faces criticism for being a venue where sponsorship and spectacle overshadow artistic expression. An audio technician for ART AFRICA refers to it as a…

• Coffee Talk Tokyo review: cosy game with tough conversations opinion-review

  Coffee Talk Tokyo, the latest entry in the Coffee Talk series, shifts its setting to Tokyo and introduces Japanese folklore characters. The game retains its core loop of serving…

• Fashion's nostalgia crisis: Can the past still sell the future? opinion-review

  In a time of uncertainty and content overload, nostalgia provides instant brand recognition. However, experts question whether fashion's heavy reliance on past references can…

• Papst Leo XIV fordert Entwaffnung der KI und kritisiert Kapitalismus opinion-review

  Papst Leo XIV hat in einem Beitrag für die Wochenzeitung 'Der Freitag' scharfe Kritik an der aktuellen Entwicklung Künstlicher Intelligenz geübt. Er bezeichnet die gegenwärtige KI…

• Merz disappoints everyone, but not us opinion-review

  Friedrich Merz is widely seen as a failure: unable to govern, communicate, strategize, or break bureaucratic inertia. The editorial notes that they never expected much from him,…

• NYC cultural institutions call for steady funding as 'pothole politics' opinion-review

  Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, the director of the Museum of the City of New York, emphasizes the urgent need for consistent investment in the city’s cultural infrastructure, akin to…

• Anti-News Internet: Cognitive Tax on News Consumers opinion-review

  Matt Pearce argues that the internet has created an anti-news environment by destroying incentives for accurate information. Drawing on behavioral economics from Kahneman, Thaler,…

• Peter Plagens on the Off-Brand Appeal of James Brooks, Sidney Nolan, and Ralph Meeker opinion-review

  In a personal essay republished by Two Coats of Paint on the occasion of his retirement as art critic for the Wall Street Journal, Peter Plagens reflects on his lifelong…

• Black Women's Dating Experiences in White Spaces Explored Through Summer House opinion-review

  The article explores the experiences of Black women dating white men, using Ciara Miller's relationship with West Wilson on Bravo's Summer House as a case study. Miller, the only…

• Buchmarkt: Ungleichheit zwischen Bestsellerautoren und Durchschnittsverdienern opinion-review

  Eine aktuelle Debatte über Ungleichheit auf dem Buchmarkt konzentriert sich auf hohe Vorschüsse für einzelne Autoren, während viele Schriftsteller kaum noch von ihrer Arbeit leben…

• Berlin's New Curators: From Independent Labs to a New Establishment opinion-review

  The art landscape in Berlin has evolved from a space for experimentation to one of fierce competition. A new wave of curators, such as Anna Gritz from Haus am Waldsee, Lisa Long…

• UK Treasury plan to charge overseas visitors for museum entry faces criticism opinion-review

  The UK government is considering ending universal free entry to 15 national museums, including the British Museum, National Gallery, and Tate, by charging overseas visitors. The…

• Mormon-backed 'Animal Farm' adaptation turns Orwell into Christian propaganda opinion-review

  A new 3D-animated adaptation of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' has been released by Angel Studios, a Mormon-run company based in Provo, Utah. Directed by Andy Serkis, the film…

• Film Review: 'Le Virtuose' follows a piano prodigy turned safe-cracker opinion-review

  The French drama 'Le Virtuose' centers on Niki, a young man with perfect pitch who is torn between a life of crime as a safe-cracker and the hope of a peaceful existence. The film…

• Umberto Croppi on the Moments That Defined His Career in Art opinion-review

  Umberto Croppi, President of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his career in the art world. He traces his formative experiences back…

• Pope Leo XIV Warns Against AI Monopolies in New Encyclical opinion-review

  Pope Leo XIV has issued an encyclical on artificial intelligence, warning against the dangers of monopolies and 'dehumanization' while calling for stronger regulation. The…

• Mravinsky's Leningrad Philharmonic vs. Today's Met Opera: A Conductor's Lament opinion-review

  A critic reflects on the decline of orchestral performance, contrasting the 1965 Leningrad Philharmonic under Yevgeny Mravinsky with a recent lackluster Metropolitan Opera…

• Co-Curated Biennials Should Embrace Disagreement opinion-review

  Most co-curated biennials present a facade of harmony in their catalogues and press statements, but the author argues that differing perspectives among curators are not a flaw to…

• The decline of feel-good news stories and why we need them back opinion-review

  Light-hearted news segments, traditionally known as 'And finally…', have largely disappeared from news bulletins due to 24-hour news channels and social media algorithms.…

• Doris Duke Foundation's Ashley Ferro-Murray on Dance Funding Gaps opinion-review

  Ashley Ferro-Murray, program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Foundation, brings her experience as a dancer, choreographer, and curator to address gaps in U.S. dance…

• The Stair as Ontological Threshold: Architecture's Poetics of Movement opinion-review

  In a thought-provoking essay published in The Architect's Newspaper, Adam Rolston, the senior founding partner of INC Architecture & Design, posits that stairs represent the…

• The Great Flip-Flop Debate: Fashion, Safety, and City Streets opinion-review

  A Vogue article examines the contentious issue of wearing flip-flops in urban environments, particularly New York City. Critics find open-toed footwear visually unappealing,…

• Gandhi's Micro- and Macro-Morality: A Reflection at Raj Ghat opinion-review

  At Raj Ghat in New Delhi, the author reflects on Gandhi's distinction between micro-morality (personal kindness, politeness) and macro-morality (confronting unjust systems).…

• German Coalition's 'Social Reforms' Criticized as Massive Cuts opinion-review

  A commentary in the German newspaper 'der Freitag' criticizes the proposed social reforms by the black-red coalition government, led by Friedrich Merz, as a massive austerity…

• Soderbergh's 'The Christophers' Examines Art, Money, and Family opinion-review

  Steven Soderbergh's new film 'The Christophers' is a tense, single-location drama exploring how market value distorts family bonds and artists' identities. The film centers on…

• BookTok's Critical Language: Relatability Over Craft opinion-review

  An essay in The Point examines how BookTok, the TikTok subcommunity that drove 59 million print book sales in the U.S. in 2024, has reshaped literary criticism around emotional…

• Rafael Tamayo: Colombian museum sector must rethink itself opinion-review

  Rafael Tamayo Franco, director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín (MAMM), argues that the entire Colombian museum sector needs to be rethought. In an interview for Artishock…

• Yanis Varoufakis: NATO dissolution necessary for European sovereignty opinion-review

  Yanis Varoufakis argues that NATO must be dissolved for Europe to achieve sovereignty in defense matters. He contends that NATO draws Europe into unwanted wars and must be…

• Trump didn't start America's decay, argues decade-old essays opinion-review

  A 2014 Foreign Affairs issue titled 'See America: Land of Decay & Dysfunction' features a crumbling Capitol Building on its cover, arguing that US institutional decay and populist…

• German Pension Reform Sparks Debate Over Retirement Age and Benefits opinion-review

  A commentary in Der Freitag criticizes the German government's sweeping social reforms, particularly regarding pensions. The article questions whether the retirement age will rise…

• Lionel Wendt's Male Nudes: Defiance or Aesthetic? opinion-review

  At American Art Catalogues in Manhattan's West Village, the first US solo show of Lionel Wendt's photographs presents haunting gelatin silver prints of male nudes. The exhibition…

• Leonora Carrington Biopic Fails to Capture Surrealist's Radical Spirit opinion-review

  The biopic 'Leonora in the Morning Light' chronicles the remarkable journey of surrealist Leonora Carrington, who, born in Britain, escaped London at the age of 20 to join Max…

• Sophia Süßmilch Challenges Ole Liebl on Profiteering Feminism opinion-review

  In a response published in der Freitag, Sophia Süßmilch criticizes Ole Liebl for dismissing accusations of being a 'profit-oriented feminist.' Liebl had previously argued in the…

• Frictionmaxxing: Why inconvenience may be essential for creativity opinion-review

  In a society fixated on convenience, the idea of 'frictionmaxxing' has surfaced as a reactionary movement that champions the intentional acceptance of discomfort. The Guardian…

• Strafrecht als Feigenblatt im Kampf gegen sexualisierte Gewalt opinion-review

  Leonie Steinl, Strafrechtsprofessorin und ehemalige Vorsitzende der Strafrechtskommission im Deutschen Juristinnenbund, kritisiert in einem Interview mit der Freitag die…