Opinion & reviews

Editorials, critical reviews, analyses, commentaries, and viewpoints on the contemporary art world.

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Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem Resonates with 2020s Politics opinion-review
A new essay in the Hedgehog Review argues that Joan Didion's 1968 collection 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' is particularly relevant today. The essay highlights how the late…
Sven Beckert's 'Capitalism: A Global History' Reviewed by Corey Robin opinion-review
In his review of Sven Beckert's extensive 1,325-page work, 'Capitalism: A Global History,' Corey Robin examines the evolution of capitalism from 12th-century Aden to modern times.…
Gradual Change, Not Revolution, Advocated for Orchestras opinion-review
An opinion piece in The Telegraph argues that classical concert-going needs piecemeal, gradual change rather than radical reinvention. The author suggests repurposing traditional…
IDF Soldiers' Back-Turned Portraits as Counterportraiture and Concealment opinion-review
The article analyzes official portraits of Israeli soldiers with their backs to the camera, arguing that this pose functions as a form of concealment to avoid identification and…
Five Proposals to Overhaul Spotify's Artist Economy opinion-review
Joel Gouveia proposes five structural changes to Spotify, arguing the platform's design flaws harm artists despite industry growth. Music revenues rose 6.4% last year, with 837…
Venice Biennale overwhelmed by global crises, artists' voices diminished opinion-review
The 2024 Venice Biennale is described as a hypertrophic funfair where artists have been pushed to the margins, their voices weakened by the deafening noise of ongoing and emerging…
Biennale in Venedig: Politisierung überlagert die Kunst opinion-review
Die Eröffnung der Biennale von Venedig fand in der vergangenen Woche statt, wurde jedoch von perfekt inszenierten Protestaktionen und geschlossenen Pavillons aus Streikgründen…
Cannes Critics Master the Art of Noncommittal Praise opinion-review
Guillemette Faure's column in Le Monde examines the delicate social choreography of film criticism at the Festival de Cannes, where attendees often resort to vague compliments…
Looksmaxxing: AI-Driven Masculinity as a Design Problem opinion-review
Looksmaxxing, an AI-powered tool that analyzes men's faces and suggests physical improvements, is critiqued as a design problem that reduces identity to visual systems like…
Leadership Mutates: From Egotism to Leaderful Collectives opinion-review
Dr. heeten bhagat's essay for Sleek Magazine rethinks leadership through the lens of contemporary art and fashion. He contrasts traditional top-down, egotistic leadership with…
Marlene Monteiro Freitas's 'NÔT' Disappoints at Kunstenfestival 2026 opinion-review
At the Kunstenfestival Bruxelles 2026, Cape Verdean choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas presented 'NÔT' at the Théâtre National Bruxelles from May 14 to 17. The piece, which…
Body Horror in Women's Art: From Saville to Garner, Abjection as Resistance opinion-review
The article explores how contemporary women artists use body horror to challenge societal norms of beauty, femininity, and the female body. It traces the lineage from 1970s…
Birthright: Zoe Pepper's Housing Crisis Satire Hits Australian Cinemas opinion-review
Zoe Pepper's debut feature film 'Birthright,' a savage satire of Australia's housing crisis, is released in cinemas on 21 May 2026. The film follows a stressed couple, Cory…
Enduring Bond Between Artists and Opera opinion-review
Opera continues to captivate visual artists across generations, from Marc Chagall's work at the Metropolitan Opera to William Kentridge's productions at Glyndebourne. The total…
NZZ Opinion: West Europe's Distorted Relationship with Religion opinion-review
A Neue Zürcher Zeitung opinion piece argues that Western Europe has a distorted relationship with religion, criticizing the tendency to despise Christianity while pandering to…
Bridal Industry's Size Inclusivity Problem Exposed opinion-review
A Vogue investigation reveals that luxury bridal salons rarely carry a full size range, typically stocking only sample sizes equivalent to US street sizes 4-6 or 6-8, with…
Pierre Salvadori's 'La Vénus électrique' explores love as illusion opinion-review
Pierre Salvadori's new film 'La Vénus électrique' premiered on May 12, 2026, as reviewed by Le Monde. The film features a cast of actors and actresses who are described as…
True resilience is not about bouncing back, argues Psyche essay opinion-review
An essay on Psyche challenges the common understanding of resilience as the ability to bounce back from adversity. The author argues that calling someone resilient in the…
France's cultural exception debate resurfaces amid crisis opinion-review
The concept of 'l'exception culturelle française' was championed and secured by Paris during broad trade negotiations in the 1990s. Three years ago at the Cannes Film Festival…
Ballet Body Trend Reflects Conservative Backlash on Gender Roles opinion-review
The 'Ballet Body' aesthetic is gaining popularity as a beauty ideal, promoting extreme thinness and discipline. This trend, spreading via social media under 'Ballet Core', is…
Age Is Not a Barrier to Gallery Representation, Says Art Dealer opinion-review
A gallery owner with experience signing artists from age 14 to 89 argues that age-related self-doubt is an unnecessary hurdle for artists seeking representation. The dealer notes…
Will AI Make College Unnecessary? opinion-review
A parent reflects on whether saving for college is wise given AI's potential to disrupt higher education. The author notes that over 25% of US college students consider tuition a…
Erich Vad: Merz sollte US-Tomahawk-Entscheidung für Russland-Verhandlungen nutzen opinion-review
Der frühere Bundeswehr-General Erich Vad, der Angela Merkel und die CDU/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion militärpolitisch beriet, fordert Friedrich Merz auf, die Entscheidung der USA zum…
Maxim Biller's Column Sparks Antisemitism Debate in German Literature opinion-review
Writer Maxim Biller has ignited a controversy in German literary circles after publishing a column in which he describes having lunch with Germanist Stefan Martus. The column,…
Kuba als Projektionsfläche der deutschen Linken opinion-review
Ein historischer Rückblick auf die Faszination der deutschen Linken für die kubanische Revolution. Von den 1960er Jahren bis heute reisten Intellektuelle, Künstler und Aktivisten…
Annemarie Jacir's 'Palestine 36' Criticized for Clichés and Heroic Tropes opinion-review
Annemarie Jacir's film 'Palestine 36' is the first fictional feature to address the Arab revolts in 1930s Palestine, focusing on the village of Al-Basam. The film depicts…
The Paradox of Contemporary Art: A Violent World, Yet Works Are Correct and Harmless opinion-review
Christian Caliandro critiques the growing dissociation between contemporary art and reality, arguing that as global violence and political chaos escalate, art has retreated into…
Song of the Samurai: Epic Japanese Period Drama Review opinion-review
The Financial Times reviews 'Song of the Samurai', a Japanese period drama described as epic, violent, and enormously enjoyable. The review highlights the series' intense action…
László Nemes' 'Andor Hirsch' Fails to Deliver Emotional Impact opinion-review
László Nemes' third film, 'Andor Hirsch', premieres to critical disappointment. The historical drama follows Andor (Barabás Bojtorján), a Hungarian-Jewish half-orphan raised in…
Wrestling With Trump review: presidential politics meets WWE opinion-review
The Financial Times reviews 'Wrestling With Trump', a work examining whether Donald Trump's political strategy is based on WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). The review explores…
Porn Star and Catholic Church Clash at 2026 Venice Biennale opinion-review
The opening week of the 2026 Venice Biennale was dominated by a former porn star and the Catholic Church, according to a diary by Roisin Agnew. The piece highlights the…
Gabriele Segre on Hope as a Principle of Movement opinion-review
In the concluding chapter of 'La fine della fine della storia', Gabriele Segre argues that hope is not a passive expectation but an active, dynamic principle of movement. Drawing…
Claire G Coleman: Listen to Indigenous voices on climate and Country opinion-review
Noongar writer Claire G Coleman argues that Indigenous knowledge systems, encoded in stories passed down for tens of thousands of years, offer critical insights into climate…
Brics as a tool for leverage, not a binding bloc on Iran war opinion-review
An opinion article suggests that the Brics coalition does not require a cohesive position on the Iran conflict to maintain its significance. The writer argues that Brics should be…
Grundgesetz-Reform: Jörg Phil Friedrichs Plädoyer für eine radikale Demokratie opinion-review
Am Freitag hat Jörg Phil Friedrich eine grundlegende Reform des Grundgesetzes gefordert. Er hebt zwei wesentliche Mängel der deutschen Verfassung hervor: Zum einen wird die…
Trend Simulation: Music Marketing's Fake Authenticity Crisis opinion-review
The marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked controversy by bragging about its ability to make musicians go viral through "trend simulation"—paying social media accounts…
Ingar Solty’s 8. May in Berlin: Between Militarization and Student Protest opinion-review
On 8 May, Ingar Solty experienced a day in Berlin that encapsulated the tension between militarization and resistance. Overhearing two armaments managers on the S-Bahn near…
Food Review's Demise: TikTok Hyperbole vs. Descriptive Writing opinion-review
A Slate article examines the decline of traditional food criticism in favor of short-form video reviews on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The author contrasts vague,…
Regional art markets gain ground as global hubs face protectionist pressures opinion-review
The Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report shows that regions outside the US, UK, and China increased their share of the art market from 17% in 2015 to 24% in 2025. This shift is…
Subtle Discrimination Against German Turks Persists opinion-review
A German-Turkish author describes how Muslim children in daycare are labeled 'vegetarian' for not eating pork, erasing their religious identity. This subtle form of exclusion…

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