Opinion & reviews

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• Fleur Kilpatrick's recipe for restarting as a community artist opinion-review

  Artist Fleur Kilpatrick, an Associate Artist at Riverland Youth Theatre living on Erawirrung Country, shares a recipe for starting over as a community arts practitioner, developed…

• Colombian right-wing uses AI to flood campaigns with operative images opinion-review

  During the 2026 presidential race in Colombia, right-wing contenders are employing generative AI to produce subpar visuals, such as soap operas themed around fruit and artificial…

• Animated Short 'Prison and Time' Critiques U.S. Carceral System opinion-review

  A new animated short film, 'Prison and Time,' created by writer Marvin Wade and animator Evan Bode, critiques the U.S. carceral system's failure to rehabilitate. The film,…

• AI-Generated Story Wins Prize, Sparks Debate on Literary Values opinion-review

  A short story written by artificial intelligence won a literary prize, igniting controversy over the role of human creativity in writing. The debate centers on whether AI can…

• SarkHollande show fails to capture presidential era opinion-review

  The latest installment of 'Huit rois (nos présidents)', a theatrical piece featuring Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande in a stand-up and clown format, opened at the Théâtre 13…

• Over 350 figures back Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid after FID Marseille withdrawal opinion-review

  Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, director of the film 'Oui', has withdrawn from participation in the FID Marseille festival due to pressure. In response, a collective of over 350…

• CNC President Defends French Film Funding Model Against Domestic Critics opinion-review

  In an op-ed for Le Monde, Gaëtan Bruel, president of the Centre national du cinéma (CNC), warns that the French film financing model—long praised and copied globally—is now under…

• Critics and Filmmakers Pick Their Favorite Steven Spielberg Movies opinion-review

  A Guardian feature compiles personal reflections on Steven Spielberg's films from directors, critics, and superfans. Contributors include Edgar Wright (Raiders of the Lost Ark),…

• Venice Biennale jury resigns over Russian pavilion reopening, sparking debate on art and politics opinion-review

  Days before the official opening of the 61st Venice Biennale on May 9, 2026, the entire jury resigned in protest against the reopening of the Russian national pavilion. This…

• Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels and the Tension Between Art and Its Surroundings opinion-review

  In a review for ArtReview, Jenny Wu explores the enduring appeal of Nancy Holt's land art, focusing on Sun Tunnels (1973–76) in Utah's Great Basin Desert. Wu describes the work's…

• Humanities education essential as AI blurs human-machine boundaries opinion-review

  A Stanford study found a 16% decline in entry-level employment in AI-exposed occupations in the US since 2022, while experienced roles remain stable. The proliferation of AI…

• Pascal Bruckner criticizes Edwy Plenel and Médiapart for blind anti-fascism opinion-review

  In a guest commentary for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, French philosopher Pascal Bruckner critiques Edwy Plenel, founder of the online newspaper Médiapart, for his role as a…

• Art World's AI Embrace Risks Amplifying Gender Inequities, Report Warns opinion-review

  According to a report by Artnet and the Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA), the integration of AI in the art sector exhibits a gender bias. The second annual Hardwiring…

• Klaus Dörre on the Necessity of Strikes for Visibility opinion-review

  Labor sociologist Klaus Dörre argues that strikes are essential for workers to achieve visibility in a culture dominated by a tyranny of visibility. He explains that threats of…

• Italian High School Curriculum Sparks Cultural War Debate opinion-review

  A new set of national guidelines for Italian high schools (Licei) has ignited a polarized public debate, with commentators accusing the Ministry of Education of using the…

• Eva Lewarne's Polemic on Patriarchy and AI as Modern Headhunting opinion-review

  Eva Lewarne's blog post 'MEN/WOMEN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES' argues that contemporary tech billionaires and AI dominance represent an extreme form of patriarchy rooted in ancient…

• US Student Loan Policy Threatens Arts Education opinion-review

  The US Department of Education has introduced a policy that evaluates eligibility for college student loan programs based on the average earnings of graduates, which poses a risk…

• Iceland’s Drone Ban: Conservation Theater or Regulation? opinion-review

  Photographer Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove critiques Iceland's Nature Conservation Agency (Náttúruverndarstofnun) for a new policy effective May 17, 2026, that bans recreational and…

• How Pixar's 'Cars' Franchise Prioritized Merchandising Over Art opinion-review

  Twenty years after its release, Pixar's 'Cars' is critiqued as the studio's first major misstep, prioritizing merchandising revenue over artistic integrity. The film, directed by…

• Sigma BF Camera Review: Beautiful Foolishness with Serious Limitations opinion-review

  Sigma's BF camera, named after the phrase 'beautiful foolishness' from The Book of Tea, is an eccentric full-frame camera that prioritizes aesthetics over usability. Priced at…

• Debate on US Reliability for NATO: Yes, No, Maybe opinion-review

  A Süddeutsche Zeitung article examines Donald Trump's inconsistent stance toward European allies, presenting a friendly, unpredictable, and hostile face simultaneously. The piece…

• Hong Kong urged to adopt Hefei model for Northern Metropolis development opinion-review

  An opinion article from the South China Morning Post suggests that Hong Kong should implement the 'Hefei model' for its Northern Metropolis megaproject. The writer emphasizes that…

• Jochen Distelmeyer on the Art of Writing Love Songs opinion-review

  In an interview with NZZ, Hamburg-based songwriter, Blumfeld singer, and author Jochen Distelmeyer discusses the craft of writing love songs. He argues that kitsch arises when…

• NZZ-Kritik: Schweizer Kulturförderung erstickt Exzellenz in Bürokratie opinion-review

  Ein NZZ-Kommentar kritisiert die Schweizer Kulturförderung scharf. Der Autor argumentiert, dass die Förderpraxis Exzellenz im Mittelmaß ertränke und korrekte Dossiers wichtiger…

• KI-Euphorie an Unis gefährdet Schriftlichkeit als Bildungsprinzip opinion-review

  Eine Umfrage des Centrums für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE) in Gütersloh zeigt, dass 65 Prozent der Studierenden KI-Tools nutzen, ein Viertel davon täglich. Die Studierenden…

• Irving Penn's Image Game: Fashion as Photography opinion-review

  Marco Belpoliti reflects on fashion as an image of an image, using Irving Penn as the central figure. Penn, who debuted on Vogue in 1943 and died in 2009, initially trained as a…

• US Education Department to Judge Arts Programs by Graduate Earnings opinion-review

  The US Education Department has initiated the cancellation of student loans for almost all college arts programs, now evaluating institutions based on the earnings of their…

• Risks of Top-Down Art Regeneration in Italy's Inner Areas opinion-review

  The article critically examines the trend of using public art to regenerate Italy's inner areas and small municipalities, warning against top-down interventions disconnected from…

• Photographer Jeff Austin Reflects on Two Decades Shooting Tokyo with Vintage Nikkor Lenses opinion-review

  Street photographer Jeff Austin, based in Tokyo and shooting with pre-AI Nikkor lenses from the 1960s and 1970s, reflects on his twenty-year practice of photographing the same…

• Opinion: Techie Billionaire Cult is a Failure opinion-review

  An opinion piece argues that tech billionaires have created a cult-like system of psychological manipulation through addictive technologies, isolating individuals and feeding them…

• The Liberal Arts: Relevance in the 21st Century opinion-review

  The liberal arts education, rooted in Ancient Greece and Rome, has declined in popularity due to specialization and perceived elitism. Originating with the Sophists and later…

• Venedig-Biennale: Kunst unter politischem Druck opinion-review

  Dieter Roelstraete reflektiert in seiner Kolumne über die Venedig-Biennale als politischen Ausnahmezustand und die Frage, wie sehr Kunst in nationalen Pavillons unter Druck steht.…

• Italian universities decline in global rankings amid funding crisis opinion-review

  The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has released a new report showing a decline in the global standing of Italian universities. Sapienza University of Rome, the…

• Scientist Adam Rutherford on why Hollywood aliens always look human opinion-review

  In a new essay for the Financial Times, scientist Adam Rutherford critiques Hollywood's tendency to anthropomorphize extraterrestrials in films like 'Avatar' and 'Star Trek'. He…

• Swiss identity shaped by migrants and expats, says NZZ cultural market column opinion-review

  A column in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung's cultural market section explores how Switzerland has been fundamentally shaped by migrants, refugees, and expatriates, who are described as…

• Psychiatrist Daniel Hell Criticizes Over-Pathologization of Sadness opinion-review

  In a recent interview, Swiss psychiatrist Daniel Hell argues that normal human emotions like sadness are being excessively medicalized. He states that what was once described as…

• Linke Sozialproteste ignorieren Kriegsausgaben opinion-review

  Die Linkspartei startet am 1. Juni 2026 eine bundesweite Kampagne gegen Sozialabbau unter dem Titel „Es reicht“. Die Auftaktkundgebung findet auf dem Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz vor der…

• Pete Hegseth's China tone shift at Shangri-La Dialogue signals US decline opinion-review

  US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore showed a notable shift in tone on China, with fewer attacks, no mention of Taiwan, and a vague…

• AI as a Bespoke Tool: How Vibe-Coding Is Transforming Work Instead of Replacing Jobs opinion-review

  A New Yorker essay by an anonymous author argues that AI is not eliminating jobs but rather enabling workers to create custom software tools that automate tedious tasks. The…

• Katarina Feder on Artists' Rights, AI Training, and Copyright in the Digital Age opinion-review

  Katarina Feder, the vice president of the Artists Rights Society (ARS), examines the implications of AI on artists' rights. She comments on David Salle's application of AI in his…