Phoenix from the ashes?
Twenty-five leading international artists are participating in a project to turn debris from the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building into art.
The Mackintosh library, widely considered a masterpiece of design, was gutted by fire on May 23, 2014. Each artist has been given a piece of material chosen specifically for them from the ruins of the library. The work they create will be sold at auction to raise money for the Mackintosh Campus Appeal. The project, entitled Ash to Art, is expected to raise around £32 million. Participating artists include Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Simon Starling, Grayson Perry, Jenny Saville, David Shrigley, The Chapman Brothers and Sir Peter Blake. The work will be on display at Christie's in London's King Street between March 3 and 7, and will be auctioned during the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on March 8. BBC News has further details.
Israel withdraws from “Creative Europe”
In a last minute U-turn, the Israeli government has pulled back from the European Union’s “Creative Europe” funding program.
The Israeli minister of culture and sports Miri Regev announced that she was pulling her support from the proposal just before Israel’s eligibility to join the cultural funding program was made official. The cancellation came after it was revealed Regev had intended to sign off a proposal which excludes cultural programs in the settlements from receiving European grants, as they are not considered as part of Israel by the European Union. The last-minute backtracking has been heavily criticized by the Israeli arts community. Maayan Sheleff, curator of the international residency program Art Cube Artists Studios in Jerusalem, commented: “This is an immensely important program, and it would be a shame if the government chooses to give it up rather than finding a way to make it happen. By doing so they contribute to the segregation of Israel.” More via Israel Hayom.
Phillips makes new appointment
Phillips has appointed Clarice Pecori Giraldi as regional director for Italy.
Giraldi leaves behind her former positions as managing director of Italy and, most recently, head of European private sales at Christie’s. In her new role, Giraldi will be based in Milan and will work alongside Phillips’ senior international specialist Carolina Lanfranchi and senior advisor Francesco Bonami to expand the auction house’s presence in the country. ARTnews has further details.
Clarice Pecori Giraldi. Photo via Vanity Fair.it
Pioneer Works announces residents
Pioneer Works, the Brooklyn-based arts nonprofit, has announced its residents for 2017 in three categories: visual arts, music, and tech.
The program, which began in 2012, provides free open-plan studio space at the organization’s 25,000-square-foot campus in Red Hook. The 13 visual arts residents were chosen from a pool of around 650 open-call applications. Among the selected residents are the New-York based artist and filmmaker Pascual Sisto, the US/Mexican group Camel Collective, and the performance and installation artist Kenya Robinson. See the full list via ARTnews.
