Two years, $29 million dollars and 1,400 tons of steel – that’s what it will take to get a gigantic “oil rig twisting on itself,” UK’s largest public artwork, to stand bombastically in the 2012 Olympics park in London. Read more »
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Come cheer and jeer at the Art Handling Olympics at Ramiken and celebrate the local Atlases of the galleries as they screw, straighten and race for the win. Fifteen art handler teams compete for the gold with craftiness and tenacity, rain or shine. Read more »
“Neo-conceptionalist” Theo Sims boozes up Olypmics town with an art instillation replica of a Belfast pub inside a 12-by-20-foot plywood box. To make Vancouver’s Candahar “realistic,” Sims imported a pair of “Irish publican” brothers, complete with fedoras, thick sweaters and even thicker Ulster accents: awkward or awesome? Read more »
The city of Vancouver is following in the footsteps of China, censoring artwork in the run-up to the Olympics. A storefront painting critiquing the upcoming games was ordered removed by the city, citing graffiti bylaws according to The Globe and Mail. Read more »
Parting Shot: Final Countdown
With a skyline display, Chicago is counting the days until October 2nd, when a decision will be made on the city’s 2016 Olympic bid. |JPG|
Photo by Leatheia Brady Rhodes
Although technology induced artist James Powderly didn’t get a chance to shine the words “Free Tibet” on a building in Beijing, the mission was still a success. After being accosted out of bed by secret police, interrogated, and then hauled to a detention facility, word got out and the story received a lot of press. Plus a movement began, a t-shirt was designed, everyone (of the American activists) got home safe, and for the first time Twitter became relevant thanks to Earth Mouse. And it’s not like he didn’t get a chance to have some fun with his high tech tool, lighting up this message that’s slightly less important than freeing Tibet:
Late last night, ANIMAL reached newly freed activist Jeffrey Goldin by phone, one of the ten Americans released by Chinese authorities for pro-Tibetan activities during the Olympics—he was detained on August 19th along with James Powderly, Brian Conley, Jeffrey Rae, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant. Goldin described how he was jolted out of his hotel bed at around 2AM by eight secret police and later taken to a scary prison and interrogated about “Earth Mouse,” but more details on that later, first some set up.
With the 2008 Olympic games officially coming to end, brave US officials decided to finally step up diplomatic pressure on Beijing for the release of James Powderly and seven other Americans detained for their association with activist groups like a Students for A Free Tibet. It apparently worked and all eight were promptly deported to Los Angeles International airport yesterday, five days ahead of their ten day sentence. A lot more details will be forthcoming about the ordeal, but we did learn from co-conspirator and G.R.L. member Evan Roth that cops busted in Powderly’s hotel room ‘V for Vendetta style’ while he was sleeping and carted him away to the “Chong Wen Detention House”—more on that from them later.
“美国队选手è²å°”普斯在男å4×200米自由泳接力é¢å¥–仪å¼åŽå±•ç¤ºé‡‘牌，美国队在这个项目ä¸ä»¥6分58秒56çš„æˆç»©æ‰“ç ´ä¸–ç•Œçºªå½•ï¼Œå¹¶å¤ºå¾—é‡‘ç‰Œã€‚è¿™æ˜¯è²å°”普斯继男å400米个人混åˆæ³³ã€ç”·å4×100米自由泳接力ã€ç”·å200米自由泳和男å200ç±³è¶æ³³ä¹‹åŽï¼Œæ”¶èŽ·çš„第五枚北京奥è¿ä¼šé‡‘牌.” We have no clue what any of this copy says that accompanied the above image, not being proficient in Chinese, but judging by this Plum Island mutated rendering of American gold medal winning super-citizen and international athlete fucker Michael Phelps, it can’t be good. Stop hating guys! You’re still way ahead in the medal count and did just win the coveted bronze in the well respected sport of table tennis, leave our nationally treasured superheros out of it. |Jinghua|
Not only do Chinese authority figures hate L.A.S.E.R. and LED-lit art pieces during the Olympics, but they also frown upon more subtle works too. According to the Wall Street Journal, the above painting, “Birds Nest, in the Style of Cubism,” by Zhang Hong is being sent back to where it came from, New York, after being rejected by customs officials for its unflattering depiction of Beijing’s Olympic stadium and pro-Tibetan propaganda. And it’s not like the painting was going to be displayed in public per se, it was part of an exhibit at the Germany Embassy. Artist Zhang Hong moved to New York in 1982 after leaving China to study art in the US. |WSJ|
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