March 2013
FEATURE
Docu-art Dilemmas: Francis Frascina on schisms, ‘splitting’ and contradictions in documentary art
When Renzo Martens criticised the work of Mark Boulos in an interview with Artur Zmijewski, the work of all three video artists was thrown into relief. Martens argued that Boulos’s work was not self-critical concerning its own position within the global art market, but don’t each of these artists in their own way question the ethics of docu-art itself?
FEATURE
Viral Images: Sophie J Williamson on the case of Khaled Mohamed Saeed
Following Khaled Mohamed Saeed’s death at the hands of Egyptian police officers, his family’s decision to release a striking montage of photographs showing him before and after death catalysed mass protests and ultimately revolution. Does the subsequent proliferation of poster images through protestors’ networks highlight the urgent power of the image when embedded within grassroots movements?
FEATURE
Border Control: Marcus Verhagen on the contradictions inherent in globalisation
As the promise of globalisation is undone by ever-stricter border controls, how do artists such as Ursula Biemann, Mircea Cantor, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Amar Kanwar, Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen and Barthélémy Toguo reveal this contradiction through their work?
EDITORIAL
Ebacc Down
The coalition government has backed down on its despised anti-arts Ebacc education proposals, but it is still determined to push through its reforms to the curriculum with the result that future schoolchildren are more likely to learn about anti-art from Dadaists than from politicians.
Break Down
Does Westminster City Council’s vindictive decision to axe its entire arts funding, a cut that only saves 0.0004% of its annual budget, pave the way for other councils to target local arts organisations for ideological rather than economic reasons?
ARTNOTES
ACE hands out a budget cut to all of its National Portfolio arts organisations, regardless of their size; arts budgets come under attack at local councils in Newcastle, Westminster, Moray and Newport; national museums shed staff in a wave of redundancies; US ‘soft-power’ funding props up exhibitions at flagship London galleries; ACE announces 73m GBP of funding for numerous capital projects; Haunch of Venison gallery closes while a range of other galleries move, open and close; Henry Moore’s work outside Parliament is finally being restored; all the latest news on appointments, events, prizes and more.
OBITUARY
Richard Artschwager 1923–2013.
PROFILE
James Richards: Omar Kholeif on the London-based video artist
The eclectic British artist James Richards produces video and sculpture, curates film programmes and composes music. This variety feeds into his video works in particular, which subject diverse imagery to intense scrutiny and jam the wheels of the media’s rapid cultural production.
EXHIBITION REVIEWS
Caught in the Crossfire: Artistic Responses to Conflict, Peace and Reconciliation Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry – Martin Herbert
Michael Smith: Fountain Hales Gallery, London – Curt Riegelnegg
Raymond Pettibon: Human Wave Space Studios, London – Larne Abse Gogarty
Piero Gilardi: Collaborative Effects Nottingham Contemporary – Giulia Smith
Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands Karsten Schubert, London • Richard Saltoun, London – Maria Walsh
Body I Am Alison Jacques Gallery, London – Cherry Smyth
Becky Beasley: Spring Rain Spike Island, Bristol – Laura McLean-Ferris
Silvia Bächli/Eric Hattan: What About Sunday? MK Gallery, Milton Keynes – Andrew Bick
Michael Joaquin Grey: Orange between orange and Orange Carroll / Fletcher, London – David Barrett
London Round-up MOT • Herald Street • Chisenhale – Jennifer Thatcher
BOOKS
Judith Butler: Parting Ways
Ariella Azoulay: Civil Imagination
John Douglas Millar on two critical explorations of Israeli cultural theory.
LETTER FROM THE M4
Office of Experiments
Michael Hampton goes on a ‘Critical Excursion’ day-trip.
CONTRACTS
Creative Collaborators: Authors or Assistants?
Henry Lydiate asks who made what.
EXHIBITION LISTINGS
Art Monthly‘s exhibition listings and London gallery map can also be viewed online: www.artmonthly.co.uk/galleries.
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