Life itself is the material for Art

Due to the unprecedented speed of global development and change over the recent years, it is not surprising that globalisation has inspired a ‘rude awakening’ of sorts through this crisis. Unfortunately, the economy is suffering as a result, and of course, so many people are failing to fight this virus. Unlike most things, we have […]

The rise of clicks; the decline of bricks

During the period of economic stagnation and then modest growth from the 1980s until the 2000s, there was no shortage of run-down urban areas that artists and other creative minds found hospitable, such as Shoreditch in London and Chelsea and Bushwick in New York City. Since 2005, global human capital flows into London and New […]

The Art Agenda: Soft Power Strategies and the Rise of Russia

For centuries arts and culture have been used by governments as a tool to achieve a better understanding and interaction with other countries. In recent years of fast globalisation, an effort to promote local culture on a global scale (without force or threats) has been referred to as “soft power”. However, the extent of governments […]

Disruptive technology

Trying to sell art via the Internet is nothing new, and many startups with such a goal quickly appeared and disappeared in the late 1990s. What makes this latest round of digital mania more likely to succeed, is the fact that a wide range of new ground-breaking technology has appeared in recent years. If a […]

Artists and Social Media – an Uneasy Relationship

Artists around the world have fully embraced social media as a new professional and personal communications tool. In the midst of the excitement that social media has to offer, do artist overlook the threats of piracy or unlawful use in favour of a possibility of selling their art? Social media offers an easy way for […]

Women in art: It’s not what you think

Much has been written recently about the status and position of women in contemporary art. Many writers bemoan the fact that women artists are grossly underrepresented in the profession, that they have fewer exhibitions, and command far lower prices than male artists. According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C., art work […]

Study of Russia

Is anyone to blame for the lack of controversy in the art world?

“It’s about my frustration about the art world. I think the truth is, we’re all responsible in one way or another.” Molly Crabapple shakes her head in a decisively disagreeing manner as I question why it’s so difficult for artists to freely express themselves in the art world during a recent debate on the Al […]

Artists must sell out to break out

“Why Artists must sell-out to break out” “Sometimes you have to sell-out to get your work seen in the mainstream.” Yells of fury and murmurs of disagreement erupted. As you would expect from a panel of artists with whom I was debating Art and Activism on Al Jazeera English earlier this week. I can see […]

Is social activism acceptable in Art?

I won’t lie. Sometimes I try to pretend that the refugee crisis hell doesn’t exist, and I don’t want to face difficult questions. But every time I go to the playground with my two-year old child and see other children running around and happily playing, I cannot help but think that this is exactly how […]