Arts News

Japan artisans showcase Olympic collection under virus cloud

By AFP

Apo - Craftsman Kimiaki Kono was hoping the Tokyo Olympics would be a chance to win new fans for Japan's lute-like shamisen, but the pandemic has left things on a sour note.

$69 million digital art buyer shines light on 'NFT' boom

By AFP

Fpo - The blockchain entrepreneur who paid a record $69.3 million for a digital artwork looks, at first glance, nothing like a wealthy collector.

Ai Weiwei mourns Hong Kong freedoms but 'proud' of Tiananmen photo furore

By AFP

Fpo - When dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei secretly snapped a picture of himself showing a middle finger in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, he knew it was provocative.

Racy secrets revealed in Brits' lockdown postcards

By AFP

London - Luxuriant body hair, stashes of sex toys and taboo desires: hundreds in Britain have revealed their deepest lockdown secrets on postcards sent to a London stationery shop.

Patriot games: Hong Kong arts scene shudders as loyalists circle

By AFP

Fpo - After successfully muzzling Hong Kong's democracy protests and opposition, Beijing's loyalists are now taking aim at the arts as they seek to impose mainland-style orthodoxy on culture and purge the city of dissent.

Forgotten at home, Italian comic strip enjoys cult status in ex-Yugoslavia

By AFP

Belgrade - Alan Ford, a 1960s Italian comic strip following hapless secret agents as they battle a bizarre cast of villains, including one who steals from the poor and gives to the rich, was intended as satire.

Steven Appleby's August Crimp: the cross-dressing crusader

By AFP

London - Not all superheroes wear capes: some prefer dresses. Cartoonist Steven Appleby drew on his own cross-dressing to create August Crimp, who transforms into "Dragman" whenever he puts on women's clothes.

Switzerland's timeless art mechanics embraces 3D future

By AFP

Sainte-croix - In his snow-bound workshop, Swiss master Francois Junod's moving mechanical artworks whir into action: birds whistle, historical luminaries write poetry -- traditional craftsmanship newly recognised as being among the world's cultural heritage.

North Korea's Kim poses in military uniform with gun in new portrait

By AFP

Seoul - North Korean state media have displayed an unprecedented portrait of leader Kim Jong Un in military uniform -- and an assault rifle on his desk -- as the nuclear-armed nation holds a key meeting of its ruling party.

'We all survived': Wuhan artists keep virus memories alive

By AFP

Wuhan - A melancholy guitar melody intertwines with an ethereal beat as wild-haired singer Lu Yan intones his hometown's feelings into a microphone: "Virus in Wuhan. We all survived.

'Don't leave trash in the desert': Utah monolith removal explained

By AFP

Los Angeles - The mystery of how a metal monolith appeared in the Utah desert remains, but the riddle of its removal seems to have been solved -- and sadly, has nothing to do with aliens.

Cuban president says artist collective's protest was US plot

By AFP

Havana - Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Sunday that a recent protest in Havana by an artists' collective over freedom of expression was "the last attempt" by US President Donald Trump's administration "to overthrow the revolution.

Mysterious monolith in US desert reportedly disappears

By AFP

Los Angeles - A mysterious metal monolith found in the remote desert of the western United States, sparking a national guessing game over how it got there, has apparently disappeared, officials said.

Cuba sees rare protest over freedom of expression

By AFP

Havana - About 200 Cuban artists demonstrated outside the country's culture ministry on Friday in a rare protest over freedom of expression that received support from leading Cuban cinema figures.

Glasgow artist launches plastic bag museum

By AFP

Glasgow - Katrina Cobain unwraps a parcel and removes its precious contents, slowly and delicately as if she were handling an ancient scroll of papyrus.

Sindika Dokolo, husband to Angola's Isabel dos Santos, dies

By AFP

Luanda - Sindika Dokolo, the husband of Isabel dos Santos, billionaire daughter of Angola's former president, has died, his family announced on Friday.

Hungary students hold 'freedom' rally on anniversary of 1956 uprising

By AFP

Budapest - A rally held by students blockading Hungary's top arts university for over 50 days. in protest at a reform by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, on Friday drew thousands of supporters in Budapest.

Lebanese artists in overdrive to restore Beirut's beauty

By AFP

Beirut - Lebanese stained glass artist Maya Husseini had hoped to retire after decades spent designing colourful windows, but she has been flooded with work since the blast that ripped through Beirut.

Pantomime dames hit London streets to urge virus funding

By AFP

London - Extravagantly dressed pantomime dames brought a dash of colour to central London on Wednesday to highlight the plight of the coronavirus-ravaged arts sector.

Hungary students dig in at blockade for academic freedom

By AFP

Budapest - A month into a blockade of Hungary's top arts university, hundreds of students rebelling against control by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government show no sign of quitting.

Ai Weiwei supports Assange with silent protest

By AFP

London - Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei held a silent protest on Monday outside a London court to demand the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces extradition to the United States.

Botticelli painting expected to sell for record $80m

By AFP

New York - A painting by Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli could fetch over $80 million when it goes under the hammer in New York in January, Sotheby's said Thursday -- a record auction price for the artist.

Eerie Belgrade exhibit turns Ratko Mladic diary into art

By AFP

Belgrade - For nearly four years Serbian artist Vladimir Miladinovic started his day with a morning coffee and the diary of one of the Balkans' most notorious war criminals, Ratko Mladic.

Ancient Golan rock art sheds light on mysterious culture

By AFP

Katzrin - The chance discovery of lines carved into the boulders of an ancient tomb in what is now the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights could offer new insight into an enigmatic culture that thrived thousands of years ago.

Milton Glaser, designer of iconic 'I (Heart) NY' logo, is dead at 91

By AFP

New York - If you like American pop culture you certainly know his work, even if you don't know his name: graphic designer Milton Glaser, known for his wildly popular "I (Heart) NY" logo, died Friday on his 91st birthday.

Greece's 'invisible' artists call for help in virus squeeze

By AFP

Athens - "For us, there is no return to normality."Despite being one of Greece's best-known folk singers, Natassa Bofiliou is among thousands of artists worried about the economic impact of coronavirus lockdowns that have only just begun to be eased.

Indian inventor revs up corona car to drive home lockdown message

By AFP

New Delhi - A giant coronavirus is stalking the streets of southern India -- propelled by a 100 cc engine and an inventor trying to drive home the message that Indians should stay indoors as the pandemic sweeps across the world.

Art blooms in gritty Dakar neighbourhood

By AFP

Dakar - Mamadou Boye Diallo, an art curator with a penchant for heart-shaped glasses, calls Dakar's working-class Medina neighbourhood an open-air museum.

K-pop pioneers BTS unveil global modern art initiative

By AFP

London - Korean pop superstars BTS helped launch a global public art project in London on Tuesday inspired by their message of inclusivity and involving renowned artists including Antony Gormley and Tomas Saraceno.

Bruce Lee’s daughter sues fast food chain for using father's image

By AFP

Shanghai - A company run by Bruce Lee's daughter is suing a Chinese fast food chain for allegedly using an image of the late martial arts film star without permission.