Art Girl Fax No. 281 Subscribers

By TheArtGorgeous, 30.07.2021

Hello, Gorgeous!

Tt’s no surprise that art-news has fallen to back of the headlines

There have been some wonderful moments at the Olympics so far this year: Tom Daley’s celebration of his gay identity, Simon Biles’ advocating for putting mental and physical health above competition, the German team sticking up a middle finger to skimpy outfits in gymnastics, and Hidilyn Diaz winning the Philippines’ first ever gold. With all of this going on, it’s no surprise that art-news has fallen to back of the headlines.Hugs and stay sane,The Girls

ART

1. Air-Pollution Absorbing Art Fitted on Regent Street

Artist Morag Myerscough has had 100 flags hung above one of London’s busiest roads. The eye-catching works are made of recycled plastic and use sunlight to break down dangerous elements in the air into clean gas. The flags will remove the same amount of air pollution as is produced by 140,000 car journeys! Myerscough said that it’s “wonderful to see Regent Street’s iconic wide curved open thoroughfare filled with colour and hope” – we couldn’t agree more.

2. Olympic Robots Creating Art

Jason Bruges’ ‘The Constant Gardeners’ installation sees four robots constantly create patterns in sand at the Ueno Park, Tokyo. The piece coincides with the Olympics and makes reference to Japanese Zen gardens. The robotic arms were once used in BMW factories building cars, and Bruges’ studio had to rewire them for their new purpose. 

FASHION

3. Crocs Are Still On The Up

Whether you love them or hate them, Crocs are having a renaissance. The team behind what might be the most-loved ugly shoe of all time have reported record sales of £465 million over three months – almost double the sales of the same period last year. They are anticipating revenue to rise by 65% in 2021, given that Crocs have now become a staple item in our post-lockdown casual wardrobes.

4. Gaga’s Return to Dramatic Fashion

Lady Gaga has stepped out once again in her Monster Heels. With the success of her acting career, it seemed that Mother Monster’s wardrobe had become less shocking and more traditionally ‘fashion’. This week she’s been spotted in a ribbed knit LBD with a fantastic fringe of feathers. We missed this!

MARKET

5. £1 Million Scam for a Kusama

Angela Gulbenkian, a socialite from Germany, has plead guilty to two counts of theft in London this week. She ‘sold’ an 81kg Yayoi Kusama pumpkin back in 2017 for $1.275 million and spent the money on luxury items like a Rolex, private jet charter, and holidays. Gulbenkian had married into a respected family of collectors, but following a rift between her husband and his father, her fortune slipped away. This definitely wasn’t the right way to fix that, Angela. 

6. National Museum of Australia to Return Pillaged Work to India

It has been announced that 14 works from the National Gallery of Australia’s Asian Art Collection will be returned to the Indian government. The works are valued at over $3 million and were acquired by the museum between 2002 and 2010. The pieces were bought from ‘Art of the Past’ a gallery now known to have palmed off stolen goods.