Artist takes on social media giants; Banksy\’s newest work already vandalised

A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!

David vs Goliath: An artist takes on Facebook

Digital artist and professor of new media at the University of Illinois Ben Grosser is perhaps the most usefully hands-on of all critics of social media. His 47-minute video film Order of Magnitude (played faster at 30 seconds in the original version) has spliced together every public instance in which Mark Zuckerberg has talked of “more” and “bigger” with reference to numbers on and for Facebook. Besides, Grosser has also created a range of software that deconstructs exactly how numbers add up, like Demetricators for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Guardian explores the iconoclast’s take.

Banksy’s newest graffiti already defaced

The local council of Lowestoft, Suffolk along the UK’s seaside coast have stated that a new Banksy artwork that had brought excitement to their town has been defaced — less than 48 hours after it was confirmed to be the work of the famous artist. The elusive artist famed for his street art had recently paid a visit to Lowestoft and left behind a painting of a rat sitting on a deckchair. White paint appeared to have been applied to the wall using a roller, but the council are \’hopeful\’ the work can be restored. Locals have voiced their anger as the artwork had been hoped to attract tourists. Daily Mail reports.

Adorning the streets of Kolkata with new art

In Bengal, street graffiti mostly have a political undertone. But this Independence day, an attempt is being made to make such art less sporadic on Kolkata’s streets. An art campaign called ‘Colours of Kolkata’ has been recently launched to highlight the diverse ethos of the city. The West Bengal Transport Corporation has started this art initiative to celebrate Kolkata and its famous people. So, the central locations for the new artsy graffiti are WBTC depot walls. The Colours of Kolkata campaign starts from Park Circus and will cover most of the depots’ walls until Durga Puja. New arts are expected to appear at Tollygunge, opposite Tolly Club and Gariahat, near Ballygunge Phari. News 18 tells us more.