Help from Getty trust to protect Ukranian cultural heritage; Insights from the Art World

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!

China\’s zero covid policy to tank it\’s art market

Mainland Chinese galleries are reeling from the impact of stringent zero Covid restrictions in the first half of this year. According to the new report by the researcher Wu Wenlong, published in the Chinese-language magazineArt Market, the period that saw hard lockdowns in cities like Shanghai and Xi’an and rolling lockdowns nationwide resulted in lower sales than the first half of 2021 for 77% of galleries, while 19% held steady and 4% sold better than last year. Just over a quarter of the surveyed galleries had virtually no sales in the first half of the year, and 23% experienced sales value drop by more than half. Wu surveyed 26 small or medium mainland galleries: 12 in Beijing, seven in Shanghai, one each in Chengdu and Shenzhen, and five in other cities. They include Hive Contemporary Art Center, Taihe Art Space and HDM Gallery in Beijing, and Shenzhen’s Shekou Gallery. While about 70% had planned three or more exhibitions for the period, 38% were unable to hold any, and 46% only managed one or two. Almost 85% of the galleries installed shows that they were unable to open. Read more at Art Newspaper.

Artists installing artworks to point state\’s attention towards climate change at COP27

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At the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, a new art installation literalizes this phenomenon. The idea, according to the project’s description, is to “make people feel like stakeholders in our collective future and to drive action towards making change possible.” The artwork, called Heaven & Hell in the Anthropocene, comprises a pair of identical-looking rooms. Inside, visitors are confronted with drastically different sights, sounds, temperatures, and smells, depending on which of the two spaces they opted to enter. One room represents heaven, the other hell. Detaills on Artnet News.

$1m to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage from Getty trust

The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (Aliph) has partnered with the J. Paul Getty Trust to help protect Ukrainian cultural sites as violence spikes and winter looms across the region. The trust has granted $1m to Aliph’s Ukrainian Action Plan initiative, which has so far committed $3m towards the preservation of the embattled nation’s museums, archives and libraries. The funds will also support the heritage professionals overseeing maintenance of these sites. Through Aliph’s efforts and collaboration with specialists on the ground, over 160 Ukrainian collections, including those containing invaluable religious and archaeological artefacts, have been transferred into safe, controlled storage since the start of Russia’s war on 24 February. Support from the Getty will help improve museum security and ensure facility upgrades, establishing preventative conservation systems across the country. “The ongoing need to protect cultural heritage in Ukraine has become even more urgent in recent weeks, as attacks in the region are increasing and the onset of winter is creating additional risks,” Valéry Freland, executive director of Aliph, said in a statement. Other Ukrainian Action Plan partners include the European Union and the Principality of Monaco. More on Art Newspaper.