August 2022: News roundup


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Vincent Namatjira, Albert Namatjira meets Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Canberra, 1954 (2021)


Spanish Shipwreck’s Treasure-trove of Over Three Centuries: Unearthed & Revealed

The shipwreck’s 350-year-old priceless wonders are now on view at the Bahamas Maritime Museum in Grand Bahamas. The expedition’s leader, Allen Explorations, was licensed by the local government and uncovered treasures of gold chains, jeweled pendants, and more. “My breath caught in my throat,” said Carl Allen, the company’s founder, about one of their discoveries–a pendant depicting the Cross of Santiago, encircled by a dozen green emeralds. While using innovative technology to uncover the long trail of wreckage and debris, Allen’s team has also been recording data on nearby pollution and coral reef conditions.

Home Sweet Home: Indigineous Artifacts Return to Mexico

Indigenous artifacts, possibly of Olmec and Zacatecas origin, have been returned to their native Mexico by the Albuquerque institution that kept them for over a decade. The antique sculptures and figurines were donated to the Albuquerque Museum by an unidentified donor who purchased them in the 1980s from an unknown source. Only recently were the pre-Columbian artifacts rediscovered in the museum’s storage where they sat for 15 years. The Mexican government makes efforts to ban the sale of such cultural relics and regularly calls for restitution.

‘Dressed By Nature: Textiles of Japan’, A New Exhibition Featuring Natural Elements in Clothing

The latest exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art features nature-based traditional Japanese apparel. The earthly themes of these textiles can be found in both their medium and subject matter; materials such as silk, hemp, deer and fish skin were used to craft the clothes dated between 1750 and 1930. The exhibition’s purpose is to showcase and celebrate the more alternative styles and beauty of these traditional makings.

A Variation of Modern Aboriginal Art Now On View in New York Gallery

Iwantja Arts, located in the South Australian desert of Indulkana, is a community for artists of all ages and mediums. The 300 person collective is made up of mainly the Yankunytjatjara people and is a five hour drive from the nearest town. Three artists of Iwantja Arts, Vincent Namatjira, Kaylene Whiskey and Tiger Yaltangki, are now featured right in New York City at the Fort Gansevoort gallery. Their themes of colonialism and identity are exhibiting under the exhibition’s title, Iwantja Rock n Roll. This is the US debut for artists Whiskey and Yaltangki.

William Blake’s Characters and Craft Brought to Life for All to View and Interact With

An Apple store in London will now host an animated installation featuring the artworks of poet and painter, William Blake. United Visions–the title of the physical high tech display and augmented reality application virtually showing the series–is the creative formulation of Australian artists Ed Cutting and Ted Nugyen. The Spirit of the Flea and other optical depictions of the artist’s work move enchantingly while Blake’s poetry, read by Oveous Maximus, and music by Just Blaze, play throughout.

Revolutionary Visual Artist Takahiko limura, Passes Away at 85

In the 1970s, the filmmaker’s experimentation with video art established him as one of the first to conceive and produce in the artform. His work explored concepts of time and projection, while inspiring curious viewers–especially those in the underground New York art scene. Iimura, who grew up in Japan, aimed to stray from traditional concepts of media and film. Although perhaps now simpler in composition to modern audiences, limura’s art enlightened and introduced new concepts of video in a time that almost solely used it for commercial purposes.


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