Slick and elegant abstract artwork that captures the soul of our time – or lack of one.
• White Cube Bermondsey, London, until 30 June
Cory Arcangel
A survey of the brilliant and witty digital artist whose materials range from antique pc video games to cat films.
• Firstsite, Colchester, till 7 July
Georg Baselitz
Prints were made by this modern German artist whose photography eye was encouraged by his series of Renaissance woodcuts.
• Alan Cristea Gallery, London, sixteen May-22 June
Ancient Textiles from the Andes
Precious masterpieces that seize existence in South America before the Spanish conquests.
• Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, till 15 September
The masterpiece of the week
Perseus turned Phineas and his Followers to Stone utilizing Luca Giordano (c 1680)
The story of Perseus and Medusa has stimulated some of Europe’s most superb mythological art. In this ancient Greek legend, the hero Perseus must kill the snake-headed Medusa, a Gorgon whose very look can flip you to stone. Benvenuto Cellini created a darkly sensual statue of Perseus retaining Medusa’s severed head; Caravaggio painted the bloody reptilian head frozen by way of its reflection. So by the point, Luca Giordano got around to the issue tons later, inside the 1680s, he needed to upload a new twist. He suggests that Perseus use Medusa’s pinnacle to kill his enemies, avoiding his eyes as he exposes its deadly stare. Our bodies trade from dwelling flesh to dead stone earlier than our eyes. This large, luxuriant portrait of a feast long gone wrong is designed to grasp in an opulent palace. Imagine seeing this while you sipped your wine at a celebration. It warns of sudden death amid plenty.
Barca Nostra by using Christoph Büchel
The break of a fishing boat that sank in the Mediterranean in 2015, killing at least seven hundred migrants stuffed aboard, is transported into Venice for its artwork Biennale. The ruin will be shaped as part of a setup utilizing Swiss-Icelandic artist Christoph Büchel.
What we found out
We got a sneak peek of Cathy Wilkes’s British pavilion at the Venice Biennale
… and spoke to Turner-winner Charlotte Prodger, who is representing Scotland
… and sculptor Eva Rothschild, representing Ireland
Ghana’s pavilion will shake up the ‘sea of whiteness.’
… and past artists instructed us about their Venice reminiscences
Tony Costa has received the 2019 Archibald prize for portraiture
Poland was given in a stew over a rainbow Virgin
Co-housing has come to live in Marmalade Lane
We peered inside the thoughts of illustrator Jan Pieńkowski
Tamara Dean gained the Moran Modern Photographic prize
A (very famous) artist thanked a critic for his evaluation
The Beggarstaffs have been masters of photography, art
Cycle-mad Belgium has an art path you may observe on two wheels
Tech bosses have become figures of fable
Sydney is an artwork deco treasure trove
Augusta Savage changed into a trailblazer of African American arts
Esther Teichmann creates a surreal seaweed global
Bob Colacello mingled with celebrities
We saw a tube driver’s view of the East End
Tate plans to shock Britain with Aubrey Beardsley’s erotica
We remembered the artist Graham Arnold
