Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras, who recently collaborated with Ai Weiwei, has filed suit against U.S. Security Agencies, demanding the release of records documenting the six years that she experienced long searches, questionings, and security screenings at U.S. and international airports. “I’m filing this lawsuit because the government uses the U.S. border to bypass the rule of law. This simply should not be tolerated in a democracy,” she says. “I am also filing this suit in support of the countless other less high-profile people who have also been subjected to years of Kafkaesque harassment at the borders. We have a right to know how this system works and why we are targeted.” (more…)

Roger Hiorns, Untitled (2014), all images courtesy Luhring Augustine

On view at Luhring Augustine is the first New York solo exhibition from London-based artist Roger Hiorns, comprised of a series of varied installations and objects produced in 2013 and 2014. The works will remain on view through October 18th.

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Ramallah-based artist Khaled Jarrar, part of the New Museum’s group exhibition on contemporary Arabic art, has been prevented by Israeli authorities from leaving the country to attend the museum exhibition.  Jarrar, whose works often explore and document the flux and bureaucratic grey areas of the Israeli-Palestinian borders, was blocked from leaving for “security reasons.” (more…)

The Smithsonian Institution has announced a series of summer closures in order to make up for the current national budget sequester.  Beginning yesterday, the Institute closed several rooms at the Hirshhorn, the Smithsonian Castle, and the Museum of African Art as it cut back on security and maintenance during the summer.  The measures are scheduled to conclude on September 30th. (more…)

The Louvre was forced to close on Wednesday, after 200 guards and surveillance agents went on strike to protest the growing number of often violent pickpockets at the museum.  “For more than a year, pickpockets have come here every day,” Thierry Choquet, a member of the main union at the Louvre, said. “They threaten guards by telling them that they know where they live.” (more…)