Maria Alyokhina, one of three founding members of Pussy Riot, has snuck across the border to reach the UK, following her prevention of leaving Russia by border guards. “Pussy Riot founder Maria refused to be captive and silenced,” the group said in a statement. “She was absolutely determined to perform the show and will be there in person to join her band mates to share her story.” (more…)

The List project has been put back up on view in Liverpool after it was torn down last month.  The work documents the 34,361 names of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants who have died trying to get to Europe since 1993.  “The site continues to be a target but we are doing everything we can to ensure that The List is presented for the remainder of Liverpool Biennial 2018, so that more people have the opportunity to come into contact with it,” a spokesperson says. (more…)

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has acquired its first-ever performance artwork: Tino Sehgal’s This You. “For more than a decade the Hirshhorn has demonstrated a unique commitment to the acquisition and presentation of experimental and new media works,” says director Melissa Chiu. “Tino enters the collection at a significant moment, providing fresh insight and further strengthening the museum’s dialogue around contemporary performance.” (more…)

As a string of galleries in Los Angeles leave the Boyle Heights area, the LA Times spotlights the upcoming challenges the area will face from redevelopment plans and rezoning that will bring new market-rate developments in the area. “It’s all market-rate development,”Isela Gracian, president of the East L.A. Community Corp. (ELACC), a nonprofit advocacy group and housing developer based in Boyle Heights. “It’s going through without any affordable housing.” (more…)

Ai Weiwei has accused Chinese authorities of demolishing his studio with no prior warning, leaving many works damaged.  “Works were damaged due to the unannounced attack on the studio,” he said in a statement. “There was no caution taken. However, compared to the memories which have been lost, compared to a society which has never established trust in the social order, a trust in the rule of law, or a trust in any kind of unity in defending the rights of its people, what has been lost at my studio is insignificant, and I don’t even care. There are profoundly deeper and wider ruins in this deteriorating society where the human condition has never been respected.” (more…)

Darren Bader is featured in the New York Times this week, spotlighting his unique artistic practice and his investigation of the lines of just where art lies.  “Contemporary art is by its very nature kind of a tenuous proposition and category,” he says. “I always sense these fault lines, and perhaps I’m overly sensitive to it — perhaps paranoid, I don’t know.”  (more…)

The British Museum is returning a selection of items to Iraq, items taken from the country following the U.S. invasion of the country in 2003. “It’s a real historic event that happened this morning,” says archaeologist Sebastien Rey.  (more…)

The continued negotiations between the MoMA Employees Union and the museum boiled over into a demonstration today, as many gathered in the museum lobby to call for better work standards and pay. “MoMA’s extraordinary staff are the best in the world,” the museum has previously said in a statement. “We are committed to working with the Local 2110 to reach an agreement that will keep our community of dedicated staff and the museum on a path of financial stability and future growth.” (more…)

CBS profiles painter Georg Baselitz this week, as the artist opens his show at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. “There’s some sort of irritation, the view of them, and that’s intentional,” he says of his work. “When you’re irritated, you pay closer attention.” (more…)

Artist Martin Puryear has been picked to represent the United States at the 2019 Venice Biennale, a reliable source has told ARTnews. The news was echoed publically by Jerry Saltz, who wrote on Twitter: “I glean in the tea-leaves for the next American Pavilion at next Spring’s Venice Biennale: American sculptor Martin Puryear will represent the United States. An abundant bloom.” (more…)

The Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo gets a profile this week in CityLab, as the museum’s continued focus on public art projects has spread throughout the city. “The Albright-Knox, it’s such a big part of Buffalo. We’re the sixth-oldest museum in the country. Period. We’re the oldest museum dedicated to modern and contemporary work. We’re essentially the oldest museum in America that’s not encyclopedic, so people are really familiar with us as a cultural beacon,” says Aaron Ott, the museum’s Public Art curator. “But the public art initiative is now only on its fourth year. In the long history of the institution, we’ve started something that’s only taken up a wee little bit of it, but people have responded well to it so far.” (more…)

Bloomberg profiles the challenges facing Chinese art dealers and importers of Chinese art and artifacts as President Trump’s trade war with China heats up, noting the cost of tariffs on importing and selling work. “If everything is slapped with a 25 percent tariff, it’s actually going to do a disservice to people here in the U.S.,” says Daniel Chen, director of Chambers Fine Art gallery in New York. “Who are they trying to punish?” (more…)

The Studio Museum in Harlem has named Legacy Russell associate curator of exhibitions. “As we enter our 50th anniversary year and prepare to begin construction on our new home, we’re thrilled to have Legacy join us in advancing the mission of the Studio Museum,” director Thelma Golden said in a statement.  (more…)

The NYT looks at recent efforts by institutions to focus increasingly on diversity, pushing for additional funds to increase the number of professional curators and museum administrators of color. “American museums need to do a better job of hiring, cultivating, retaining and promoting curators of color,” says Akili Tommasino, curatorial assistant at MoMA. “People of color don’t have exposure to arts as viable careers.” (more…)

David Zwirner has appointed curator and instagram-influencer Elena Soboleva as the gallery’s first online sales director. “Understandably, it took some time to find someone both experienced in online sales and sensitive to the priorities of our gallery, programming, and artists,” Zwirner said in a statement. (more…)

Han-I Wang has been named a senior director of Gagosian in Hong Kong, Art News reports, leaving Christie’s to take the post. “I felt the stars aligned,” Wang says, “but I could not have gotten here if it weren’t for Christie’s.” (more…)

Tina Knowles Lawson, the mother of Solange and Beyonce Knowles, gives Kimberly Drew a tour of her art collection, reflecting on her tastes and focus on African-American art. “When my kids were growing up, it was really important to me that they saw images of African-Americans,” Lawson says. “I’m so happy that I did, because both of them are really aware of their culture, and I think a lot of that had to do with looking at those images every day, those strong images.” (more…)

Ten Pablo Picasso works are among the pieces discovered during a reappraisal of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art’s holdings, the Art Newspaper reports.     (more…)

Sculptor B. Wurtz is featured in the NYT this week, discussing the selection of Eames chairs he has collected and restored over the course of his life. “I have this fascination with Eames because I associate them with California, which is where I grew up,” he says. “And because they wanted to make nicely designed furniture that people could afford.” (more…)

The Kunststiftung NRW foundation in Germany has named the shortlist for the 2018 Nam June Paik Award, which includes a €25,000 prize. The nominees are Andreas Angelidakis, Melanie Bonajo, Antoine Catala, Hanne Lippard, and Sondra Perry.  (more…)

Sotheby’s has reported a $57.3 million net income in the second quarter of 2018—a decrease of $19.6 million from last year, it noted in its call to investors this morning. “Overall,”CEO Tad Smith said, “these results were lower than we expected. At the same time, management and the board are excited as ever about the company’s prospects going forward.” (more…)

The Bass in Miami Beach has acquired major work by Sandford Biggers, Lawrence Weiner, and more, Artofurm reports. “Continuing to grow and expand The Bass’s permanent collection is a vital part of our commitment to presenting international contemporary art to our audiences,” says director and chief curator Silvia Cubina. (more…)

Munich’s Haus der Kunst has cancelled its exhibition of the touring Joan Jonas retrospective, citing financial difficulties. All attempts at securing last minute funding have failed, leaving the institution without the resources to open the show.  (more…)

Nicole Eisenman has won the 2020 Suzanne Deal Booth/FLAG Art Foundation Prize, which includes a $200,000 cash award. “I would describe her as being one of the most important painters of our generation,” says Louis Grachos, the executive director and chief executive of the Contemporary Austin. “Part of the excitement we have for this prize is it’s so focused on the artist’s ability to create new work.” (more…)