A closer Luke

Ben Luke, our Contributing Editor and podcast host, weighs in on the pressing issues facing the UK art world and beyond

Keith Piper's thoughtful response to Tate Britain's racist mural avoids the usual get-out clauses

The artist's research-based video exploring Rex Whistler's The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats benefited from the museum's collaborative approach

'As politicians look away, we need artists like Steve McQueen more than ever'

The British artist invited dozens of MPs to view his film about Grenfell Tower at London's Serpentine Galleries, but most only showed up after subsequent guilt-tripping

‘"Immersive" art makes me yearn for something less empty’

Among the art world’s favourite terms, "immersive" art has become a byword for a shallow form of meaningless spectacle

'Public sculptures are tricky to get right: would making them temporary help?'

Public art is often lauded for bringing art out of hallowed gallery spaces and inviting everyone to see and opine on it. But it’s also fiendishly difficult to do well

'The NFT bubble has popped, but there’s still untapped potential in digital art'

Artists have long mined cyberspace for inspiration, as two current exhibitions underscore

Not everyone is celebrating Picasso’s big anniversary—that makes it more exciting

A series of exhibitions marking the 50th anniversary of the Spanish artist's death includes a show curated by comedian and Picasso-hater Hannah Gadsby

Twenty-five years after it opened, artists still find it hard to love the Guggenheim Bilbao

Architect Frank Gehry claimed his design for the Spanish satellite museum was neutral and would not compete with the art within—did he succeed?

Copyrightcomment

Copying is a creative act established across centuries—despite what the US's 'fair use' ruling might suggest

The decision made in the case of Andy Warhol's usage of Lynn Goldsmith's Prince image threatens a long tradition of appropriation and quotation

The women-dominated Venice Biennale has been criticised for sacrificing quality—revealing just how necessary such progressive projects really are

Described by some as a “politically correct” move, around 90% of the artists in Cecilia Alemani's exhibition 'The Milk of Dreams' are female

Ceramics are central to humanity. To dismiss them as 'decorative' is absurd

Artists from Magdalene Odundo to Ai Weiwei are demonstrating that the art form goes way beyond the "applied"

From the Uyghur Tribunals to a groundbreaking exhibition on slavery—we look back on 2021's most seismic cultural moments through The Week in Art podcast

Each week The Art Newspaper reflects on how big geopolitical developments affect different realms of art and heritage

Public artcomment

Could an equivalent of wrapping the Arc de Triomphe happen in the UK? Not likely under our current leadership

Christo's posthumously realised project benefitted from France having a mature understanding of the importance of culture

Museums seeking to address their racial imbalances could learn from London's Institute of Contemporary Arts

The ICA's exhibition on the police killing of Mark Duggan was unflinching and shows how an institution should handle such a fraught issue

Prizescomment

What's the point of art prizes?

The trend for awards to be shared among all the shortlisted artists reflects the current political climate, but it might be time to do away with them all together

Fundingcomment

Hackneyed old Hockney: Museums need to be courageous, even in survival mode

This is the moment to ask for fresh ideas and give space to artists more deserving of exposure—so why has the Royal Academy given its main galleries to iPad 'paintings'?

Monumentscomment

Tearing down troubling statues is not lying about our history—it is removing impediments to truth

The UK communities secretary Robert Jenrick's plans to prevent the removal of controversial monuments reveals his inability to view the past as shifting and complex

Covid-19comment

As 2021 beckons.... I crave new art in the new year more than ever

With talk of vaccines dominating the airwaves, a return to regular contact with the latest works and upcoming artists may be on the horizon

Art could have dwindled into insignificance in the upheaval of this year—instead it endured

Through the major shifts and moments of victory, art has proved itself to be cathartic, resistant and powerful

Philip Guston show: 2022 opening is welcome news but confusion still remains

The museums should make urgent use of the delay already caused by the pandemic rather than lurch towards lengthy postponement

Exhibitions need a perfect storm to succeed—but shows opening during Covid-19 are getting a disappointing drizzle

With no group student visits, no art-world private view, and limits on public access, the buzz of new exhibitions has potentially been short-circuited

'Museums need to press the reset button and become more radical'

Directors and curators should consider this challenging moment as an opportunity diversify the stories they tell and the staff that tell them

New Dealcomment

UK artists deserve a New Deal

Instead of commissioning creatives to respond to the current crisis as if this were a war, the country should pump millions into community art projects

Mourning a ‘golden' exhibition season curtailed by coronavirus

Major shows by male artists dominated the London museum landscape before the crisis, now women and non-binary artists are missing their turn

Museum top brass are losing the oil money plot

Decision by London's British Museum and Science Museum to continue accepting sponsorship from fossil fuel companies risks alienating the public they serve

The five stages of an art world scandal

Creating the ultimate art shock takes more than sticking a banana to the wall