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Rant 68: Pop-up and Pop-down?
Should the pop-up gallery be a sustainable structure, or are transience and failure the nature of its format? Writer Joanne Laws examines the possibilities of the pop-up art gallery at a time when pop-up protests across the world are using collective action to oppose the narrow definition of success proposed by global capitalism.
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Rant 67: Does Size Matter in Art?
Does size matter in art, or is it just a way for established artists to make their ideas appear more vital than they really are? Chris Sharratt muses on whether big means better.
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Rant 66: Words Fail
How do you describe your work? Artist Rosemary Hogarth delves into the murky world of artists' statements and finds it hard to grasp the meaning behind the hyperbole. Could we do better? And if so, how?
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Rant 65: Whose Paintings?
Whose paintings? Our Paintings! Or so we would like to think, but in times of austerity and massive funding cuts to local councils, museums and art galleries are we about to see a flurry of auctions selling off major publicly owned artworks in order to cover costs in other areas?
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Rant 64: Anticurate
What does the word curate mean to you? Artist and curator Trevor Pitt has had 57 responses to this question for the anticurate show at mac birmingham; now he asks you, The Rant readers, what you think.
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Rant 63: Critical Distance
Can anyone do the job of art critic? Should writers think twice about giving bad reviews, potentially damaging an artist's career? And who are they written for anyway?
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Rant 62: Touching Causes Damage
Can galleries appeal to a broad audience without dumbing down? And should they impose stricter rules on children (and their parents) in order to preserve the work on show? Paul Harfleet delves into the sticky world of toddlers' handprints in the museum.
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Rant 61: Nightclub at the Museum
Should discos, dance floors and DJs be found in museums? In a desire to pull in the culturally elusive 'youth of today' have museums gone too far in their attempts to contextualise their collections with noisy contemporary culture? Lizzie Walley investigates the new phenomenon of music in the museum.
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Rant 60: What is Gay Art?
What makes art 'gay'? Is it the sexuality of the artist or the work itself? Is there a specific queer aesthetic? Postgraduate student Eilidh Gilfillan investigates what gay art might be and what support there is for LGBT artists in the UK.
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Rant 59: Notes on Ai Weiwei’s disappearance
On 3 April 2011 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was detained at Bejing airport and at the time of writing (18 April 2011) his whereabouts remain unknown. In light of his arrest Becky Hunter questions how cultural institutions are calling for his release, whilst European institutions are simultaneously embracing cultural partnerships with China.
View full details , Rant 59: Notes on Ai Weiwei’s disappearance