May You Live in Less Interesting Times
Resignations at the Venice Biennale, the fall of the art school, Édouard Glissant’s art collection, Tania Bruguera on political art, and much more.
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Nostalgia can be fatal
For hundreds of years, nostalgia was seen as a serious disease, with doctors across Europe scrambling for a cure. Hundreds of thousands of people died from it. In the original understanding of the term, it was a sort of homesickness. Soldiers from Switzerland were the first to
15 Art Shows to See in NYC This May
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye captures quietude, Seydou Keïta documents a revolution, Renée Green compiles an autoethnography, and much more.
Ohhhhh dear, Richard Dawkins: Is AI the Next Phase of...
Ohhhhh dear, Richard Dawkins: Is AI the Next Phase of Evolution? Claude Appears to Be Conscious. “My conversations with several Claudes and ChatGPTs have convinced me that these intelligent beings are at least as competent as any evolved organism.” 😬
Unruly Play : “A collection of 169 works of play...
Unruly Play : “A collection of 169 works of play in unlikely places. Games about unusual things. Unexpected encounters.”
Kim Dacres Revitalizes Sleek Tires, Chains, and Gears in Defiant Sculptures
Kim Dacres gravitates toward renewal and care, transforming worn rubber into expressive sculptural portraits. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Kim
Venice Biennale Scraps “Golden Lion” Awards as Turmoil Continues
The Biennale said the public will vote on “Visitor Lions” instead, and made it clear that Israel and Russia will be in the running.
Ada Palmer & Bruce Schneier: AI Learns Language From...
Ada Palmer & Bruce Schneier: AI Learns Language From Skewed Sources. That Could Change How We Humans Speak – and Think . “Our sense of the world may become distorted in ways we have barely begun to comprehend.”
Trump Border Wall Crews Damage 1,000-Year-Old Native Etching in Arizona
The Las Playas Intaglio likely served as a sacred site for ancestors of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
Who Merits the Longest NY Times Obituaries?
Using the NY Times Archive API , journalist Ted Alcorn built Below the Fold , a dashboard through which you can explore the last 25 years of Times coverage: 2.2 million articles containing 1.5 billion words. You can slice and dice this data in a bunch of different ways — it’s a
Am…am I “alternatively influential” ?...
Am…am I “alternatively influential” ? Defined roughly as “public thinkers and tastemakers who have real clout in their own demesnes despite only modest internet followings”.
What Artists Sign Away
Long consignment periods, moral rights waivers, and opaque "standard" contracts serve the institution more than the artist.
The Supreme Court Is Corrupt. This Is What We Can Do About It.
This is excellent : Jamelle Bouie explains why he thinks the Supreme Court is corrupt and what we (through Congress) can do about it. Not all video transcripts work as text, but this one does, so I’m including his full remarks here: The Supreme Court is corrupt. You might hear
The Dandelion and the Meaning of Life: G.K. Chesterton on How to Dig for the “Submerged Sunrise of Wonder”
Recovering the "forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence" alive in the back of our modernity-deadened minds.
The Film That Attacks You
For his latest video essay , Evan Puschak tells us about Un Chien Andalou, the pioneering surrealist short film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. The film is particularly notable for a shocking shot in the opening scene, which, if you’ve seen it, you’ve likely never forgotten.
Opportunities in May 2026
Residencies, fellowships, grants, and open calls from the Bennett Prize, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
Secrets of the Bees: Revealing the Sneaky Genius of Nature’s Brightest Thinkers
"New science is showing that nature’s vital pollinators are smarter than we ever imagined."
I fixed a few bugs on the Rolodex yesterday — some of...
I fixed a few bugs on the Rolodex yesterday — some of the feeds weren’t updating and modifying sites wasn’t working properly. (Members get the mini-feedreader view !)
Diedrick Brackens’s Tapestries Beckon the Light of Freedom
In this Bay Area artist’s hands, weaving becomes a site of experimentation and refusal.
“Since 1900, scientists have observed more than 20...
“Since 1900, scientists have observed more than 20 phases of ice , many of them shaped under extreme conditions. The growing list includes hot ice and even ice that conducts electricity.”
SMFA at Tufts Presents Passages, the 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition
On view from May 5 to 17 in Medford, Massachusetts, this exhibition represents the graduating class and their journeys through worlds visited and imaged.
I Mean, Why Shouldn’t We All Smoke Cigarettes Again?
"We quit our bad habits for the sake of our future selves. How naïve of us."
On the futility of border walls . “The Ozymandian...
On the futility of border walls . “The Ozymandian ruins of many such walls litter our ancient and modern landscapes, because for as long as humanity has built hard borders, people have inevitably found ways to cross, topple or simply bypass them.”
The Secret to Success Is ‘Monotasking’ ....
The Secret to Success Is ‘Monotasking’ . “We find that in real‑world work, the more switches in attention a person makes, the lower is their end‑of‑day assessed productivity.”