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Nîmes: a New Scene for Contemporary Art?
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Nîmes: a New Scene for Contemporary Art?

The inaugural edition of the Contemporaine de Nîmes triennial pairs young talents with established artists to create a dialogue with the city. The Contemporaine de Nîmes initiated by the City of Nîmes in 2024, is a timely arrival. It recalls the enduring ties of this city, also known as the French Rome, to the forefront of modernity....

Legal Experts Assess the Impact of This Super Election Year on the Art Market
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Legal Experts Assess the Impact of This Super Election Year on the Art Market

How politics, new tax and anti-money laundering regimes, and AI copyright will affect the art trade in 2024 At the start of 2023, there was considerable optimism that the year ahead was going to be one of stabilization, following a challenging period with the fallout from COVID-related lockdowns, the reduction of frictionless trade through Brexit,...

Is Dallas Big Enough for Two Art Fairs?
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Is Dallas Big Enough for Two Art Fairs?

This Thursday, the Dallas Art Fair (DAF), which was launched in 2009, will welcome VIPs to its 2024 edition. The same day, and just across the street, the newer Dallas Invitational will open its second edition at the Fairmont Hotel. The Invitational, which features just 14 exhibiting galleries (versus DAF’s 91), is the latest boutique art event to stake...

AI Writing, Illustration Emits Hundreds of Times Less Carbon Than Humans
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AI Writing, Illustration Emits Hundreds of Times Less Carbon Than Humans

With the evolution of artificial intelligence comes discussion of the technology’s environmental impact. A new study has found that for the tasks of writing and illustrating, AI emits hundreds of times less carbon than humans performing the same tasks. That does not mean, however, that AI can or should replace human writers and illustrators, the...

Fuji Music in Nigeria: New Documentary Shines Light on a Popular African Culture
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Fuji Music in Nigeria: New Documentary Shines Light on a Popular African Culture

Nigerian singer Síkírù Àyìndé Barrister (1948-2010) pioneered fújì, a Yorùbá genre of popular dance music. In February 2024, historian Saheed Aderinto’s documentary on the musician’s life and times premiered. The Conversation Africa’s Wale Fatade asked Aderinto about the film and the music it brings to our attention. What is fújì music? Fújì fuses Islamic philosophy...

How Artist Tsherin Sherpa Celebrates Himalayan Craft and Creativity
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How Artist Tsherin Sherpa Celebrates Himalayan Craft and Creativity

He will unveil a monumental new tapestry at Art Basel Hong Kong Sometimes it takes a village to make an artwork – or rather, a group of highly skilled artisans from your hometown. This is the case for Tsherin Sherpa’s installation Stairways to Heaven (2024), soon to be unveiled in the Encounters sector at Art Basel in...

On the Resilience of Art Collecting in China
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On the Resilience of Art Collecting in China

Ahead of Art Basel Hong Kong, we take stock on what is driving art collectors in the region The mainland art world is keenly watching whether this year’s Hong Kong art week can buy the Chinese art market, which saw a rebound in 2023, as noted in The Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2024....

AI Outperforms Humans in Standardized Tests of Creative Potential
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AI Outperforms Humans in Standardized Tests of Creative Potential

Score another one for artificial intelligence. In a recent study, 151 human participants were pitted against ChatGPT-4 in three tests designed to measure divergent thinking, which is considered to be an indicator of creative thought. Divergent thinking is characterized by the ability to generate a unique solution to a question that does not have one...

Pythagoras Was Wrong: There Are No Universal Musical Harmonies, New Study Finds
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Pythagoras Was Wrong: There Are No Universal Musical Harmonies, New Study Finds

The tone and tuning of musical instruments has the power to manipulate our appreciation of harmony, new research shows. The findings challenge centuries of Western music theory and encourage greater experimentation with instruments from different cultures. According to the Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, ‘consonance’ – a pleasant-sounding combination of notes – is produced by special relationships...

Community Culture Shapes Ceramics
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Community Culture Shapes Ceramics

Archeologists have long used the shapes and styles of pottery as a proxy for ancient cultures. But how does the cultural alignment of ceramic forms arise? To explore this question, Tetsushi Nonaka and colleagues asked 21 potters in three different communities—one in France in Bourgogne and two in India in Bulandshahar district, Uttar Pradesh—to throw...