NYC Gala Postponed in Face of Pogroms Controversy

SikhNNBy Anju KaurAbout 3000 Sikhs were killed in 2 days in Delhi, Nov. 1984WASHINGTON, DC – The Sikh Art and Film Foundation in New York City has postponed its annual gala this week in response to the rising controversy about its decision to honor Indian government officials on the 28th anniversary of the 1984 pogroms. This festive event coincides with the anniversary of the government-planned systematic slaughter and rape of thousands of Sikhs...

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Benoy K Behl, Part IV: Bamiyan and Beyond

FRONTLINEBy Benoy K. BehlBuddha from Faya-Tepe, 1st-2nd Century, CE Collection: Tashkent National Museum, UzbekistanINDIA---One of the greatest examples of the dissemination of philosophic and artistic ideas is the spread of Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent to the other countries of Asia. One of the seeming miracles in the story of man is the spread of ideas, across formidable mountains, vast oceans and national boundaries. The warm acceptance...

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A Vatican First: Confirmed For Venice Biennale 2013

NEW STATESMANBy Kamila KociallowskaSt. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. (Photo credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/GettyImages)The Catholic Church is set to embark upon a new engagement with contemporary art, after confirming that the Vatican will be given its own pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2013. This is the first time the Holy See will be represented at the event – undeniably one of the most prestigious art exhibitions in the world – after several...

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Turkey Claims Restitution of Stolen Art From the Louvre

ANSAmedFRANCE---Turkey has accused the Louvre's new Islamic Arts wing, which French President Francois Hollande inaugurated last month, of exhibiting artwork stolen from Istanbul's Piyale Pasha Mosque in the 18th century. Turkish Minister of Culture Erturul Guenay secretly sent two experts to Paris, who confirmed that three terracotta murals now on exhibit are those taken from the mosque, designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for the vizier and grand admiral Piyale Mehmed Pasha and built between 1565-1573. [li...

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Book Review: Ross King’s "Leonardo and 'The Last Supper'”

THE NEW YORK TIMESBy Michiko KaktuaniBy the age of 42 (in an era in which life expectancy was 40), Leonardo da Vinci had yet to create anything commensurate with his lofty ambitions. At that point, Ross King writes in his new book, “Leonardo and ‘The Last Supper” he “had produced only a few scattered paintings, a bizarre-looking music instrument, some ephemeral decorations for masques and festivals and many hundreds of pages of notes and drawings...

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UK Queen's Art Brings Protestant Reformation to Life

CHICAGO TRIBUNEBy Stephanie Pett and Paul Casciato, Rueters"Pieta" (c. 1520-30) by Gerard DavidUNITED KINGDOM--- Religious rivals of the Protestant reformation, murderous royal patrons and other 15th-16th century power brokers are brought to life in a new London art show telling the tale of northern Europe's renaissance. Some of the characters on show in drawings and paintings put together for "The Northern Renaissance: Duerer to Holbein" at the...

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Singapore's Thai Art That Stuns With Strong Statements

ASIA ONE | THE BUSINESS TIMESBy Helmi Yusof"Namo Buddhaya: A Path Towards The Divine Light" by Phatyos BuddhacharoenSINGAPORE---Singapore Art Museum's excellent exhibition on Thai contemporary art is certainly worth a look. Titled "Thai Transience," it is conceptually tight, curatorially elegant and mightily theatrical. And it proves once again why Thailand's art scene is one of the most underrated in the region. Some of these artworks are reactions...

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Barocci Exhibit Shows His Devotion, to Art, Reverence

SAINT LOUIS REVIEWBy Teak Phillips | editor@archstl.org"Entombment of Christ" (1579-82) by Federico BarocciMISSOURI---When Christians pray and worship at Church of the Cross in Senigallia, Italy, they face a bold painting of Christ's burial. The picture depicts the crucified Christ being carried by St. John the Evangelist, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. The narrative found in this painting clearly follows the story of Christ's burial found...

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Chapel Bar's Religious Ad Blasphemous? 'Jesus' And 'Mary' In Bed May Raise Eyebrows

HUFFINGTON POSTBy Cavan Sieczkowski NEW ZEALAND---Chapel Bar & Bistro, located in Ponsonby, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, is celebrating its seventh anniversary. In honor of "seven years of almighty nights," Chapel released an ad depicting "Jesus" and "Mary" in a compromising position. In the ad, a rocker-type man with long, shaggy hair and layers of bracelets portrays "Jesus." He lays sprawled out on messy bed strewn with tangled sheets....

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1st Native American Saint Stirs Pride, Skepticism

THE OKLAHOMANBy Associated PressOKLAHOMA---Some traditional Mohawks are treating the naming of the nation's first Native American saint with skepticism and fear that the Roman Catholic Church is using it to shore up its image and marginalize traditional spiritual practices. They see the story of Kateri Tekakwitha as yet another reminder of colonial atrocities and religious oppression. "I was a recipient of these historical profanities and want to ensure this does not happen again," said Doug George-Kanentiio, a Mohawk writer who left Catholicism...

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Perception and Presence Come Together in Hindu Art Exhibit

COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNEBy Amy WilderMISSOURI---Visitors to "Seeing the Divine in Hindu Art" at the University of Missouri's Museum of Art and Archaeology might have the sensation of being watched. This isn't because there are badly disguised eyeholes cut into paintings for spying, or due to the abovementioned optical illusion. Curator of Collections Jeffrey Wilcox explained that images of Hindu deities are created to serve as vessels or conduits for...

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Canadian Artist Angela Bulloch Turns Our Gaze to the Sky

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy TahlibDetail of Angela Bulloch - Night Sky: Mercury and Venus (2010)In 2010, Canadian installation artist Angela Bulloch (b. 1966) mimicked a night sky to shine above the altar at Basel's Münster cathedral. The installation was a hit in an short career of many hits for her works with sound and installation. Bulloch's piece reveals a wide "view" into the universe to the upward-gazing spectator, and what better place to...

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Ernest Disney-BrittonIn "Magnetism" (above), Saudi artist Ahmed Mater al-Ziad’s creates a doorway through which even non-Muslims can experience the powerful pull of the Hajj. This week as over 2 million pilgrims went to Mecca to walk in prayer around the sacred black cube known as the Kaaba, Ahmed Mater's photograuve series was on view in London at the Edge of Arabia exhibition. Hajj participants say that strangers...

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Movie Review: "Cloud Atlas" (3 Stars)

HOLLYWOOD JESUSBy Elisabeth LeitchAsk Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and even the publisher of the award winning novel what "Cloud Atlas" is about, and you'll probably have no better idea than before. Just Google the title or read the jacket description, and you'll know what I mean. Basically, "Cloud Atlas" jumps back and forth between six different stories, they all take place in different time periods, and they are all connected. The question that...

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Neglected Buddhist Sites in Odisha, India

ORISHA DIARYBy Akshya RoutINDIA---Buddhism held sway over large parts of coastal Odisha in ancient times and the region forms an important part of Buddhist history. The excavation of numerous Buddha images is not only historically significant but also revels the artistic excellence and iconography know-how during the Buddhist era. Magnificent remain of Buddhist edifices and images of the Vajrayana pantheon have been unearthed at Ratnagiri. The Buddhist...

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See ‘The Hobbit,’ or just eat ‘The Hobbit’ at Denny’s

WASHINGTON POSTBy Jen ChaneyMost people find it impossible to think of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” without simultaneously thinking, “Man, I could really go for a turkey melt at Denny’s.” Actually, that sentence is only true if you change the words “most people” to the “marketing staff at Denny’s.” Which is why, starting Nov. 6, there will be an entire “Hobbit” menu available at Denny’s, as a tie-in with the upcoming Peter Jackson movie.  For...

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Secularization Breeds Collaboration in “Blessed Are the Artists” Exhibit at Caldwell College

ALGEMEINERBy Elke Reva SudinFinding Home #79 “Ishq”, 2006 by Siona BenjaminNEW JERSEY---Threatened by secularization in the wake of modernization, members of different religions are joining together to give strength and inspiration to one another, even if their practices, backgrounds, and beliefs differ. Comes to play, "Blessed Are the Artists," an exhibit at Caldwell College bringing together 20 artists from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds....

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Muslim Pilgrims Mark Eid Al-Adha in Mina

PRESSTVSAUDIA ARABIA---On Friday, Muslim pilgrims mark Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday, when they proceed to Mina, a small village east of Mecca, and throw stones at the devil. Following the symbolic stoning of the devil, Muslim pilgrims also perform the ritual of sacrificing sheep and cattle, marking the first day of Eid al-Adha. The day marks the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage and Muslims around the world celebrate the following three...

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Artist Rosa Katzenelson: Paintings Beyond Hasidic Expressionism

JEWISH PRESSBy Richard Macbee"Dancing in the Rain" by Rosa KatzenelsonNEW YORK---Passion of belief can certainly lead to passion of expression, especially for an artist. Rosa Katzenelson’s paintings and digital artwork, currently at the Hadas Gallery in Brooklyn, could easily define the very essence of religious expressionism. As a Chabad devotee, every aspect of her work exudes a passion for both the chassidic subjects she depicts and the visceral...

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Book Review: "The Serpent and the Lamb" by Steven Ozment

AMERICABy Denis JanzIt is common knowledge that Martin Luther (1483-1546) changed the religious landscape of Western Europe. Fewer of us are familiar with Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), the most prolific and arguably the most accomplished artist of the time. And only specialists know that the two were close friends who struggled together on a united front for many of the same goals. Steven Ozment, a distinguished Harvard historian, scrutinizes...

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Kentucky's Ark Encounter Promotional Video

ARK ENCOUNTER...

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Rutger's Presents "Ornament and Narrative: Women Artists of Eastern Diasporas"

JEWISH ART SALON"Lilith in the New World" by Siona BenjaminNEW JERSEY---Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts presents the exhibtion, "Ornament and Narrative" in conjunction with The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art, and Society program of Rutgers Institute for Women and Art. This exhibit proposes two streams, ornament and narrative, that animate the work of the participating artists. Strictures against figurative representation have been, to varying...

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Western Images: Nice Buddhists, Not Killer Buddhists

RELIGIOUS DISPATCHESBy Joanna PiacenzaThere are a bunch of Buddhist monks killing Muslims in Myanmar and no one seems to care. Prompted by the alleged rape of a Buddhist woman by three Muslim men in June, violent clashes between the two groups keep popping up in western Myanmar. This sort of ethnic repression is not new; the Burmese have long viewed the Rohingya (members of the local Muslim community) as illegal immigrants, despite the fact that many belong to families that have resided in Myanmar for generations. This is the realistic image...

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France's Artistic Move to Win Muslim World

PAKISTANI OBSERVERBy Sana JamalPAKISTAN---In a rapprochement bid between the Muslim world and the West, France has initiated a gigantic task by introducing a section dedicated to Islamic Art at Louvre Museum in Paris. The innovative architectural extension to the world’s largest museum is an endeavour to recognize the remarkable Islamic civilisation, and its contribution to the world, said the Ambassador of France to Pakistan, Mr. Philippe Thiebaud, speaking to journalists at the Alliance Française of Islamabad on Wednesday. The objective of the...

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Kafou: Haiti, Art and Vodou, Nottingham Contemporary

THE ART DESKBy Mark HudsonMadson Mompremier's ‘Les Generales’, 1988, Gassen CollectionUNITED KINGDOM---I’ve rarely come across an exhibition as loaded with context as this one. Voodoo – or Vodou, as the show has it – is a massively complex and contested phenomenon, from the pin-sticking and zombies of legend and fantasy to the no-less colourful reality. Haitian history is tragic and dramatic, fraught with misinformation stemming from the country’s...

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Mecca’s Hera Cave, One of Early Islam’s Rarest Relics

RUETERS (Pilgrims stand at the entrance of Hera Cave at thetop of Mount al-Nour, November 2, 2011. REUTERS/Ammar Awad)SAUDIA ARABIA---Millions of Muslim pilgrims congregate in Mecca for the haj every year. The come from all corners of the globe, carrying with them their own versions and interpretations of Islam, but some things unite them: their simple white robes and rituals such as circling the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure that Muslims...

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Artists at the Edge of Arabia in London This Month

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy TahlibMagnetism" by Ahmed MaterUNITED KINGDOM---London's "Come Together" exhibition brings together 25 artists: Arab and Islamic of the Gulf to Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, including Ahmed Mater (above), widely considered one of the Middle East’s most fascinating contemporary artists. The exhibition title is a deliberate reference by...

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Hot And Getting Hotter: Islamic Contemporary On The Block At Christie’s Dubai

ARTINFO | BLOUINLalla Essaydi, Harem 16, 2009 (c. Christie's)DUBAI---Tonight and tomorrow, Christie’s Dubai will hold its Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian,and Turkish art sales, featuring some of the stars of the region including Charles Hussein Zenderoudi, Shirin Neshat, Lalla Essaydi, and Farhad Moshiri, along with modern masters Mahmoud Said, Louay Kayyali and Paul Guiragossian. “About thirty pecent of the Dubai sales are bought by non-Middle...

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Issac Witkin's "United We Stand" at Purchase College--A Celebration of Religious & Racial Tolerance

HARRISON DAILY VOICE United We Stand-A Celebration of Religious & Racial Unity & Tolerance Through ArtNEW YORK---There is a strong connection between the famous Henry Moore sculpture, which has graced the campus of Purchase College for over 30 years, and the life and work of Isaac Witkin. Isaac was first recognized as a promising young sculptor in a seminal exhibition of then modern sculptors of the 60’s, in London, England, entitled...

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LSU Airbrushes Crosses Out Of Fan Photo

HUFFINGTON POSTPainted Posse with cross on chestLOUISIANA--- Louisiana State University landed in hot water last week when the school appeared to have airbrushed Christian crosses out of a photo of several LSU fans who had painted the symbols on their chests. But when the students saw their picture in the school's email newsletter, they noticed the crosses had been removed. The airbrushing prompted anger and a certain amount of confusion, since the...

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Why Camille Paglia is Alarmed About the Future of Art

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE By Camille PagliaAs a 40-year veteran teacher in art schools, I am alarmed about the future of American art. Young people today, immersed in a digital universe, love the volatile excitement of virtual reality, but they lack the patience to steadily contemplate a single image—a complex static object such as a great painting or sculpture. Although I am an atheist, a religious perspective shapes my view of art. I spent the...

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Museum of Biblical Art Has a New Exhibit Entitled 'Louis C. Tiffany and the Art of Devotion'

DAILY NEWSBy Katelyn HrubyMay Memorial Window by Louis Comfort Tiffany at Temple Emanu-ElNEW YORK---A new exhibition offers a window on the talents of Louis Comfort Tiffany — and a reminder that the city is chock-full of his sometimes hidden gems. “Louis C. Tiffany and the Art of Devotion” is on display through Jan. 20 at the Museum of Biblical Art, arriving with a $55 coffee-table book of the same name. Both the exhibition and its book underscore...

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Islam vs Christianity or Islam and Christianity

YAREAHBy Isabel del RioIslam vs Christianity: Mozarabic artIn fact, we are speaking of two extended religions that have conformed two extended cultures. Face to face, Muslims and Christians have been living together for centuries and not always fighting. In the Iberian Peninsula, they coexisted during 800 years (from 711 to 1492). The consequence brought some artistic jewels. Today I would like to honor the Mozarabic art, humble but beautiful, poor...

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Inspired by Prayer, Evelyn Williams Art Takes Flight in Georgia Art Gallery

TIMES  FREE PRESSBy Clint Cooper "Freedom Flight" by Evelyn Marie WilliamsGEORGIA---A bluebird flies free as the cage and chain imprisoning it break apart and fall through the air in a dusky light. Artist Evelyn Marie Williams said the idea was given to her during prayer. The painting symbolizes the heritage of the United States but could well be her life. It illustrates "the freedom to be who we are, to worship God, to be who we are created...

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Rapper Game's Controversial "Jesus Piece" Album Art

SHOHH.COMBy Cyrus LanghorneAdd captionWest Coast rapper Game may be opening up a can of worms in light of his new Jesus Piece cover art which shows a gang-inspired version of the religious figure. In the cover art, Game's version of Jesus showcases Blood-related symbols including a red bandana, gold chain and tattooed tear drop. "I'm calling [my new album] Jesus Piece 'cause last year in August I got baptized and so I've been going to church, but...

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Ernest Disney-BrittonAll the worlds religions promise lives filled with problems, but they also promise miracles. At A&O, we believe in miracles. Miracles are moments when divine power is channeled through men and women we call saints---models of holiness to be imitated. Saints are known in Judaism as Tzadik, in Islam as wali, in Hinduism as guru, in Buddhism as boddhisatva, and in Sikhism as sant or bhagat. This...

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Pope Names 7 New Saints as Vatican Seeks to Revive Faith in Places Where it's Lagging

FOX NEWSBy Associated PressNative Indians hold an image of Kateri Tekakwitha as they wait for the start of a canonization ceremony. VATICAN CITY---Some 80,000 pilgrims in flowered lei, feathered headdresses and other traditional garb flooded St. Peter's Square on Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI added seven more saints onto the roster of Catholic role models in a bid to reinvigorate the faith in parts of the world where it's lagging. Two of the new...

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Tyler Green on Religion and Faith in Contemporary Art

ARTINFOBy Tyler Green | Modern Art Notes"When Faith Moves Mountains" (2002) by Francis AlÿsI’m on vacation this week. Instead of new, original content, I’ll be featuring past reviews/criticism that are particularly relevant now. America’s art museums hold much of Europe’s best religious art. But it was with that idea in mind that I considered one of Francis Alÿs’s best pieces when MoMA and its satellite PS1 hosted a two-venue Alÿs survey in 2011....

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The Head of Christ Moves Into New Indiana Home

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Tahlib"The Head of Christ" (1941) by Warner SallmanINDIANA---Widely considered the most well collected American portrait of Christ, "The Head of Christ" is part of the Warner Sallman Art Collection at Anderson University, and last month, the collection moved into a new home. On September 23, 2012 the university opened the doors to a new $5 million state-of-the-art 24,000 square foot Krannert Fine Arts building with classrooms,...

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Damien Hirst's 66 Foot Naked "Verity" Statue Unveiled

PRESS ASSOCIATION...

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Sikh Temple Centennial Party in USA Culminates in Parade

RECORDBy Jo Ann KirbyThosands of Sikhs march down California Street near Market Street in the annual Sikh Parade through downtown Stockton.CALIFORNIA---The Sikh community came from near and far this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Stockton Gurdwara - a temple on South Grant Street that holds special meaning, because it represents the first permanent Sikh settlement in the United States. A weekend of events, including the reading...

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Buddhist Teacher, Jitsudo Ancheta, Brings Spiritual Practice to Artwork

LOCAL IQBy Kayla SawyerNEW MEXICO---The artistry of Zen Buddhist teacher Jitsudo Ancheta began with gift-giving in celebration of New Year’s Day. He would carve on linoleum and multi-plate woodblock prints, embedding them with spiritual images and words, and each new year, give them to members of the local art and Buddhist communities. The Albuquerque art scene and the Buddhist community support each other, said Ancheta. “The art supports the practice,”...

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Film Explores the Maze of Spirituality That Was Artist William Kurelek

THE GLOBE AND MAILBy Kate Taylor"This is the Nemesis" (1965; mixed media on masonite). This was Kurelek's apocalyptic vision of the destruction of Hamilton, Ont.CANADA---In 1969 the Canadian artist Willliam Kurelek told the American filmmaker Robert M. Young: “First of all, I would like to state quite categorically that I don’t believe I was ever mental … I wasn’t mental.” Today, it is that statement that opens William Kurelek’s The Maze, a remake...

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Pussy Riot Joins Power Art List

BLOOMBERGBy Farah NayeriPussy Riot, the female Russian punk rock band with two members still in jail, landed on ArtReview’s annual ranking of the 100 most influential people in the art world, the Power 100, published today. The band was 57th on a list topped by Carolyn Christov- Bakargiev, curator of Documenta 13. ArtReview Editor Mark Rappolt said in an interview that Pussy Riot were “not on the list for their music. It’s much more for the fact that they raised the issue of freedom of speech and expression, which sometimes get ignored.” Every...

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Celebration Begins for First Native American to be Sainted

KANSAS CITY STARBy Roy GutmanIn this Dec. 21, 2011 photo, Phyllis Tessitore of Amsterdam, N.Y., says a prayer in front of a statue of the the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha at the National Kateri Shrine and Indian Museum in Fonda, N.Y.ITALY---The Roman Catholic Church began final preparations Wednesday for what will be a watershed event in the church’s relationship with Native American cultures, the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Indian who...

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Turkish Pianist on Trial for Insulting Islam on Twitter

SEATTLE TIMESBy Susan Fraser and Frank JordansPhoto of pianist at the piano courtesy of National TurkTURKEY---A top Turkish pianist and composer appeared in court on Thursday to defend himself against charges of offending Muslims and insulting Islam in comments he made on Twitter. Fazil Say, who has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and others, is on trial for sending tweets that included one in April that joked...

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Artist Matthew Couper Soaking it up in Sin City for the Canvas

GISBOURNE HERALDBy Kristine WalshNew works by Matthew Couper exploring sin in VegasNEW ZEALAND---Seeking inspiration for his religion-infused paintings, Matthew Couper went to the heart of Sin City. There, he worked under the most devilish glow of any along the whoring, gambling streak of Las Vegas’s Sunset Boulevard. Couper’s studio-cum-apartment lurks in the shadow of the Stratosphere Tower . . . a soaring example of excess in a city defined by...

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A Sacred Plan for Peace and 35,000 Photographs

FRONTLINEColossal Buddha, 8th-9th Century, Mulbek, Ladkh.Benoy K. Behl is a film-maker, art historian and photographer who is known for his prolific output of work over the past 34 years. He has taken over 35,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and made over a hundred documentaries on art history. This series carries photographs from his photographic exhibition on Buddhist Heritage of the World, which is currently on display in Nara...

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"Free" Film Now Available! "Muhammad: The Legacy of the Prophet"

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy TahlibThanks to the generosity of Unity Productions, their inspiring and educational film is now available for "free" about the Prophet Muhammad. Entitled, "Muhammad: Legacy of the Prophet" the film is an excellent tool for educating believers, of all faiths (and skeptics too) about the true legacy of the Islamic prophet. Unity Productions is the same team which over the past year has brought the message about Islamic Art to audiences across America using film, at museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as on national...

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